One final bastion is left to fall. After that, only dust and memories will remain of the four-car and 320 employees Stewart-Haas Racing team. As 2024 enters the postseason, Tony Stewart‘s stellar creation has lost three of its charters already. With the final one up for grabs and 23XI Racing seemingly a potential buyer, it looks like another team has sprung on the radar to operate the rumor mills again.
RFK Racing was another team that lingered around the possibility of getting a third charter. However, according to a NASCAR expert, Brad Keselowski‘s team is taking more than just that from SHR. The charter would also entail Tony Stewart’s dark horse.
Tony Stewart’s final stud has a future ride
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Ever since news of shuttering descended upon the SHR fold, things have been in chaos. Employees, including drivers themselves, wondered where their future lay. However, one by one, teams roped in the racers: Chase Briscoe would join Joe Gibbs Racing, Noah Gragson to Front Row Motorsports, and Josh Berry would enlist in Wood Brothers Racing. Despite the crumbling situation in Tony Stewart’s team, they worked hard to clinch the Southern 500 victory last weekend.
Polls of the day Poll 1 of 5 Do you think Tony Stewart’s dark horse will outperform expectations at RFK Racing? Absolutely Maybe Not a chance Who cares? What do you think is the main reason behind Chase Elliott’s playoff struggles? Driver errors Team strategy Mechanical issues Bad luck Whats your Perspective on: Ryan Preece at RFK Racing—Is this the game-changer Keselowski’s team needs to dominate NASCAR? Have an interesting take? Join The Debate Do you think Katelyn Larson’s competitive spirit is a positive influence on Kyle Larson’s career? Absolutely Not at all Sometimes I’m not sure Who do you think was most at fault in the infamous Texas brawl? Kevin Harvick Jeff Gordon Brad Keselowski All of them
So amidst the realization that SHR drivers have that flame burning within them, Tony Stewart’s final dark horse may have also secured his future ride. Ryan Preece is likely to occupy RFK Racing‘s third Cup ride as the team signed a deal with big-ticket sponsor Kroger, valued at $36.78 billion. Journalist Jordan Bianchi updated on X, “RFK Racing is progressing toward expanding to three full-time teams in 2025, a move that would likely include bringing aboard big-ticket sponsor Kroger as a team-wide sponsor, and signing driver Ryan Preece, sources briefed on the move told @TheAthletic.”
During the NASCAR playoff media day, Brad Keselowski kept mum about this update. He instead said, “We don’t have any announcements that we’re ready to make, but hopefully we’ll have something to share with everybody here in the next month or so.”
Ryan Preece has two top-five finishes at SHR and has never cracked the playoffs. This year, he ranked as the lowest among SHR drivers, boasting a lone 4th-place finish in Nashville. Despite his bleak prospects, his affiliation with Kroger during his JTG Daugherty stint supports the rumor about joining Keselowski’s fold.
But before Tony Stewart’s final dark horse can focus on 2025, he is focusing on Atlanta Motor Speedway.
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Atlanta offers legroom to run well
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NASCAR is heading into the reconfigured 1.54-mile oval this week after its spring race there. At the first race, Ryan Preece headed the SHR fold as he secured a 16th-place finish. He also ran two Xfinity races at the track, with his best finish being 7th in 2019. NASCAR revamped the Atlanta track in 2021, increasing the banking, narrowing the track, and covering it with fresh asphalt. Although the objective was to replicate the pack-style racing in Daytona and Talladega, Tony Stewart’s dark horse believes it still feels different.
“They’re different because Atlanta is still a mile-and-a-half, so we’re restricted on horsepower, we’re wide open like a superspeedway, but the runs happen twice as fast. Handling is by far, way more important…Not only that, it’s a lot tighter of a corner at Atlanta,” Preece reasoned in a recent interview.
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He also added his buoyant hopes about the No. 14’s run this weekend. “I feel like at Atlanta you can control your destiny a little more. Yeah, you’re going to have track position, but if you have a really good-handling racecar in Atlanta, you’re going to have a good day.”
So Tony Stewart’s stud is ready to tackle the race tracks even after missing the playoffs. Let us wait and see when Brad Keselowski ropes in Preece for the 2025 schedule.