Ford Performance, the racing arm of Ford Motor Company seriously strengthened their position in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series by adding Stewart-Haas Racing’s (SHR) four teams and drivers.
In years past, Roush Fenway Racing was the top team for Ford. In 2013, after signing Team Penske, another top team was found in Roger Penske’s shop, but with only a two-car team, more help was needed. The SHR deal gives Ford more confidence in the numbers they now have in a quest for wins and a championship, but is the confidence fool’s gold or the real thing? The Ford drivers are confident but somewhat cautious.
Kurt Busch has driven Fords before. In fact, Busch won a championship in 2004, driving for Jack Roush. Being the last Ford driver to win a MENCS championship, he was asked how special it would be to win his second championship this season.
“It’s like they just opened up a whole new book of things to look at and to advance our program from where we were with GM. I’m excited for 2017,” Busch said. “It’s a special homecoming feeling to head back to work with Ford and to have them with our power and our bodies at Stewart-Haas Racing.”
Danica Patrick was looking at goals and being philosophical when asked if finishing in the top 10 in races and top 15 in points were her goals for 2017.
“Those are my goals,” Patrick said. “It takes time to progress in that way. Run top 20, then top 15 and get better, then you’re in the Top 10 with good pit stops, good strategy and all the things that play into it – some of the new formats for the races can play into segment wins – so I think it’s important to be realistic.”
Aric Almirola finds himself as the lone car in the Richard Petty Motorsports stable for the coming season. RPM decided to lease the charter they had for the No. 44 car and concentrate on one car to get more competitive.
“Over the last couple of years, we have been a little bit diluted and so to be able to take this opportunity was not what we wanted as a race team, but sometimes you get lemons and sometimes you get lemonade,” Almirola said. “This gives us an opportunity to do so.”
Trevor Bayne and Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. will be the only two cars to run this year for Roush-Fenway Racing, and both are looking forward to the off-season changes made to get them back to top performance.
“I think what it’s going to do is make us able to make changes quickly to make our cars more nimble and drive better,” Bayne said. Stenhouse agreed.
“The changes have been beneficial,” Stenhouse said. “I’ve seen progress made in communication, and everyone seems motivated to bring success back to Jack and our partners by running better. We’ve lost a lot of ground over the last two years, so I think with the two cars, it will make it easier to do that.”
Clint Bowyer is coming off the worst season of his career while waiting for Tony Stewart’s car upon his retirement. That time is now, but what is on his mind as he enters his first season with SHR?
“Win Daytona. That’s all you’re thinking about,” said Bowyer. “The new points system will be different. I really don’t care if I win the first segment of the first race, but I think as we progress through the year, the sense of urgency may cause teams to look over at the points tally and start to panic. That’s when the sparks are going to fly.”
Kevin Harvick cautioned that the task in the off-season was large and not to get expectations too high for the coming season.
“We had a lot of work to do,” Harvick said. “Everyone points to Furniture Row and what they did last year. Remember, that was one car. We have four. We may never miss a beat on the track, and that’s our goal. One thing is certain, our goals haven’t changed. We want to come out of the box strong, compete for race wins, and get better. Rodney (Childers) wants to win practice, so I’m sure he wants to win segments and races. That’s the mentality Rodney put in me.”
