Absentee Tony Stewart Reluctantly Defended By Dejected Driver as Rumors Around SHR’s Demise Continue

It’s no secret that the situation at Stewart-Haas Racing is dire. With rumors of Tony Stewart’s beloved Cup Series team selling charters, the Cup Series veteran’s lack of presence at recent races has led many to believe that one of NASCAR’s brightest organizations might not exist next season. But while Smoke stands to gain millions from a potential charter sale, this news has created cause for concern for Stewart-Haas Racing drivers.

So when Ryan Preece shared his disbelief in not knowing about the driver’s ‘study group’, many fans believed he may be the SHR driver who gets the short end of the stick. That being said, Ryan Preece had nothing but praise for Tony Stewart and Gene Haas’ Cup Series legacy.

Ryan Preece shares his gratitude for the SHR opportunity

As things stand, Stewart-Haas Racing may sell not just two but all of its charters ahead of the next season. With rumors of a single charter selling for roughly $20–30 million, several teams could benefit from SHR’s dismal situation. With Noah Gragson showcasing great promise along with Chase Briscoe and Josh Berry, the three SHR drivers could find themselves jumping ship for 2025 and joining another team.

But for Ryan Preece, the current situation at Stewart-Haas Racing doesn’t raise too many red flags. Apart from getting a shot to drive full-time as a 33-year-old, Preece’s involvement with SHR hasn’t been to the level of Briscoe or Gragson. Still. Preece believes it would be unfair to discredit Tony Stewart’s team for providing opportunities to younger and newer talent. The Berlin native shared with FrontStretch, “It’s fine. Tony gave me an opportunity, and Gene did.”

So far this season, Ryan Preece has managed to take the #41 SHR Darkhorse and has only bagged one top-ten finish, a stark contrast to his teammates, who have brought in podiums for SHR despite their issues. While it’s safe to say his absence from the study groups initially may have impacted his performance, Preece holds no grudges against Tony Stewart or Gene Haas.

Presently, Ryan Preece is the least likely driver in the SHR lineup to have a renewed contract for the 2025 season if SHR sells its charters. That being said, Ryan Preece has been given ample opportunities to bring home top-tens and top-fives but just hasn’t been able to capitalize on the same.

However, the primary reason behind the lack of forward momentum in SHR’s 2024 campaign could still be all of the sales rumors floating around.

Has Stewart-Haas Racing been on a path toward resurgence?

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Before talks of Tony Stewart and Gene Haas selling a charter gained solid ground, many believed it would take more than one season for drivers like Josh Berry and Noah Gragson to adjust to the Mustang Darkhorse. However, only halfway through the season, Chase Briscoe revealed how all of the SHR pit crews and teams seem to be on the right trajectory.

Briscoe shared with FrontStretch, “Everything this year has been better from a standpoint of a team side of things. Not that we weren’t a team before, but we certainly were almost four individual teams than just one organization, and now I feel like we’re trying to really work more as one organization.”

Reflecting on the past, Chase Briscoe felt that the different SHR crews didn’t gel well with each other. But over time, that notion seems to have changed. Briscoe stated, “There are times in the past when I felt like some of my crew guys maybe didn’t even know other crew guys inside the organization. But now we all kind of hang out. The No. 41 guys, the No. 10 guys, all of us kind of hang out and do different stuff together.”

With how things stand, Tony Stewart & Co.’s issues with consistency could largely be attributed to the growing uncertainty around the team’s future. With drivers feeling that the situation at SHR is getting better, do you think it’s the right time to call it quits for NASCAR?