One of the biggest stories heading into the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series is the resurgence of Stewart-Haas Racing. A lean patch or an off-season is understandable, but with SHR, their downward trajectory has not shown any signs of improvement. Grabbing the bull by the horns, Tony Stewart recently set his expectations straight for the 2024 season, and team driver Ryan Preece also believes the SHR will have to turn the tides back in their favor.

With the departure of Kevin Harvick and Aric Almirola, the onus is on the current and upcoming drivers at Tony Stewart and Co. to deliver. And 33-year-old Ryan Preece is geared up to rise to the occasion. His debut season with SHR was one he would like to forget, as he was winless throughout the campaign and finished at #23 in the overall championship. These statistics and results do not align with SHR’s philosophy, and Preece is very well aware of this fact going into the 2024 season.

Ryan Preece is looking to turn the corner with SHR

While Tony Stewart has felt the brunt of the fans and the community, Preece has come out to defend his team owner and set the record straight. Speaking on the Sirius XM Radio channel, Ryan Preece spoke about the team’s vision for the upcoming season. He also stressed the fact that the team has to leap well beyond the mediocre results of the past few seasons.

“I’m sick of hearing it from everybody. You know, as a race car driver, Tony’s right, it’s not acceptable. None of us feel it’s acceptable. We are not okay with mediocrity. We are not okay with 15th or 20th place. I feel like what the national fan from racing doesn’t understand is, I’m here to win races and hopefully one day put myself in a position to try and win the championship.”

He went on to add that as far as effort and drive to win are concerned, he is not letting his foot off the gas and will work hard to achieve his goals. “The drive that I have to succeed and win, I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t have it so that’s the plan. We’re going to have ourselves together, we have been working hard and getting our tools where we need them to be.”

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As far as Tony Stewart’s concerned, he surely won’t be taking any prisoners at the end of the season if things do not turn around for good.

Tony Stewart wants results, not excuses

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If one thing Tony Stewart has learned from his adventure as the co-owner of a NASCAR team, it is that. Winning championships as a driver is one thing, but to do it as a team owner is a different ball game. While success seems to have vanished from the SHR camp, Tony Stewart is determined to get the team back on track. He also made sure that members working at SHR took ownership and accountability for their actions, or there would be consequences.

“So everyone in the building understands what we did in the last two years isn’t acceptable anymore, and that’s not the standard the team has been accustomed to. We are at the bottom of the table, in my opinion, and our performances are in the tank. Not that they have not been working hard, but they are going to have to find something, or we’ll find people who find it. Because we can’t perform at this level anymore.”

The bigger picture for SHR can wait for the time being as they prepare for the second round of qualifying races for the Daytona 500.

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