The shuttering of Stewart-Haas Racing brings an end to one of the powerhouse organizations of the 2010s.
SHR claimed two NASCAR Cup Series titles, one with team co-owner Tony Stewart in 2011 and one with longtime lead driver Kevin Harvick in 2014.
But the team as we knew it might never have existed in the first place if it weren’t for one very seismic event.
Joe Gibbs Racing had been Stewart’s Cup Series home for the entirety of his career, from 1999-2008. Joe Gibbs began his own Cup journey fielding Chevrolets back in 1992. After six wins over four years, the team switched to Pontiac. That move was followed by the addition of Stewart in a second car for 1999 and the team’s first championship the following season with Bobby Labonte.
Two years later, Stewart himself hoisted the big trophy, earning his first Cup championship in just his fourth full-time season. Up to that time, only Dale Earnhardt and Jeff Gordon had reached the pinnacle in fewer years during the modern era.
Then in 2003, JGR went back to fielding Chevrolets, and Tony didn’t miss a beat. In Stewart’s career, he won at least twice every year that he piloted Gibbs’ GM-powered cars. His second series championship came in 2005, and, years later after Matt Kenseth and Gordon retired, it cemented Stewart as the only driver to win a championship before and after the implementation of a playoff system.
But Gibbs felt like his team, even with all of its success, was still playing second fiddle. Hendrick Motorsports was Chevrolet’s golden goose and Joe knew it. He wanted a manufacturer that was going to make his organization number one. One that all of the developmental drivers would be funneled to. One that needed an established team to lead their pack. A manufacturer like … Toyota.
In 2007, Toyota had a less-than-impressive maiden voyage into NASCAR racing. Depending on who you ask, its flagship team was either Bill Davis Racing or the new Red Bull Racing.
Red Bull seemed to be the face of Toyota, but BDR had better results. Davis’ driver Dave Blaney won the pole for a race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and scored a third-place finish in the fall at Talladega Superspeedway. Red Bull’s season high was a fifth-place finish for Brian Vickers in the Coca-Cola 600 in May. This was, however, after Vickers failed to qualify for six of the first 10 races in 2007.
Toyota needed an established competitive team to lead the way. It would buy it some…
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