The championship-winning Ford team currently fields four Mustangs in the Cup Series, as well as two in the Xfinity Series in which van Gisbergen currently races full-time.
He has made clear his ambition to be racing full-time in the top tier in 2025, and SHR’s closure means four charters are now on the market, with Trackhouse Racing among the possible buyers.
However, the New Zealander’s situation is not as simple as merely relying on Trackhouse acquiring an additional charter.
He faces internal competition for what seats do exist at the Justin Marks-led team, which presently fields Ross Chastain and Daniel Suarez in the Cup Series and has placed Zane Smith at Spire Motorsports.
Chastain and Smith are already contracted for 2025; and van Gisbergen’s “Developmental Program,” as the team announced it last September, suggests Trackhouse has longer-term plans for him; but Suarez is reportedly expected to sign a new deal soon.
Furthermore, when Smith’s current agreement with Trackhouse was announced days after the Kiwi’s, that press release stated “its aim to operate three full-time NASCAR Cup Series entries in 2025.”
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With the possibility that NASCAR’s new charter system will limit teams to three charters, that counts against van Gisbergen’s hopes of graduating to the top tier as a full-timer next year.
However, if the Spire relationship continues, the 2022 Trucks champion can be brought into Trackhouse’s own Cup squad, freeing up that seat for promoting van Gisbergen instead.
In any case, this looks to be the second time that SHR’s woes have presented an opportunity for Trackhouse.
After 2014 Cup Series champion Kevin Harvick announced his retirement, beer giant Anheuser-Busch made the decision to join the #1 Chevrolet entry this year.
That and the impending loss of support from Ford are being cited as factors in the demise of the once powerful operation.
The joint statement from co-owners Tony Stewart and Gene Haas announcing the closure read:
“We have made the difficult decision to close Stewart-Haas Racing at the conclusion of the 2024 season. It is a decision that did not come easily, nor was it made quickly.
“Racing is a labor-intensive, humbling sport. It requires unwavering commitment and vast resources, with a 365-day mindset to be better than everyone else. It’s part of what makes success so rewarding.
“But the commitment needed to extract maximum performance while providing sustainability is incredibly demanding, and we’ve reached a point in our respective personal and business lives where it’s time to pass the torch.
“We’re proud of all the wins and championships we’ve earned since joining together in 2009, but even more special is the culture we built and the friendships we forged as we committed to a common cause — winning races and collecting trophies.
“That is the same commitment we made to our personnel, our partners and our fans coming into this year, and that commitment will remain through the season finale at Phoenix.
“We have tremendous respect and appreciation for all of our employees, and we will work diligently to assist them during this transition to find new opportunities beyond the 2024 race season.”
Haas, of course, now competes in Formula 1 while Stewart established a drag racing team in recent years, for which he and his wife have driven.
Where Cup drivers Chase Briscoe, Noah Gragson, Josh Berry, and Ryan Preece go remains to be seen.
The same applies for 2023 Xfinity champion Cole Custer and team-mate Riley Herbst.
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