Amid Persistent Trouble at SHR, the Flat-Out Wrecking of Ryan Blaney Does Not Bode Well With Ford

While most of the chaos at Texas boiled down to cars spinning out solo, especially in turns 3 and 4, one crash seemed a bit more intentional—Ryan Preece tangling with Ryan Blaney. It was a Ford-on-Ford crime, so to speak. And with Stewart Haas Racing’s deal with Ford hanging by a thread as their current contract winds down this year, this tangle could stir up some drama, according to NASCAR insider Brett Griffin.

A NASCAR insider pointed out that Ryan Preece might want to think twice about his racing tactics

During the race, on lap 182, Preece gave Ryan Blaney a nudge from behind as they entered Turn 2, causing Blaney’s car to veer right and slam hard into the wall. Although Blaney’s crew managed to patch up his ride, they ended up with too many guys over the wall during the fix, landing a two-lap penalty in line with NASCAR’s damaged vehicle policy. Despite the setback, Blaney ended up finishing in P33 by the end of stage 3.

On the Door Bumper Clear podcast, Freddie Kraft didn’t mince words, saying, “Preece flat out wrecked Blaney. I don’t know what I’m sure some Blaney did something to him to precede that,” while TJ Majors added, “It was he [Blaney] ran him [Preece] up in three and four.” But Brett Griffin highlighted the bigger picture, noting, “I don’t see that sitting well with Ford Motor Company. […] A- you’ve not won a race yet which I’m sure can talk about later. B- he’s your champion. And C- I don’t know I don’t know where Stewart Haas is with Ford anyway and here you go, here you go bumping. Maybe well Ryan Preece should probably care.”

The heart of the matter is that Ford has not only renewed its partnership with Front Row Motorsports but also bumped them up to its Tier 1 program. This upgrade for Front Row comes at a time when Stewart Haas Racing is trying to find stable ground, and it’s no secret they’re in the last year of their contract with Ford. It looks like SHR and Ford might just split after the 2024 season. Front Row has proved it can make the most out of little, positioning itself nicely to step up if SHR steps out. Amid these rumors, SHR’s Ford driver Ryan Preece causing a stir by crashing into another Ford car, might just explain why Brett Griffin is concerned.

On another note, SHR is reportedly negotiating the movement of its charter, potentially to teams like 23XI Racing, JR Motorsports, Trackhouse Racing, or Legacy Motor Club, which should also be kept by SHR drivers in mind before they pull off any such antics on the ground.

Inside sources confirm the sale of SHR charters

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The gossip about SHR putting up some of its charters for sale got some real heat after Freddie Kraft and Brett Griffin teased about it on Twitter. Kraft kicked things off by sharing a clip where he and Griffin seemed chopping it up about Tony Stewart possibly selling off some charters. He tossed out a playful tweet asking, “Is SHR selling charters? How many? Who’s going to buy them?” Griffin shot back with, “You just texted me who is buying one 😂😂.” The back-and-forth kept up until Kraft playfully clamped it down with, “You’re not allowed to answer,” which pretty much spilled the beans.

Adding more fuel to the fire, Brennan Poole, the Xfinity Series driver known for keeping his ear to the ground, hinted on the Power Hour podcast that a few charter deals might get locked down before the 2025 season kicks off. He mentioned, “You definitely hear a lot of stuff in the garage. I think I definitely know some things that I probably shouldn’t know…I think there will probably be a couple by the end of the year.” 

With all this chatter about charter sales and Ford possibly cutting ties with SHR, what’s your take? Drop your thoughts in the comments below!