GM exec says Chevy’s success forced Ford to get Stewart-Haas

Mark Kent

, GM's director of racing, has described Ford's joining forces with Stewart-Haas Racing in 2017 as a "bold move" but has pledged support to the team to season's end.

Kent told Motorsport.com: "Ford hasn't won a drivers' or manufacturers' championship in over a decade. So obviously they've been looking at Chevrolet and realizing it takes great teams and great depth to be able to win championships. We've been able to win the last 13 manufacturers' titles and nine of the last 11 drivers' championships. So Ford realized they had to do something. They made a bold move."

While Kent acknowledged the achievements of SHR, he stated that the team's use of Hendrick Motorsports equipment had also made the team susceptible to outside offers. "Satellite teams are obviously the easiest takeover candidates," he observed, "because they don't build their own chassis, don't build their own engines and so it's easier for them to switch alliances. Motorsport.com