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Stewart Released From JGR Contract

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Tony Stewart will be released from his contract with Joe Gibbs Racing at the end of this season.

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By TONY FABRIZIO

The Tampa Tribune

Published: July 10, 2008

Two-time Sprint Cup champion Tony Stewart is about to get another NASCAR title:

Boss.

Joe Gibbs Racing announced Wednesday it has released the blustery and temperamental but ultratalented driver from the final year of his contract, clearing the way for him to become a co-owner and driver at Haas CNC Racing next season.

Stewart is expected to announce the move at a news conference today at Chicagoland Speedway. ESPN's Marty Smith reported Wednesday the team will be renamed Stewart Haas Racing in 2009 and Stewart will become the highest-paid driver in NASCAR.

In 101/2 seasons at JGR after winning the 1997 Indy Racing League championship, Stewart has won 32 Cup-level races - tying him for 20th all-time - $68 million in earnings and the 2002 and 2005 series championships.

Gibbs wanted to sign him to an extension, but Stewart, 37, tested the free-agency waters and became intrigued with gaining a stake in NASCAR that would take him beyond his driving days.

"While this moment is bittersweet, we're parting on good terms, and we know that each of us has benefited greatly from the other," JGR President J.D. Gibbs said in a statement. "We're proud of everything we've accomplished together with Tony, and we wish him the best in pursuing his dream of NASCAR team ownership."

Haas CNC has two cars, the Nos. 66 and 70 Chevys driven by Scott Riggs and Johnny Sauter. Ryan Newman, who is in the final year of his contract with Penske Racing, is considered the leading candidate to become Stewart's teammate.

Stewart, winless in 2008 although he lost the Daytona 500 on the final lap and could have had victories at Charlotte and New Hampshire, will finish the season with JGR. He said Wednesday crew chief Greg Zipadelli will remain at Gibbs, ending the longest active driver-crew chief combination.

Joey Logano, the 18-year-old phenom who already has two poles and a victory in four Nationwide Series starts, is the leading candidate to replace Stewart in the No. 20 Toyota.

"I cannot thank Joe and J.D. Gibbs enough for the opportunity they gave me and for the support they've given me throughout my entire NASCAR career," Stewart said.

Stewart already owns USAC and World of Outlaw teams and three race tracks, and he said he modeled his teams after JGR, making it a point to find good people to run them.

"If I've learned anything from my time at Joe Gibbs Racing, it's that Joe Gibbs' saying of, 'You win with people' is incredibly true," Stewart said.

The move to Haas CNC will reunite Stewart with General Motors, a manufacturer he has had a long relationship with. Although Haas CNC has never won a race, and founder Gene Haas is serving a two-year prison sentence for tax evasion, the team gets its engines and chassis from Hendrick Motorsports.

ESPN reported Stewart has secured Office Depot as a sponsor and speculated he might take No. 14, the number of his boyhood hero, A.J. Foyt.

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