Tony Stewart and Kevin Harvick have been close friends in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series for some time and in 2014 they apparently will become teammates as well.
According to a report by ESPN.com’s Marty Smith, Harvick has signed a contract to move from Richard Childress Racing to Stewart-Haas Racing in 2014, where he will join Stewart, Ryan Newman and Danica Patrick in a four-car powerhouse team.
Harvick, expected to be one of the Sprint Cup championship favorites in 2012 after finishing third in both 2010 and ‘11, has had a hugely disappointing season and is 11th in points, mathematically eliminated from title contention with two races left to go on the season.
Richard Childress Racing, Harvick’s home for his entire Sprint Cup career, has struggled mightily this year, going winless so far. The last time the team failed to win a Cup race in a season was 2009.
"Stewart-Haas Racing's driver lineup is all set for 2013, but if you're talking about 2014 and if Kevin Harvick is available, that's something the team would have to look at. Any team in this garage would do the same,” said SHR spokesman Mike Arning in an e-mail response to SPEED.com and other media outlets.
"From the moment Stewart-Haas Racing was formed, becoming a four-car team is something it's been striving for,” Arning said. “They have the infrastructure to accommodate a fourth team, and if everything aligns properly, it's something they'll do. So, if a driver the caliber of Kevin Harvick is available, it's something they would pursue."
Tom Jensen is the Editor in Chief of SPEED.com, Senior NASCAR Editor at RACER and a contributing Editor for TruckSeries.com. You can follow him online at twitter.com/tomjensen100.
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