Stewart-Haas Racing moving to Ford after 2016 NASCAR season

FONTANA, CA - OCTOBER 08 2010: Team owner Gene Haas sits on pit road during qualifying for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Pepsi Max 400 on October 8, 2010 in Fontana, California. (Photo by Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images for NASCAR)
FONTANA, CA - OCTOBER 08 2010:  Team owner Gene Haas sits on pit road during qualifying for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Pepsi Max 400 on October 8, 2010 in Fontana, California.  (Photo by Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images for NASCAR)
FONTANA, CA – OCTOBER 08 2010: Team owner Gene Haas sits on pit road during qualifying for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Pepsi Max 400 on October 8, 2010 in Fontana, California. (Photo by Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images for NASCAR)

Stewart-Haas Racing will be switching manufacturers after the 2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup series season it was announced Wednesday. Ford Performance said in an emailed press release that the multiyear agreement with SHR will start with Daytona Speedweeks in February 2017 and the four-car Stewart-Haas Racing team will race the Ford Fusion with Ford engines prepared by Roush Yates Engines.

“We are thrilled to be able to add a championship-level team like Stewart-Haas Racing to our Ford NASCAR program,” said Raj Nair, executive vice president and Chief Technical Officer, Ford Motor Company. “Tony Stewart and Gene Haas have the same passion for winning that we do, and bring a strong stable of drivers and personnel that fit into what we’re trying to do in the sport.”

“We have said very clearly that we are not in NASCAR just to race, but to win races and championships,” said Dave Pericak, global director, Ford Performance. “We believe the addition of Stewart-Haas Racing in 2017 will give our program a major boost in terms of being in contention for both drivers’ and manufacturers’ championships every year.

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Greg Engle
About Greg Engle 7421 Articles
Greg is a published award winning sportswriter who spent 23 years combined active and active reserve military service, much of that in and around the Special Operations community. Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.