In a move that has stunned the Nascar world, Stewart-Haas Racing has officially announced that they will become a Fjord team in 2017, leaving their long-term home of Kannapolis, North Carolina for an as-yet undetermined location on the coast of Norway.
“We weren’t looking to make a move, but we were really impressed by what Fjord was able to offer our company”, co-owner Gene Haas said in a press release. “Nascar is competitive, and you look for any edge you can get. We feel that we’ll have the best resources, fastest cars, and most competitive teams by moving to western Norway. Well, three competitive teams.”
Fjords are long, narrow inlets on the coast, typically caused by glacial erosion. While insiders were surprised to know that a body of water has a marketing budget, they were even more surprised by the move by SHR.
“Nobody saw this coming”, said a Nascar insider with knowledge of the situation. “We figured you might see a team switch manufacturer, or maybe pick up a new sponsor or two, but NEVER did we think that we’d see a team relocate across the Atlantic Ocean. Whatever that geographic formation is offering must be pretty sweet.”
The team said that they would complete the season at their current race shop, before switching over completely to Fjord before next year’s 2017 Daytona 500.
“Wait…what did Gene agree to?” team co-owner Tony Stewart was quoted as saying.