Brian Murphy has worked in the inner circles of Tony Stewart & Gene Haas’s race team for almost eight years as a fabricator and an assistant manager. In a move that now appears prophetic, Murphy joined fellow Ford Performance partner RFK Racing at the beginning of the 2024 season, seemingly sensing the potential for a disappointing year ahead at his previous organization.

And now the pouring rains of constant scrutiny and speculation have put Smoke’s NASCAR sweetheart in a distressing light. Adding to Stewart Haas Racing’s impending misery, even their former foreman has some saddening shade to throw his way.

Tony Stewart’s fire sale: An ex-employee throws shade on a struggling team

Continuing on the Blue Ovals’ early advance into the 2025 silly season, courtesy of Michael McDowell’s switch to Chevy-backed Spire Motorsports from Front Row, rumors have been rampant involving the two-car organization owned by Tennessee business magnate Bob Jenkins and Tony Stewart’s much bigger & accomplished NASCAR team.

Front Row Motorsports (FRM) has been active for more or less the same time as SHR, minus the funding and star power courtesy of Gene Haas’s billion-dollar brains and Tony Stewart’s championship pedigree. Yet, moving into just the second third of the 2024 season, a team that gets some of their equipment second-hand from other Ford technical allies like RFK and Team Penske looks to be moving upward while SHR declines downward. Additionally, many experts are touting FRM as the frontrunner for any ‘off-loading activity’ visible at first sight from the Stewart-Haas garage.

Speaking of RFK, Brad Keselowski & Co.’s brand-new Quality Control Specialist, Brian Murphy, had a cryptic comment on all the discussions hurled at the walls of his former two-time Cup champion team’s incredible NASCAR legacy. Murphy shared from his official X handle, “Don’t worry about umbrellas, you’ll be getting enough shade from this account here soon…”

While the true meaning behind Murphy’s double entendre remains unclear, it wasn’t his only mysterious message. In a preceding tweet, he hinted at information about RFK Racing’s Fan Day in Concord, NC (happening on May 24th) before the Coca-Cola 600 in Charlotte, with another teasing statement. The post read, “Really excited for tomorrow and the opportunity to share this great sport with our fans (and not getting punished for it)! Proud to be part of a team that understands the importance of fan engagement!”

One fan replied to this post, condescendingly writing, “Wow you got punished at the other team.” This drew Murphy’s attention, as he made some direct accusations towards the only other race team barring RFK on his resume, “It was a dramatic situation. They didn’t like I was bringing in fans and “overwhelming” the staff…”

Brian Murphy’s cryptic tweets leave room for multiple interpretations due to their controversial nature. However, from SBJ’s Adam Stern to The Athletic’s Jordan Bianchi, many experts report that interested parties are already circling all four of SHR’s chartered spots and its talented drivers. But what do the drivers have to think about the exhausting situation?

Chase Briscoe & Noah Gragson seek sleepless answers

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Ever since Kevin Harvick’s departure at the end of last season, a leader has yet to emerge from the deepening dungeons of SHR. Coupled with an expiring contract with Ford Performance and a kickback in sponsorship revenues, the future appears bleak for a key Blue Oval partner slowly fading into the Cup Series graveyard of race teams that have shut down since the inception of the charter system in 2016.

On the other hand, considering the last time a charter was sold (by Live Fast Motorsports to Spire Motorsports), it amounted to a staggering 40 million dollars. SHR’s potential four-spot offload could result in drastic changes to the charter market, projected to take a downward trend for these guaranteed spot prices. As of now, all these speculations, are still just that—speculations. 

But from an alternate point of view, the drivers inherently affected by the ensuing drama appear to be bearing the brunt of it all. With Happy Harvick comfortable in the FOX broadcast booth, SHR’s acting senior statesman, Chase Briscoe, only attains that role at the moment, due to the “inexperienced” statuses of all his fellow drivers. In a recent interview with Bob Pockrass of FOX, Briscoe shared the impact of all these recent theatrics in his personal life, “It’d be nice to sleep a little bit easier at night… I haven’t heard anything (about the rumors). I would love to get some answers for sure.”

It will be interesting to see how his #10 teammate, Noah Gragson, copes in the coming months with all the developments, coming off a disturbing 2023 season with Legacy Motor Club. Gragson provided his grueling perspective to Pockrass, stating, “I don’t know what I’m doing tomorrow so… There are some nights where you think, ‘I don’t know what’s gonna happen.’ And then I just try to remind myself to focus to just run good this week and be present-minded…”

Alongside Josh Berry and Ryan Preece, all four representatives are gearing up for the longest race on the NASCAR calendar, the Coca-Cola 600. Although Preece’s #41 finished P13 last May at Charlotte with SHR, his teammate Berry will be eager to make his Cup Series debut in the iconic #4 count with flying colors.

Moreover, all four drivers have been winless for upwards of a complete season. And what better place to win over some much-required faith from Tony Stewart than a crown jewel race in the heart of NASCAR country?