Tony Stewart might be eager for a new NASCAR season but the Hall of Famer made it clear Tuesday subpar results for Stewart-Haas Racing will not be tolerated.
“God, I hope so,” Stewart told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio about his optimism for a good season ahead. “We’ve had two miserable years in a row and I’m tired of taking the blame for everybody (for) why the cars aren’t running (well). I think the fans need a reality check and a reminder that I’m not the crew chief, I’m not the engineer, I don’t dictate the setups on the cars. I give these guys the tools to do the job and we just haven’t got it done the last couple of years.”
“But I’m excited about the energy at the shop,” Stewart continued. “We kind of had a rah-rah meeting, and I will say having four young drivers in the shop, as much as I was really nervous about it, I’m really excited about the energy that it’s brought to the shop. … Having four young drivers isn’t something I thought I would have, but I will say it’s been a surprise and a shock and a pleasant surprise the energy these guys have brought to the race shop this offseason.”
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“It doesn’t mean we have to go out and win eight or 10 races this season, but we need to see the needle move in the right direction, we need to make progress. Two years ago, the first year with the new car, you can understand that you might have an off season trying to figure out a new product but to have that bad of a season two years in a row, we will not stand for that and let that be the standard.”
— Racer —