Daytona Mishap Could Add More Misery to Tony Stewart’s Camp

Tony Stewart already has a litany of things to worry about when it comes to the future of Stewart-Haas Racing. Their star driver Kevin Harvick is retiring at the end of the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season, Aric Almirola’s future with the team still lies in uncertainty, and Harvick’s departure will see his $110 million sponsor Anheuser-Busch has announced that they will be in Ross Chastain’s (of Trackhouse Racing) camp from the 2024 season. The one silver lining in these uncertain times has been Ryan Preece’s reported contract extension with the team.

However, after Daytona, the SHR boss has another item on his list of things to worry about. It was all going well for Preece at the final regular-season race of the Cup Series season. However, in the closing stages of the event, Preece was tagged from behind by Erik Jones’ car, sending him flying into the air. As soon as the car made contact with the grass beside the track, it flipped over a dozen times before finally coming to a halt, completely destroyed. It was one of the scariest crashes NASCAR had witnessed in a while.

Failing to Qualify for Playoffs a Blessing in Disguise for SHR Man

There will be concerns over Ryan Preece’s mental and physical well-being after a crash like that and the #41 driver might take a long time to completely recover. Preece did not qualify for the playoffs this year and will have time to sit at home and recover without losing anything on track, which is good news for the 32-year-old driver.

As per a recent report in Frontstretch, Preece is close to a contract extension with SHR, which will keep him at the outfit until at least the end of the 2024 season. The details of the contract are yet to be released, but the 32-year-old said that they were close to agreeing on a deal.

“I think we’re pretty close [to an extension],” Preece said. “I would say there is a really good chance I will be back with SHR in the No. 41 next year.”

Tony Stewart has had a tough 2023 and not just regarding what his team has been doing on track. Obviously, there are concerns in that area as well, with even Kevin Harvick saying that he didn’t know how much they would be able to do in the playoffs if they didn’t improve the car after the race at Watkins Glen which sealed his qualification.

Off the field, SHR is yet to find a driver to replace the outgoing Kevin Harvick, who will hang up his boots at the end of the season to cap off an incredible career. Along with Harvick, Anheuser-Busch, his $110 million sponsor, will also leave SHR for Trackhouse Racing as they have been confirmed as Ross Chastain’s sponsor for the 2024 season. This will definitely result in a financial hit which will be very difficult to compensate for Tony Stewart.

And that’s not all. Veteran racer Aric Almirola’s future is currently up in smoke. The 39-year-old announced his retirement at the end of the 2022 season but came back for another season with SHR. According to a report in Beyond the Flag, the veteran had signed a multi-year contract with Tony Stewart’s outfit but there was a clause in the paperwork that would allow him to retire, if he wanted to, at the end of the 2023 season. Almirola’s Cup Series season is over in 2023 as he failed to qualify for the playoffs, but there is still no clarity about his future.

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Tony Stewart year recently saw a new low. The NASCAR legend had to deal with a devastating loss this past week. Ashlea Albertson, a 24-year-old race car driver who used to race for the Tony Stewart Racing, passed away in a road rage accident in Indiana on Friday.

Tony Stewart Mourns the Passing of a Friend

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As per a report, Ashlea Albertson was a passenger in a GMC Terrain driven by a 31-year-old male, while the other car was driven by a 22-year-old male. An initial investigation revealed the crash happened when the two were driving alongside each other, both accelerating and refusing to let each other pass.

Taking to social media, Stewart posted a heartfelt message for the late motorsport athlete who could “light up any room.”

“Today, I lost a teammate. @AshDogRacing had an infectious personality and could light up any room. She was a great race car driver that was involved in a road rage accident and lost her life. In the past, I’ve also gotten caught up in road rage. I hope that we can honor Ashlea by controlling what we can control on the highway. Losing her is a sobering reminder of how precious life is. Please join me in keeping her family and friends in your prayers,” Stewart wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

Indeed, it has been a year of more downs than ups for Tony Stewart, who still finds himself in the dark about a number of issues that need to be dealt with quickly. His team’s Cup Series season does not feel like it will go deep into the playoffs, but they have all the time in the world to prepare for 2024 and launch one hell of a comeback.

Watch More: Tony Stewart’s Team Under Scrutiny After Terrible Season With Ford