The NASCAR silly season is in full throttle, churning out a ceaseless stream of content that has the gossip mills working overtime. Amidst the flurry of predictions and speculations, all focus is riveted on none other than Tony Stewart and his NASCAR Cup team. The once-mighty SHR camp, renowned for its dominance with luminaries like Kevin Harvick at the helm, finds itself languishing through a nightmarish 2023 season. The loyalty of the community towards this championship-winning team is undergoing a severe test this year.
However, the gossip grapevine has now birthed a fresh tidbit: whispers of a seismic allegiance shift from the Ford powerhouse. Industry insiders, deeply embedded in the NASCAR paddock, are fanning the flames of this scuttlebutt.
Tony Stewart’s turbulent 2023 season, tracing Ford’s fingerprints
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As the Daytona event draws near, it marks the end of the 2023 regular season, yet the illustrious SHR squad finds itself with a barren trophy case. Fielding four cars on the grid, the team has struggled to secure a single victory. However, amidst the current buzz and speculation, this might not just be a year to erase from memory and could potentially herald an allegiance shift away from Ford.
Amid a season dominated by Chevy cars, a couple of murmurs about Ford wins have surfaced, but none have resonated from the SHR camp. Compounding this challenge, SHR’s premier driver, Kevin Harvick, is poised to retire, leaving a vacuum that Stewart must address.
NASCAR insider Jordan Bianchi recently shed light on SHR’s predicament during a SiriusXM NASCAR Radio appearance. According to him, Team Tony Stewart is considering scaling down to a two-car team, potentially selling off two charters, or even contemplating a shift to the dominant Chevy camp. This latter option gains traction as more intel seeps into the paddock.
Adding to the intrigue, rumors swirl about 23XI Racing making a manufacturer leap, transitioning from Toyota to Ford.
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NASCAR reporter Lee Spencer bolstered this narrative, hinting at talks between 23XI Racing and Zane Smith. Spencer shared, “The other scenario I heard is that 23XI’s talking to Zane Smith. Only heard that from one person, but the person’s usually pretty spot on when it comes to their intel.” A cryptic tweet from Smith further fueled speculation, featuring a pondering emoji devoid of context.
🤔
— Zane Smith (@ZaneSmith) August 22, 2023
While Smith remains mum, fans are anything but silent, speculating fervently. Amidst the frenzy, fans directed their sentiments toward NASCAR legend Tony Stewart, offering no shortage of opinions on his tumultuous season.
Fans amplify the chorus of critique as Tony Stewart faces a storm of negative sentiments
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Sharing a mix of skepticism and frustration., concerns about the team’s performance surfaced, with one remarking, “It honestly feels like he doesn’t care. I’m sure he does but I don’t see how such a top organization can be this bad.
If they were running in the teens or low 20s for a stretch, ok that’s just a slump but Harvick is starting almost dead last with the rest of them and we all know he does not suck. I’m no Harvick fan but I hate that the team is so bad his last year.”
Speculation arose regarding Stewart’s commitment, with a fan suggesting, “Tony’s give-a-damn went away when Ford wouldn’t let them sign Larson… He’s been checked out since then.”
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Observing the downfall of Team Tony Stewart and RFK Racing’s resurgence, a fan noted, “How quickly SHR and RFK switched roles.” Opinions diverged on SHR’s car count, with one fan believing, “SHR was always better as a two-car operation… dropping one or two cars could truly benefit SHR.”
Additionally, there were even predictions about Stewart’s potential departure from NASCAR as a fan mused, “SHR going to two cars all but guarantees… Stewart will be out of the sport soon.” Others speculated about Stewart’s future endeavors, proposing, “Tony moves back to Chevy and teams up with a VERY popular Xfinity owner that has been looking to break into the cup series.”
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Careers were seen as impacted by SHR’s dynamics. A fan suggested, “Tony’s money grab with Ford really put a damper on 2 great careers. Harvick and Schatz.” . Another humorously suggested, “90 million dollars should fix some problems for SHR [laughing emoji].”
With the multitude of opinions and speculations swirling around, silly season is truly living up to its name, with fans hoping that this developing speculation doesn’t fizzle out into disappointment.