AVONDALE, ARIZONA - NOVEMBER 04: Retired NASCAR Cup Series driver, Tony Stewart, co-owner of Stewart-Hass Racing, NASCAR looks on during the NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship at Phoenix Raceway on November 04, 2023 in Avondale, Arizona. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images) | Getty Images
AVONDALE, ARIZONA - NOVEMBER 04: Retired NASCAR Cup Series driver, Tony Stewart, co-owner of Stewart-Hass Racing, NASCAR looks on during the NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship at Phoenix Raceway on November 04, 2023 in Avondale, Arizona. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Tony Stewart discusses closure of Stewart-Haas Racing

Tony Stewart went to the Stewart-Haas Racing shop a couple of weeks ago and saw as many people as he could a month before the team shuts down.

“Knowing that when I left the building there, here’s some of those people I’ve known for 16 years, and I may never, ever see them again, unfortunately,” Stewart said on “Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour” podcast. “I don’t know that it’s even bittersweet. It’s more bitter than sweet, I feel like. It’s a tough decision.

“But, you know, things in life change. Your priorities change and variables outside of your control change as well.”

It was with that mindset that Stewart, facing significant sponsorship and manufacturer-support challenges, opted to get out of NASCAR Cup ownership. Gene Haas will keep one of the four Cup cars and both Xfinity programs and operate it as a new organization, Haas Factory Team. The team told employees at the end of May it would cease operations, impacting more than 300 employees (some employees could return with Haas Factory Team).

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