Tony Stewart, his time over as a NASCAR team co-owner, says he’s at peace with his decision to shut the doors on Stewart-Haas Racing. In its 16 seasons, Stewart Haas won NASCAR Cup Series titles in 2011 (with Stewart himself) and 2014 (with Kevin Harvick). “This is the right time,” Stewart told Harvick’s “Happy Hour” podcast. “This was never a part of a master plan. But as this year has gone on, this has become very clear that this is the right time for me to get out of the sport. There’s things that I see that I definitely don’t like. And I’m happy doing the stuff I’m doing now. I’ve always been somebody that’s ran all kinds of different series.” Against the background of ongoing struggles to secure sponsorships and manufacturer support, SHR’s 300-plus workforce was informed of the team’s impending closure in May. “The reason we did the announcement early in the season was to try to take care of all of our people,” Stewart said. “I got so blamed for people losing their jobs. Well, there’s companies left and right that shut down. Look at COVID: How many people had to shut down? Nobody was screaming about how employees weren’t taken care of and what it did to their families. We did what we did to take care of our people, and we created great severance packages for them to take care of them and their families… I would say over 80 percent of the employees at SHR have found homes for next year. “The bashing I got online and on social media was very unjust through the process. It’s easy to sit on your ass, on a chair, on your couch in your mom’s house and sit there and tell us how we’re doing it wrong. But nobody can seem to sit there and come in on Monday morning and tell us how to do it right.” Stewart said he recently visited the SHR headquarters to farewell some of the staff. “Knowing that when I left the building there, here’s some of those people I’ve known for 16 years, and I may never, ever see them again, unfortunately,” he said. “I don’t know that it’s even bittersweet. It’s more bitter than sweet. It’s a tough decision. But things in life change. Your priorities change, and variables outside of your control change as well.” Some of the current SHR employees could remain in the building beyond this year when it is taken over by the new Haas Factory Team, which will utilize the one SHR Cup Series entry that co-owner Gene Haas will retain. As for Stewart, the focus will switch to his NHRA program and sprint car teams. “(NASCAR is) going to be healthy, it’s going to survive,” he said. “It always has. It always will. But I’m happy at this point in my life to make this change… It wasn’t that way at the beginning of the year. “We had different reasons for why we had to shut down at the end of the season, but as time has gone on and watching the owners and NASCAR fight and just the chaos that’s going on over there, I’m fine being done with this at the end of the year.” *** Times may change, tradition rolls on, which is why Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Budweiser are reuniting to bring back one of the most recognizable paint schemes in racing history. The NASCAR Hall of Famer will drive the historic No. 8 Chevrolet with the iconic Bud King of Beers paint scheme once again for a limited series of Late Model Stock Car Races in 2024 and 2025. The paint scheme will make its return to the track for the first time in 17 years on November 23, 2024 when Earnhardt Jr. competes in the South Carolina 400 at Florence Motor Speedway. In addition to the infamous red-and-black paint scheme, Earnhardt Jr. will return to his stylized No. 8, made famous during his tenure behind the wheel from 1999 through 2007. “It is an incredible opportunity for me to be able to reunite with Budweiser, and the No.8,” said Earnhardt Jr. “Budweiser and I had some great memories with that iconic scheme and number. We’ve always supported each other over the years. It’s going to be really special for me to be able to represent that brand on the racetrack again.” This return for Budweiser is the latest in Anheuser-Busch’s long-standing commitment to NASCAR and the motorsports industry. With driver partnerships, key event sponsorships and media investments in the sport, Anheuser-Busch has proudly supported and elevated NASCAR through Budweiser, Busch and Busch Light for more than 40 years. “There are names that when mentioned, draw on the significance of their place in American history. Among them, Budweiser, and Earnhardt,” said Matt Davis, Vice-President of Partnerships at Anheuser-Busch. “This return to the racetrack alongside Dale with the Bud King of Beers paint scheme is another chapter in Anheuser-Busch’s long and storied sports history.” Anheuser-Busch and its brands Budweiser, Busch and Busch Light have a proud history supporting NASCAR legends and growing forces in the sport – notably as the primary sponsor of Earnhardt Jr. for nine seasons, through a 13-year partnership with Kevin Harvick, and with