Several shifts have reshaped the Cup Series lineup this season. Michael McDowell has taken the wheel for Spire Motorsports, Chase Briscoe now pilots the No. 19 car under the Joe Gibbs Racing banner, Riley Herbst has stepped into a seat at 23XI Racing, Connor Zilisch has made his debut, and Shane van Gisbergen is charting his path through a rookie Cup campaign.
Among them, Briscoe has attracted considerable attention after capturing a victory at Pocono, joining SVG, who triumphed at the Mexico road course, as the only new winners this season. Despite the early success, Briscoe has candidly acknowledged the challenges that came with his transition from Stewart-Haas Racing to the Gibbs camp.
Briscoe admitted it took him until the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte to shake the habit of underdriving, a tendency rooted in prior seasons where his equipment left little margin for aggressive performance. He noted that adapting to faster, more capable machinery demanded unlearning old instincts and trusting what the car could deliver.
McDowell, however, offered a slightly different perspective. Now behind the wheel of the No. 71 Chevrolet, he emphasized that adaptation is less about the team and more about individual driving characteristics.
For him, it comes down to understanding the car鈥檚 limits, processing new information, and syncing with the crew. He suggested that the process unfolds gradually as drivers feel out the car鈥檚 behavior and adjust accordingly.
However, speaking to CBS Sports, McDowell observed, 鈥淚 feel like that鈥檚 every year; I feel like there鈥檚 always a rule change, there鈥檚 always a tire change, there鈥檚 always something changing, where you鈥檙e constantly having to push yourself to find that limit. With the limited practice, sometimes that鈥檚 hard to do.鈥
He recalled his own brief stint with Joe Gibbs Racing in 2011 when he made six starts in top-tier Xfinity equipment. The leap from underfunded teams to a championship-caliber garage sharpened his understanding of execution, particularly during restarts and pit cycles.
According to McDowell, being in front-running equipment exposes drivers to critical race-winning scenarios, allowing them to refine their habits under pressure.