Stewart-Haas Racing is making some changes to its crew chief-driver lineup after the NASCAR off-week. One of these moves reunites the members of a winning duo.
The NASCAR Roster Portal first detailed the changes and then SHR confirmed them with a press release. Crew chief Richard Boswell will move from Riley Herbst’s No. 98 team to Chase Briscoe’s No. 14 team. Engineer Davin Restivo will move from Aric Almirola’s No. 10 team to become Herbst’s new crew chief.
These moves will go into effect during the race weekend at Nashville Superspeedway as all three national series return to action. Herbst will work with Restivo during the Xfinity Series race on June 24 while Briscoe will work with Boswell during the Cup Series race on June 25.
John Klausmeier, who previously served as Briscoe’s crew chief in the Cup Series, will remain at SHR. He will take on a new role with the company’s vehicle performance group.
“We made these changes in the best interests of the entire organization,” said Greg Zipadelli, chief competition officer, SHR. “Different people in new positions brings new perspectives.
“There’s still a lot of racing left to do this year, which means there’s still a lot of opportunity. We need to seize these opportunities and make the most of them, and fresh perspectives from the top of the pit box to the preparation inside the shop will help us do that.”
Boswell Guided Briscoe To Several Wins
GettyChase Briscoe & his team celebrate a win at Iowa Speedway.
The decision to put Boswell atop the No. 14 team’s pit box follows an L3-Level penalty issued to Stewart-Haas Racing for counterfeiting a Next Gen single source vendor-supplied part. As part of the penalty, Klausmeier received a six-race suspension and a $250,000 fine.
Briscoe worked with an interim crew chief in Mike Bugarewicz for the races at World Wide Technology Raceway and Sonoma Raceway, but he will now have a familiar face atop the pit box. Though it will be in a different series.
Boswell has previous success working with Briscoe. He has been the crew chief for the Indiana native for 62 Xfinity Series races, and he has celebrated eight of his nine career wins with him. The other was an Xfinity Series race with Kevin Harvick in 2018.
Six of these wins took place during Briscoe’s career-best season — 2020. Boswell was atop the pit box for 29 races while Greg Zipadelli was the crew chief for four other races.
Briscoe won nine total races before reaching the championship four. He ended the year fourth in the standings after finishing ninth in the season finale at Phoenix Raceway.
Herbst’s Season Has Taken a Turn
GettyRichard Boswell (right) speaks to Riley Herbst (left) at Portland International Raceway.
Boswell’s time with Briscoe came to an end after the 2020 season. Briscoe moved up to the Cup Series to replace a retiring Clint Bowyer while Boswell remained with the No. 98 team.
Boswell has since spent 80 races guiding Riley Herbst in the Xfinity Series. The No. 98 team has gone winless, but it has made back-to-back appearances in the playoffs with Herbst behind the wheel. The Las Vegas native also posted 33 top-10 finishes and 13 top-fives combined in his first two seasons with SHR.
The 2023 season started with more strong performances. Herbst had top-10 finishes in the first six races of the season, and he kept himself near the top of the points standings.
The situation has since changed for Herbst and Boswell. They have failed to crack the top 10 in eight straight races while crashes have led to three DNFs. An engine failure at Portland International Raceway led to a fourth DNF.
Herbst was second in the standings early in the 2023 season, but he is now 10th overall with 371 points. There are two drivers below him and the cutline, but there is no room for error with 12 races remaining in the regular season.
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Stewart-Haas Racing Reunites Winning Crew Chief-Driver Duo