Month: December 2019

Introducing Stewart-Haas eSports

Rebranded eSports Team Will Compete in eNASCAR iRacing World Championship Series

Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) has rebranded and bolstered its online sports presence with newly named Stewart-Haas eSports set to compete in the eNASCAR iRacing World Championship Series beginning with the 2020 season.

Stewart-Haas eSports will field two teams in the eNASCAR iRacing World Championship Series with drivers, numbers and car designs being announced at a later date. The 2020 season will mark the 11th year of the eNASCAR iRacing World Championship Series and it is the only officially sanctioned Esports series of NASCAR.

“We’ve put a lot of time and energy into our eSports efforts and we’re confident of the team we can put forth in the eNASCAR iRacing World Championship Series,” said Mike Verlander, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Stewart-Haas Racing. “The authenticity of iRacing and its global reach is unparalleled. Ideally, our eSports presence facilitates even greater interest in our on-track product in both the NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series, while simultaneously providing our partners with another strong engagement platform.”

The eNASCAR iRacing World Championship Series features the top-40 paved oval sim racers in the world. They compete in racecar replicas engineered from the ground up in cooperation with real-world race teams, applying accurate mechanical and dynamic models on exact copies of the world’s greatest racing circuits.

The 2020 eNASCAR iRacing World Championship Series begins in February at the virtual Daytona International Speedway and runs through October with the series champion receiving their trophy, ring and check during pre-race ceremonies on Nov. 8 prior to the season-ending NASCAR Cup Series race at ISM Raceway near Phoenix.

The 2020 season will mark Stewart-Haas eSports’ first year in the eNASCAR iRacing World Championship Series, but it won’t be the organization’s first stint in eSports. Stewart-Haas eSports won the inaugural eNASCAR Heat Pro League championship in October under its previous moniker, Stewart-Haas Gaming. The name change to Stewart-Haas eSports better aligns the outfit with the burgeoning eSports industry. Stewart-Haas eSports will defend its eNASCAR Heat Pro League title in 2020 where it will again field two drivers in the console-based series – one for Xbox One and the other for PlayStation 4. 

About Stewart-Haas Esports:

NASCAR is the ultimate test of driver acumen and mechanical know-how, where teams scrutinize every detail in a never-ending quest for speed. Stewart-Haas Racing has thrived in this environment, winning races and championships to firmly establish its presence in NASCAR. Stewart-Haas eSports emulates these efforts in the virtual world, where sim technology provides a visceral experience that amplifies the grit and determination of NASCAR drivers in the real world. Stewart-Haas eSports is a natural extension of Stewart-Haas Racing, where competition and simulation are one. For more information, please visit us online at www.StewartHaasRacing.com and follow on Twitter @SHR_eSports.

About Stewart-Haas Racing:

Stewart-Haas Racing is the title-winning NASCAR team co-owned by three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Tony Stewart and Gene Haas, founder of Haas Automation – the largest CNC machine tool builder in North America. The Kannapolis, North Carolina-based organization has won two NASCAR Cup Series titles, one NASCAR Xfinity Series championship and more than 70 NASCAR races, including such crown-jewel events as the Daytona 500, Brickyard 400 and Southern 500. For more information, please visit us online at www.StewartHaasRacing.com, on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/StewartHaasRacing, on Twitter @StewartHaasRcng and on Instagram @StewartHaasRacing.

Stewart-Haas Racing Announces 2020 Crew Chief Lineup for NASCAR Cup Series Teams

Mike Shiplett Promoted to No. 41 Team Crew Chief; Mike Bugarewicz Moves to No. 10 Team and John Klausmeier Moves to No. 14 Team; Rodney Childers Remains with No. 4 Team for Seventh Straight Season

Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) has announced the 2020 crew chief lineup for its four NASCAR Cup Series teams.

The most notable change is the promotion of crew chief Mike Shiplett to the No. 41 team. SHR brings Shiplett up from its NASCAR Xfinity Series program where he spent the 2019 season guiding Cole Custer to a career-high seven wins and six poles with a runner-up finish in the championship standings. Shiplett will be paired with Custer again in 2020, as the 21-year-old Custer runs for rookie-of-the year honors

Crew chiefs John Klausmeier and Mike “Buga” Bugarewicz will swap teams, with Klausmeier going to the No. 14 team of Clint Bowyer and Bugarewicz going to the No. 10 team of Aric Almirola.

Klausmeier has been the No. 10 crew chief since 2018, where he and Almirola combined for 29 top-10 finishes, highlighted by a victory on Oct. 14, 2018 at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway. The duo made the NASCAR Playoffs in each of their two seasons together, with Almirola finishing a career-best fifth in the 2018 championship.

Bugarewicz has led the No. 14 team since 2016, where he was Tony Stewart’s crew chief for his last NASCAR season before being paired with Bowyer in 2017. Bugarewicz helped Stewart secure his 49th and final NASCAR Cup Series victory at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway and continued winning with Bowyer, securing two victories in 2018 – March 26 at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway and June 10 at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn – as part of a three-year stint that garnered 47 top-10s and two appearances in the NASCAR Playoffs.

Rodney Childers returns as Kevin Harvick’s crew chief with the No. 4 team for the seventh straight year. Since joining forces in 2014, Childers and Harvick have combined to produce 26 victories, 25 poles, 106 top-five finishes and 153 top-10s. They have led 9,608 laps and made the Championship 4 five times in the last six years. They won the 2014 NASCAR Cup Series title and have finished runner-up twice, to 2015 champion Kyle Busch and to 2018 champion Joey Logano.

“Our biggest asset at Stewart-Haas Racing is our people, and we strive to put each person in the best position to succeed,” said Greg Zipadelli, Vice President of Competition, SHR. “Our driver/crew chief pairings for next season reflect this ideology, and we believe this lineup provides the best opportunity to win every time we unload our Ford Mustangs at the racetrack.”

About Stewart-Haas Racing:

Stewart-Haas Racing is the title-winning NASCAR team co-owned by three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Tony Stewart and Gene Haas, founder of Haas Automation – the largest CNC machine tool builder in North America. The Kannapolis, North Carolina-based organization has won two NASCAR Cup Series titles, one NASCAR Xfinity Series championship and more than 70 NASCAR races, including such crown-jewel events as the Daytona 500, Brickyard 400 and Southern 500. For more information, please visit us online at www.StewartHaasRacing.com, on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/StewartHaasRacing, on Twitter @StewartHaasRcng and on Instagram @StewartHaasRacing.