Hendrick Motorsports reacts to split with Stewart-Haas Racing
Divorces, no matter how well intentioned, are always complicated. And so will the split be between Stewart-Haas Racing and Hendrick Motorsports.
Wednesday morning, SHR issued a statement saying the team has signed a multi-year agreement to move from Chevrolet to Ford, starting with the 2017 season.
Since its inception in 2009, SHR has gotten its Chevrolet engines and its chassis from Hendrick Motorsports, a team that's been buying CNC equipment from SHR co-owner Gene Haas' Haas Automation since 1996.
Next year, SHR will get its engines from Roush Yates Engines, the company that supplies powerplants to all the Ford NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams. And for the first time, SHR will begin building its own chassis in house.
With 35 races left on the season, it will be interesting to see how the SHR/Chevrolet/Hendrick dynamic works this year. After the SHR announcement, Hendrick issued a statement reaffirming its allegiance to Chevrolet and assuring it would be business as usual between Hendrick and SHR this year.
"Hendrick Motorsports is entering its 33rd NASCAR season carrying the Chevrolet bowtie on our cars. We've never raced with anyone else," said Rick Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports. "... It's a relationship we hope to continue for many years to come."
"We will continue to provide SHR's teams with engines and chassis in 2016, and those programs will be supported appropriately," said Doug Duchardt, general manager of Hendrick Motorsports. "Our company has enjoyed being associated with SHR since its inception, and we will work with them this season to earn more Chevrolet victories."
"We've had a strong relationship with Gene (Haas) and his companies for two decades," Hendrick said. "Our technical association with Haas Automation has been rewarding for everyone involved, and we look forward to building on that effort in the future."
It's a long season ahead and for the moment at least, this is a story everyone will be keeping an eye on.
