“Smoke rises” read the signs adorning the barriers outside the Stewart-Haas Racing haulers in the paddock at Phoenix.
Over the team’s 16-year history, there have been eras when that phrase has proven true, starting with Smoke himself. Tony Stewart was already a two-time champion with Joe Gibbs Racing when he got itchy feet – reportedly because of Gibbs’ imminent switch to Toyota, which clashed with Stewart’s loyalty to Chevrolet – and moved to Haas CNC Racing for 2009 in a deal that included his taking half ownership of the team, then reborn as Stewart Haas Racing. He adopted the No. 14 as a homage to A.J. Foyt and gave the team – and new partner Gene Haas – their first win in the 2009 Sprint All-Star race at Charlotte.
A proper points-scoring win followed not long after at Pocono, then additional victories at the Coca-Cola 600, Watkins Glen and Kansas. Stewart finished his first year as a team co-owner sixth in the points.
The following season brought a couple more wins and a slight slide in overall results to seventh, but Stewart rebounded in 2011 with back-to-back wins at Chicagoland and New Hampshire, followed by a hot streak at the end of the season to finish the last four races first, first, second and first, delivering Stewart his third career title, and SHR its first.
Stewart’s results began to drop off after that, and while teammate Ryan Newman added three victories to SHR’s tally during his own five-year spell, his best points finish with the team was ninth in 2009.
Teammates running together at Martinsville en route to Newman’s highest championship finish with SHR in 2009. More success was to be had with the next critical hire, though… Brian Czobat/Motorsport Images
Salvation came in the form of Kevin Harvick, who landed at SHR for 2014 after splitting with Richard Childress Racing – a move that immediately delivered him his first championship, and SHR its second. (And its last at the Cup Series level, although Cole Custer added a Xfinity Series title in 2023.)
Success became more sporadic over the years that followed, but it was never completely out of reach. Chase Briscoe, the current custodian of what had been Stewart’s No. 14 entry, delivered the team’s 65th win at Darlington this year.
Smoke rises, but eventually, smoke disperses. As results became harder to achieve, so did the sponsorships and manufacturer support that underpin every successful program. Smoke himself had already dispersed to a degree as this year began; his sprint car teams and NHRA program filling increasing amount of space in both his schedule and his heart that had previously been allocated to NASCAR. Then in May, he announced that Stewart Haas Racing will close down at the end of the year. After Sunday’s race in Phoenix, the team itself – the haulers, the cars, groups of personnel that in some cases have worked side-by-side for over a decade – will disperse as well.
“May feels like it was just the other day, honestly, when we found out the news. It’s crazy that we’re at the very end, right?” said Briscoe who, barring something extraordinary happening in Phoenix Sunday, will go down as SHR’s last race winner.
“To know that it’s all coming to an end is definitely bittersweet. I was telling the guys last weekend at Martinsville, where we were eight days away from the company literally locking the doors, and we were still able to bring a car that, honestly, should’ve sat on the pole. That’s just a testament to everybody, and it’s really, really cool and special that they’ve continued to put in that effort given the circumstances.”
Briscoe, who got his start with SHR as an Xfinity Series part-timer in 2018, is running a plain black helmet this weekend, which has been emblazoned with messages and signatures from the rest of his No. 14 team – a way to keep them all together before he starts anew as Martin Truex Jr’s replacement at Gibbs next year.
Short of a finale win at Phoenix, Briscoe’s victory at Darlington could stand as the last for SHR. Motorsport Images
“This whole season’s been really cool, to get a win in the final season for SHR and to get the No. 14 car to at least where it’s competitive in its final season,” said Briscoe. “That was really important to me. I can’t believe it’s coming to an end. It’s definitely a sad ending to it all, and it’s definitely going to be a tough weekend.”
Briscoe will head into the race as the highest-qualifying SHR driver, lining up 12th on the grid.
Josh Berry made his debut with the team in the No. 4 this year, and will move on to Wood Brothers Racing in 2025. Going into Phoenix, his best results for Stewart-Haas were a pair of third places at Darlington and New Hampshire.
“I’m just really grateful for my time at SHR and the opportunity I got to drive the No. 4 car and race in the Cup Series,” he said. “It was just such a life-changing opportunity for me. It’s been a challenge at times, and it’s been a challenge navigating through all the change and what our futures are and everything that’s been going on. But the reality of this is it’s still sad because there are a lot of great people, great men and women at Stewart Haas Racing, tons and tons of great people all across the board that made that place what it is and made it great.”
Berry’s sentiments were echoed by Noah Gragson, who is also in his first season with SHR after splitting with Legacy Motor Club during 2023.
“The people are the most important thing, and being able to build relationships with what were once strangers in January to near and dear friends today – the people we go to battle with every weekend,” said Gragson, who has signed with Front Row Motorsports for next year. “It’s definitely emotional. I’ve only been there for less than a year, but at the same time there have been guys who have been there for two decades.
“To be able to see everybody come together when Chase Briscoe won, that was big and powerful and moving for the company as a whole. It sparked a lot of excitement under everybody’s tails, and I’m just extremely grateful for the opportunity that Tony and Greg Zipadelli (chief competition officer) gave me to be able to get back into the sport, and to do it at the highest level of the Cup Series means the world to me. I’m tremendously grateful for that, tremendously grateful for the friendships and experiences and memories that we’ve been able to make over the past year. It’s allowed me to get back on my feet in the Cup Series, and we’ve had some strong runs and it’s given me my confidence back.
“It’s definitely going to be emotional at Phoenix when that checkered flag drops, and I’ve only been there for a year. I can’t imagine what it’s like for other guys and gals who have been there for a much longer period of time.”
Gragson’s redemption arc with SHR was cut short by the team’s impending closure, but a new pasture at Front Row Motorsports awaits. John Harrelson/Motorsport Images
Ryan Preece is the only driver among the current four who has not finalized his plans for 2025, although there is speculation that he is on RFK Racing’s radar. As far as he’s concerned, finishing strong in Phoenix is his immediate priority.
“What I appreciate the most is my group of team members and that the guys haven’t quit,” he said. “They haven’t quit and I think it’s shown. It’s built this thick skin layer on us because, when you look at late August, September, October, we’ve been strong. Have we been winning like we want to be? No. I don’t think our company is there. But I also think that we’ve persevered in times when everybody’s just like, ‘Well, **** it, we’re moving on to our next deal.’
“Everybody here said, ‘We’ve got 10 more, we’ve got eight more, we’ve got six more, we’ve got four more.’ And not to just be done, but to try and finish on a note that we’re proud of. I think that’s the thing that I take away most from being at this organization, the group of people that we’ve been surrounded by, and the perseverance that every one of them has. You know, wherever they end up going, whatever team, they’re going to be lucky to have them because they’ve taken a tough time and made the most of it.
“As far as the team goes, I think those are the people that you want around you when you go to war. You don’t want somebody that’s going to run and hide. You want somebody who’s going to fight.”
SHR’s headquarters in Kannapolis, N.C. will be taken over by Haas Factory Team, which will retain one of SHR’s current charters and some of the current staff. The other three SHR charters are earmarked for 23XI Racing, Front Row Motorsports and Trackhouse Racing.
