Recently, Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) faced challenges, but Sunday’s race at Darlington brought good news for both the No. 4 and No. 14 teams.
Two drivers achieved their best results of the 2024 season: Berry finished third, and Briscoe finished fifth.
Berry’s podium finish marked his first top-ten of the year and the No. 4 car’s best finish since Kevin Harvick’s second-place finish at the same race last year. It was even more impressive because Berry started the race in 33rd place.
“It was just a really good day,” said Berry after the race. “We had a really good car yesterday in practice, but unfortunately didn’t qualify like we should have. There’s a lot to take from that, but, overall, the car was really strong. We feel like we’re capable of days like this. We just have to keep chipping away at it, keep learning, keep getting better week in and week out. I have a great group around me and this is a finish they deserve for sure.”
Berry is still 92 points away from qualifying for the playoffs. However, things are looking up for his teammate in the No. 14 Ford Mustang. Briscoe is now just six points inside the playoffs, sitting on the bubble in 16th place. The top-five finish at Darlington was his best since Martinsville in October of last year.
“Our car was extremely good on the really, really long run, it was just the short run that we gave up too much time,” explained Briscoe. “It would have been interesting to see how the race played out if it went green until the end, but, overall, it’s a really good weekend for the guys. I wish we could have been a few spots better, but after the last few weeks we needed a solid run.”
The Darlington race was only the second time in the past two years that multiple SHR cars finished inside the top-five in the same race. This result comes at a crucial time for the team amidst uncertainties and rumors about its future, providing much-needed momentum as they head into the summer months.
