CRANDALL: Learning curve in SHR-Roush marriage

Tuesday, 07 February 2017
Kelly Crandall / Images by Ford Performance, Roush Yates Engines, Getty Images

The labor those at Roush Yates Engines have put in over the last year will soon bear fruit.
Stewart-Haas Racing officially begins its tenure with Ford late next week at Daytona International Speedway, bringing about the culmination of an extensive process by their new engine supplier to ensure competitiveness. Calling it "an honor" to build power plants for a championship-caliber organization, Doug Yates, the CEO of Roush Yates Engines, noted plenty of work takes place when a manufacturer change occurs.
"Things that you just take for granted for years," Yates said. "We've been working hand-in-hand with the Stewart-Haas engineers and trying to make sure the integration piece works – the engines fit in the car and their systems the way they like it. Every relationship is a learning curve."
Yates revealed the company had to bring on 60 new engines and hired 30 additional people. Roush Yates also brought on eight new Haas CNC machines. Something as simple as having to add parking spaces was also on the to-do list.
"It's an exciting time for us internally and working hand-in-hand with those guys has been exciting," Yates said.
Tony Stewart and Gene Haas formed Stewart-Haas Racing in 2009, fielding Chevrolets the two were intimately familiar with. Having been in championship contention every year following its inception, Stewart-Haas captured titles in both 2011 and 2014.
However, Ford has been trying to get back to the top since 2004, when Kurt Busch came out victorious in the inaugural season of the playoffs. Everyone involved believes Stewart-Haas will increase the manufacturer's odds, just as Team Penske did when they made the switch from Dodge in 2012.
Stewart-Haas made the shocking announcement of its impending switch in February 2016, and while Yates was excited about what the future could hold, he also understood the two parties were competitors for the time being. So, while time was of the essence to start collaborating with Stewart-Haas engineers, much of that consisted of coming to an understanding of system things.
"Until the season was over we couldn't really go all-in," Yates said. "Our machine shop, which we have about 40 CNC machines now, have been working six days a week, two 10 hour shifts, so pretty much around the clock making parts.
"The shop here, we just have such a dedicated staff of 200 employees at Roush Yates that are really just going all-in to make sure that we're prepared for the season and that the transition is seamless."
Last week's two-day NASCAR organizational test at Phoenix International Raceway helped dot the I's and cross the T's. Finally able to get out of the shop and log laps, Kevin Harvick and crew chief Rodney Childers were able to work through a checklist that will prove invaluable as the season approaches.
Yates called it an "interesting thing" with the two sides, Roush Yates and Stewart-Haas, working toward finding a middle ground when it comes to operating the engine. There were things Roush Yates did that are different than what Stewart-Haas has been used to. Yates said there was some compromising involved.
"It's a long season, and we'll continue to work with them to make sure we're getting everything we can out of the car and the engine," Yates said, "but it has been a lot of work."
All that's left is the moment all have been waiting for: the roar of Roush Yates Engines working hard under the hood of Stewart-Haas Racing Fords in a competitive environment.