Stewart-Haas Racing is swapping pit crews forward of Sunday’s race at Kansas Speedway — the beginning of the Spherical of 12 within the NASCAR Cup Collection playoffs.
Chase Briscoe, who continues to be championship eligible and the one Stewart-Haas driver who earned a postseason berth, will likely be pitted by the crew that had been on Josh Berry’s No. 4 Ford Mustang. Briscoe’s crew, who had been with him on the No. 14 Ford Mustang, will go to work with Berry.
“It’s been humbling, simply from the entire firm, all embracing the [No.] 14 automotive and doing all the pieces they’ll to make [it] have the most effective potential to win the championship,” Briscoe mentioned Saturday. “That’s been cool — to have [something like 300] workers actually really feel like they’re in your again and using with you each single weekend. Then, simply as an organization, SHR from the day I’ve been there, has by no means labored in addition to they’ve proper now, all 4 crew chiefs, all 4 drivers. We even noticed it final week. Noah [Gragson] was genuinely excited for me to make it onto the subsequent spherical of the playoffs and and the [No.] 10 automotive has been going to the racetrack similar to us each week for the final three weeks, and even this week now the [No. 4 car is] as nicely.
“I do assume that’s slightly distinctive the place, since I’m the one automotive in, and even our scenario with the entire crew shutting down, all of the assets, all the trouble, all the main focus, all the pieces they bought is on us proper now. That’s totally different. No different crew can say that. Penske nonetheless has three vehicles, they usually’re all three attempting to make the subsequent spherical, the place for us, particularly at a spot like Talladega subsequent week, I do assume it’ll make a distinction simply because I’m going to have three teammates which might be tremendous dedicated to doing all the pieces they’ll to assist me.”
The crew pitting the No. 14 Ford Mustang for Briscoe starting this weekend will likely be Daniel Smith (rear changer), Daniel Coffey (entrance changer), Evan Marchal (fueler), and Mason Flynt (tire service), however it’s not a completely unfamiliar crew to Briscoe.
In 2022, Stewart-Haas put a few of his crew on Kevin Harvick’s automotive because the latter tried to make the postseason. The change occurred in June earlier than the Nashville Superspeedway race. This most up-to-date swap between the No. 4 automotive, which Berry now drives following Harvick’s retirement, brings these members again to Briscoe on the No. 14 automotive.
“I’m again type of with my unique guys,” Briscoe mentioned. “It’s robust — they’ve been capable of be there and get us thus far, and that’s a choice that in truth is made above me. I didn’t even understand it was occurring till they referred to as me on Monday. The large factor I feel for me is I simply informed these guys — I texted all of them — ‘Look, you guys are simply as a lot of the [No.] 14 crew as you have been final week. I do know it in all probability doesn’t really feel that approach proper now, however clearly, [Greg Zipadelli] and all people at SHR felt like that’s what gave us the most effective alternative to attempt to transfer on and attempt to advance to the subsequent spherical.’”
Briscoe was certainly one of six playoff drivers (of the 12 who’ve superior to the second spherical) to earn two top-10 finishes within the first spherical of the playoffs. His common end within the spherical was 16.7.
Because the second spherical begins, Briscoe is seven factors beneath a switch spot.
