With Kevin Harvick’s Departure, Which Driver From SHR’s Inexperienced Roster Will Take Up His Mantle?

Stewart-Haas Racing has to make a big call for the 2024 season, on who shall be their leader for the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series. The retirement of Kevin Harvick has certainly left a void in the SHR ranks. So it raises this obvious question. But there are multiple candidates.

If one takes a look at the Stewart-Haas Racing lineup for the Cup Series, one element that overshadows the rest is inexperience. Even though all four of Josh Berry, Noah Gragson, Chase Briscoe, and Ryan Preece have ample amount of racing experience under their belt, they can’t boast the same in the NASCAR Cup Series. Here, the total combined experience of the four drivers is just eight years.

Chase Briscoe could be the leader that Stewart-Haas Racing can rely on

Chase Briscoe is entering his fourth year with SHR so he is a suitable leadership candidate. Ryan Preece is another option to look at but with zero Cup wins to his name so far, he might not be able to upstage Briscoe. Meanwhile, Josh Berry, despite being 33 years of age is yet to record sizeable Cup Series action on his resume. Gragson could be the surprise package of the lot but 21 top-10s and a win tilt the scale in favor of Briscoe.

Briscoe has also made his thoughts clear about the prospect. While the role will not be automatically placed on his head, he feels that he can fill in the shoes of Harvick and emulate the same performances if given an opportunity. He recently said on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Ch. 90), “I want to be the new Kevin Harvick of Stewart-Haas. I wanna be the guy that’s running up front week in and week out and when people think about Stewart-Haas, they think of the 14 car so that’s my whole goal going into the season. So, if we can do that, then the leadership role just naturally gets placed upon you.”

Briscoe summed it up perfectly, to be the leader you need to be the guy who is setting the example regularly. While there is promising talent on the roster for SHR, Briscoe notably has the most experience within the team and could fill in the massive gap left by Harvick.

While Stewart-Haas Racing could be in a dilemma to find their lead guy behind the wheel, there is much relief on the sponsorship front.

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Mahindra extends ties with Chase Briscoe and the No.14 team

Stewart-Haas Racing was in deep waters when Kevin Harvick and Aric Almirola’s departures meant that their respective sponsors also moved on to other outfits. Hence, their recent move to secure Briscoe with a sponsorship deal extension with Mahindra bodes well in the long run.

With this new deal, Mahindra tractors will continue to feature on Briscoe’s No. 14 Ford Mustang for the majority of the 2024 season. A partnership that extends beyond racetracks, Briscoe was honored to be a part of this association. He said, “I’ve had the honor of representing Mahindra Tractors since they first came into NASCAR and I’m blessed to have the relationship continue.”

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Inexperience can only last so long, especially in the NASCAR Cup Series. While Briscoe will be bolstered by his anchor partner, the real question is whether he can step up big-time for SHR.