A championship-winning NASCAR Cup Series organization is about to reveal some news. Stewart-Haas Racing has scheduled a “major announcement” for Friday, December 10, at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
SHR set up the announcement with an invitation to media members. The organization did not provide specific details but clarified that team co-owner Tony Stewart and reigning Cup Series Rookie of the Year Chase Briscoe will both be in attendance.
Stewart and Briscoe will meet with media members at the famed track’s media center before heading down to the yard of bricks that race winners kiss. SHR will take part in “car unveilings.”
The Location Has Special Ties to Stewart & Briscoe
GettyChase Briscoe celebrates a win at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2020.
While many teams make major announcements at the NASCAR Hall of Fame, the move to Indianapolis Motor Speedway is a fitting choice for SHR and Briscoe. The iconic track has special ties to the organization, its co-owner, and the Rookie of the Year.
Briscoe and Stewart are both Indiana natives who grew up with a dream of racing. They each accomplished this goal and have made multiple starts at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Stewart, in particular, competed in the Indy 500 five separate times and he won two Crown Jewel races at the track in the Cup Series.
Stewart’s other racing team, Tony Stewart Racing, also has a facility located in Brownsburg, located just over 20 miles away from Indianapolis. This facility is the home of his new NHRA team and his sprint car operation.
Briscoe, on the other hand, has only made four national series starts at Indianapolis Motor Speedway — two on the oval and two on the road course. He finished top 10 in both Xfinity Series races on the oval, and he won the first-ever Indianapolis road course Xfinity Series race in 2020.
Briscoe’s first-ever Cup Series start at Indianapolis Motor Speedway nearly resulted in his first victory. He and Denny Hamlin battled for the lead during an overtime restart, but chaos ensued when he got sent through the grass on Turn 1. Briscoe made it back onto the track behind Hamlin and continued fighting for position, resulting in contact with the No. 11 that sent it spinning through the grass.
NASCAR officials made Briscoe pull off to the side on Turn 10 to serve his penalty for cutting through the grass. This dropped him from contending for the win to 26th overall while AJ Allmendinger won.
The Announcement Likely Involves New Partners
With SHR unveiling cars at the major announcement, there is an indication that the press conference will involve discussions of new partners for the No. 14 team. Though there is no official confirmation from SHR.
Briscoe worked with a few longtime partners of the organization during his rookie season in the Cup Series. He ran 16 races with HighPoint.com on the No. 14 and eight with Ford Performance Racing School, three of which also featured HighPoint.com. Briscoe also ran schemes featuring Rush Truck Centers, DeKalb, One Cure, and Mobil 1.
Briscoe is fresh off a season in which he showed improvement throughout the 36-race schedule, posted three top-10 finishes at road courses, and won Rookie of the Year. Now he will enter the season with even more attention on him, making his sophomore campaign a fitting time for a new partner to potentially jump on board.
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Stewart-Haas Racing Sets Date for ‘Major Announcement’ & Car Unveiling