2022 was a bit of an odd season for Stewart-Haas Racing. On one hand, two of their drivers made it to the playoffs. One of them almost snuck their way into the Championship Four at Martinsville. Kevin Harvick won two times after going winless in 2021. On the other hand, Stewart-Haas Racing also continued to look slower on track. Other than Harvick, the team started to fade into the mid-pack more. Heading into 2023, change was the theme of the season. Ryan Preece was replacing Cole Custer. Kevin Harvick was retiring at season’s end, setting up an open seat. Most assumed Aric Almirola would be retiring, thus opening up a second seat. All of this change while many wondered how good SHR would be. Was Chase Briscoe’s playoff run a fluke? Could the other three teams match Harvick’s performance? Find out these answers in the Stewart-Haas Racing edition of 2023 Season in Review.
Kevin Harvick – #4
2023 Stat Line: 36 Starts – 6 Top-5s, 14 Top-10s, 157 Laps Led, Avg Fin 14.7
Crew Chief: Rodney Childers
Driver Points Ranking: 13;Â Owner Points Ranking: 13
Notable Results: Led late at spring Phoenix and the Southern 500; Made the playoffs
Before the season began, Kevin Harvick announced that he would be retiring from the Cup Series after the final race of 2023. Harvick’s 23 year career would come to a close as he would transition from the car to the booth for FOX. Stewart-Haas Racing dubbed the season the 4EVER tour. Every track would honor Harvick in a different way to celebrate his legacy. SHR put together videos that wonderfully documented Harvick’s career. The hope for many would be that Kevin Harvick would have a retirement tour that more so resembled Jeff Gordon’s (rather than Jimmie Johnson’s).
2022 was a bit of rebound for the 4 team. After going winless the year prior, Harvick rattled off back-to-back wins shortly before the playoffs began. With that momentum, everyone thought Harvick would ride it to a Championship Four appearance. Well, that went up in smoke (literally). However, the mid-season surge indicated that the 4 team was still capable of competing with the top teams. Things were looking promising for Harvick to potentially compete for one last championship. If not a championship, then a successful retirement season where he won a race or two.
Inconsistent Retirement Tour
Much like 2022, inconsistency plagued Kevin Harvick’s final season. Harvick started the year off great, collecting 3 Top-5s and 5 Top-5s in the first 9 races. Outside of crashing out at Atlanta, Harvick’s worst finish was thirteenth at COTA. Plus, Harvick looked poised to win his tenth race at Phoenix until a late caution cost him. Still, Harvick seemed to be on his way to at least one win and a solid playoff run.
Then the season went a bit awry. After his Top-10 on Bristol dirt, Harvick would only collect 2 more Top-10s over the next 10 races. Even his second at Darlington was not a representation of great speed. Rather, Harvick survived the late race chaos to finish second while giving race winner William Byron little to fret about on the final restart. A run of five straight Top-10s on ovals heading into the playoffs resembled Harvick’s momentum swing from 2022.
Reddick Ruins the Southern 500
Much like 2022, Darlington immediately halted any of that positive momentum. During the Southern 500, Harvick battled his way to the lead late in the race. When pitting for the potentially last time, Harvick looked to undercut Tyler Reddick. Reddick, in all of his wisdom, decided to attempt to follow Harvick. This while Reddick was racing against the fence in Turns 3 and 4. Ryan Newman took evasive maneuvers to avoid hitting the suddenly braking Reddick, causing him to spin. This brought out the caution just before Harvick hit the commitment line. Due to not knowing what the call was, Harvick’s team serviced the car, resulting in a penalty.
After working hard to finally claim the lead, Harvick’s chance of winning went up in smoke due to a bonehead move by his competitor. Harvick would restart at the tail end of the longest line. This effectively ended Harvick’s playoff run. Adding insult to injury was how poorly the 4 car ran at Bristol. Even after an early exit for Joey Logano and Martin Truex Jr struggling, Harvick’s car was setup so poorly that he could not capitalize on it.
The remainder of the season saw little for Harvick fans to cheer about. His second place finish at Talladega was wiped away due to a DQ. It is the ultimate curiosity to think about whether NASCAR would have disqualified Harvick if he won that race. In the season finale at Phoenix, Harvick managed to take the lead in Stage 2. However, he lost it fairly quickly to Ross Chastain. Harvick’s 2023 ended with no wins, an early playoff exit, and plenty of great memories.
