There appears to be no light at the end of the tunnel for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR). The Tony Stewart-Gene Haas partnership’s Cup Series outfit has been on the papers over the last few weeks for proposedly putting all its four charters on sale. As talks of its operations shutting down with 2024 gain momentum, Chase Briscoe has spoken about the mood in the camp.
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The 29-year-old driver said in a recent appearance on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, “There’s a lot of uncertainty. Nobody really knows what is going on. I certainly don’t know what’s going on. I am confident that if SHR is still around I’ve proved myself enough for them to keep me on here.” Despite the optimism, he continued to admit that the rumors did make him a bit nervous.
Amid ongoing chatter about the future of @StewartHaasRcng, @ChaseBriscoe_14 feels like every race is an audition.
️ “There’s obviously concern anytime there’s rumors […] you start to get a little nervous.”
More → https://t.co/WGRTG5gVtL pic.twitter.com/7SJoLpaxgs
— SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Ch. 90) (@SiriusXMNASCAR) May 14, 2024
Briscoe is currently in his option year on the team. Right in the middle of the storm, he feels as though he has to audition week in and week out to keep his seat come 2025. He added that he did not have a clue about where he stood in the team’s pecking order and all that he could do right now was run up front every race and prove his worth to the top brass.
News of Tony Stewart selling more than just a single charter was originally reported by Sportsnaut’s Matt Weaver. The word was that the owners were planning on selling all the Cup Series charters and the race shop while retaining Xfinity operations. Briscoe’s words only add more strength to the speculations.
Who could benefit from Stewart-Haas Racing selling its charters?
According to a report from the Daily Downforce, Trackhouse Racing and Front Row Motorsports are the key parties interested in purchasing the SHR charters. Should it materialize, the move would make both these teams four-car operations. Notably, Front Row driver Michael McDowell announced recently that he would quit his team in 2025.
Trackhouse expanding would mean Shane Van Gisbergen and Zane Smith could be promoted from the Xfinity Series to the Cup. However, there is no official indication of this happening yet. Should it all transpire into reality, SHR will focus solely on its operations in the second tier. It currently fields two entries in Xfinity, the #00 for Cole Custer and the #98 for Riley Herbst.
