Despite His Willing Ignorance, Tony Stewart Manages to Score One Record Amidst the Downfall of Stewart-Haas Racing

Tony Stewart has not had the best of years as a team owner in NASCAR. The racing outfit ‘Stewart-Haas Racing‘ that he co-owns with Gene Haas has seen all 4 of its contenders drop out of contention for the 2023 Cup Series championship. After his driver Ryan Preece faced a horrific crash at Daytona on the regular season finale, Tony received consolation with his top man Kevin Harvick managing to enter the playoffs as a lone wolf. But after the night at Bristol last weekend, hopes fell into the abyss as Kevin got knocked out 3 races in. Adding troubles to the worry are Kevin Harvick and Aric Almirola’s soon-to-come departures from his team.

One would expect that someone surrounded by such dark clouds would be starkly underwhelmed. But the 3-time NASCAR champion isn’t letting the weight of his sinking ship get to him.

Tony Stewart receives support from a Speedway outside NASCAR to keep his chin up

Away from the grounds of the Cup Series, Tony lacks cushion in the Xfinity Series too. With one of his drivers Riley Herbst already out of the playoffs, Cole Custer still hangs on to the contest driving the No. 00 Ford Mustang. But where the Hall of Famer has managed to score some solid points is as a series and a race track owner. 2023 saw the 3rd successful season of ‘Superstar Racing Experience’, a racing series he co-owns, come to a grand culmination. Hardly a few weeks in the wake of that, he receives more stars through the aid of the Eldora Speedway, a race track that he has owned since 2004.

Over the coming weekend, Tony Stewart’s Speedway will feature a record-high field of 37 drivers for its 41st edition of the 4-Crown Nationals. The previous record at the dirt track was set in 1996 with 36 drivers participating in the same event. With drivers from the World of Outlaws, USAC and the Tezos All-Star Circuit of Champions participating in the upcoming running, it is expected to be quite the racing gala. One person who would have been thrilled with the going of Tony is the former owner of the Speedway, Earl Bates.

Having been a 4-Crown Nationals driver himself early in his career, Tony had quite the respect for Earl. Recalling their conversations, Tony once said, “I always got his blessing before I did anything, because to me, I was continuing his legacy. And that’s the way I still see it. Everything we do, I ask myself: Would Earl approve?”

While the Late Mr. Earl Bates would definitely approve of his track reaching greater heights under Tony’s able leadership, it is the spot at the Stewart-Haas Racing Ship that desperately needs filling.

Watch This Story: Kevin Harvick Blasts Tony Stewart in 5 Words for Spoiling His Last Race at Bristol

When will Tony return his attention to his racing team in NASCAR?

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With his racing series and Speedway bringing in applauses, Tony has also found time to run in the NHRA Top Alcohol Race. Participating in his first full-time season in the drag racing series, he could potentially win the NHRA championship. With all these other pursuits, the only question that rings is when and if his attention will turn to Stewart-Haas Racing.

After getting knocked out of the playoffs at Bristol, the No. 4 team’s driver Kevin Harvick hammered down his team in frustration. He’d said, “I didn’t really have many expectations, you know, with this up and down year. It is what it is, and that’s probably about what we deserve. We’ve been like that all year, and we’ve been hit or miss, and tonight we just missed by a mile.” 

Words like this from a retiring driver who has been with his team for years now would normally warrant a reaction from the team’s owner. But sadly, there hasn’t been any from Tony. With no expectation as to when this anomaly will end, Stewart-Haas Racing will be featuring fresh faces in 2024.

Hopefully, Tony will be done with other pursuits before then and return to being Gene Haas’s active co-owner by then. Without a shot at topping owners’ standings either, the rest of the current season will be a tough ordeal for the camp.

Read More: “I Was Surprised”: NASCAR Insider Showcases His Disappointment in Tony Stewart’s Team’s Inability to Step Up in Bristol