DAYTONA BEACH, FL - FEBRUARY 13: Tony Stewart 25 Kaulig Racing RAM waves to the crowd prior to the running of the NASCAR, Motorsport, USA Craftsman Truck Series Fresh From Florida 250 on February 13, 2026 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, FL.Photo by Jeff Robinson/Icon Sportswire AUTO: FEB 13 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Fresh From Florida 250 EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon2602133588250
DAYTONA BEACH, FL - FEBRUARY 13: Tony Stewart 25 Kaulig Racing RAM waves to the crowd prior to the running of the NASCAR, Motorsport, USA Craftsman Truck Series Fresh From Florida 250 on February 13, 2026 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, FL.Photo by Jeff Robinson/Icon Sportswire AUTO: FEB 13 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Fresh From Florida 250 EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon2602133588250
Following the messy closure of Stewart-Haas Racing in the NASCAR Cup Series, Tony Stewart settled into the role of a team owner in Sprint Car Racing. However, according to racer Rico Abreu, Stewart has undergone a noticeable change in recent years.
During his recent appearance on Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour podcast, former Stewart-Haas Racing driver Kevin Harvick asked Abreu what it was like working with Stewart and whether he has changed.
"He's definitely changed a lot," Abreu said on the podcast on July 16. "It's been a lot of fun to navigate just being a part of his organization here on the dirt side of things and continuing to set that bar as a championship-caliber race team. He calls when we run good, and he calls when we run bad. The conversations are quite different, but it's really good for me to kind of have somebody in the industry that I can lean on a lot."
DAYTONA BEACH, FL - FEBRUARY 13: Tony Stewart 25 Kaulig Racing RAM prepares to enter his truck during qualifying for the NASCAR, Motorsport, USA Craftsman Truck Series Fresh From Florida 250 on February 13, 2026 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, FL.Photo by Jeff Robinson/Icon Sportswire AUTO: FEB 13 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Fresh From Florida 250 EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon2602131432250
DAYTONA BEACH, FL - FEBRUARY 13: Tony Stewart 25 Kaulig Racing RAM prepares to enter his truck during qualifying for the NASCAR, Motorsport, USA Craftsman Truck Series Fresh From Florida 250 on February 13, 2026 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, FL.Photo by Jeff Robinson/Icon Sportswire AUTO: FEB 13 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Fresh From Florida 250 EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon2602131432250
Abreu further added that the three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion is very much involved in the team's day-to-day operations.
"And I think I've found a huge advantage in that for myself," he said. "Coming from a team owner side of things for Rico Abreu Racing and now being a part of an organization of Tony Stewart Racing and having an actual boss now where I'm not my own boss anymore has been quite interesting to work back and forth with Tony on things. So, it's been a lot of fun. He's been really excited and very in tune with what we're doing."
During his time as the co-owner of Stewart-Haas Racing, the 2020 NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee began being less involved with the operations of the team in 2021.
This stemmed from his frustration with their manufacturer, Ford, after they stopped him from hiring Kyle Larson. It was at that time that Stewart founded SRX, which focused on sprint car racing.
But according to Rico Abreu’s comments, it seems like Tony Stewart has found his passion again as a team owner.
When Rico Abreu opened up about how he joined Tony Stewart Racing
Back in 2025, Abreu made a shocking move to Tony Stewart Racing. He merged his No. 24 team with Stewart’s Brownsburg, Ind., at the end of the season.
Having considered Stewart as a mentor, he wanted "the chance to race for championships and crown jewels with one of the most successful teams in the modern history of the sport."
During a 2025 interview with Motorsports.com, Abreu revealed that he proposed the move to Stewart first.
"I called him and ran the idea by him that we could bring my entire team with me and run it under the TSR banner," He said. "I showed him my infrastructure. I pitched him on how the personality of TSR and Rico Abreu Racing could work together. He said he would think about it."
Fast forward nearly a year, and Tony Stewart Racing is currently leading the owners' championship. Rico Abreu is leading the drivers' championship with four wins and consistently running in the top spots.
Read more on the Daytona Racing Digest!
Written by
Chionia Libania Colaco
Edited by
Arundhoti Palit