Disappointing. Underwhelming. Surprising. Frustrating. These are some of the words one would use to describe how Stewart-Haas Racing has fared in the last couple of seasons in the NASCAR Cup Series. The team co-owned by Tony Stewart and Gene Haas was once considered and performed as one of the best teams week-in and week-out. But their fortunes, as well as their perception, are no longer what it once was. Despite all of it, Stewart had some very encouraging things to say to his team.
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Stewart recently revealed in an interview what he told his team ahead of the start of the 2024 NASCAR season. “I said, ‘Everything’s in front of us now. There’s nothing behind us. It’s not like you’re looking for somebody chasing you down. We’re at the bottom of the barrel, in my opinion, and our performance is already in the tank, so we have nothing but everything in front of us,'” Stewart said as per NBC Sports.
“So don’t look behind. Don’t. Don’t look over your shoulder. And make sure that you understand that every one of these people in the room, you’re working for the same reasons and you got to have each other’s backs.'”
The 3x Cup champion claimed his message resonated with his audience, that they were aware of the work they have in front of them. Having said that, Stewart also mentioned that should some people in his team not work hard enough, he wouldn’t mind hiring new faces in their places.
“They are going to have to find something or we’ll find people that will find it because we can’t perform at this level. It’s just not acceptable anymore,” he said.
Tony Stewart is tired of answering questions about his team’s poor performances
Tony Stewart, who has never shied away from speaking his heart out, opened up on how it has become frustrating for him to be the person who has to answer fundamental and technical questions about his team’s performance. “We’ve had two miserable years in a row and I’m tired of getting asked, or I’m tired of taking the blame from everybody why the cars aren’t running good,” he said.
“I think the fans need a reality check and a reminder that I’m not the crew chief. I’m not the engineer. I don’t dictate the setups on the cars.”
But looking forward, Stewart claimed he sees a new morning for SHR, who have undergone a major change over the past off-season, in their look, in their personnel, and their spirits. It is especially the new driver lineup that excites Tony Stewart.
Now whether or not they get their mojo back as an organization, only time will tell.