Busch Light as the current primary sponsorship of Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain announced in 2023. JR Motorsports is showcasing the return of this iconic pairing with a line of Budweiser x Dale Jr. merchandise that is nostalgic of the early 2000s. Available now at shopjrnation.com. *** Race fans and competitors can continue to fill their calendar with race dates for the 2025 racing season to attend exciting Race of Champions “Family of Series” events. Race of Champions Management is currently working on several traditional and potential “new” events, including a potential change for Race of Champions Weekend. The dates for Holland (NY) Speedway were announced back in late August, however, they are Saturday, June 21, Saturday, July 26 and August 23. These are traditional race dates for the high-banked southern tier oval. There was a shift in the June date due to a family commitment on behalf of the speedway ownership. The Race of Champions Modified Series will return to Chemung (NY) Speedrome a minimum of two (2) times during the 2025 calendar year. With the Watkins Glen NASCAR Cup Series date shifting back to its traditional August date, will move “The Night before the Glen – Rod Spalding Classic” back to Saturday, August 9. The Series Spring visit will come on the traditional date of Saturday, May 10 and hold an inclement weather date of Saturday, June 14. Race of Champions weekend is currently in negotiation and will be held one of two weekends in September. The dates that are announced as TBA will be Friday, September 12, Saturday, September 13 and Sunday, September 14 and Friday, September 19, Saturday, September 20 and Sunday, September 21. IndyCar CEO Mark Miles told Sports Business Journals Adam Stern he’s still enjoying his role and plans to continue in it, making clear that he’s not planning to step down at a time when some have wondered if change could come to IndyCar’s leadership. Miles has been in the role since late 2012, and his tenure stretches across two ownership groups, with Roger Penske serving as his current boss. He started under the tenure of Hulman & Co. Miles is the president and CEO of Penske Entertainment, the parent company of IndyCar. While the series has achieved growth on several fronts during his tenure, some public miscues in recent years have led some industry stakeholders like teams, agents and executives from other racing properties to question whether there could be changes to IndyCar’s leadership in the future. The issues that have arisen include IndyCar trying to prevent Honda from leaving the series after the carmaker issued an ultimatum of sorts late last year and suggested it could switch to NASCAR instead. The series also saw NASCAR land a race in Mexico at a time when IndyCar fans have been calling for a race there because of rising Arrow McLaren star Pato O’Ward. It also scrapped its official video game deal last year before a product was ever released, something that prevented a potential high-profile marketing boost for the series. IndyCar was then called out this year by Michael Andretti, who recently gave up his majority stake of Andretti Autosport, for not being aggressive enough on the business side of the sport. The status of Miles’ contract is unclear. But asked whether he’s still motivated to continue in the role, Miles told SBJ: “I love it and am really excited about what the short-term future will bring — some of the things we’ve already talked about and more. Listen, as long as I can keep up with my boss [Penske] — he’s amazing — so I like this and am excited about our growth and our growth prospects and expect to be here to see a lot of that through.” *** BLOCKBUSTER BOOST: The series got a boost last week after signing a deal with the Texas Rangers and Dallas Cowboys to race around their venues in a new event, the Grand Prix of Arlington, which will start in 2026. Miles has also hinted that IndyCar is working on another “blockbuster”-type event that would be in the Western half of the U.S., and he said the series is quickly progressing toward striking a deal to race in Mexico City in 2026. The series is also planning a new car for 2027. “The initial starting point on this is a strategy we’ve articulated for some time, which essentially is that in developing our calendar, we want to be in vibrant cities and to do that in innovative ways and to do it with great partners – high level partners. I think this is the first of some examples where that came together,” Miles said. ——— Ernie Saxton is an auto racing contributor for MediaNews Group. He co-founded the Eastern Motorsports Press Association, served as public relations director for Grandview Speedway for 47 years, and is in multiple halls of fame for his promotion and journalism related to the sport. He has announced races at more than 100 tracks, and he is the only person to have announced a race at Madison Square Garden. Email him at [email protected].