“You have got to be involved”: Former NASCAR driver Rick Mast weighs in on Tony Stewart’s NASCAR exit 

NASCAR veteran Rick Mast recently shared his thoughts on Tony Stewart announcing the decision to close shop with SHR at the end of 2024. Mast touched on a few aspects of SHR's decision to leave, as well as what it could mean for the sport.

In a video posted on his social media platform, Mast said that one cannot overstate what it takes to be a NASCAR owner. He then pointed to the other endeavors Tony Stewart and Gene Haas have taken on.

"The amount of time, the amount of effort, the amount of willpower, the amount of everything that you've got that it takes to be a successful owner in Cup racing, it's off the charts. You got Gene Haas, he's got his F1 thing. I think he had a few little health issues he had to work on. Tony is off to drag racing and his racetracks and his dirt stuff and all," Mast described.

The former NASCAR driver recalled the time when he had asked Tony Stewart what would make him happy. To this Stewart replied, that if he could just race his dirt car 5 or 6 nights a week, he'd be the happiest man on earth.

"He's off doing all his stuff. He doesn't have so much time. Gene Haas is off doing his stuff. He's doesn't have so much time. As an owner in the Cup, you have got to be involved. You have got to be there. You have got to be there all the time," Mast claimed.

Mast speculated that Stewart and Haas felt they weren't doing justice to the drivers, crew members, and everyone involved at SHR.

Rick Mast believes owner Tony Stewart leaving NASCAR isn't a bad thing for the sport

Speaking further about Tony Stewart, who Rick Mast knows "pretty well", the former driver claimed the 3x Cup champion always wants his people "to do well" and succeed. He mentioned that Stewart consistently gives what is needed to make that happen.

But Mast claimed that when Stewart realized that when neither he nor Haas were present, SHR couldn't be what it needed to be, which he deemed to be one of the reasons for SHR to exit NASCAR. According to him Kevin Harvick also alluded to the same.

Additionally, Rick Mast mentioned that SHR leaving NASCAR wouldn't be a bad thing for the sport.

"Teams come and go in our sport. The greatest teams in our sport have left. It has nothing to do with the state of our sport. I do not see this as a negative for our sport. It doesn't resonate with me that way," he claimed.

To him, even though he hates that SHR is going and is upsetting, it's a "very, very positive thing."