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Stewart-Haas Racing has turned into nothing short of a disaster since their peak at around the 2018 NASCAR Cup Series season and many are focused (rightfully so) on the involvement of Tony Stewart. Smoke being one of the best drivers in NASCAR history with a personality to match that as well. But there is another side with this partnership with Gene Haas, and Haas had a NASCAR team for nearly a decade before Tony Stewart's name was the leading one on the logo. This is Stewart-Haas Racing before Tony Stewart.
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37 comments
What do you think Haas would have been like had Tony Stewart not jumped on in 2009?
Out of the sport entirely
I don’t know
Gone like all the teams like it it suck’s nascar has changed rules that put the end to that
Probably out of the sport
Likely would have been a mediocre team for a few more years and probably disband around the start of the gen 6
I remember Ward Burton in the 0 in NASCAR 2005
Say what you will about their performance, but they had some good schemes. Johnny Sauter’s Yellow COT scheme is underrated.
The Radioactive Energy Drink one was my favorite one
The Days when Tony Stewart was Joe Gibbs Racing’s Star Driver
It sucks they didn’t make a lot of diecast of that #0 Netzero car. I got one of Ward Burton as the driver for Racing Champions and that was all. I know they had Mike Bliss driving it as well as Jeff Green when it was sponsored by Best Buy and renumbered 66.
There is a Jack Sprague Netzero car from 03 that does exist, was made by racing champions
Ward Burton was an underrated driver. Always outperformed his equipment.
Oh yeah for sure
When I would play Fight to The Top I would buy Haas racing to see how things pan out.
same lol
The Netzero 0 car is forever an icon. Beautiful car.
Agreed, maybe one day they can bring it or a similar paint scheme back
@TheIceberg they did cole custer throwback scheme last year
Nice marketing too with NetZero and the number 0
Yep, and I’ve got one signed by the man himself Ward Burton
Got it from my dad’s old neighbor who sadly passed away a few years ago
Therefore, Tony Stewart made the team better (at the time)
SHR has recently missed out on signing Kyle Larson and Kyle Busch. Now it looks like they may miss their chance on SVG also with the Haley news today. Kaulig is better equipment than SHR right now.
Haas’ first race with two cars was the 2004 Brickyard 400. They brought the 60 back for Jason Leffler.
I just watched that race funny enough lol
RIP Left Turn Leffler
Rip
There’s a reason why it’s called Stewart-Haas racing and not Haas-Stewart racing. Haas would not have lasted much longer in NASCAR if Tony hadn’t come in.
May not make it with him either
I dont think Haas would even have their F1 team if it wasnt for Tony. He would have dumped so much into the stock car team I dont he would have been able to afford it.
So if people don’t remember Gene Haas went to prison in 2007 for tax fraud. In prison he has talked to Custer who was running the team in 2008 and told him make the team better or shut it down. So the Tony Stewart deal was the Hail Mary to save the team, no Stewart deal, that team would have most likely folded by end of 2009.
Lol I can’t believe Gene went to prison he always seemed like a shyster
Missing about Troy Cline who was HAAS first development driver running west series from 99-01 for HAAS. He made two Busch starts for Haas but disappearing
Believe he still works at SHR
Jack Sprague, Mike Bliss, Jeff Green, and Ward Burton all did well with the equipment they were given. I wish Haas had been able to give them better. I’d say that they were relatively mid-pack at best, and field filler at worst. Flashes of potential, but largely way too inconsistent to be up front every week.
Since Tony came to the team, SHR has been a staple of both success and failure in our sport, just like it’s Ford predecessor, Robert Yates Racing. They’ve had successes with Tony, Ryan, Kevin, and Kurt, but also misses with others like Danica, Daniel, and Cole (All of which were rushed up too early). Like the organization before it, they have good drivers, and good sponsors, they just lack consistency, and the ability to make competitive equipment at the moment. Where they differ, is that SHR has the chance to rebuild, now that they have Josh Berry, and the possibility of hiring Shane van Gisbergen or Michael McDowell to replace Aric Almirola.
Regarding their situation now, I’d say that if Tony can pull his team together, and not leave everything up to Gene, Zippy, and Joe Custer, they’ll be back on track, but it will be slow.
PS, Fun Fact: Ward Burton could’ve had a completely different career. He was actually picked by Rick Hendrick to go to the 25 car in 1997, but Budweiser rejected him for Ricky Craven. An underrated driver could’ve been completely different, had things gone his way.
If Haas can flounder for so long in F1, I think he would’ve been just fine without Stewart in NASCAR… Just without the results that at know now
Actually the 39 was not rebranded as the number 4 car. The number 4 was a brand new car for Stewart-Hass Racing.
And I believe it’s called Stewart-Hass because Tony owns 51% and Hass owns 49%. Not 50-50 I believe.