Stewart-Haas Racing has been there in NASCAR for more than a decade. Even though it’s not a legacy team like Joe Gibbs Racing or Hendrick Motorsports— they did manage to make the mark. From a company that Gene Haas created to the one that Tony Stewart truly built through hard work and sweat, it has come a long way. But while not everything good has to end, it sure did in this case.

When they announced their exit, everyone had a mixed bag of emotions, confusion, and questions, but mostly, sadness, to see their once favorite team folding. As the race heads back to Indianapolis again for the first time in a while, SHR looks back at some of their best runs on the track.

A glimpse into Stewart-Haas Racing’s storied past at Indianapolis

SHR, under the leadership of Tony Stewart, saw many victories. He essentially built the company from the ground up. Granted, he took a major chunk of the share, but in hindsight—it’s the best decision Gene Haas ever took. Alone, without a legendary figure, building such a competition-worthy company would have been difficult. It’s similar to what Hamlin has with 23XI Racing. One needs an experienced NASCAR person on board to have that vision forward. 

Having said that, as they step into their last leg in Indianapolis, SHR posted a rather emotional video on their social about their iconic runs on the Brickyard 400. The video started with Kevin Harvick, their iconic star driver! Back in 2019, Harvick had a stellar season with Stewart-Haas Racing and headed to the race win with already two wins during the season. Going into the race, he led 118 laps of the 160 laps and clenched his second career win at Brickyard 400. 

But that was not the only win Harvick got, because in 2020, yet again, he found himself in contention to win. He was battling it out with JGR driver Denny Hamlin and he clenched the win. Hamlin lost his stance after a blown-up tire. Hamlin is still looking for the first win and is determined more than ever to do it this time. Then, when the Xfinity race went to Indianapolis, Chase Briscoe, who is a native of the place, wanted to badly win the race. And win he did! He led half the race and got the victory on his home track.

Over the years, this track has been phenomenal for the Stewart Haas Racing team and their posting the video citing the beautiful journey, just says a lot. Not only does this show their appreciation for the track but also their drivers, without whom, reaching that pedestal wouldn’t have been possible. Plus, it’s also extremely emotional as the #14 car gave Tony Stewart his third and final Cup Series championship title, and it’s the last time it runs in a race around the Brickyard Oval. It’s an emotional time for the entire team, but surely Briscoe is feeling it the most this time!

Chase Briscoe emotional with the Brickyard 400 approaching

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Chase Briscoe is kind of in the deep waters right now. While, undoubtedly, he is at peace with the fact that he has a seat with JGR next year, he still will want to ace this year. But the chances of making it to playoffs seem slim. He is 75 points behind the cutline and although it is not impossible to make his way to the cutline, one cannot deny that every driver on track is trying to give their best. The best option for him is to win races.

And Chase Briscoe, although not in the Cup, has experience winning in Indianapolis at Xfinity. Surely, that will help! Also, the fact that this is his home race, it’s more very special. It’s also emotional because his car will run on the track for the last time, and he will be the last driver to ever race in the car, as NASCAR will decommission it.

He has always been a fan of Tony Stewart and it’s no secret, hence his icon’s car getting decommissioned and him not being able to take it to the victory lane does loom large. He said, “It’s going to be a sad weekend, truthfully, but it is special. As a kid, if you had told me I get to run a Brickyard 400 driving for Tony Stewart, I would have never believed it. It’s definitely a cool opportunity.” 

Usually, such a position would hurt anyone, but not Briscoe. He is determined to do better and be as aggressive to get the job done and get to the victory lane before his move. He told Speedway Digest, “Where we’re at right now, we can be really aggressive with strategy. We definitely feel like we’re in a must-win territory with how we kind of ran and the stage points and things like that. It’s probably going to be hard to point our way in.”

Well, it’s a must-win scenario for the SHR drover. With Hamlin, Larson, and Byron on the list of plausible winners, do you think they can make it?