Yahoo Autos Stewart-Haas to cease operations at season’s end
In a joint statement issued Tuesday, Tony Stewart and Gene Haas confirmed that Stewart-Haas Racing will cease NASCAR operations at season’s end.
The organization fields four entries in the NASCAR Cup Series with four charters for Josh Berry, Noah Gragson, Chase Briscoe and Ryan Preece. There are also two full-time entries in the Xfinity Series with Cole Custer and Riley Herbst.
Stewart joined forces with Haas in 2009 to form the program. Haas was previously fielding teams under Haas CNC Racing, which debuted in the Cup Series in late 2002. The rebranded operation started as a two-car team with Stewart and Ryan Newman behind the wheel.
“We have made the difficult decision to close Stewart-Haas Racing at the conclusion of the 2024 season,” the statement began. “It is a decision that did not come easily, nor was it made quickly. 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 and business lives where it’s time to pass the torch.”
Haas, 71, owns the Haas F1 Team. It fields two Formula 1 entries for Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen.
Stewart, 53, is competing full-time in NHRA, where he owns a Funny Car and Top Fuel team, and he took over the Top Fuel dragster from his wife, Leah Pruett, so the two could begin working toward starting a family. He also owns Eldora Speedway and a World of Outlaws team for Donny Schatz.
The statement goes on, “We’re proud of all the wins and championships we’ve earned since joining together in 2009, but even more special is the culture we built and the friendships we forged as we committed to a common cause – winning races and collecting trophies. That is the same commitment we made to our personnel, our partners, and our fans coming into this year, and that commitment will remain through the season finale at Phoenix.
“We have tremendous respect and appreciation for all of our employees, and we will work diligently to assist them during this transition to find new opportunities beyond the 2024 race season.”
Stewart-Haas Racing expanded to a three-car Cup Series program in 2013 with Stewart, Newman and Danica Patrick. A year later, it was a four-car program, which it has remained since, with the addition of Kevin Harvick and Kurt Busch alongside Stewart and Patrick.
Stewart retired from Cup Series competition after the 2016 season. There have been multiple changes to Stewart-Haas Racing’s lineup in the years since. Briscoe has driven for the organization since 2021. Preece was signed going into the 2023 season.
Gragson was signed to a multi-year deal that began this season to replace Aric Almirola. Berry replaced Harvick, who retired after the 2023 season.
Stewart-Haas Racing has 69 victories in the Cup Series, including in three crown jewel races: the Daytona 500, the Brickyard 400 and the Southern 500. Stewart became a champion as an owner/driver in 2011, winning dramatically in the season finale in a tie-breaker over Carl Edwards. The organization added a second championship in 2014 with Kevin Harvick.
There have been eight different drivers to win a Cup Series race for the organization: Stewart, Ryan Newman, Harvick, Kurt Busch, Aric Almirola, Clint Bowyer, Cole Custer and Chase Briscoe.
Custer is the reigning Xfinity Series champion for Stewart-Haas Racing. He is one of three drivers to combine for the 22 victories Stewart-Haas has in the series.
