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Stewart-Haas Racing sophomore Ryan Preece has maintained silence amidst rumors of Tony Stewart being forced to sell Cup Series outfit SHR's charters.
Once among the elite NASCAR teams contending for championships, Stewart-Haas Racing's case is the pitch-perfect example of an entity's "fall from the grace." Co-owned by NASCAR legend Tony Stewart and Gene Haas, the team came to being when Stewart received 50% of Haas CNC Racing's stakes in return for driving for the team in 2009.
Since then, Stewart & co went on to win two Cup championships and establish their dominance among the powerhouses of the sport. Tony Stewart won his final Cup title as a driver in 2011 before future Hall of Famer Kevin Harvick clinched the championship in 2014.
However, the team's stock has fallen dramatically in recent seasons. Having won it's last Cup race nearly two years ago in Richmond, SHR lost crucial cogs last season when Kevin Harvick hung up his helmet and Aric Almirola departed from the team.
The departure of the veteran drivers led to Stewart's outfit losing huge sponsorship deals. Only a single playoff qualification in 2023, added with SHR's big-money deal with Ford expiring at the end of the campaign and the team's lack of superstar drivers, have collectively led to rumors of Tony Stewart looking to sell a charter or two in the coming days.
However, amidst the speculations, Ryan Preece, driver of the No. 41 Ford Mustang for SHR, declined any comments on the matter when questioned in a recent interview. He said (via Frontstretch):
"I don't really follow news. I get hired to drive the race cars. That's all I have."
Tony Stewart looking to start a family with wife Leah Pruett
Stewart, meanwhile, has been making headlines of his own, albeit in a different racing series. At the start of the 2024 season, Stewart made the decision to replace his wife, Leah Pruett, in the NHRA Top Fuel drag racing series, as the couple embarks on the journey of starting a family.
Speaking to Autoweek, Stewart expressed his excitement about the prospect of parenthood, stating:
"I haven’t got that far yet. I’m more excited about trying to start this family with her. We’ll worry about the rest of it down the road. Honestly, there’s no pressure. There’s no timeframe. And she [Pruett] hasn't even asked me what I think and what I think I want to do.
"I’m kind of good with going with the flow. It’s nice to not always have to have a plan. It’s nice to be able to go along and just enjoy the moment. When it’s time to make decisions, we’ll make decisions."
