XFINITY: SHR set to field a team in 2017

While one half of its ownership – Tony Stewart – was experiencing a bittersweet weekend at Indianapolis in his final race there before his retirement, Stewart-Haas Racing was busy planning expansion for next year. The team announced Monday that it would field a full-time, single-car team in the NASCAR Xfinity Series next season, with a driver and sponsor lineup to be announced prior to the conclusion of the 2016 season. The new team will be run from SHR's headquarters in Kannapolis, N.C.

"In order to maintain the competitiveness that has earned SHR two championships since our debut in 2009, we needed an outlet to develop drivers and team personnel for the Sprint Cup Series," said Greg Zipadelli, vice president of competition for SHR. "People make the difference between winning and losing. An Xfinity Series team gives us added depth that will allow us to promote from within whenever necessary."

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SHR won its first Sprint Cup championship in 2011 with Stewart and earned its second title in 2014 with Kevin Harvick. Since its inception in 2009, SHR has won 33 point-paying races, two non-point races and 28 poles.

"An Xfinity Series team has always been something we would consider when the time was right, and that time is now," said Stewart, who co-owns SHR with Gene Haas, founder of Haas Automation and owner of the Haas F1 team. "Staying successful in this sport means staying ahead of the curve, and having an Xfinity Series team provides an in-house driver development program and a new channel for personnel to make a positive impact with our race team."

"This is a natural progression of SHR's growth and one that allows us to be more self-sufficient," Haas said. "If you look at all the teams that are successful in Sprint Cup, they have a direct connection to the XfinitySeries where drivers, engineers, mechanics and pit crew members are developed. We're an established team with a strong infrastructure that is ready for this endeavor."