The four-car Ford staff went winless final season and noticed two of its veteran drivers – Kevin Harvick and Aric Almirola – retire from full-time competitors within the offseason.
SHR added two inexperienced drivers to its lineup in Noah Gragson and Josh Berry, whereas Chase Briscoe and Ryan Preece returned within the Nos. 14 and 41 groups, respectively.
With a pair of unpredictable drafting tracks in Daytona and Atlanta opening the 2024 schedule, Sunday’s race at Las Vegas and the next week at Phoenix ought to provide an excellent gauge what groups have this season.
The 36-race schedule is dominated by intermediate tracks like Las Vegas and tracks using the short-track/highway course aero bundle which is able to debut at Phoenix.
“Yeah, undoubtedly Vegas is our first true check of the place we stack up,” stated Gragson, a Las Vegas native who drives SHR’s No. 10 Ford. “A majority of the schedule is mile-and-a-halves, quick tracks, you’ve bought Vegas and Phoenix, these two particularly.
“However Vegas will likely be our first check as to the place we’re at as an organization, speed-wise.”
Noah Gragson, Stewart Haas Racing, Black Rifle Espresso / Ranger Boats Ford Mustang
Picture by: Rusty Jarrett / NKP / Motorsport Photos
Since Tony Stewart joined as a co-owner in 2009, SHR has received a pair of Cup Collection titles (2011 and 2014) and picked up 69 wins.
The group has struggled the final couple years, with solely Harvick advancing to the playoffs final yr whereas his three teammates all completed outdoors the highest 20 within the sequence standings.
With an inflow of latest drivers and Ford’s introduction of its “Darkish Horse” Mustang physique, the following two weeks may nicely sign whether or not SHR is again heading in the right direction.
“Vegas goes to be the place you lastly determine, not solely as a producer however actually as a race staff, the place you’re going to stack up for the following couple of months and the place you’ve bought to get higher,” stated Briscoe.
“I’d say Vegas is actually the race monitor the place 90 % of the storage has circled because the one they’re most wanting ahead to in an effort to see if what they did within the offseason will come to fruition.”
Chase Briscoe, Stewart-Haas Racing, HighPoint.com Ford Mustang
Picture by: Danny Hansen / NKP / Motorsport Photos
For SHR, that work started nearly as quickly because the 2023 season got here to an finish.
“Actually, all the best way again in November I used to be already operating the sim stuff for what we now have for Vegas,” Briscoe stated. “We’ve put loads of emphasis on Vegas – Vegas and Phoenix, in truth – simply attempting to hit the bottom operating.
“From the simulator and even from what it says on paper, or once we have a look at the pc display once we have a look at the sim stuff, this Ford Mustang Darkish Horse physique ought to be dramatically higher than what we had final yr.”
As groups have discovered repeatedly, simulation work doesn’t all the time translate to the monitor.
Early season setback
Nevertheless, there have been indicators within the season’s first two races that the Ford physique will make a distinction this season.
Two Ford drivers – Joey Logano and Todd Gilliland – have led probably the most laps to date this season, though each have gotten concerned in on-track incidents and sit far down within the standings. Fords have additionally received the primary two poles.
As for SHR, Gragson and Briscoe each had top-10 finishes at Daytona. All 4 groups have proven velocity within the races, however all 4 drivers have been caught up in at the least one accident to date.
Each Gragson and Preece have been additionally penalized 35 factors when NASCAR found their respective automobiles had unapproved roof deflectors at Atlanta.
A robust displaying on the West Coast would do nicely to assist SHR decide whether or not its highway forward will likely be a tough one.
“About 99 % of what we do at Vegas will come right down to how the producer did behind the scenes in the course of the offseason, arising with the brand new physique and the way the groups did making use of the brand new offsets and deltas,” Briscoe stated.
“I’m simply excited for what we now have, what we predict we now have. You by no means know till you get there, so it’s going to be entertaining, for certain.”
