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DARLINGTON, SOUTH CAROLINA – AUGUST 31: Chase Briscoe, driver of the #19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota, celebrates with his son Brooks Briscoe after winning the NASCAR Cup Series Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway on August 31, 2025 in Darlington, South Carolina. (Photo by Logan Riely/Getty Images)
NASCAR Cup Series driver Chase Briscoe has an “intense” relationship with crew chief James Small.
The dominant winner of Sunday’s Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway, Briscoe earned the playoff-opening event by leading for 309 laps. In his first season piloting the No. 19 Toyota, the crown jewel title marked the second trip to Victory Lane for Briscoe and Small.
It was their most dominant, though.
Evolving into a championship contender during the second half of the season, Briscoe posted five top-five finishes during his past eight outings.
Small worked with Briscoe’s predecessor, Martin Truex Jr., for five seasons before the 2017 circuit champ retired. Briscoe credits Small for his recent rise in the drivers’ standings.
“James is just a super-to-the-point guy, just very short and blunt, truthfully,” Briscoe said on “Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour” podcast. “And it’s definitely something, I mean, you know me, I do need somebody that kind of pushes me. I’m a very laid-back and just nonchalant kind of about everything in my life.
“When it comes to the competition side, I think it’s helped both of us, truthfully, like I’m so laid back and easy going, I think it helps James kind of come down off some of that high emotion sometimes. And that’s something that I think is important, at least for me, like those are just buttons that have always been what I needed.”
Entering Sunday’s event at World Wide Technology Raceway, Briscoe paces the playoff standings. Denny Hamlin (plus-43), Kyle Larson (plus-38), Tyler Reddick (plus-35) and Bubba Wallace (plus-25) round out the top five.
NASCAR Cup Series Enjoy Illinois 300 Entry List
NASCAR Cup Series officials released the entry list for Sunday’s Enjoy Illinois 300 at World Wide Technology Raceway:
Entry, Driver, Car No.
1, Ross Chastain, No. 1 Chevrolet
2, Austin Cindric No. 2 Ford
3, Austin Dillon, No. 3 Chevrolet
4, Noah Gragson, No. 4 Ford
5, Kyle Larson, No. 5 Chevrolet
6, Brad Keselowski, No. 6 Ford
7, Justin Haley, No. 7 Chevrolet
8, Kyle Busch, No. 8 Chevrolet
9, Chase Elliott, No. 9 Chevrolet
10, Ty Dillon, No. 10 Chevrolet
11, Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Toyota
12, Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Ford
13, AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Chevrolet
14, Chris Buescher, No. 17 Ford
15, Chase Briscoe, No. 19, Toyota
16, Christopher Bell, No. 20 Toyota
17, Josh Berry, No. 21 Ford
18, Joey Logano, No. 22 Ford
19, Bubba Wallace, No. 23 Toyota
20, William Byron, No. 24 Chevrolet
21, Todd Gilliland, No. 34 Ford
22, Riley Herbst, No. 35 Toyota
23, Zane Smith, No. 38 Ford
24, Cole Custer, No. 41 Ford
25, John Hunter Nemechek, No. 42 Toyota
26, Erik Jones, No. 43 Toyota
27, Tyler Reddick, No. 45 Toyota
28, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Ford
29, Alex Bowman, No. 48 Chevrolet
30, Cody Ware, No. 51 Ford
31, Ty Gibbs, No. 54 Toyota
32, Ryan Preece, No. 60 Ford
33, Michael McDowell, No. 71 Chevrolet
34, Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Chevrolet
35, Shane van Gisbergen, No. 88 Chevrolet
36, Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Chevrolet
NASCAR National Series Schedule
Here is the weekend schedule for the NASCAR National Series events at World Wide Technology Raceway. All times are ET:
Friday
Xfinity Series practice, 5:05 p.m.
Saturday
Xfinity Series qualifying, 3 p.m.
Cup Series practice, 4:30 p.m.
Cup Series qualifying, 5:40 p.m.
Xfinity Series Nu Way 200 Sauced by Blues Hog race, 7:30 p.m.
Sunday
Cup Series Enjoy Illinois 300 race, 3 p.m.
Jeff Hawkins Jeff Hawkins is a career sportswriter who has collected 12 industry awards, including two Associated Press Sports Editors (APSE) honors. Author of four youth sports books, Hawkins has served as a beat writer for the Carolina Panthers, Chicago Blackhawks, Adirondack IceHawks, Adirondack Lumberjacks and Hickory Crawdads. A husband and father, Hawkins enjoys live eclectic music, mountain biking and watching Film Noir. More about Jeff Hawkins
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