Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) currently fields NASCAR Ford Mustang Dark Horse race cars, but its contract with The Blue Oval will wrap up after the 2024 racing season. So far, SHR hasn’t announced plans for 2025, meaning it could be shopping around for a new manufacturer, and that might just be Honda.
Honda expressed interest in NASCAR as far back as 2019, although the automaker later dismissed the notion, saying it wasn’t interested in pursing stock car racing alongside its IMSA and IndyCar efforts. However, in February 2024, NASCAR COO Steve O’Donnell stated that discussions to bring a new manufacturer to the sport were “heating up,” and it’s no secret that the organization has been courting Honda for years.
Honda and Acura Motorsports Manager, Chuck Schifsky, released a statement to address the rumors, saying, “As part of our role managing American Honda’s motorsports programs, we need to investigate all forms of motorsport here in the U.S., and as a part of that process, educate ourselves on what race fans are looking for. With that said, we have nothing new to report in terms of our future motorsport direction.”
SHR has been struggling to find its footing as a top NASCAR Ford team since the departure of Kevin Harvick as a driver last year. Young gun Josh Berry stepped into the No. 4 Mustang to fill his shoes this year, and Noah Gragson, another up-and-coming racer, signed on to drive the No. 10 Mustang this year as well. That means if SHR does move to Honda in 2025, the manufacturer will have a young stable of drivers ready to compete against Chevy, Ford and Toyota in the Cup Series. Whatever the case, it will certainly be interesting to keep an eye on SHR and Honda in the fast-changing world of stock car racing.
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Comments
Maybe they’ll finally win a race! The smart money is on Chevy, they’ve won 3 consecutive races so far in 2024.
I can already picture the paint flying off the hoods, roofs and trunks now!
A fourth manufacturer for NASCAR? That’s good news. Maybe Mopar can return with their new Chargers.