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Thanks to a recent report by Bob Pockrass of Fox Sports, many NASCAR fans are thinking of the next big Silly Season move. One such move involves two Tier One Ford teams, Front Row Motorsports and Stewart-Haas Racing. Could the two be teaming up?
Pockrass mentioned that SHR’s contract with Ford is up at the end of the year, and the contract has not yet been renewed. That’s not new as Jordan Bianchi originally reported that in early March, but, it’s still important as SHR potentially leaving Ford could lead to downsizing. We discussed that in the article below.
Pockrass also added some context to the report of SHR selling charters, saying SHR “Has sent prospective buyers information on what it would take to purchase a charter.” He also listed the different race teams in the market for the charter including Trackouse Racing, Legacy Motor Club, 23XI Racing, and a new entry, Front Row Motorsports. This is what he added on Front Row Motorsports, and where the teaming up idea came from.
Front Row, if it expands, also likely would need more space. SHR, which has two big buildings (one a Cup shop, the other that has served as the Haas Formula 1 U.S headquarters), also could sell one of its buildings if it downsizes.
Bob Pockrass
This doesn’t explicitly say that FRM and SHR will team up. However, the pieces are there for that to happen.
Matt Weaver further added to this report the next day. He reported that SHR could be selling their building and maybe their entire operation alongside the charters.
There are a few scenarios that could play out.
If FRM does buy a charter and expands, it could buy SHR’s building and the two could merge. This is not an unprecedented practice in NASCAR. In 2009, Gillett Evernham Motorsports and Petty Enterprises merged to form Richard Petty Motorsports, and, that same year, Dale Earnhardt Inc. merged with Chip Ganassi Racing to form Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing.
FRM could also buy SHR out entirely. We’ve also seen this before, including Trackhosue buying out Chip Ganassi Racing in 2021 and Spire Motorsports buying out Kyle Busch Motorsports in 2023.
There’s also the option of both teams remaining separate entities but working on the same campus. This happens at all levels of the sport. In the Cup Series, Kaulig Racing is housed on the same campus as Richard Childress Racing, and in the Craftsman Truck Series, Faction46 is on the same campus at Niece Motorsports. This typically coincides with a technical alliance between the teams as well.
The two teams are already pretty tight-knit as they are Tier One Ford teams. They both get a lot of the same resources from Ford, even if FRM’s official technical alliance is with Team Penske.
It also makes sense for FRM to expand as well. They have fielded a 3rd, non-chartered entry here and there throughout the past few years, so, they have the resources to bring a third car for certain weekends. Then again, as Pockrass reported, they’re not the only ones looking for a charter.
Could a teaming up happen? Yes, it could.
Will it happen? That’s tough to tell given how crowded the charter market is.
