Did Tony Stewart’s Men Ruin Kevin Harvick’s Farewell Season? A Deep Dive Into SHR’s Troubles

Everyone likes a comeback story. Especially when you have an aging champion who is still in the fray against the young guns, making a final stand against all odds. The 2023 iteration of the NASCAR Cup Series had this storyline with Kevin Harvick announcing this will be the end of the line for him.

As the Ford driver announced his retirement from the sport, fans were all in for an epic farewell, hoping to catch the driver in his #4, making a last stand, and showcasing his former glory. Unfortunately, things weren’t going for a feel-good finish. Instead, it took a sharp detour as “Happy” Harvick and his #4 Ford were knocked out from the playoffs in the very first round.

The sight wasn’t a great one for ardent NASCAR fans. Seeing the 2014 Cup Series champion struggling to rack up a win in his final season certainly got many frustrated. That along with Stewart-Haas Racing‘s inadequacy only deepened the plot, raising multiple questions about the veteran’s final season.

Safe to say, disappointed Harvick fans were all over the place, speculating about any foul play, dejected and disheartened to see their favorite driver go out without a win in the most miserable way possible. Did Harvick really let it go? Or did Tony Stewart’s men really stab him in the back, underperforming? Let us dive deeper into SHR’s 2023 ventures a little deeper.

Kevin Harvick & Stewart-Haas Racing’s agonizing 2023 campaign

Harvick and SHR’s 2023 campaign has been nothing short of a nightmare for Ford fans. Despite being a top Ford team, fielding 4 Mustangs, all 4 have missed the target, going astray without a win. And to make matters even worse, only the veteran made it past the regular season into the playoffs, keeping Tony Stewart‘s hopes alive.

Aric Almirola, Ryan Preece, and Chase Briscoe all succumbed to the team’s inconsistency along with the 47-year-old veteran who met his match in the playoff eliminator, getting knocked out of the tournament in Bristol. And looking at the stats, comparing another fellow Ford camp, one can argue that this is Ford’s fault. But one look at RFK Racing’s resurgence and they’ll regret that quickly.

While Tony Stewart’s team barely got 1 of their driver into the playoff, RFK Racing got both their drivers into the fray with flying colors. So the difference is evident like night and day. This is not a manufacturer problem but more of a team issue. Like the former NASCAR driver and NBC’s analyst, Kyle Petty said a few months ago, RFK Racing is more of a unit, a much better team than SHR.

WATCH THIS STORY: Tony Stewart’s stand for Ryan Preece backed by NASCAR insider 

Above all, the Ford camp’s trouble with NASCAR is a nightmare for any team owner. Paying millions for penalties, losing it all in races, going on without a win.

SHR’s penalties raise questions about the team’s legitimacy

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Penalties are probably the only way NASCAR has a leash over the team, to control them without stepping over the line. The sanctioning body is often forced to levy heavy penalties on teams after they are found guilty. And guess what, Stewart’s team has been caught more than once. But what raises concerns is that instead of appealing, in an effort to overturn the penalty like HMS did in their case, SHR simply admitted the mistake, raising questions on the team’s legitimacy.

NASCAR hammered down on the team after Coca-Cola 600 ago when Chase Briscoe‘s car was found with counterfeit parts under random inspection. The #14 team was docked 120 points both from the owner’s and driver’s sides and Briscoe was also charged 25 valuable playoff points that dropped him to the 31st spot in the rankings.

The organization had no options but to levy a $250,000 penalty on the team and suspend its crew chief John Klausmeier for 6 races. NASCAR’s Senior Vice President of Competition Elton Sawyer said this about the blatant foul play by the team. “I was a little surprised they’d go down this path, with them knowing the severity of the penalty. Talking with the race team, they’ve got some process and procedures within their race shop, that they feel they need to button up.”

With Briscoe struggling to find the pace and gain speed, the #14 team’s attempt to get their driver an edge failed miserably. Whereas the #14 driver, was not distressed, on the other hand, he found the penalty was “justified“.

Harvick’s Talladega disqualification adds insult to injury

Caught in the sandstorm, SHR, and its drivers were frantically trying to make up the lost ground until its sole playoff car got disqualified in Talladega despite the driver’s performance. The past week’s race was what each Ford fan dreamed of, seeing both Ryan Blaney and the outgoing veteran, Kevin Harvick finish the checkered flag in a photo finish, first and second.

Unfortunately, that sweet dream quickly turned into a nightmare when NASCAR disqualified the #4 car from the race. According to the sanctioning body, the windshield fasteners must be secure throughout the event, and in the #4 car that wasn’t the case. Consequently, a few hours after the race, NASCAR took a close look and found the anomaly booking the team under two sections of the NASCAR Rule Book: 14.5.6.2.F (windshield) and 14.1.E&P (overall assembled vehicle rules) and disqualifying the veteran.

Due to this, Harvick’s 2nd position finish will now be reduced to a dead-last finish after the authority’s disqualification. While the team had the option to appeal in an effort to overturn the penalty, the team did not, deepening the situation and raising more eyebrows about the team’s credibility along with the veteran in question.

Harvick’s crew chief’s shady comments and the team’s decision to not appeal

The difference in victory was 0.012s and the #4 driver was credited with a runner-up place until NASCAR decided to overturn the decision, disqualifying him to the bottom last position. With this, Harvick in his last season in the sport gets another humiliating feat, becoming the first-ever driver to be disqualified at Talladega since 1972.

Harvick’s crew chief, Rodney Childers, tried to wash his hands of the situation by posting a tweet that he deleted the very next day. According to the Associated Press, the tweet read, “There have been times I’ve got caught doing something I shouldn’t have. … got DQ’d for the car buffering in the draft all day and some windshield bolts vibrating out. My guys had silicon on the threads and gobbed on the tip. Still came out. Not sure what else we could do. ” 

While fans were calling out Childers, poking at him, essentially calling him a liar, Childers again tweeted out. The team then issued a detailed statement, giving the community their side of things and admitting their fault. “At the completion of the race, not all of our windshield fasteners were secure, as we had bolts that hold the windshield in place back out over the course of the 500 miles. We are in the process of diagnosing why this happened and how to prevent it moving forward,” read the statement.

“We are disappointed in NASCAR’s decision to disqualify our racecar and the hard-earned finish by our driver and team, but we will not appeal. Our complete focus is on the remaining races on this year’s schedule.”

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On a final note, SHR’s current path is indeed a heartbreaker for fans. But the drivers are not the ones to completely put the blame on. The team, along with its crew, is equally responsible for its downfall. Despite having a potent driver and a legend of the sport in the high ranks, the team’s performance is somewhat indicative of its internal problems.

While the great Michael Jordan was seen in the stands to watch his drivers on track, Stewart was nowhere to be seen. Is this an evident lapse from the co-owner’s side? Maybe. Maybe not. But it does speak volumes about the team’s current path. What do you think? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.