Pondering Stewart’s next move

By Brian Hunsicker

Published: April 26, 2008

If we are to believe the reports about Tony Stewart's departure from Joe Gibbs Racing—perhaps sooner, perhaps later—we are to believe this: Stewart wants to re-unite with Chevrolet and he wants to get into team ownership.

He's already done the latter, with his own sprint car team and his purchase of Eldora Speedway in Ohio. If he's serious about getting into top-level NASCAR ownership, there are few places where he would be offered such an opportunity, particularly in the Chevy camp.

The initial reports of Stewart's contact with Haas-CNC Racing, one of Sprint Cup's backmarkers, were jarring. Such a position for one of the racing's elite drivers would seem to be beneath him.

But where else would Stewart go?

At Hendrick Motorsports, the camp is full with four drivers. Only Casey Mears' contract expires in the next two years—the same year as Stewart's—his performance has not been to the level of his teammates and perhaps he'll be looking for work once the contract expires. But that won't be until 2009, unless Hendrick would decide to part with a driver a year early, just as he did with Kyle Busch, which brought Dale Earnhardt Jr. into the fold.

But the ownership angle would leave Stewart wanting. Hendrick seems happy to preside over NASCAR's dominant organization.

Richard Childress will have a vacancy next season if Stewart can get out of his contract. Childress will field a fourth team in 2009 and has sponsorship in place with General Mills. But whether Stewart's longtime sponsor, Home Depot, will go with him remains to be seen. And, like any openings at Hendrick, ownership would likely not be an option, unless Childress suddenly decides to retire to his vineyard.

After that, the Chevy lineup drops off significantly. Dale Earnhardt Inc. ranks as a mid-level team, with Martin Truex Jr. the only driver with a decent shot at making the Chase. But would Stewart tolerate such an inconsistent engine problem, as Earnhardt Jr. fans know too well? Moreover, the ownership issue would again be troublesome; if Teresa Earnhardt didn't give in to her son-in-law, why would she sell off to Stewart?

That leaves the struggling teams, like Haas-CNC and Furniture Row Racing. Yes, Joe Nemechek won the pole for today's race in Talladega. But being outside of the top 35 in owner points, Nemechek ran in race trim while those guaranteed to make the race used qualifying trim. It's hard to imagine him spending more than a handful of laps in the lead.

Both organizations are struggling. Furniture Row started the season with two entries, but went to a single car early on. Haas-CNC recently made a driver change, replacing Jeremy Mayfield with Johnny Sauter, and its principal owner, Gene Haas, is three months into a two-year prison sentence for tax evasion.

With an ownership void, Haas-CNC does become more appealing than other entries, if that is as important to Stewart as we are led to believe. And despite its status as an also-ran, the team also receives equipment and guidance from Hendrick.

So Stewart's potential deal with Haas-CNC may not be as far-fetched as it first seemed. There's still a lot to hammer out, and Stewart wasn't specific—as we'd fully expect—in his comments this week at Talladega.

Silly season has started. And it's only April. Who knows where we'll be in five months.

Brian Hunsicker is a staff writer for the Potomac News & Manassas Journal Messenger. Reach him at 703-878-8048 or via e-mail at .