“It caught us off guard”: Tony Stewart admits dwindling SHR performance, hopes to “get the ship back on course”

Stewart Haas Racing (SHR) co-owner Tony Stewart recently addressed the team's dwindling results in the last couple of seasons and explained how the team was caught off guard by the introduction of the next-gen cars.

Stewart's Cup Series outfit went winless in 2023, capping off another disappointing season and continuing its recent downward trend. Former Cup champion Kevin Harvick was in contention for winning a few races but failed to reach the victory lane in his farewell season.

Tracing the origins of SHR's recent downfall, Tony Stewart remarked that the introduction of NASCAR's next-gen car in 2022 caught the team "off guard". In a recent video uploaded by the team, the 3x Cup champion said:

"I think the last couple of seasons, the performance has been way off what we expected and what we strive for.."

He added:

"But this building is full of racers because of that, it gives me hope that we are going to get the ship rided and get back on course. It’s never easy. In the last two years, dealing with a brand new car we have never seen before, never worked on before… It definitely caught us off-guard."

Noah Gragson's future #10 SHR crew chief, Drew Blickensderfer, was also critical of the team's 2023 results. He admitted that Kevin Harvick's winless season highlighted the team's woes, which needed to be fixed in a short time.

With veteran drivers Kevin Harvick and Aric Almirola retiring from the Cup Series, Stewart Haas Racing's 2024 lineup includes new faces in the lineup. Cup Series rookie Josh Berry will drive the #4 Ford while Noah Gragson will be behind the wheel of the #10 Ford.

Ryan Preece enters his second season with the team, and Chase Briscoe, the most experienced in the lineup hopes to emulate Kevin Harvick's role and lead the new lineup.

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Tony Stewart explains SHR's 'relentless' pursuit of perfection

As Stewart Haas Racing aims to bounce back from its recent lull, Tony Stewart is motivating his team, by reminding them of the core values upon which the team was built.

In a recent video, the 52-year-old explained how the team has adopted a "relentless" drive to improve its practices. He said:

"Being relentless to me means, you are always striving to be better. You are always wanting more. Even when you win, there are times you come back to the shop and you're like we could have done this better. People go 'But you just won?', Yeah but we could have been better. I think that's what relentless is about."

Tony Stewart added:

"Just never satisfied with what you've done, you never lose sight of what the goal is and the passion behind it. You're just constantly striving forward pushing harder."