Stewart Haas Racing is moving forward since their inception in 2009. They have moved from a two car team to a three car team. Owner, Tony Stewart, has added arguably the most popular driver in the sport. There is a lot of pressure on this team this year. Can they live up to the hype of the dominate three car team? Can they compete with the Hendricks, Roush, and Joe Gibbs Racing of the world? Can Tony Stewart get back to his championship ways? Can Ryan Newman rebound from a sub par season in 2012? Can Danica not let the relationship with fellow rookie of the year contender Ricky Stenhouse Jr. effect her? Will the Kevin Harvick to SHR in 2014 distract the team this year?
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There seems to be a lot of question marks around this group, but the tools are all there for a huge success. This is a huge year for Ryan Newman because it will determine if he will be in the mix for 2014 and beyond. Will he be a part of a four car SHR team in 2014 when Kevin Harvick comes over or will there just be a three car team? Newman needs to get back into the chase for this to be a successful year.
Danica Patrick has to put her relationship aside and get to business on the track. She will do that, but will the media let her do that? Danica needs to deflect the storm of media and she will be fine. She is a rookie of the year contender, but as long as she can stay in the top 30 for points, she will be an accomplishment for this team.
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Tony Stewart has to rebound and become a championship contender that he was in 2011. Bass Pro Shop is looking for a winner and they want to go to victory lane. They have invested a lot in Tony and this team to get into the chase and get back into the championship conversation.
There will be ups and downs for SHR this year, but it should be a good year for all involved if they can finish races and be consistent in the top 20 for all three cars.
