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Tony Stewart’s Mentee Sets His Stakes Higher as He Eyes the Ultimate Crown to Mark Ford Mustang’s 60th Anniversary

Published 04/19/2024, 12:53 AM EDT

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USA Today via Reuters

Amidst talks of a charter sale, Stewart-Haas Racing has been under immense pressure to make up lost ground over the past few races. That said, Chase Briscoe is leading the way for SHR’s resurgence with consistent finishes, aiming to become a regular top-ten finisher. But that’s not all.

After bringing home his best result of the season at Texas Motor Speedway during the AutoTrader Echopark Automotive 400, Chase Briscoe is aiming even higher at Talladega Superspeedway this weekend. But will the 29-year-old’s ambitious plans for the Ford Mustang’s 60th anniversary play out smoothly?

Superspeedways, it is! Chase Briscoe is all set to run “Fast Fords

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From the very start of the 2024 season, the #14 Stewart-Haas Racing has been expected to live up to the likes of Kevin Harvick and Aric Almirola, who left Tony Stewart with a lot of work to do over winter break. But now that the 2024 season is well underway, Briscoe has found his pace. With two top-tens ahead of the race in Texas, the Mitchell, Indiana, native was aiming to open his top-five tally.

Though he fell just short of that goal, Briscoe’s sixth-place finish last weekend gives the #14 garage great confidence heading toward Talladega. With pressure mounting on SHR, Briscoe is eager to bring home a victory this weekend to help further the team’s resurgence this season. But there’s also another important aspect of winning at Talladega that has caught Briscoe’s attention.

Briscoe was quoted by Motorsport: Getting a Mustang in Victory Lane at Talladega would be super cool. The Mustangs have been super good at superspeedway race tracks, so it would be no better time to get one than just after the 60th birthday of  the Mustang.” As Ford celebrates the iconic pony car’s 60th anniversary, Briscoe aims to gift the OEM with their first win of the 2024 season.

USA Today via Reuters

With both Chevy and Toyota dominating the first leg of the season, Briscoe could be the man who brings relief to many behind the scenes at Ford. Just last year, he qualified 3rd and 4th for the races at Talladega, bringing home a top-five as well. Naturally, this makes him one of the best candidates to help end Ford’s drought this season. He added, “That is what we are going to try to do. We are going to have really fast Fords, so hopefully, one of us can put Mustang in Victory Lane.”

After taking a look at Briscoe’s confidence in his chances of a win at Talladega this weekend, it’s safe to say that the #14 driver is truly stepping up as the leader SHR needs. But can Tony Stewart and Co. live up to Briscoe’s expectations too?

Despite SHR’s woes, Briscoe showcases great confidence

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Before the season started, Chase Briscoe was touted by many as the man SHR needs after Harvick’s retirement to help the young squad get up to speed. With the likes of Noah Gragson and Josh Berry stepping into the SHR Mustangs with no winning experience, Biscoe had to not only bring in good results but also help out his less experienced teammates to do the same. And after the weekend at Texas, it’s safe to say Briscoe is truly having one of his best years in NASCAR in terms of his results.

Sharing his optimism with Motorsport, Briscoe stated, “It’s been really good. Honestly, it’s probably been my favorite year at Stewart-Haas. All of my teammates are relatively the same age as me. We’re all kind of the same, where we’re career-wise, and it’s just been a lot of fun from the camaraderie side and just getting to know them better.”

USA Today via Reuters

As NASCAR moved toward the second quarter of the season, it was vital for SHR’s drivers to get up to speed in terms of coordination. After all, teamwork plays a major role, and this weekend at Talladega would require a lot of it. Obviously it is a superspeedway!

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Fortunately, the #14 felt SHR had made great strides so far. He concluded, “I would say 10 races in, we’re farther ahead from a teamwork standpoint, so hopefully we can continue to grow that.” Now that SHR’s driver line-up is slowly getting up to speed with their predecessors, can a Stewart-Haas Racing driver be the one to turn around fortunes for Ford too?

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Written by:

Kabir Bajaj Ahmed

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Kabir Bajaj Ahmed is an F1 & NASCAR Writer at EssentiallySports. Known for his storytelling and extensive research skills, he has covered multiple stories on Dale Earnhardt Jr and his legendary dad, allowing readers to relive the thunderous days of 'The Intimidator'. Being a racer himself, Kabir can resonate with the motorsport world better than most.
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Edited by:

Shivali Nathta