Crew chief James Small expected to remain in same role for No. 19 car with Joe Gibbs Racing in 2025
Martin Truex Jr. has finalized his retirement following the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series campaign, but the question of whether his crew chief James Small will return has remained open-ended.
Depending on which driver Joe Gibbs Racing chooses for Truex Jr.’s soon to be vacant seat, they might want a crew chief to come along with them that they’re more comfortable with, instead of Small. However, it seems as if Small will be joining whoever the wheelman is on a new adventure.
On Sunday evening, Joe Gibbs Racing revealed they’ll be announcing the driver of the No. 19 for 2025 at a press conference on Tuesday afternoon, and Small will be in attendance, which indicated to FOX’s Bob Pockrass that he’ll be returning to the team for another go-round without Truex Jr. by his side.
“Joe Gibbs Racing announces a Tuesday afternoon news conference to announce a driver for 2025 …. The driver isn’t named in the news alert but that would be the Chase Briscoe to the No. 19 announcement,” Pockrass posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. “The JGR media alert for the 2025 driver announcement states ‘team owner Joe Gibbs, crew chief James Small and our newest NASCAR Cup Series driver will meet with the media’ — which indicates that James Small will remain as the crew chief of the No. 19 team in 2025.”
That’s tremendous news for Small, and a great revelation for whoever the driver of the No. 19 will be in 2025. Small is a crew chief with a wealth of experience, and while he hasn’t reached the heights with Truex Jr. that Cole Pearn previously did, the duo has made for some successful seasons at JGR.
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Moreover, while the driver hasn’t been officially named by JGR just yet, it’s expected to be Chase Briscoe, who currently drives for Stewart-Haas Racing.
In hilarious fashion, JGR wheelman Christopher Bell accidentally leaked the news while speaking to reporters on Friday. “I don’t think that there really is a leadership role in that aspect,” Bell said before slipping up, via Pockrass. “Whenever Chase comes into the car [pauses and smiles] … I don’t even know what to say. Whenever we have a new driver [in the car].”
Of course, Briscoe needs a new team since Stewart-Haas is shutting down at the end of the season. Last week, he told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio that he had “multiple offers on the table” to join a team next year.
If it is in fact Chase Briscoe, James Small will be getting a talented, worthy wheelman to replace Martin Truex Jr. in the No. 19. It’s shaping up to be a great pairing, and much more than a fourth car for Joe Gibbs Racing.