Tony Stewart Criticizes Toyota’s Approach and Praises Ford’s Driver Development Program

Recently, Tony Stewart spoke on a variety of subjects, including the recruitment of Chase Briscoe for the 2021 season. The former NASCAR driver even opened up on the Ford and Toyota Development Programs.

Admittedly, it largely started off as a question about Kyle Larson, but Stewart dodged it. Instead, he redirected it towards the subject of driver programs.

He said, “I think Ford’s done an awesome job with their driver development program. There’s not a lot of drivers in it, but there’s a reason there’s not a lot of drivers in it. They put that focus on a small group of race car drivers versus one of the other OEMs out there.”

Tony Stewart bemoans the idea of signing too many drivers

Stewart believes that it ruins other drivers’ careers when the likes of Toyota sign many drivers. Then, at the end of the day, they have nowhere for those drivers to go. As a result, most of the young drivers have their opportunities all limited.

This is why he is really happy that the likes of Ford have a very selective program. They recognize when drivers are fully committed to the program and push them hard to help them realize their potential. According to him, Ford is extremely thorough and separates the wheat from the chaff.

He continued, “It’s not throwing darts at a dartboard and feel like Ford has done an awesome job. Chase [Briscoe] is a prime perfect example of that. They were the first ones to really recognize his talent before anybody else.”

He insisted that, at the end of the day, that is the whole point of the Xfinity program. The idea is to comb the talent, and it is not just limited to the drivers, but also the crew chiefs, crew members, pit crew, etc. So getting Chase Briscoe through that process is a massive achievement and a natural transition to get him into the Cup car from the Xfinity car.

For now, Briscoe has to focus on the final three races in the Xfinity season and try and gun for the championship. He will be determined to enter the Cup Series as the Xfinity champion and it will look good on his resume.

Read more – Tony Stewart Admits Chase Briscoe’s Performances Had No Bearing on Interest in Kyle Larson