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Tony Stewart once refrained from voicing his opinions on NASCAR's post-race technical inspections on the Next-Gen cars and related penalties. The 53-year-old has now departed from the Cup Series season as an owner to focus on his other ventures.
Three-time Cup Series champion Stewart started his full-time NASCAR career for Joe Gibbs Racing in 1999 and was an active driver in the premier division up until 2016. After a successful career with JGR, the Indiana native joined hands with Haas Automation founder Gene Haas and formed Stewart-Haas Racing in 2009. However, the Kannapolis, North Carolina-based SHR closed its operation at the end of the 2024 season.
In an April 2023 interview with former driver Kenny Wallace, the former driver/owner of SHR, Stewart, hesitated in sharing his thoughts on the significant changes in NASCAR and was "scared" to voice them. He said:
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"What frustrates me about NASCAR right now is...Yeah, I do have an opinion. I have a very strong opinion about how they're doing things but if I say something [...] then it's going to cost me money. It's going to cost me points. It's going to hurt my drivers. It's going to hurt my organization."[1:13]
The NASCAR Hall of Famer added:
"So as much as I have an opinion, I'm scared to voice it because NASCAR has shown now you can't have an opinion...You can have an opinion but keep your mouth shut, is basically, the moral to the story."
The 49-time Cup race winner Stewart also opened up to Harvick on the direction NASCAR was headed in and gave an insight into his decision to leave stock car racing.
SHR secured two Cup Series titles in the organization's time in NASCAR. The first title was won by Stewart in 2011 and the second was won by NASCAR driver-turned-analyst Kevin Harvick.
"It's not a direction that I want to be a part of" - Tony Stewart opens up on his departure from NASCAR
Earlier this season, Gene Haas and Tony Stewart announced their departure from the Cup Series which stirred up the NASCAR community. Moreover, NASCAR legend Stewart hinted at the significant changes in sport like the lawsuit battle between 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports against Jim France's NASCAR.
Speaking with Kevin Harvick in an episode of Harvick's Happy Hour podcast last month, Stewart said:
"It [NASCAR] is not what it used to be. 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" [20:09].
Further reflecting on his decision to leave, Stewart added:
"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."
This year, Tony Stewart has also ventured into drag racing, replacing his wife, Leah Pruett, in the Top Fuel category of the NHRA Nationals.
On the other hand, SHR has downsized to one NASCAR Cup charter, under the new banner of Haas Factory Team.
