TEAM HISTORY (2012-Present) PART II:
No. 98 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford, NASCAR Xfinity Series
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To pick up Part 1…. 5 years later, the Biagi Bros. team would return, with a new driver, number, manufacturer, sponsor, and co-owners.
In May 2012, at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, the new No. 98 black and gold Ford Mustang hit the track, with Reed Sorenson behind the wheel. Sponsored by Carroll Shelby Engine Company, the team would qualify twenty-third, and finished sixteenth in their return. Sorenson would go on to attempt four more races, collecting two more Top-15 finishes. Promising sprint car prospect Kevin Swindell also made two starts for the team, finishing 9th at Texas, and 21st in the finale at Homestead.
For 2013, the Biagi-DenBeste team formed a partnership with veteran owner Mike Curb. Kevin Swindell would return to the team for 15 races, starting in Las Vegas. While Swindell would fail to qualify for the team’s initial showing, he would go on to make the other starts that season, finishing in the Top 10 twice.
Change has always been a part of racing, and this could not hold truer than in 2014. This season saw a mix of drivers behind the wheel of the No. 98 Mustang. David Ragan, Corey LaJoie, Ryan Gifford, Jeb Burton, and Aric Almirola all saw seat time during the season. Ragan was the most successful of the group, scoring (1) Top 5 and (2) Top 10’s in six starts. Then-Richard Petty Motorsports development driver LaJoie would be signed to run four races at the end of the season, with a best finish of 16th at Kentucky.
Richard Petty Motorsports continued their partnership in 2015, with RPM Cup drivers Aric Almirola, Sam Hornish Jr., and then RPM development driver Ryan Truex seeing seat time throughout the 16 starts the team made. Almirola would be the most successful of the group, with (3) Top 10 finishes in 9 starts. Hornish and Truex were not as successful, but the groundwork was being laid for the team that exists today.
Success started to become full circle for the team in 2016. With RPM Cup Series driver Aric Almirola returning, the team also added a returning Jeb Burton, and former Formula-E Champion Nelson Piquet, Jr. to the lineup. Almirola would show some speed in the Mustang, gathering (1) Top 5, (4) Top 10s, and getting the team their first win since 2004, in July at Daytona.
Jeb Burton, who drove the first 11 races for the #43 RPM Nationwide Series team, would jump behind the wheel of the No. 98 for three races late in the season, scoring Top -15 finishes in each of his starts. Piquet, meanwhile, would drive the car at Mid-Ohio. While Piquet would qualify a fast 9th, he would finish 38th, only completing 31 laps (due to an accident).
The speed would continue in 2017…but not without yet another change to the driver lineup. While Almirola would return for another part-time run, the team bolstered their lineup with Casey Mears and Bubba Wallace filling in the remaining races.
Almirola would prove that the previous season was no fluke, taking the Ford Mustang to Victory Lane at Talladega in May. Casey Mears would bring much needed financial stability to the team, with long-time sponsor GEICO (through their military division) for the bulk of his starts. Mears would make 14 starts, scoring (2) Top 10 finishes. Also, (sponsored by Nickelodeon Green Slime) in Chicago, Bubba Wallace would make his solo start in the 98, finishing a solid tenth…then the team would change over yet again.
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In Fall 2017, the team announced that they would partner with Stewart-Haas Racing. Racing under the extremely long name of Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste for 2018.
While Cole Custer would drive the flagship No. 00 Ford, the 98 would see Almirola, Kevin Harvick, and then new-comer Chase Briscoe behind the wheel throughout the season. The first year under the SHR banner would prove successful, with Harvick winning at Atlanta, and new-comer Briscoe scoring the top spot in the Charlotte ROVAL race.
Briscoe’s 2018 was a strange mix luck between two teams. While he did win in the 98 at Charlotte and perform well in his other starts…he also was driving the snake-bitten No. 60 for Roush Fenway Racing to balance out his season. Briscoe would struggle to several mid-pack finishes in his select starts, with several finishes of 30th or worse. The Roush Fenway team overall did under-perform however…recording eleven DNF’s in 33 races, with three different drivers (Briscoe, Austin Cindric, and Ty Majeski).
Chase Briscoe would arrive in 2019. Driving the No. 98 Ford in his first full season. Suddenly a contender most weeks, Briscoe and team would go on a tear. He would end the season amassing one win (at Iowa), an impressive thirteen Top 5 finishes, 26 Top 10s, and 2 poles on his way to a fifth-place points finish. Officially under the SHR banner for 2020, the 98 would continue to show speed, forging a solid fourth-place points finish, with 9 wins for the season.
All told, through all the changes in drivers, ownership, and sponsors…what started out as a white #4 Chevrolet in 2001, would go on to last 13 seasons before the official move to SHR in 2020. In those 13 seasons, the team collected 278 starts, 6 wins, 23 Top 5s, and 56 Top 10s, alongside 2 poles.
With Chase Briscoe moving to the Cup Series in 2021, the No. 98 would need a new sponsor and driver. Enter former Joe Gibbs Racing development driver Riley Herbst. Herbst would be signed to drive the now matte black 98, brining sponsor Monster Energy with him for the campaign. Herbst’s year would prove to be a struggle some weeks while he adjusted to the new team. However, he would finish a decent 11th in the standings with 5 Top 5 finishes and 13 Top 10s…an accomplishment considering all 2021 had brought to the table, on and off the track.
*As of this writing, 2022 has been a decent year for Herbst and the Monster Energy 98. Having already surpassed his Top 10 total from 2021, Herbst has shown steady improvement each week, and currently sits 9th in the standings, going into Bristol.
