The rumor mill keeps stirring around Stewart-Haas Racing and what the future looks like for the team in the NASCAR Cup Series. It seems that if any charters are sold this year, it is going to come from SHR and their garage.
Charter negotiations are ongoing, so that will hold up any buying and selling among teams. You can’t put a value on the charters if the whole system is still being negotiated for the next six years.
A new report from Bob Pockrass of FOX Sports shines a light on what might be going on in the background. Stewart-Haas Racing does not have a deal with Ford for next year. They have also sent out information to teams on what it would take to buy one of their charters.
SHR also has two buildings that it operates out of. It’s NASCAR Cup Series shop and then the Haas Formula 1 U.S. headquarters. If they downsize, one of those buildings could be up for grabs for a team like Front Row Motorsports, if they expand.
23XI Racing, Legacy Motor Club, Trackhouse Racing, and Front Row Motorsports are the four teams looking to possibly expand. Each of them has their own reasons for doing so, too.
23XI Racing has been looking to expand. They were never going to just be a two-car team. Trackhouse Racing needs at least one more charter given their crowded Cup roster. Ross Chastain, Daniel Suárez, Zane Smith, and Shane van Gisbergen are all under contract with the team.
Front Row is assuming the role of the third Ford team. They have a Team Penske alliance and are now a Tier 1 program with Ford. So, it makes sense that they would want to expand under this new alignment.
Legacy Motor Club is the only team that doesn’t make much sense here. However, being a Toyota team, maybe they want to be part of the expansion for the manufacturer.
All of the charter Silly Season talk can’t move forward without a new charter agreement, though. Teams and NASCAR are at odds with each other on revenue sharing.
Stewart-Haas Racing wants to sell. At least, that is what these reports keep saying. NASCAR is in a pivotal moment. Multiple teams are going to be in the market for a charter or two as the new media deal goes into effect in 2025. There aren’t enough for every team to get one, though.
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