Tony Stewart’s legacy in NASCAR started as a driver and championship winner at Joe Gibbs Racing. Despite achieving what most drivers aspire to in their careers such as a two-time Cup Series champion status and being renowned as one of the fiercest racers in the field, an opportunity from Rick Hendrick changed that scenario forever.
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Looking back at his transition from just a driver in the series to a team owner, the now 53-year-old NHRA racer elaborated on how Hendrick Motorsports’ owner planted the ownership bug in Stewart. In an interview from 2014, Stewart described how it was Rick Hendrick who metaphorically laid the foundation for the team that fans know in today’s day and age as Stewart-Haas Racing.
“Rick Hendrick gave me a call one day and said, ‘I think I have a unique opportunity you might be interested in’ and he went over all the details of what Gene (Haas, part owner of the SHR team) was offering,” remembered Stewart.
“I wasn’t really looking to leave Joe Gibbs Racing, was happy there. But this was an opportunity that was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to do something different, to be able to go and be a Joe Gibbs, be a Rick Hendrick, and be a part of the ownership side,” he added.
Going from merely a driver to a team owner in NASCAR certainly came with its trials and tribulations, and Stewart wasn’t immune to them either. “What have I done? Have I made the right decision? Am I going to regret this down the road?” were his thoughts when he announced his own team’s existence to the world.
What followed was an all-star team that kicked off its four-car operation with a star-studded driver cast that included Stewart himself alongside Kevin Harvick, Kurt Busch, and Danica Patrick. Stewart went on to win the Cup Series title as an owner-operator in 2011 with the team, followed by Harvick achieving the same feat in 2014.
Kevin Harvick will end his career with one championship. #NASCAR75 pic.twitter.com/SuptESLqx9
— Darian Gilliam (@BlackFlagMatter) September 17, 2023
Looking back, it was one phone call from a certain Rick Hendrick that changed Stewart’s mind about being an owner in the sport, a decision that made him a four-time champion, two as a driver, one as a driver-owner, and another one as just an owner in NASCAR.
Despite the dream run the organization went on during its younger days, SHR stands as a chapter in the history books as the team shut shop at the end of the 2024 season. With Tony Stewart’s post-NASCAR career and the team’s general lack of performance of late, Stewart and Gene Haas decided to part ways.
The 2025 season will now see the team rebranded as a Haas Factory Team, with Cole Custer piloting their #41 entry in the highest echelon of stock car racing.
