Breaking: Stewart Haas Racing Drops Chevy For Ford in 2017


Tony Stewart has to be laughing all the way to the bank after he dropped a bombshell on the NASCAR world today. As of 2017, Stewart Haas Racing, who has had a love affair with Chevrolet, is dropping the manufacturer in favor of Ford. This means that Stewart will not be buying his chassis from Rick Hendrick. No more Hendrick engines. Kevin Harvick has driven a Chevy his entire career. Now he's going to wheel a Ford Fusion around the track? You might as well put him in the pace car!

The move was, according to Stewart and team owner Gene Haas, "made with SHR’s long-term outlook in mind — financial security — and indicated it will leave the team with more independence". Sounds like it will leave another team who has depended on jobs in the engine and chassis departments with less work. Leave it to corporations to forget the little people when thinking of the big picture.

SHR will now build its own chassis instead of purchase them from Hendrick. Chevrolet and Hendrick have suffered a blow. Who will Hendrick find to replace SHR as its major alliance partner? And how will the Hendrick/SHR relationship survive through this season (including sharing information in the Chase for the Sprint Cup)?

Stewart had a limited explanation during a Wednesday press conference:

Stewart says that he wants to "get out of the shadows, and get off the coat tails" of others. SHR is adding bodies so they need to cut costs. But at what risk? Ford, certainly, is a huge winner with this. Wooing one of Chevrolet’s top teams without many (any?) rumblings in the NASCAR rumor mill is incredible.

We will follow this story as more details develop.