Stewart-Haas Racing Ceasing Operations After This Season

Well, I certainly didn't expect to see this news today, Steward-Haas Racing — which fields four cars in the NASCAR Cup Series and is jointly owned by Gene Haas and racing legend Tony Stewart — will close up shop at the end of this season.

The team made the announcement via a joint statement from both Haas and Stewart.

"We have made the difficult decision to close Stewart-Haas Racing at the conclusion of the 2024 season. It is a decision that did not come easily, nor was it made quickly," the statement began. "Racing is a labor-intensive, humbling sport. It requires unwavering commitment and vast resources, with a 365-day mindset to be better than everyone else. It's part of what makes success so rewarding.

"But the commitment needed to extract maximum performance while providing sustainability is incredibly demanding, and we've reached a point in our respective personal and business lives where it's time to pass the torch."

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Stewart-Haas Racing will close its doors at the end of the 2024 season. (Photo by Matthew Pearce/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

The Stewart-Haas partnership dates back to 2009 and saw the team win two championships and 69 races. They currently field four cars — the No. 4 driven by Josh Berry, the No. 10 driven by Noah Gragson, the No. 14 driven by Chase Briscoe, and the No. 41 driven by Ryan Preece — and according to Fox Sports' Bob Pockrass, the team will sell those four charters.

Pockrass reported that it's believed three will go to existing Cup Series teams with one going to Front Row Motorsports, one to 23XI Racing, and another to Trackhouse Racing, though none of those teams