Stewart-Haas Racing had a pretty forgettable 2023, as the team failed to win a race at the Cup level. The season's highlight was all of the fans' love and support for Kevin Harvick as he finished a Hall of Fame career.
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Harvick was the only driver from the team to reach the playoffs in 2023 but bowed out after the opening round. More often than not, the rest of the team's drivers were featured in bad crashes.
2024 brings a new outlook for Tony Stewart's team. It will feature a much younger driver lineup with the additions of Josh Berry to the No. 4 car and Noah Gragson piloting the No. 10 car. Chase Briscoe and Ryan Preece return to their cars as well.
Stewart-Haas has faced a lot of criticism from fans following Harvick's retirement, not to mention the loss of major sponsors in Anheuser-Busch and Smithfield.
Stewart and the team have heard the talk and criticism, and they released a message on social media calling out the "doubters" and "haters," as they were so nicely labeled.
Who is SHR?
Over the next week, we’ll be reminding fans of our DNA. pic.twitter.com/s8OWS31cnf
— Stewart-Haas Racing (@StewartHaasRcng) January 1, 2024
"We've seen the doubters and heard all the haters," SHR said. "But anyone who doubts us doesn't really know us. So we're kicking off 2024, reminding everyone of who we are. Because as racers we've never lost our ambition. And as a team, we've always stayed true to our DNA."
The new season is almost here, and the team's two new drivers have yet to announce sponsorships. So forgive the "haters" for wondering if SHR still has it, especially since it has only one Cup win from its four-driver lineup.
Berry and Gragson have talent, yes, but they certainly aren't particularly big draws of sponsors to the team. That's especially true of Gragson after his social media incident got him suspended in August.
However, that's for Stewart to work out. In the end, we are all just fans, and Stewart-Haas Racing is going to do what it thinks is best for it — no matter what others think.
