Stewart-Haas Racing Ceasing Operations After This Season
Well, I certainly didn't expect to see this news today, Steward-Haas Racing — which fields four cars in the NASCAR Cup Series and is jointly owned by Gene Haas and racing legend Tony Stewart — will close up shop at the end of this season.
The team made the announcement via a joint statement from both Haas and Stewart.
"We have made the difficult decision to close Stewart-Haas Racing at the conclusion of the 2024 season. It is a decision that did not come easily, nor was it made quickly," the statement began. "Racing is a labor-intensive, humbling sport. It requires unwavering commitment and vast resources, with a 365-day mindset to be better than everyone else. It's part of what makes success so rewarding.
"But the commitment needed to extract maximum performance while providing sustainability is incredibly demanding, and we've reached a point in our respective personal and business lives where it's time to pass the torch."
Stewart-Haas Racing will close its doors at the end of the 2024 season. (Photo by Matthew Pearce/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Stewart-Haas Racing Will Sell All Of Its Charters
The Stewart-Haas partnership dates back to 2009 and saw the team win two championships and 69 races. They currently field four cars — the No. 4 driven by Josh Berry, the No. 10 driven by Noah Gragson, the No. 14 driven by Chase Briscoe, and the No. 41 driven by Ryan Preece — and according to Fox Sports' Bob Pockrass, the team will sell those four charters.
Pockrass reported that it's believed three will go to existing Cup Series teams with one going to Front Row Motorsports, one to 23XI Racing, and another to Trackhouse Racing, though none of those teams have commented on the situation yet.
This decision will also end the team's Xfinity Series program which currently features drivers Cole Custer and Riley Herbst.
Haas and Stewart are both involved in racing outside of NASCAR with Stewart having some involvement in NHRA drag racing and Haas fielding a team in Formula 1 which hasn't seen much success and is currently sitting P7 in the Constructors Standings.
While the news is surprising, there have been signs of some trouble for some time. The team has struggled on track at times and their support from Ford was set to end at the end of this season. Additionally, major sponsors Smithfield and Anheuser-Busch are no longer involved with the team.
It's a massive shame that a lot of people will be out of jobs, but it's also going to make NASCAR a little nervous to see one of its bigger, four-car teams close up shop.