Who Should Replace Kevin Harvick & How Vital It Is to Stewart-Haas Racing

“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, you need a team.” – John Wooden.

While the above quote may not be directed at racing, it certainly does apply to it. In many, many situations in life, leadership is needed. Teamwork is healthy. And goals are just the path to put it all together.

Kevin Harvick has emerged as the leader of two organizations: Stewart-Haas Racing and the Ford banner. His leadership has brought both parties success after success.

From being a combustible young gun to a crafty veteran who hasn’t lost his passion, Harvick has emerged as both a voice for drivers, the face of SHR and a leader for the blue oval.

But as is destined to happen in our sport, there is a time when the leader is ready to pass the torch. Such will be the case when Harvick makes his final lap at Phoenix Raceway in November.

The problem is, who will that torch be passed on to?

Looking at SHR, the elephant in the room is the fact that when you look past Harvick, there is a dramatic drop-off in success.

Look at 2023 alone through seven races. Ford has seven teams in the top 20 in points. All three Team Penske drivers are 14th or better. Both RFK Racing drivers are inside the top 15. And Michael McDowell represents Front Row Motorsports in 18th.

Then there is Stewart-Haas. Harvick is fifth in points and has looked like a title contender thus far. He has four top 10s and three top fives. After him, you have to go to 21st, 27th, and 28th to find Chase Briscoe, Aric Almirola and Ryan Preece.

None of those three have a top 10 so far. It wouldn’t be outrageous to say that outside of Harvick, SHR is the fourth-best Ford team right now.

That’s hard to believe given that Briscoe made it to the Round of 8 last year and Almirola made the playoffs every year from 2018-2021.

So where do they go from here?

Briscoe would be the inevitable leader of the pack if they were to sign a younger driver. But inconsistency and slumps continue to plague the third-year driver.

We know Tony Stewart has a specific criteria when he searches for talent. For example, he wanted Preece in the No. 41 car this season while co-owner Gene Haas wanted Cole Custer to get another year. Obviously, Stewart won out.

Another crucial detail is the fact that long-time Harvick and SHR partner Anheuser-Busch could be heading elsewhere.