As the NASCAR Cup Series field heads to Atlanta Motor Speedway this weekend for the first round of the 2024 postseason, there are a few teams who cannot help but rejoice about their entry into the same. One such team is Tony Stewart’s Cup Series outfit, Stewart-Haas Racing.
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SHR won their way into the 2024 Playoffs after Chase Briscoe managed to win the final regular season race of the year in Darlington last Sunday.
Previewing what is the team’s final chance to make a deep run into the playoffs and hopefully challenge for a championship before shutting shop at the end of the year, Briscoe outlined how being the sole contender from the team could help the #14 driver and crew’s chances.
While powerhouse teams such as Joe Gibbs Racing or Hendrick Motorsports have to focus on all four of their entries being in championship contention, SHR as an organization has to rally behind just Briscoe bringing them the same hopes of the ultimate prize in the sport.
“I definitely think that part of it is an advantage. The Hendricks of the world, the Gibbs, the Penskes, they’re trying to figure out how to make four cars the best they can go every week, and then on the racetrack, all four of those guys are gonna be fighting each other for points, where I have three teammates out there that can make it really hard to pass them for the other guys and when I get to them they can make it a little bit easier,” Briscoe told the media.
Adding to the history books.
With Chase Briscoe’s Southern 500 victory, Stewart-Haas Racing has achieved 70 NASCAR Cup Series wins. pic.twitter.com/xGT0RJMPTW
— Stewart-Haas Racing (@StewartHaasRcng) September 6, 2024
The 29-year-old racer further added how SHR teammate Noah Gragson will be key in executing the best possible championship run for the #14 Ford Mustang driver and said, “A perfect example is the 10 car these next three weeks is gonna go literally identical. Every single piece, part, setup, everything is gonna go identical to how we go, just so they can try stuff in practice and see if we can learn anything. Those other teams that have four cars, they’re not gonna be doing that.”
It remains to be seen for how long can Stewart-Haas Racing and Chase Briscoe sustain what is the team’s final outing as a Playoffs contender before the team shuts its doors ahead of the 2025 season of racing.
With unpredictable venues such as the upcoming Atlanta Motor Speedway, teamwork could be the difference between banking a good points day and crashing out of contention. The race goes live this Sunday, September 8, 2024, at 3:00 pm ET.
