Ford is joining forces with Stewart-Haas Racing starting in the 2017 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season after the team signed a multiyear deal to switch manufacturers and engines (Roush Yates Engines). The team currently consists of Tony Stewart, a three-time champion, 2014 champion Kevin Harvick, 2004 champion Kurt Busch and Danica Patrick and drives Chevrolets. "I am proud of our association with Chevrolet as they helped build our organization into the team it is today," said SHR co-owner Stewart in a team statement. "This new partnership with Ford allows us to strengthen our position in the sport and ensure the long-term stability…

By Jared Turner To have been the focus of so much hype during Speedweeks, Hendrick Motorsports laid a bit of an egg in the 500. Of the four Hendrick drivers, the best finisher was Kasey Kahne in 13th. Hendrick drivers Chase Elliott and Dale Earnhardt Jr. both wrecked on their own accord, and Jimmie Johnson, much like Kahne, was basically a non-factor. While a rough Daytona 500 is certainly no cause for alarm for an organization as potent as Hendrick, it did indicate perhaps that the edge the Hendrick drivers – Earnhardt Jr., in particular – have held at plate tracks in…