DARLINGTON, S.C. — Chase Briscoe said in August 2025 that he would not be making any big motivational speeches to Joe Gibbs Racing before kicking off the playoffs.
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Now that he enters the Chase as the fifth seed, he will stick with what works — he will send a text message to the group chat and deliver a simple message.
"I'm not a very, like, exciting person, I feel like. So, a motivational text is about as good as it's going to get," Briscoe said with a laugh on Saturday afternoon.
What does this text message say? Well, Briscoe pulled out his phone after hearing the question from FanBuzz, and he shared it with the media center.
"I said, 'Great job, everyone, all summer long to get back to fifth in points from where we started, 10 of our best weeks and there's no doubt that we can all be hoisting the championship trophy in Miami. Can't wait for these next 10 weeks with you boys,'" Briscoe said.
"That was my motivational text. Got a lot of hearts and thumbs up, so I felt good about it (laughs)."
16 drivers. 10 races. One champion.
Zero eliminations. pic.twitter.com/eWcUvQYFhb
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) September 1, 2026
The motivational text message is a tactic that Briscoe turned to last season. He told media members during a press conference at Darlington Raceway that he and crew chief James Small had approached the Southern 500 like any other week of the season.
They didn't bring the No. 19 team together and try to fire them up with a big speech. Briscoe just sent a group message saying that they had a legitimate shot at the championship if they had the best 10 weeks.
The team responded. They went out and won the Southern 500, marking the second consecutive season that Briscoe had captured the crown jewel race.
The No. 19 team then finished top 10 in six of the final nine races. They also won at Talladega Superspeedway to reach the Championship 4.
Briscoe ended the season third in the championship standings after an 18th-place finish in the season finale at Phoenix Raceway.
One year removed from this first motivational text message, Briscoe and the No. 19 team have a legitimate chance to contend for a championship once again. They enter the 10-race Chase fifth in the standings and 45 points behind leader Denny Hamlin.
Will this updated text spark another run? Briscoe doesn't know that specific answer, but he certainly believes his team is capable of overcoming a points deficit and contending after doing so during the regular season.
After all, he went from 37th in points to fifth over the course of 26 weeks.
"From a stage point standpoint, I don't think it changes, just try to go score as many points as possible, but yeah, you just have to be conscious, I think, at the end of the race more than anything," he said.
"Say you have a fourth-place car tomorrow night, and you can potentially push to get to third, but there's also a chance you plug it in the fence doing it. That's where you have to, I think, be smart and conscious about it."
