A driver change in its four-car stable gives Stewart-Haas Racing a different look for the 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season.
Kurt Busch has departed the SHR No. 41 ride for Chip Ganassi Racing providing an opportunity for Daniel Suarez to take the seat. The 2016 Xfinity Series champion spent the last two years with Joe Gibbs Racing. He joins a trio of holdovers in Kevin Harvick, Clint Bowyer and Aric Almirola.
Harvick won eight times last year and advanced to the Championship 4 in search for a second career Cup title. He wound up third in the final standings in an amazing season that saw the veteran post 23 top-five and 29-top10 finishes. He’s back in full force with crew chief Rodney Childers and expects to once again be in the mix for multiple wins and the title.
“I feel as if we’re as strong as we’ve ever been,” Harvick said on his Sirius XM Radio show “Happy Hours.” “We feel really good about our team’s strength and the overall organization. We are going to be in it to win it again. Maybe not eight times but I promise you our 4 team is going to be a factor all year.”
Bowyer won twice last year and enjoyed his best season in years. Like Harvick, Bowyer is optimistic the 2019 season will be strong and comes into the new year with a great deal of confidence.
“They are the same as they have always been,” Bowyer said when asked about his expectations. “We want to win races, develop consistency and peak around the time the playoffs start.
“We improved a lot last year and plan to keep that going this year. I know (crew chief) Mike (Bugarewicz) and everyone at SHR, plus the Roush-Yates guys, have worked really hard in the offseason to keep us going. That hard work will pay off.”
Bowyer was part of the test at Las Vegas Motor Speedway of the new Cup Series rules package. While he believes there are many unknowns about what lies ahead with the new parameters, Bowyer is on board with the sport’s direction.
“There’s really only one voice that matters, it’s the fans,” Bowyer said. “That’s the voice we’re all working for, and that’s no different than it’s ever been. It doesn’t matter what sport it is, it’s about the fans showing up and enjoying what they see.
“The entertainment value of our sport has always been great, and this is a step to try and make it even better.”
Audio: NASCAR Live 2019 Season Preview
Almirola enjoyed a breakout season in his first year with SHR. He nearly won his first race with the team coming within a half lap of a Daytona 500 victory. That’s prominently on his mind as the 2019 season begins.
“Redemption! Redemption! This is our redemption tour, but we are pumped up and we’re using that as fuel,” Almirola said of his thoughts heading into Daytona. “I think all great athletes do as they find a way to burn that fire. For us that’s an easy way for us to look at last year and say we we’re just a mile away. Let’s go get it!”
That same philosophy no doubt applies to the entire year ahead for Almirola after a season that saw him also nearly make it to the Homestead Championship 4 field if not for a late accident at the penultimate ISM Raceway race in Phoenix.
“I think ISM was one we had an opportunity there and we honestly didn’t have the car,” he said. “We managed to muster up putting our self into position to win and we scratched and clawed and fought. We didn’t have the car all weekend, we were a 5th to 7th place car and when it came crunch time, we found our self in position to win.
“That’s what great race teams do but unfortunately, we didn’t have enough to make it happen. I think there’s so many races that I can look back on and say we should have won. We should have won Chicago, Loudon, Dover and we should have won a handful of races. That’s what’s got me so fired up going into 2019, just trying to capitalize on all those opportunities is what we need to do going into this year.”
Which brings things back to Suarez who is also looking to capitalize on the opportunity to be with the potent SHR team like Almirola did when he joined the organization last year.
“It’s a very competitive team,” he said. “Racing for wins week in and week out. SHR was able to do that not only with one car but all of their cars, which is very impressive to me. The goal is to continue to grow with this team and continue to learn from these guys. I have learned a lot. They obviously do things a little bit different from what I’m used to and there are a lot of things that they’re trying.”
As for adapting to his new surroundings, Suarez does not believe it will take long to feel at home and comfortable behind the wheel of the No. 41 Ford.
“I’ve had a lot of challenges through my career and not in just the last years,” Suarez said. “It’s been like that for a long time and I feel like this is one more challenge. I feel very fortunate to land in a team and organization like Stewart-Haas Racing. They are very professional, and they work extremely hard.
“I feel like it’s going to be a fun time to work with these guys with Billy Scott my crew chief and the rest of this group. I’m looking forward to start working on the weekly basis with them. We’ve been working together without hitting the racetrack too often. Our first time at the racetrack was at Auto Club Speedway and I felt like we learned a lot. It was very productive and I’m looking forward to continuing that and win some races.”
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