Difficult year
“You can't win in F1 on a NASCAR budget. Hell, you can't even win in NASCAR on a NASCAR budget“. This tweet, which circulated on the social media owned by Elon Musk in the hours following the announcement of the change of team principal within the Haas Formula 1 team, perfectly summarizes the 2023 a nightmare experienced by Haas Automation owner Gene Haas.
In fact, on a sporting level, the two main businesses of the 71-year-old manager from Ohio are Formula 1 and the NASCAR championship. In the Circus the American team is a Cinderella, even if the two last places in the Constructors' classification obtained in the last three seasons still represent a serious step back from expectations of the eve. At home, however, Haas, which competes in the main stock car championship, the Cup Series, should be one of the top teams.
Without victories also in the USA
The conditional, however, is a must because the team – which in NASCAR takes the name of Stewart–Haas Racing and is 50% controlled by former driver Tony Stewart – he had a 2023 to forget even overseas. As the tweet we mentioned previously mercilessly testifies, in fact, Haas' Cup Series season ended winlessfor the first time since the team was founded in 2009.
Of the four drivers competing in the championship under the Stewart-Haas team banner, only the veteran Kevin Harvick (who retired from competition at the end of the season) gained access to the playoffs, the decisive phase of the season. His title race, however, was immediately interrupted Harvick finished the championship in 13th position. The other three standard bearers of the team finished their year between 22nd and 30th in the general classification. And we're talking about a team that has won two Cup Series titles in the past.
Just one joy
L'only joy for Gene Haas it came from NASCAR's cadet category, the Xfinity Serieswon by one of its drivers, Cole Custer. Definitely too little, however, to consider evaluating the year just ended as sufficient. The new one began with a managerial revolution – at least in F1 – as abrupt as it was pending. But in the two headquarters in Kannapolis – the headquarters of the NASCAR and Formula 1 teams are opposite each other – the impression is that there is still a long way to go to get back (or get there) to the top.
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