Joe Gibbs gave future driver Chase Briscoe 'awkward' ride home on JGR plane amid baby watch

Right now, Chase Briscoe is in the middle of the NASCAR Playoffs and is also expecting his wife to give birth to twins any day now. With all of that pressure on him, his future boss Joe Gibbs, is helping out.

Next season Chase Briscoe will take over the No. 19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota Camry. Joe Gibbs is already making sure Briscoe is taken care of. When drivers are on baby watch, they have to be able to get up and leave on the drop of a dime.

It helps that JGR has a private plane to get from place to place. Gibbs is letting Briscoe use the plane and after last week’s elimination race at Bristol, he got to ride home with the team.

That turned out to be a bit awkward.

“Yeah so Coach [Gibbs] has been amazing,” Briscoe said during his media availability at Kansas. “The last four or five weeks like he’s called me every single week and we’ve set up a plan whether it’s the plane being here or Bristol a helicopter whatever it was, just anything he could do to help. Even, he’s called and texted Marissa telling her that he’s praying for her. So, it’s been a really amazing thing that coach is willing to do that for me so that I can be there. So, hopefully, I don’t have to use it. Like even last week, SHR, we didn’t have a plane at Bristol, everybody drove. So I actually flew on the Gibbs team plane which is a little awkward after knocking some of their cars out but yeah Coach has been awesome in the whole process.”

Coach Gibbs is already making Chase Briscoe feel at home. That is an incredible gesture.

Chase Briscoe on baby watch

Most of the time when NASCAR drivers are waiting for a baby or in this case, two babies, to be born, they have a backup driver. Chase Briscoe is in the playoffs. He has to practice, qualify, and race to get points. Plain and simple.

So, he’s going to stay in Kansas. That’s the life of a NASCAR driver.

“I’m here, we were at the hospital last night,” Briscoe explained. “Everything was good, couple of contractions and they sent us home. Yeah, it’s the most helpless feeling truthfully in the world. Like even this morning I left the house at six A.M. to get on the plane. She was having contractions here and there, just knowing that I gotta come, right? I can’t stay, I have to go to the race track. It’s tough but yeah once I landed that was like the first thing I was worried about the whole plane ride. And she said she hasn’t had one since. So hopefully I told her to literally lay down, don’t do anything until Monday and then Monday you can get on your yoga ball, bounce all around, we can walk miles, whatever you want to do.”

Of course, Coach Gibbs is there in case Chase Briscoe needs his help. Plane, helicopter, whatever it is, Briscoe will have what he needs to make it home.

“If I get a call, I told her the earliest I’ll probably be home is seven o’clock by the time I would get on the plane. Coach [Gibbs] has been so awesome telling me I can use his plane if something happens. I gotta practice, I gotta qualify, and I gotta race. So, yeah, I mean I’m here, we’re in the playoffs. Obviously, if I wasn’t in the playoffs I would be home if something happened. But yeah, the contingency plan is I’m here to race for a championship, Marissa understands that. Obviously, it would get tricky if it comes at certain times. I even told Richard, if it happens during the race, don’t tell me. Just tell me as soon as we take the checkered flag so I can get out of the car and go as fast as I can.”

Chase Briscoe has a lot on his plate. This weekend he has a race to win. Making it to the Round of 8 would be major.