“Things in life change”: Tony Stewart reflects on closing down of SHR with Kevin Harvick
Stewart-Haas Racing co-owner Tony Stewart has reflected on his decision to step away from NASCAR as a team owner, citing dissatisfaction with the current direction the sport is heading. Stewart feels this was the right time to end his tenure as a team owner, elaborating on the factors that influenced his decision.
In an interview with his former SHR teammate Kevin Harvick, Stewart commented on the bittersweet final weeks before he stepped away from the organization he co-owned since 2009. Stewart likened the experience to Harvick's farewell tour last year, acknowledging the "bittersweet" emotions.
Stewart also discussed his decision to part ways with SHR and the significant changes in his personal life. Stewart and his wife, Leah Pruett, are expecting a baby boy in November. At 53, Stewart is in his rookie season in the NHRA Top Fuel drag racing division, stepping in for his wife.
The three-time NASCAR champion also shed light on the state of the stock car racing series, hinting that the deadline for charter negotiations provided the perfect opportunity for him to exit the sport as a team owner.
"I don't know if it's even bittersweet, it's more bitter than sweet I feel like. It's a tough decision but things in life change, your priorities change, and variables outside of your control change as well. You and I have been around for a long time, it [NASCAR] is not what it used to be," he said [from 19:50].
Tony Stewart also referenced the ongoing legal battle between 23XI, FRM, and NASCAR. He doesn't wish to be a part of the sport and insists this is the right time for him to jump ship.
"This is a time where things are drastically changing in the sport, you look at what is going on 23XI and Front Row Motorsports, right now with their battle with NASCAR and the direction the things are going. Its not a direction that I want to be a part of. This is the right time, this was never a part of a masterplan, as this year has gone on, this has become very clear that this the right time for me to get out of the sport. There's things that I see that I definitely don't like," Tony Stewart said.
Tony Stewart on Stewart Haas Racing's sponsorship struggles
Tony Stewart shed light on how the sponsorship landscape has changed over the years, emphasizing how challenging it has become for SHR, which relies majorly on sponsorship money. He noted that teams are now competing for one or two-race sponsorship deals, whereas it used to be must easier to secure full-season deals with Fortune 500 companies when he entered the sport.
"I don't have a Hendrick Motorsports, and Penske Truck Rentals and all the things that a lot of these guys have to back their race teams. We have to do it solely on sponsorship, and that is a ton of work. It's more competitive now getting sponsors than it has ever been," Tony Stewart said [from 21:12].
"When you [Harvick] and I started, there were more Fortune 500 companies that wanted to be on cars full-time, that couldn't because there weren't cars to be on. Now you're fighting for one-race sponsorship, two-race sponsorship."
Stewart added that his decision to shut down SHR was influenced by other factors earlier this season. However, he reckons that his decision is increasingly proving to be the right one, given the ongoing drama surrounding the charters.