"We didn't have race cars that Kevin Harvick could win in" - Noah Gragson's future crew chief critical of Stewart-Haas Racing's 2023 results

After Kevin Harvick and Stewart Haas Racing went winless in 2023, Noah Gragson's future crew chief Drew Blickensderfer admitted the team had failed to produce race-winning machinery this past season.

Despite coming close to winning races on a few occasions, Harvick's farewell season in the NASCAR Cup Series didn't include any trips to the victory lane. He capped off his career with 60 wins to his name.

Noah Gragson's future crew chief Drew Blickensderfer was critical of Stewart Haas Racing's decline in form in recent years. The #10 crew chief said that they will be heading into 2024 with dampened expectations. Appearing on NASCAR SiriusXM radio, he said:

"We have talked about that at the management group at Stewart Haas. The expectations are going to be a little different than they were. But what we need to see is steady progress. We think all of our race car drivers can win races and drive race cars really well."

He continued:

"We didn't have race cars last year that Kevin Harvick could win in. And that as a company, we need to fix. Right? Like you have to judge yourself on that. So getting our race cars faster, will not only help these young guys but help the whole company."

Kevin Harvick and Aric Almirola's retirement has left a huge void at Stewart Haas Racing. The team will be fielding four drivers for 2024 whose combined tally of race victories is one, credit to Chase Briscoe.

In 2024, Noah Gragson will be behind the wheel of the #10 Ford, while rookie Josh Berry is set to drive the #4 Ford. Ryan Preece will enter his second season with the team.

Briscoe hopes to lead the lineup, as recently stated that he wants to emulate Kevin Harvick's role within the team. The 29-year-old also acknowledges that the role of a leader comes with a lot of responsibility and he has to earn it with consistent results.

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Noah Gragson's crew chief compares SHR's current phase to Hendrick Motorsports past

With the young guns taking over SHR, Drew Blickensderfer insists the team is going through a similar phase that Hendrick Motorsports went through recently when Chase Elliott and William Byron replaced the legendary veterans.

"You're not going to have veterans forever, you have to through this cycle of young guys. Hendrick Motorsports did it four-five years ago. People looked at him during that time and thought 'Man, What's going to happen?' and all of a sudden William Byron turned into a superstar and Chase Elliott is the guy who we thought he is, and everything went well," he said on NASCAR SiriusXM radio.

The #10 Crew chief is confident in the abilities of Noah Gragson and the rest of the lineup, as he believes they are capable of winning races at the premier level.

"I think Chase Briscoe, Ryan Preece, and Josh Berry are great race car drivers and can win races and I know Noah Gragson is. As a company, we have to perform better," Blickensderfer concluded.