Like a sailboat caught in a storm, Tony Stewart‘s proud Ford camp has had a rather rough 2023 season so far. Despite fielding 4 Cup Series cars, only one has made it into the playoffs. Other than the veteran, Kevin “Happy’ Harvick, none of its drivers are part of the playoff 16 putting the 3-time Cup Series champion under immense pressure.

To add more fuel to the fire is veteran Aric Almirola’s indecisiveness. While the team has found a worthy replacement for the outgoing veteran, Harvick in HMS’ super sub-Josh Berry, the #10 team urgently needs a sponsor and driver to fill its shoes.

Amidst all the saddening news, SHR still is a beacon of hope for its struggling driver. Despite a bleak and lackluster season with an average finish of 22.3, Stewart is confident in the driver as rumors about him retaining him reach NASCAR nation.

Tony Stewart keeps his troubled driver for another season amidst rumors of reducing the 4-car setup

2023 certainly has been a tough year for Ford fans, especially for Stewart-Haas Racing fans. None of its 4 drivers have racked up a win this year and that includes the oldest driver in the roster and the 2014 Cup Series champion, Kevin Harvick.

While there have been widespread rumors surrounding the team’s inefficiency being the root cause of it, Harvick’s #4 has shown some pace on several occasions. However, Rodney Childers and his driver haven’t been able to convert that pace into a win.

To top it all off, another rumor that’s been circulating in the community is Stewart’s plan to drop the 4-car setup and focus on a more manageable approach. While The Athletic’s journalist Jordan Bianchi mentioned the possibility of the team adopting major changes, the reporter also couldn’t confirm any of this. However, another renowned journalist, Bob Pockrass in his article relates how Stewart is going to retain his troubled driver, Ryan Preece.

While Bianchi during the podcast with fellow reporter, Jeff Gluck mentions how 1 or 2 of the team’s charter could be at play, according to Pockrass, Preece is most likely to be retained in the #10 car owing to Stewart’s reluctance. Whereas there are unconfirmed reports of the team promoting its Xfinity driver back to the Cup Series with Cole Custer making a return in 2024.

Moreover, with the news surfacing mere days after Preece’s horrific crash at Daytona, this indeed is good news for the struggling driver.

Cole Custer pays tribute to Kevin Harvick for Bristol

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While the NASCAR action reaches the short track in Bristol, SHR Xfinity Series driver has something special for Harvick fans. With the 47-year-old announcing that this will be his final year racing in NASCAR, his teammate has a special “throwback scheme” to honor the outgoing veteran for Bristol.

The #4 ranked Xfinity Series driver said, “So we’re running a Kevin Harvick throwback scheme for Bristol under the lights, one of the coolest races of the year and just trying to pay honor to Kevin because he’s been such a huge part of SHR and a huge mentor to a lot of us around here.”

“He has gotten so many wins in this scheme you know having the Silver flames on it with the Mobil1, it’s definitely a car that stands out,” added Custer. He then mentioned how big a role the veteran had in the team ever since. “Kevin’s been huge, I mean from the second that he showed up, him and Rodney,” said Custer. 

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He further added how supportive and humble Harvick was considering his legendary status. “I mean they went to that test everybody talks about it and they were blazing fast so from the second they got here it’s been unreal, the success that they’ve had. Everybody in this building has taken advice from Kevin and he’s always just been so helpful to younger guys,” added the driver as he went down memory lane. 

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