By Jenna Fryer
Associated Press
CHARLOTTE ó Joe Gibbs Racing will release Tony Stewart from his contract at the end of the season, ending an incredibly successful decade in which they won two championships and turned the organization into one of NASCAR’s best.
Stewart was expected to address JGR employees Wednesday, but his release, which J.D. Gibbs called “bittersweet,” was announced by the team.
“While this moment is bittersweet, we’re parting on good terms and we know that each of us has benefited greatly from the other,” Gibbs said in the statement.
Stewart’s departure opens the door for him to buy a NASCAR team, and he called a Thursday new conference at Chicagoland Speedway to discuss his future plans. He’s expected to announce he’s purchased majority ownership in the fledgling Haas-CNC two-car team.
Stewart joined JGR in a developmental role in 1997 while he was still competing in the IndyCar Series. He ran five Nationwide Series races for JGR that year, and also won the IRL championship. He expanded his Nationwide schedule in 1998 to 22 events in preparation of his move to full-time NASCAR in the Cup Series.
His arrival helped JGR expand to two teams, and Stewart was an immediate impact on the Cup Series. He set a rookie record with three victories in 1999 while winning rookie of the year honors. It began a 10-year run that’s seen Stewart win at least two events a season.
With 32 career victories, Cup championships in 2002 and 2005 and more than $68 million in winnings, it’s been one of the most steady and successful partnerships in NASCAR history. JGR wanted Stewart to sign an extension beyond his current contract ó which expires at the end of 2009 ó and run his entire career in the No. 20.
But the 37-year-old Stewart instead tested free agency and was tantalized by the idea of owning his own race team. By becoming an owner, Stewart was intrigued in securing a spot in NASCAR long after he finished driving.
“While our time together is coming to an end, we know there’s still a lot of racing left this season and we plan to make the most of it,” Gibbs said. “On behalf of everyone at JGR, 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.”
It’s been a rocky season for Stewart, who is stuck in a 32-race winless streak dating back to last August at Watkins Glen. He lost the Daytona 500 on the last lap, the Coca-Cola 600 when his tire went flat while leading late, and several other races because of a bizarre streak of bad luck that has plagued him all season.
He was sick last Saturday night at Daytona International Speedway, and after driving the car as high as third, had to climb out of the seat just before the halfway point for relief driver J.J. Yeley.
Yeley brought the car home in 20th, and Stewart is now 12th in the standings, clinging to the final spot in the Chase for the championship field.
Now Stewart appears headed to a driver-owner role at Haas, which has been run by general manager Joe Custer since owner Gene Haas began serving a two-year prison sentence for tax evasion in January. The team currently fields one car for Scott Riggs, and a second entry that’s been piloted by several drivers this season.
Both teams are outside the top-35 in points and were devastated by a stiff NASCAR penalty in May for bringing illegal cars to Lowe’s Motor Speedway.
But Stewart is expected to gut the place ó changing almost everything, including the car numbers ó while driving one of the Chevrolets himself. Fellow Indiana native Ryan Newman is believed to be in the running for the second seat. Newman has been noncommittal on his future plans, and the Daytona 500 winner is in the final year of his contract with Penske Racing.
He thanked the organization for sticking by him, and teaching him much of what he knows as a businessman.
“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. They always surrounded me with not just good people, but great people, and the results speak for themselves.”
Stewart’s departure means the end of the longest active driver-crew chief relationship in the garage. Greg Zipadelli helped build the No. 20 team around Stewart at inception, and will likely stay behind at JGR to help groom 18-year-old protege Joey Logano into NASCAR’s next superstar.
“No matter what, Tony and I will remain close friends,” Zipadelli said. “I know when it comes to the No. 20 team, things will obviously be a lot different next year, but I remain as committed as ever this year to winning races with Tony and securing our spot in the Chase to contend for a third championship.”