Racer Tony Stewart Cuts Ties With Ford Performance After Nine Years

Longtime Ford Performance partner Tony Stewart is parting ways with Blue Oval engines in his Sprint Car program. Tony Stewart Racing (TSR) is switching to the automaker’s crosstown rival, Chevy, which will supply power for Stewart’s race car moving forward.

According to a report from FloRacing, TSR and driver Donny Schatz announced their separation from Ford Performance on Friday, March 28^th, 2025. The No. 15 Sprint Car has utilized Ford engines for nine years, but will now use Chevy built powerhouses.

“For more than nine years, TSR has worked collaboratively with Ford Performance and Shaver Specialty Racing Engines on the development of the FPS410 engine,” Schatz wrote on social media. “While that development will continue, TSR will take a step back from running Ford engines during points-paying races beginning tonight at Lawton Speedway.”

Schatz, a 10-time World of Outlaws champion, has been at the forefront of the development of Ford’s FPS410 engine for the last five years. That engine has propelled Schatz to 22 individual WoO wins. Schatz’s engine builder, Ron Shaver, lent his expertise to the FPS410, serving as an advisor and eventually transitioning to the role of lead engine builder. Interestingly, the FPS410 was infamous for producing too much horsepower, prompting Shaver to find a way to de-tune the powerhouse to help Schatz’s Sprint Car handle better in traffic.

The shift to Chevy backed engines is effective immediately. Shaver will be responsible for the Chevy engines as well.

The pivot away from Ford Performance engines in Sprint Cars echoes Tony Stewart and his former NASCAR team, Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR). SHR was allied with Ford in the Cup Series, but the team shut down at the end of the 2024 racing season as Stewart relinquished his ownership role. Stewart said he didn’t like the direction of the sport, and decided to pull the plug to focus on drag racing and Sprint Cars in 2025 and beyond.