Straight from the horse’s mouth last week, Tony Stewart‘s brigade unveiled a fresh coat of paint for their chariots at Talladega Superspeedway, a tip of the hat to their alliances with Wonder Bread and Old Spice. Chase Briscoe’s car was as hot as a peppered salsa dance with Old Spice’s paint, while Ryan Preece was slicing and dicing the track with the zest of Wonder Bread.

But what was shaping up to be a night of revelry for the SHR crew—given their drivers were already out of the playoff chase—turned out to be a night of spilled milk. While the #14 and #41 Mustangs ended up in the P14 and P28 slots, it was also a disaster for the veteran Kevin Harvick. As revealed in the post-race interview, it’s out that the SHR knight in shining armor wasn’t too pleased with his curtain call and seemingly pointed fingers at Tony Stewart’s battalion.

A day draped in gloom descends upon Stewart-Haas Racing and Kevin Harvick

Kevin Harvick’s final dance on the tracks of Talladega, a ground traditionally favorable to him, was a tale of snatched victory. In the eleventh hour, Ryan Blaney swiftly snatched away what seemed to be a sure win for Harvick, charging ahead to clinch the checkered flag. Truly, there’s no greater sting than witnessing a near-victory crumble before one’s eyes. As though the universe hadn’t dealt enough blows, Kevin Harvick faced another setback right after clinching the runner-up position at Talladega. His triumph was short-lived as NASCAR disqualified him after the final showdown. Harvick’s car flunked the post-race inspections owing to the fact that his car’s windshield fasteners were not secure, nullifying his second-place finish to winner Ryan Blaney.

Yet, the woes for Tony Stewart’s team don’t end here. To add insult to injury of SHR, the #14 and #41’s lamentable finishes heaped more coals on the already smoldering situation. When inquired about his dramatic crash in lap 162 with Harrison Burton, Chase Briscoe, the driver’s car donned in Old Spice colors, grimly recounted the tribulations from the onset.

Briscoe said, “For us, kind of just a very average day. We never really continued to get the track position. You know, for us, we had issues right from the beginning; our car wouldn’t take any fuel, so it was putting us really behind all day long.”

He further added, “The first time we had to take a green flag pit stop with like two to go on the stage just to make sure we need to get to the end. (I) was just kind of battling that all day,” subtly hinting at the team’s lackluster handling of his automobile.

Now, with heads held low, the Stewart-Haas Racing team sets their sights on the Charlotte race, the closing act of the second round of playoffs, with hopes of mending the shards of their shattered aspirations. But what hope does the track hold for the SHR team?

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What cards does the Charlotte Roval deal for the SHR ensemble?

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The Charlotte Roval is a tough nut to crack, especially for those who tread warily around road courses. With Tony Stewart’s two drivers, Ryan Preece and Chase Briscoe, not having the rosiest of records on this track, could the weight of expectations fall squarely on Kevin Harvick’s shoulders?

Preece, in his seven forays onto the Charlotte battleground, has managed to break into the top 10 just once. Briscoe, on the other hand, boasts a top-5 finish in three starts. But it’s Kevin Harvick who holds the trump card: in a whopping 60 appearances, he’s consistently stayed in the game with an average finish of 7.8.

All eyes are now on Tony Stewart and his brigade. With bated breath, they pin their hopes on a brighter horizon in the upcoming race, perhaps addressing the gremlins in their machines that seem to be holding their drivers back from unleashing their full prowess.

Read More: “That’s Not Who We Are”, Tony Stewart’s Pride Refuses to Count SHR Out Despite Kevin Harvick’s Elimination