2023 Grade: B-
Despite this season being statistically worse than last year, Kevin Harvick’s grade gets bumped up due to the overall performance issues at Stewart-Haas Racing. While Harvick’s season was inconsistent, the other three drivers had another set of bad seasons. Harvick still managed to run Top-10 for a solid chunk of the season. There were a couple of races where Harvick was in line for the win until bad luck struck.
A win for Kevin Harvick in his retirement season would have been a nice way to send him out. However, the lack of performance with SHR hurt Harvick and his team more than the previous two seasons. 6 Top-5s and an average finish of 14.7 is Harvick’s worst since 2009. Despite this, Harvick’s Top-5s-and-10s are only one less than his three teammates combined. Stewart-Haas Racing will be missing Harvick severely.
2024 Outlook
For Kevin Harvick, have fun with Clint Bowyer in the booth. Harvick has not ruled out running a lower series NASCAR race next year. However, Harvick will not be stepping back into the NextGen car. Although NASCAR drivers are notorious for coming out of retirement, it seems that the NextGen car might be reason enough to stay retired from the Cup Series.
As for the 4 team, Rodney Childers will return to crew chief for the incoming Josh Berry. After successful stints with Hendrick Motorsports, Berry received the job to replace Harvick in the 4 car. Unfortunately, Berry will be without Anheuser-Busch, as they left for the Melon Man. It is difficult to exactly predict what to expect from the 4 team. While Childers is a great crew chief, Berry is not Harvick. With the struggles of SHR, will the 4 car finally run similar to the other three teams or can Childers navigate Berry away from the troubled waters?
Aric Almirola – #10
2023 Stat Line: 36 Starts – 2 Top-5s, 5 Top-10s, 2 Poles, 173 Laps Led, Avg Fin 19.6
Crew Chief: Drew Blickensderfer
Driver Points Ranking: 22;Â Owner Points Ranking: 22
Notable Results: Won a Duel at Daytona; Finished second at Martinsville after announcing retirement
After announcing retirement during the 2022 season, Aric Almirola (and Smithfield) ended up returning to the 10 car for one last ride. Well, maybe. Almirola reneged on those retirement plans and announced he would return for two more seasons. While many were skeptical about the second season, it was nice to see the return of Almirola to SHR. Expectations were low as Almirola tends to ride the wave of how SHR performs overall. If SHR has the speed, Almirola runs well. When the speed is lost, Almirola falls back into the mid-pack. When determining SHR’s speed, Almirola is a great benchmark.
Almirola’s 2023 looks identical to his 2021 numbers. Minus the win, Almirola had the same Top-5s-and-10s and a similar average finish. If you want to count his Duel win, then he did match his win total from 2021. Almirola had speed at the superspeedways, well at least for qualifying. At Atlanta and Daytona, Almirola nabbed the starting spot. However, neither of those races resulted in Top-10s. Clearly, his best run of the season came during playoff Martinsville. He led late in the race, only getting passed by Ryan Blaney due to the tire difference. Almirola has made a tendency of winning at random times in his career, which would have been a nice way to bow out of his fulltime career.
Should He Stay or Should He Go?
Although Aric Almirola announced his intentions to race for two more seasons, many people doubted that. The ongoing story at SHR was whether Almirola would return for the 2024 season. While the assumption was that Almirola would retire, the official announcement never arrived as the season dragged on. Questions about whether Smithfield would be returning seemed to be the central issue to Almirola’s retirement. As Kevin Harvick’s 4EVER tour took the spotlight, Almirola’s impending retirement was going to be further pushed aside.
Prior to the fall Martinsville race, Almirola officially announced his retirement from fulltime Cup Series racing. Although Almirola is done with fulltime racing, he did leave the door open for a parttime schedule across any of NASCAR’s series. Smithfield also announced they would not be returning, which questions which party made Almirola’s decision. Still, Almirola had a respectable Cup Series career. He won 3 races, with his most recent win coming at New Hampshire in 2021.
2023 Grade: D+
It feels harsh to give a lowly grade to a retiring driver. However, his statistics dipped from a disappointing 2022. As mentioned earlier, Almirola seems to be the benchmark for where Stewart-Haas Racing is at performance wise. A middling Almirola is a bad indication for SHR. Considering the silly season cloud of his potential retirement looming, it must have been a difficult season for the 10 team. Once the retirement was known, Almirola ended the season on a good streak. Two Top-10s and a thirteenth at Phoenix is not too shabby of a way to end a fulltime career. Plus, Almirola nabbed a Xfinity win at Sonoma.
