Tony Stewrat’s Stewart Haas Racing lost eight primary sponsors ahead of 2024

The exodus of sponsors is a major issue for SHR going into the 2024 season.

Tony Stewrat’s Stewart Haas Racing lost eight primary sponsors ahead of 2024

Tony Stewart and Kevin Harvick (Via IMAGO)

The 2023 NASCAR Cup Season was a nightmare for Tony Stewrat’s Ford Team Stewart Haas Racing. They failed to secure a single win last season, and other than Kevin Harvick, no driver could produce a performance worthy of a win. One of the major disappointments for the side was that the team couldn’t help Harvick secure a win in his retirement year.

Harvick wasn’t the only veteran to leave the team. Aric Almirola, who has been driving the No:10 Mustang, retired from full-time racing and joined Joe Gibbs Racing to drive part-time in the Xfinity Series. Josh Berry replaced Harvick, and Almirola was replaced by Noah Gragson, two racers who aren’t known for their ability to attract sponsors.

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This is a major issue for SHR as the latest partners page website update has revealed that eight sponsors have potentially ended their partnership. These are primary sponsors who featured in multiple races in the 2023 season. Most of them were primary sponsors of Harvick, who either left the sport or moved on to other teams.

The list includes Busch Light, Gearwrench, Go Bowling, Hunt Brothers Pizza, Magical Vacation Planner, Pristine Auction, Rheem, and Smithfield. This means SHR has to find a replacement for these outgoing investors. The exit of Busch Light and Smithfield, the major sponsors of the retired veterans, is a major loss for the team.

Here is how deep the sponsor exodus is

SHR is a four-car Cup operation; hence, they have to find primary sponsors for 152 races in a NASCAR Cup season. The total number of races sponsored by the eight sponsors who left the team was a combined 66 races. The team must find deals for nearly two drivers’ seasons.

Josh Berry, Tony Stewart and Eddie D'Hondt
Josh Berry, Tony Stewart and Eddie D’Hondt (Credits: NBC Sports)

The major loss was Smithfield Foods, a longtime sponsor of Aric Almirola, who funded 32 races of the No:10 team last season. Busch Light was the second major loss for them. They were Harvick’s longtime primary sponsor, and they left them to join Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain.

Hunt Brothers Pizza left them for Joey Logano’s Team Penske. They featured in 6 races last season as a primary sponsor—Gearwrench, who has joined Legacy MC for 2024 and beyond, featured In five races last season. Go Bowling, Magical Vacation Planner, Pristine Auction, and Rheem will see the team missing sponsors for a combined nine events.

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