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Was Small’s 2025 NASCAR season with Briscoe enough to silence the doubters?

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James Small doesn’t hear what is said outside of his bubble. He doesn’t read the online comments.

But make no mistake, Small is well aware of it all.

“I have people tell me,” Small laughs. “So, I’m not stupid. I never go looking; I don’t read a single comment. I’m not silly. People fill me in from time to time and I’m like, ‘I don’t need to hear that.’”

Those comments and questions were loud and clear coming into the 2025 season. A search of Small’s name on social media could result in any iteration of the following:

I’m over James Small.

What is Small doing?

Why is he still the crew chief?

He’s a great engineer, but there have been some serious issues with him as the crew chief.

Guy can’t c all a race to save his life.

In fact, Small referenced this criticism in the fall of 2024, when it was announced that he and Briscoe would be paired together. It led Small to remark that they both had something to prove.

And now, looking back at a season in which the team won three races and made the championship race, Small feels that definitely happened. The results, says Small, speak for themselves. Briscoe earned the most poles, second-most top-10 finishes, tied for the most top-five finishes, tied for the best average start, and tied for the most lead lap finishes.

“We’ve been incredibly consistent, incredibly fast, and we’ve executed through a number of races really well as a group,” Small says. “It’s a very, very different challenge, obviously, with completely different drivers in how they go about their business. For me, it was also a huge learning experience in trying to better myself as a crew chief and work with somebody completely different, and change the way we go about doing things.

Three wins and a spot in the championship race is a solid response to those who felt the Briscoe/Small pairing had something to prove in 2025. Sean Gardner/Getty Images

“A lot has changed in 12 months, and our process is very different. It’s rewarding to see the group effort of everybody, including Chase, pay dividends on the track with great performance.”

The expectations were high within the team when the season started, and making the Championship 4 was among those. It appeared things were going to roll from the beginning of the season when the team won the pole for the Daytona 500, and there were glimpses of great races. But the first few months were also too inconsistent to anyone’s liking as they struggled to put together clean races.

Briscoe was adapting to a new car. The team was adapting to a new driver and other new members. It took a lot of work to have everyone buy into the look new, new operating procedures of the team.

“And then all of a sudden, I think it was the first Kansas race, it just kind of clicked,” Small says. “From then on, we’ve been refining our process and working really hard. I don’t think we’ve ever worked as hard in our lives, but it’s definitely very rewarding to get to this point. It makes it all worth it.”

The team finished third in the championship, which was a career year for Briscoe. Small, who has won Cup Series championships as a team member but not a crew chief, guided the team to its first top-five finish in the standings since 2021. That season was his second as a crew chief in the series.

Small feels that as he gets older, he’s getting wiser.

“It comes with time and experience and every rep helps,” says Small. “It’s (about) trying to remain calmer throughout the races, make better decisions, and have trust in what you’re doing. I think there have been times you make decisions and beat yourself up afterward. You learn from that as well.”

The best part is what comes next. Small feels the team is “in an incredible position” for 2026. There won’t be a learning period for anyone: The expectation is to win immediately. And it’ll be Small, the oft-criticized and questioned leader of the team, guiding them to do so.

“We have a really, really great team,” Small says. “Everybody’s willing to do whatever it takes. It’s a different atmosphere. The morale is naturally a lot higher right now. We can build toward the coming years. So, there’s not really any question of what’s going to happen. It’s how successful can we be?”