2024 Outlook
While Aric Almirola is retired from fulltime Cup racing, it would not be surprising to see him run a race or two in the Cup Series next year. For the native Floridian, an entry in the Daytona 500 does not seem too farfetched. Front Row, Rick Ware Racing, and other open teams could have Almirola attempt to qualify for the Great American Race. Plus, Almirola will likely find himself in a Xfinity or Truck Series ride from time to time.
As for the 10 team, the driver for next year is still not known (as of this writing). According to most sources, Noah Gragson seems penciled in for that seat. The hold up of an announcement seems to be whether Ford will sign off on Gragson after his suspension this season. If it was Gragson to helm the 10 car, 2024 is a bit of mystery box. Gragson’s rookie season could not have gone worse for the young driver. SHR is in a bit of downward trajectory. However, Gragson has talent and the 10 car has flashed pace at certain tracks. Maybe the pairing could result in a bounce back year for both parties.
Chase Briscoe – #14
2023 Stat Line: 36 Starts – 4 Top-5s, 8 Top-10s, 1 Pole, 184 Laps Led, Avg Fin 20.3
Crew Chief: Johnny Klausmeier (14 races), Mike Bugarewicz (2 races), & Richard Boswell (20 races)
Driver Points Ranking: 30;Â Owner Points Ranking: 30
Notable Results: 3 Straight Top-5s (Bristol dirt to Talladega)
Coming off a Round of 8 appearance, expectations were high for Chase Briscoe entering the 2023 season. Not only did he have a successful 2022 playoff campaign, but he also signed an extension prior to the Daytona 500. With Kevin Harvick’s impending retirement, all eyes look toward Briscoe to be the top driver at SHR. 2023 should have been a continuation of the best parts of his 2022 season.
Unfortunately, Chase Briscoe’s 2023 was a trying one. Instead of progressing, Briscoe took a step back in his development. While his overall numbers are not as poor as his rookie season (minus average finish), it is not the season any SHR or Briscoe fan wanted.
At the start of the season, it seemed that Briscoe was taking that step forward. Starting with Phoenix, Briscoe started rattling off solid finishes over the course of 7 races. During this stretch, Briscoe had a Top-5 in three consecutive races to go along with his 10.3 average finish. Surging in the points, Briscoe looked like a playoff contender and potential race winner at some point during the season. Then it all unraveled after Talladega.
Penalty and Crew Chief Shuffle
After his Top-5 streak, Chase Briscoe suffered a string of bad finishes. No worries, as the NextGen car is known for streakiness. Heading into Charlotte, Briscoe hovered around the playoff cutline. Leaving the Coca-Cola 600, Briscoe was barely sitting on the outside looking in. Then NASCAR slapped Briscoe and the 14 team with a L3 penalty for a counterfeit engine NACA duct. It cost the team 120 points (hence the points finish) and Johnny Klausmeier his crew chief job. With the penalty, Klausmeier was suspened for six races. However, Klausmeier never returned to Briscoe’s pit box. Instead, Richard Boswell took over after two races of Mike Bugarewicz calling the shots.
Boswell being called up to the Cup Series looked to be a positive thing for Briscoe. Boswell and Briscoe meshed well together in their three seasons in the Xfinity Series. While Klausmeier had found success with Briscoe, the hope was that Boswell would unlock more consistency out of the 14 team. Although it is a small sample size, the results were less than desirable. In the final 20 races, Briscoe only managed one more Top-5 and had a slightly higher average finish. Hopefully, this crew chief swap will see long term benefits.
2023 Grade: D
To call 2023 a disappointment for Chase Briscoe would be an understatement. Although his deep playoff run was not a reflection of his 2022 as a whole, many thought the momentum would carry into 2023. During the first half of the season, there was promise of that happening. It all seemed to unravel after the L3 penalty. While it was a devastating penalty, it felt as if the team packed it in for the season. With the lack of pace from SHR, a win during that stretch of the season seemed to come down to a superspeedway or the Indy road course. Maybe the writing was on the wall and it was time to focus on 2024.
2024 Outlook
Chase Briscoe will be the veteran leader at Stewart-Haas Racing for the 2024 season. It will be his fourth season with the team. With two new teammates joining the ranks, SHR will look to Briscoe to be the team leader on the track. There is no question that Briscoe has the talent to wheel a Cup Series car. Much like everything regarding Stewart-Haas Racing, what will the equipment offer to these drivers?
