Kevin Harvick‘s exit from the sport this season was an emotional moment for everyone in the NASCAR community. While he cruises off into the sunset, his SHR team finds itself on the back foot for next year. Without a senior driver on their roster or any wins throughout the 2023 season, the team is in a tough situation.
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Recently, NASCAR commentator Rick Allen shared his thoughts on the state of SHR after Harvick’s departure and how things could be for Tony Stewart‘s Cup Series team moving forward.
Speaking to Kenny Wallace, Allen stated, “I think they’d (SHR) come up slow. Normally they’re very good on the drafting tracks so it’s good that you know, Daytona is out there they can somewhat look fighting ready.”
“I mean, they don’t have with only Ryan Preece and Chase Briscoe returning. They just don’t have that kind of senior leadership, that star power that they’ve had with Kevin Harvick forever. And so I think that is going to slow down a little bit.”
Rick Allen believes that Tony Stewart’s latest driver would get better with time
Speaking about Harvick’s permanent replacement for the next season, Josh Berry, Allen called him a talented racer but admitted that he has had limited success in Cup cars. Most of the times Berry raced in the Cup Series last year was when filling in for an injured Chase Elliott.
However, Allen believes that Berry’s partnership with Harvick’s long-time crew chief Rodney Childers will lead to greater success over time. He also noted that racing more and more will eventually start helping Berry to improve and learn from the competition all around him.
“I think it’s going to take a while for Stewart Haas Racing to have that feel of you know, they could go out there and compete against anybody, especially coming off of a winless season,” concluded Allen, adding that starting next year Stewart-Haas Racing will be below the other teams out there and would require time to get back up to standard.
