Stewart-Haas Racing's 15-year story in NASCAR will come to an end in just ten weeks, but after a miracle moment in Darlington, the team's 323 employees have something fight for until that day comes: the Cup Series championship.
Those employees were at the forefront of Chase Briscoe's mind as he stood on the front stretch, celebrating his improbable victory in the Southern 500.
“To get this 14 car back in victory lane — and for all 320-something employees, to be able to race for a championship in their final year, it’s unbelievable," he said.
"The day that we found out that the team wasn’t gonna exist anymore, we went over to the shop floor, and we all looked at each other and said, ‘We’re in this until the end. We’re not gonna give up.’ We kept saying all week that we had one bullet left in the chamber — and that bullet hit.”
Out of a job, but in the hunt for a title
Briscoe's crew chief Richard Boswell gave a candid perspective on what it's like inside the SHR shop as the clock nears midnight while still trying to compete at the highest level of the sport.
"For those of us that have been there for quite some time, it’s sad, right? It sucks. This is family. Every employee there I would have at Christmas dinner," he said. "I think the struggle and the difficulty that’s come with it has been, we have a job to do, and that hasn’t changed.
"I can’t tell you how many guys I have in my office every week wondering, where should I go? I’m worried about my future.
"You have to have those conversations, just from an empathy standpoint. You have to take those guys in and let them know that you care. That’s just added more work and more hours. I would say that’s been the biggest difference — just trying to be mindful of what everybody is going through, but also know we have a job to do, [and to] try to do our best to bring the best cars we can every week."
As Briscoe ends his seven years with Stewart-Haas on a high note, he's one of the few with his future secure, having signed with Joe Gibbs Racing to drive the No. 19 Toyota Camry next year. But the future is not nearly as certain for many of those who work at SHR.
Making Tony proud
Stewart-Haas Racing, co-owned by Gene Haas and Tony Stewart, have won two championships in the NASCAR Cup Series. The first came in 2011 with Stewart driving, and the second in 2014 with Kevin Harvick. Until Briscoe's big Darlington finish edged him into the playoffs, SHR had no drivers in the playoffs and zero wins over the past two seasons — despite running a large four-car team.
Besides breaking a drought, when Briscoe crossed the finish line, he brought the team full-circle. Not only was that the team's 70th victory in the Cup Series, it came in the No. 14 car, driven by Stewart, that earned the organization its very first win back in 2009. And Briscoe is a self-proclaimed "diehard fan" of his long-time boss.
"That’s the car I cheered for growing up," said Briscoe after the race. "I’ve seen that car win time and time and time again, [and] win a championship. It’s been 90-something races since that car has been in Victory Lane ... At least now we have a chance to go win a championship. We don’t have any Playoff points or anything like that ... I kind of love the back-up-against-the-wall thing. That’s certainly what we’re going to have now."
After the win, Briscoe got a call from Smoke himself, congratulating him on that Southern 500 triumph.
"Tony called," said Briscoe. "Just to hear how excited he is ... From a morale standpoint, it’s huge at our building. It’s been tough. It’s definitely just a weird time right now. For me to be there for seven years and be like family with a lot of those guys, it means a lot.