If SHR can provide competitive pace, Chase Briscoe will look to get back on track. With Richard Boswell on the pit box, a bounce back season should be expected. That does not mean multiple wins and Championship Four appearance. However, a playoff birth and more consistency out of the team should be the goal. With Kevin Harvick gone, Briscoe will be looked upon to be driver one at SHR.
Ryan Preece – #41
2023 Stat Line: 36 Starts – 1 Top-5, 2 Top-10s, 1 Pole, 149 Laps Led, Avg Fin 20.8
Crew Chief: Chad Johnston
Driver Points Ranking: 23; Owner Points Ranking: 23
Notable Results: Top-5 at summer Richmond; Performed ten flips at Daytona, then raced at Darlington the following week
After three years of Cole Custer floundering in the Cup Series, Tony Stewart decided to swap him out for Ryan Preece. Preece had been SHR’s reserve driver in 2022, making spot starts in all three NASCAR series. With the switch, the hope was to see better performance out of the 41 car. While Custer has talent (as shown by winning the Xfinity Series championship), maybe he was holding back the team. Preece had a rough start to his Cup Series career, but many believed the former Whelen champion had the talent to be a competitive Cup Series driver.
After the 2023 season, it is safe to say that the equipment might be the issue more than either driver. At the half way point of the season, Ryan Preece’s statistics were eerily similar to Cole Custer’s 2022 first half numbers. Now that the season is over, Preece wound up having a slightly worse year than Custer did the year prior. Preece’s average finish was .2 positions higher. Meanwhile, he had one less Top-10 and lead lap finish. On the plus side, Preece nabbed a Top-5 and led over 100 laps, something Custer failed to do in any of his three Cup Series seasons.
2023 Grade: D
Ryan Preece was hired to perform better than how Cole Custer did in the 41 car. His first season with that goal was not a success. At best, Preece was a sideways move from Custer. Outside a couple of races, Preece did not look any better than Custer did in the same car. With that said, this does not fall completely on the driver. Clearly, there is a performance issue with the 41 team. Preece and Custer are more talented than averaging a twentieth place finish.
As for Preece, he did have a solid last 9 races of the season. While it will not blow anybody away, a string of 7 Top-20s (including a Top-10) in those races is positive momentum the team can use heading into next season. With how poorly the 41 has run since the departure of Kurt Busch, any positive signs are welcome.
2024 Outlook
To be honest, the outlook is bleak. The 41 car has consistently been the worst SHR car in the stable. Can the team turn it around in 2024? If the string of races at the end of 2023 is any indication, maybe. It is difficult to get excited about the prospects of the 41 team when there has been little to be positive about recently. There is a chance that the 41 team might not be the worst at Stewart-Haas Racing next year. However, that is more to do with the happenings of the 10 team rather than the successes of the 41. Hopefully, this section ages poorly and the 41 team puts together a surprisingly strong season.
Stewart-Haas Racing Grade: F+
What is going on at Stewart-Haas Racing? While the on-track product was less than subpar this season, the off-track happenings are as concerning. It seems that Tony Stewart is less involved in the day-to-day operations. His frustrations with NASCAR continue to shine through at times as well. In addition to that, there were significant rumors that SHR would be selling two of their charters during the summer. While that turned out to be only rumor (for now), smoke usually leads to fire. Plus, their relationship with Ford seems to be in turmoil, Aric Almirola’s 2024 status became a lingering story, and there is still no driver announced for the 10 car shortly before Thanksgiving. All of that off track drama while the cars on track are slowing down.
This year was especially damning for SHR in the performance department. RKF Racing clearly took hold of being the second best Ford team. Not only did RFK pass them, but Front Row also seems to be passing them as well. From 2020 until now, it has been a steady fall from grace for Stewart-Haas Racing. Maybe a new manufacturer will help reset the team. Perhaps there will be more balance with the departure of Kevin Harvick. Whatever the case is, Stewart-Haas Racing needs to rediscover their mojo from a few seasons ago.
For other 2023 Season in Review articles, click the link(s) below:
Griffin Fuller – Team Penske, Wood Brothers
Robert Cwick – JTG-DaughertyÂ
Daniel Smith (Statistical Breakdown) – Team Penske/Wood Brothers, Hendrick Motorsports
