‘Could’ve Walked Away’ – Kevin Harvick’s Decision to Commit to SHR Had Grave Consequences as Richard Childress Bagged the Dejected Golden Child

Retirement is supposed to be an emotional and personal moment for the person hanging up the boots. But for Kevin Harvick, things are a bit complicated. His final season on the Cup Series has not been a memorable one by any stretch of the imagination. The veteran failed to win a single race. And it is unlikely that he will this season. But his retirement will see Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) land in a world of uncertainty.

For Tony Stewart, the 2023 season has been nothing short of a nightmare. The former Cup Series champion will lose one of his team’s biggest sponsors with Kevin Harvick, the $110 billion worth Anheuser-Busch. Harvick’s long-time sponsors will switch over to Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain in 2024.

How did Kevin Harvick put SHR in a tough spot?

Stewart-Haas Racing has already signed a replacement for Kevin Harvick in Josh Berry. The 32-year-old currently drives for JR Motorsports in the Xfinity Series. He has had experience in the Cup Series as he has started 12 races as a part-timer and finished in the top 10 three times.

Berry may turn out to be a great driver, but one cannot deny that SHR could have had a chance to sign the perfect replacement for Harvick. The only problem is that Harvick decided to hang up his boots a year later.

Speaking ahead of the upcoming Cup race in Texas, Harvick said that he could have left the sport a few years ago. When asked if not winning a race this season would affect his legacy, the 47-year-old said, “I don’t think so. I don’t think it’s… obviously, we’d rather win. You know winning is always more fun. I think it’s, I’m very content with it, could’ve walked away from it a few years ago and been content with it.”

Turns out, SHR would have benefited had Harvick quit earlier, especially if that decision came last year. In that case, there would have been a former Cup Series champion waiting in the wings, Kyle Busch.

2022 was a season to forget for Rowdy at Joe Gibbs Racing. He won only once in 36 races and finished the year in 13th place. The veteran was disappointed with his team and he decided to quit after 15 years at JGR.

Had Harvick quit at the end of last year, SHR could have had the opportunity to work with Kyle Busch, who eventually ended up joining Richard Childress Racing and has already won three races in his first season with the outfit.

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But why did SHR even need to sign drivers outside of their pipeline, especially when they have a team in the Xfinity Series? Why did they have to go for drivers who drive for Chevrolet and Toyota instead of their manufacturer Ford?

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Well, it turns out that Ford is kind of in the mud when it comes to their developmental pipeline. They recently lost arguably their most promising driver in the Truck Series, Zane Smith, to a Cup seat at Spire Motorsports.

With Smith gone, there is no one Ford can look to with promise in their developmental pipeline, according to a report in Frontstretch. Ford currently has two Stewart-Haas Racing cars in the Xfinity Series, one Front Row Motorsports, and four ThorSport Racing in the Truck Series.

In the Xfinity Series, Cole Custer and Riley Herbst have not had the best of seasons. Herbst has not won a single race this year and has failed to make the playoffs. Custer, on the other hand, has won two races. But his performance is nothing like the form he displayed in 2019.

In Trucks, Zane Smith is the FRM driver and he won’t be a part of Ford next year, which leaves them with the four ThorSport drivers. 47-year-old Matt Crafton is not exactly a future prospect. Ben Rhodes does not seem inclined to move away from Trucks anytime soon. Hailie Deegan has only finished in the top 10 four times in 66 starts, so she is not yet on the level needed to be a Cup driver.

The only bright prospect that Ford has currently is Ty Majeski. The 29-year-old reached the final four in his first full Truck Series season last year and is in the hunt for the same in 2023. Basically, the developmental field for SHR to look for Harvick’s replacement is simply quite small.

And it’s not just Harvick they need to worry about replacing. Aric Almirola and Ryan Preece are also not under contract after the 2023 season. But SHR might be forced to downsize their Cup Series team if either Almirola or Preece decides to not extend their contract as they are facing issues with sponsorship, especially after the whole Anheuser-Busch saga.

The problems just seem to keep on piling on Tony Stewart who, despite all the trials and tribulations, will be hoping for a fresh start in 2024.

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