On Sunday, October 16th, 2022, there were two tweets from Bob Pockrass which revolved around Stewart-Haas Racing and the 2023 season. It appears as though the 2023 NASCAR season will be one in which we see the future of Stewart-Haas racing emerge. The first tweet was regarding drivers Cole Custer, Ryan Preece, and Kevin Harvick.
Image Credit: Screenshot — Twitter
Apparently, Tony Stewart would like to give Stewart-Haas Racing’s current reserve and simulation driver, Ryan Preece, a shot at driving the 41 car for the 2023 season. Meanwhile, Gene Haas would like to keep Cole Custer in the 41. We are also aware that the team’s top driver, Kevin Harvick, wanted SHR to more aggressively pursue Kyle Busch, who recently signed with Richard Childress Racing. Given that the driver of the 41 car is still to be determined, according to Gene Haas, one has to wonder why they didn’t do as their top driver suggested, especially if they are trying to convince him to sign an extension. Imagine an SHR in 2023 with both Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick, the two active drivers with the most wins, but I digress.
The much bigger news that comes out of this first tweet from Bob Pockrass is that Kevin Harvick is planning on not extending his contract for another year. Many people are assuming that this means Harvick is planning on retiring from NASCAR after the 2023 season. This does seem to be the most reasonable assumption. Harvick would be 48 years old at the beginning of the 2024 season, and given all his success with SHR, it would be unlikely to see him sign for a year or two with another team. Harvick has already stated that he would not be racing into his 50s.
There is also the possibility that Harvick is holding out as a negotiating tactic. After all, he has not announced that he plans on retiring after the 2023 season. One would not be able to blame him if he did not want to race beyond 2023. Harvick has been very vocal about safety concerns with the next gen car and has not been happy with NASCAR’s response time to these concerns. Still, the news came from Gene Haas, not Harvick himself. Haas still believes he can get him to sign an extension, and Harvick is apparently still open to doing so.
As it stands, Harvick and SHR are in negotiations for a contract extension. Given everything that has gone on between Harvick and NASCAR, it certainly does seem that he intends on not extending his contract. This brings us to the second tweet from Bob Pockrass regarding Stewart-Haas Racing and the 2023 season. This one involves the 2023 Xfinity Series.
Image Credit: Screenshot — Twitter
According to Bob Pockrass, Ford is in talks with SHR to add a second Xfinity team for the 2023 season. Ford has stated that Hailie Deegan will be in something to be determined for the 2023 season. Given that Hailie Deegan performed rather well in her Xfinity debut, finishing in 13th on the lead lap, it is likely that Ford would like to move her to the Xfinity series. While one race is not a great sample size, Deegan did show a lot of promise in her debut race. She unlapped herself at one point, and her 13th place finish was the highest finish for a female driver’s debut race in the Xfinity series.
The 2023 season seems like it could be a major transitional season for Stewart-Haas Racing. It could very well end up being Kevin Harvick’s final season in the cup series, as well as Hailie Deegan’s first full season in the Xfinity series. Aric Almirola had announced that his retirement would take place at the end of this season, then pulled a Tom Brady by extending his contract. Kevin Harvick had planned to retire after the 2021 season, but signed an extension through 2023. How many more seasons will each of them continue to race? Will we see Hailie Deegan driving in the cup series for Stewart-Haas in 2025? The possible answers to these questions seem to be linked. The 2023 season will be the season where we start to find out the answers.
Regardless of how these rumors play out, Stewart-Haas Racing will look a lot different in the next couple of years.