The playoffs remain until Stewart Haas Racing disbands and the new Haas Factory Team takes over. Tony Stewart called it quits from the NASCAR scene as he moved on to the NHRA to substitute for his pregnant wife. Stewart will become a dad soon, and until then, he plans on standing in for her.

This leaves us with the Haas side of the team, which has decided to continue their time in the sport. The newly named Haas Factory Team will run 1 charter in the Cup Series and 2 Xfinity Series teams. However, after Chase Briscoe took a win at Darlington, many are wondering how the team that’s splitting up found their way into the top 16. Kevin Harvick had the answer for the situation, and this is what he had to say about it.

Kevin Harvick identifies the man behind the success of Stewart Haas Racing

It’s only fair that on every podcast out at the moment, Chase Briscoe is the center of attention. So on Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour, when the team spoke about Darlington, Briscoe’s name inevitably came up. Harvick’s co-host Kaitlyn Vincie brought up the Darlington winner, saying, “I want to go back to Chase Briscoe for a moment and discuss some of the things his crew chief, Richard Boswell, said.”

Vincie spoke about how important winning the last race was for the team after the overall tough season that they just made it through. Adding to that, she spoke about how this was an enormous victory for the team as they finally made it to the playoffs. Harvick chimed in, to say, “I listened to an interview with Greg Zipadelli, and I think you have to give a lot of credit to him.”

Kevin Harvick then explained how Zipadelli, the engineer for the team, has stuck around while going through a roller coaster of emotions with “both the team and Tony Stewart over the years.” Adding how he himself had experience with Zipadelli, he stated how giving up was never an option.

The former NASCAR driver then spoke about how, despite the Haas Factory team continuing with reduced charters, “Tony Stewart is not there anymore.” You see, Harvick had an hour-long conversation with Stewart in recent weeks and shared how the soon-to-be father was in a great place.

Harvick made it clear that Tony Stewart was one of the most important factors in the team’s success and how Greg Zipadelli contributed to it. However, although Stewart decided to move on from the sport, Zipadelli will continue with the Haas Factory Team “until the very last day,” added Harvick.

Now that we know how important Tony Stewart was for the team, let’s learn a bit about what he plans on doing after the season.

Tony Stewart takes on the NHRA

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In 2025, Tony Stewart is shifting gears quite a bit! He’ll be diving into the NHRA drag racing scene, taking over the seat from his wife, Leah Pruett, who is stepping back after a long career to start a family. So, fans will see Stewart burning rubber on the drag strip instead of the NASCAR track.

It’s a big change, but knowing Tony, he’s going to bring the same passion and intensity to drag racing that he did to NASCAR. Plus, with his extensive experience, it’s bound to be an exciting new chapter for him. Recently, his wife suggested that they start a new team in drag racing so they both could race together after she recovers. However, this is something that Stewart mentioned being an explicitly bad idea.

Are you excited to see Tony Stewart take on a new racing discipline, or do you believe NASCAR was the right place for him to continue his legacy? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.