NASCAR Community Mourns the Passing of a Popular Stewart-Haas Racing Member

Earlier, tragedy struck the NASCAR community and the Stewart-Haas Racing team. As it turned out, the team’s cook, fondly known as ‘Big John’, passed away. Suffice to say, Youk was a pretty popular figure and will be sorely missed by the paddock.

Former driver Tony Stewart once said about him, “Big John’s a great cook. If we’re in Dover he has Philly cheese steaks. If we’re in New Hampshire he has lobster. He tries to cook stuff that’s sort of special to that area. He keeps it different and it’s always good, and that’s breakfast, lunch and dinner.”

Admittedly, not much is known about the cause of his passing, but many fans flocked to Twitter to pay their respects.

RIP Big John. #Racer pic.twitter.com/aXrLreW1hx

— Dave Moody (@DGodfatherMoody) January 16, 2022

When I was doing @NASCARONFOX TV. I would go down in the CUP garage area to interview people and Big John was so nice to me. “Herman do you want anything to eat?”… Theee nicest man. Sigh https://t.co/L9ifXodxdz

— Kenny Wallace (@Kenny_Wallace) January 17, 2022

So sad! He was such a sweet man

— Krissie Newman (@NewmanKrissie) January 16, 2022

So sad to hear the news of the passing of Big John today..
Big John was our team cook for @StewartHaasRcng at the race tracks for many years. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family.. https://t.co/T0nlj1anID

— Rodney Childers (@RodneyChilders4) January 16, 2022

Oh no. Sweetest dude around. RIP

— Rutledge Wood (@RutledgeWood) January 17, 2022

— Jamie Little (@JamieLittleTV) January 16, 2022

A friend to all, so sorry to hear this. RIP Big John https://t.co/GexuJ33uQH

— Jeff Hammond (@HollywoodJeff) January 17, 2022

Among the consoling masses were former NASCAR driver Kenny Wallace, and SHR crew chief Rodney Childers. As an SHR employee, Childers probably knew Youk pretty well within the team. This is mostly because he has been with the team for a very long time. Interestingly, he teamed up with Meredith Books to launch his own cookbook called ‘Speedway Grill’.

What lies ahead for the Stewart-Haas Racing team?

Now, the organization will have the difficult task of moving on without ‘Big John’ in the garage. According to Stewart, Youk usually stepped up to the plate while taking care of sponsor representatives. The team now has to hire a cook to replace the man that has been with them since 1995. In other words, it will be a difficult task for anyone to fill Youk’s shoes.

Meanwhile, the drivers will try to have their focus on the track and the upcoming 2022 Cup Series season. This is the start of a new era in the sport with the Next Gen cars. So, the team will want to be the first one to come out swinging.

READ MORE: Kevin Harvick’s Crew Chief Reacts to NASCAR’s Rules for the 2022 Next Gen Cars

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