“I want to be the new Kevin Harvick”: Chase Briscoe gears up to claim leadership role at SHR

Kevin Harvick's retirement from the NASCAR Cup Series has left a huge void at Stewart Haas Racing (SHR), with Chase Briscoe gearing up to claim the leadership role for the upcoming season.

Briscoe, entering his fourth year with SHR, will be the elderly statesman on the team. Aric Almirola's retirement has left the #14 Ford driver as the most experienced with the team as Ryan Preece enters his second year with SHR in 2024.

Chase Briscoe recently admitted that the leadership role came with the responsibility of running upfront consistently, as was showcased by Kevin Harvick over the last decade. Briscoe hopes to emulate the same, filling in the shoes of the 2014 Cup champion.

“I am going to be the senior guy there now and that’s crazy to think only being three years in,” Briscoe said on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. “But I’m going to be the elder statesman there, so it’ll be interesting for sure. Something I’m excited for, but at the same time, I think that leadership role comes from running up front week in and week out. Kevin was the leader of that place because he ran the best on the most consistent basis.

He added:

“For me, that’s the biggest thing is I wanna be the new Kevin Harvick at 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. That’s my whole goal going into this season and if we do that, then that leadership role just naturally gets placed upon you.”

Kevin Harvick had an edge over his teammates in the past season, where he fought for a top-10 result every week, and came close to winning a race. However, Briscoe had a forgettable season, which was marred by a 120-point L3 penalty, the biggest in NASCAR's history.

Putting his 2023 campaign behind him, Briscoe hopes to lead the racing lineup at Stewart Haas Racing for 2024, including Cup Series rookie Josh Berry in the #4 Ford and Noah Gragson in the #10 Ford alongside Ryan Preece.

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Chase Briscoe reveals early struggles in his NASCAR career

Hailing from the state of Indiana, Chase Briscoe recently reflected on his struggles as he moved to North Carolina to reach the higher echelons of NASCAR. In a conversation with his boss Tony Stewart, who also hails from the Hoosier state, Briscoe revealed the sacrifices he made early in his career.

"It was hard. Mine was totally different from yours where, you know, when you came down here you already had the contract. You had everything kind of figured out to a certain extent where with me I kind of moved right after high school on a hope and prayer and just bounced around from couch to couch and it was hard, you know," he said in a recent episode of SHR's Mentor and Mentee.

Chase Briscoe mentioned that he eased his mind by reminding himself he was just a nine-hour drive away from his home and could return any time.