Harvick will race for Stewart-Haas

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In: NASCAR Cup Series News

It’s official. Kevin Harvick is in, Ryan Newman is out, and Budweiser will move with Harvick to Stewart-Haas Racing next year.

Acknowledging that he needed a change of scenery, Harvick confirmed Friday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway that he and long-time sponsor Budweiser both will make the move from Richard Childress Racing to Stewart-Haas Racing next season.

Harvick will drive the No. 4 Budweiser Chevrolet SS for the team co-owned by three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Tony Stewart and Gene Haas.

“It’s just like when you show up to the same desk for 12 or 13 years, you are like, ‘Man, I need a new desk,’ or you need to change the pictures on the wall,” said Harvick, whose departure from RCR was reported last year, but not the details of his deal with Stewart-Haas.

“It’s just something to where you want a change of pace to do something, and that’s really what it all boiled down to — one of the pieces that it boiled down to.”

Of course, there were competitive and personal considerations, too, not the least of which are the chance to work with Stewart as a teammate, the affiliation with Hendrick Motorsports (which supplies engines and chassis to Stewart-Haas), and Harvick’s off-track friendship with his new boss.

As to the choice of the No. 4, Harvick said simply that it’s a good fit with the No. 14 Stewart currently runs in the Cup series.

“The number was something that. … I don’t want to say didn’t really matter to me, but it’s something that you want to see consistent with the team and the things that they have going on,” Harvick said. “That was a number that was available and seemed like it was a pretty common tie to the 14.”

Roughly 20 minutes after Harvick discussed his move, Stewart confirmed that the organization won’t run four cars next season, leaving no room in the organization for Newman, who has been driving for Stewart-Haas since 2009. That was the same year Stewart came to Stewart-Haas as co-owner/driver, after spending the first 10 years of his Cup career at Joe Gibbs Racing.

“Unfortunately, this will be the last year that we have Ryan with us,” Stewart said. “That’s probably what has made this a bittersweet day. I’m bringing in another one of my friends to the organization, but also knowing that I’m losing a friend at the end of the year to the organization. The number one thing when Ryan and I spoke is that our friendship will not change.

“This was a business decision that was Gene’s as well as mine, and it was a hard decision. … I’ll do everything I can to help Ryan in any way I can moving forward to try to help him in his effort to find another team next year. I’m behind him 100 percent. I believe in him 100 percent. I truly wish we were able to facilitate four teams at this time. We’re just not able to do that.”

NASCAR Wire Service
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