Stewart-Haas racing is definitely under pressure this season. After the retirement of Kevin Harvick and Aric Almirola, the veteran of the team is Chase Briscoe in the #14 Ford. With Noah Gragson taking over the #10 and Josh Berry in the #4, the only returning driver other than Briscoe is Ryan Preece in the #41. I will be watching Stewart-Haas performance all season long, both as a fan and a journalist.
Honestly, I was a bit nervous for Stewart-Haas coming into Daytona. First, this is a young team, as far as cup series experience goes. After the 2023 season, SHR lost their two veterans. Second, Stewart-Haas went winless in the cup series in the 2023 season. Finally, more than one driver has something to prove this year. For example, Gragson will feel pressure to prove he deserves this second chance. Preece will still be feeling this pressure. Briscoe will need to prove he can lead the team. Josh Berry probably has the least to prove, given his performance as a replacement driver in 2023. Yet, even he will feel the pressure of replacing Harvick in the #4 car.
Given all these factors, the 2024 season could go very badly for Stewart-Haas. Of course, the season could go quite well due to the same factors. For these reasons, I will be looking at Stewart-Haas performance from this past weekend at Daytona. In all reality, it will take more than these first two weeks, as the opening two races are drafting tracks. Still, the opening race at Daytona can tell us some things about the state of things at SHR.
Stewart-Haas Performance at Daytona: The Positives
Last year, Stewart-Haas performed decently at the superspeedways. While they didn’t have the finishes to show for it, they often qualified and ran well. In general, the Fords seemed to perform well at the drafting tracks in 2023. So with the switch to the Dark Horse Mustang body for 2024, I was a bit concerned. Ultimately, these concerns were not as warranted as I thought they would be.
P9 in his superspeedway debut with SHR.
Way to battle, @NoahGragson. pic.twitter.com/Ti4GzOIrsh
— Stewart-Haas Racing (@StewartHaasRcng) February 20, 2024
Out of the four SHR entries in the Daytona 500, Noah Gragson had the best race. In his debut race at Stewart-Haas, Gragson finished 9th after starting 38th. Furthermore, Gragson led five laps. While he didn’t gain any stage points, he stayed out of trouble and managed to start the season with a top 10. Honestly, while his former ride finished a couple spots ahead of him, the way his replacement drove during this race, I’d say SHR got the better side of the whole 2023 termination ordeal!
Next, Chase Briscoe had a strong finish as well. Briscoe started the race 20th and finished 10th. While he did not lead any laps, he did pull off a pretty great drive through a massive wreck on his way to his top 10. While it didn’t earn him our Rich MARvelous Move of the Race, it was definitely how the leader of a team would drive through a Daytona pile up.
Stewart-Haas Performance at Daytona: The not so Positives
The other two drivers at Stewart-Haas did not have quite the same results. Yes, for most of the race, both Ryan Preece and Josh Berry were having good runs. Unfortunately, both of these good runs were cut short on the same cycle of green flag pit stops. These pit road troubles ended up costing both Preece and Berry a lap. Neither driver was able to get their laps back.
You did a great job for us all weekend. Definitely disappointing to get turned around on pit road by someone not paying attention.
Crowd today was absolutely amazing! Thank you all for sticking around!!@sunnydelight @FordPerformance @StewartHaasRcng https://t.co/za216IVwA5— Rodney Childers (@RodneyChilders4) February 20, 2024
Both Preece and Berry had some bad luck during the race. Furthermore, the source of that bad luck for both drivers had a name. That name was John Hunter Nemechek, driver of the #42 Legacy Toyota. On lap 5, Nemechek didn’t handle a bump draft all too well and caused a pile up that Ryan Preece was somewhat involved in. Preece was able to continue and seemed to have a decent car until he got a speeding penalty entering pit road for a stage 2 green flag stop. Preece started the 500 25th and finished 23rd.
Josh Berry’s run-in with John Hunter Nemechek was much more black and white. Berry came in for his stage 2 green flag pit stop and was spun by the 42. Berry was able to get the #4 Sunny D Ford Mustang pulled into his pit stall the wrong way. Still, the extra time spent on pit road cost him a lap. While Berry had led a lap during this race, he was never able to get his lap back. After starting the race in the 30th position, Berry finished 25th.
Final Thoughts…
One 2024 cup series race is in the books for Stewart-Haas Racing. That race was the Daytona 500, so we can only learn anything about the drafting tracks. From the looks of things, Stewart-Haas will only have to worry about speeding penalties, drivers like John Hunter Nemechek, and the infamous “big one” when it comes to Daytona, Atlanta, and Talladega. That covers 6 out of the 36 races.
Unfortunately, the next race is at another drafting track, Atlanta. It isn’t unfortunate based on SHR’s performance though. Barring any bad luck, it would be safe to expect Stewart-Haas to have another good day. All four cars raced well and had good speed. It is unfortunate because we really won’t know what to expect from the team on any other type of track.
The cup series hits Las Vegas, Phoenix, and Bristol (not on dirt) after Atlanta. I would say that after Bristol, we will have a much better idea about what to expect in the cup series from Stewart-Haas Racing. Until then, we know they will be competitive at drafting tracks, and have some pretty cool paint schemes.
Paint schemes were poppin'. pic.twitter.com/qiJGP8YvLb
— Stewart-Haas Racing (@StewartHaasRcng) February 20, 2024
