As most predicted, Tony Stewart and Stewart Haas Racing’s announcement on Friday afternoon brought to a close at least two of the lingering mysteries surrounding the team’s future for 2009. Stewart announced that the side of his car next season would be labeled with the no. 14, previously made famous by his racing idol and longtime friend, AJ Foyt. They also announced that the second team car will carry the no. 4, which was the first car number Stewart raced with, way back when he was still racing Go-Karts.

Additionally, Stewart announced that the team has partnered with both Office Depot and Old Spice as the primary sponsor for the no. 14 next season. Old Spice, with whom Tony has had a long-standing relationship with in the Nationwide Series, will sponsor the car for 16 races, with Office Depot carrying the weight for the other 20. This deal seems to work well for both companies as Office Depot was unable to foot the bill that it would have cost them to return with Carl Edwards’ no. 99 team over at Roush-Fenway Racing in 2009, and it also gives Old Spice their break into the Sprint Cup Series.

Near the end of the press conference, Stewart was, of course, confronted with the question of who would drive the second car for Stewart Haas Racing in 2009.

“It’s about three guys right now,” Stewart said. “You look out there and there are not a lot of guys available to begin with that we think would fit the program. It’s down to three at most, and realistically two.”

About two hours after Stewart’s press conference, reporters also caught up with Ryan Newman, the alleged front-runner to drive what we now know is the no. 4 car. As you’d probably expect, Newman was fronted with similar questions pertaining to his future employer.

“One. I have it prett well narrowed down. For me right now, it’s more a matter of paperwork and finalizing everything before I can announced something,” Newman stated. “I don’t have a contract to drive anyplace right now, nothing on paper. I have offers and I am choosing the best one.”

Tony was also asked if he’d spoken with Newman how he felt about the car being numbered 4, to which Stewart responded, “I haven’t asked Ryan or the other two how they feel about any car numbers right now. It’s more about trying to figure out if they are going to be the right person for the organization and which one of them is really interested in us.”

Other drivers on or potentially on the free agent market thta are considered to be lead prospects for a move to Stewart Haas Racing include Martin Truex Jr. and Casey Mears. Truex is still working out his 2009 option and a possible extension with DEI, whereas Mears was recently released from Hendrick Motorsports for next season.

Newman, on the other hand, had previously stated that there were really only three options he was considering upon his departure from Penske Racing. Most people have believed those options to be Stewart Haas, the no. 33 car at Richard Childress Racing, or possibly even taking Stewart’s current ride, the no. 20 over at Joe Gibbs Racing. Most people believe, however, that the young Joey Logano is likely to wind up in the 20 car.

Post from: EveryJoe

Stewart-Haas Racing; Ryan Newman Have Narrowed Their Options

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Several sources are indicating that Tony Stewart and his newly formed Stewart-Haas Racing are expected to make an announcement this Friday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. While many people are quick to jump to the conclusion that this announcement will put a close to the highly anticipated second driver scenario, that does not appear to be the case. Instead, Stewart is expected to officially announce that his car next season will be the no. 14 – the same number driven by racing legend, AJ Foyt – and, that he has come to an agreement that will partner Office Depot and Old Spice as his primary sponsors in 2009.

The general concensus is that Ryan Newman, who recently announced his departure from Penske Racing next season, will eventually be tabbed as the second driver for Stewart’s organization. While Newman says that he’s getting close to finalizing his decision on who he will drive for next season and Stewart says that they’re narrowing down their choices for a second driver, Newman is not expected to be involved in any announcements over the racing weekend.

Post from: EveryJoe

Stewart-Haas Racing Expected to Make Announcement on Friday

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Tony Stewart has won 32 races, finished in the top-five 125 times, and has recorded 200 top-ten finishes through 9 1/2 seasons of racing in the Sprint Cup Series for Joe Gibbs Racing. He has also brought home two championships for the organization during that timeframe, but at the completion of his tenth season with the company, Tony will say goodbye to the Gibbs family and venture out into the unknown as a 50% owner and a full-time driver for what was formerly known as Haas CNC Racing in 2009.

Stewart Haas Racing, as the new company will be called, will take on a new image with Tony Stewart behind the wheel and serving as the face man for the organization. While they will continue to receive support from Hendrick Motorsports, a great deal remains unknown about the team’s inaugural season together. Car numbers, sponsorship, and a second driver are all question marks, as is the team’s performance capabilities coming right out of the gate.

Earlier this week, the “Loose in Turn 3″ panel was asked to discuss what Stewart Haas Racing can accomplish next season compared to what the expectations are for them in 2009.

Q: What are the realistic expectations for the newly formed Stewart-Haas Racing in 2009?

TZ: It’s going to be a long, tough road for this team for the first couple of seasons – probably moreso than many people realize. But, the fact of the matter is that Tony Stewart is one of the smartest and most talented race car drivers of the modern era, so if anyone can get this done, I really believe he’s the guy. They’ve always said that Smoke’s a guy that can drive anything, anywhere, so now I guess we’ll get to find out firsthand. I look for them to get out there and win 2 or 3 races between the two cars, though that could largely depend on who winds up in the second car. But, as much as I hate to admit it, I think a bid for the Chase could be a longshot in their first go ’round.

Bruce:  I expect, with his experience running teams in other racing leagues, that he’s got great insight into what needs to be done.  I’d be surprised if they do win a race, but I expect the team to do well enough to give everyone a sit up and stare moment as they contend for the cup.  I mean with the top 12 cars in the Chase, that’s 27.9% of the field.  It won’t be that hard I think.

Charlie: Realistic expectations the new owner/operators of a team that has both cars sitting outside the top thirty five right now. Anybody who qualifies can – I say can - win a race in todays NASCAR. Particularly plate races. But it isn’t reasonable to expect. Neither is a finish in the Chase. I say one car in the top twenty in points and the other a top five qualifier. That would not be a bad result for 2009.

Quite a bit of controversy has been “brewing” as of late throughout the country as it was learned that InBev, the largest beer European beer distributor (and in the world) has purchased the Anheuser-Busch company for the sum of $52 million. Anheuser is the maker of Budweiser – “the Great American Lager” – and has one of the top marketing strategies in the US, which includes a major role in an array of professional sports, to include NASCAR. We’ve already seen Anheuser pull out as the official beer of NASCAR this season, and now many analysts are discussing whether or not this corporate takeover will have an effect on the Budweiser sponsorship of the no. 9 Gillette-Evernham car driven by Kasey Kahne, as well as their other sponsorship roles in the sport.

Read more on this over at Bruce’s NASCAR Bits ‘n’ Pieces.

Penske Racing has recently announced that they will part ways with 8-year driver of their no. 12 Alltel Dodge, Ryan Newman, at the end of their 2008 campaign. Will many people firmly believe that Newman is on his way over to Stewart-Haas Racing to reunite with former Crew Chief, Matt Borland, and to create the first Indiana “Hoosier” connection in NASCAR, there has been much debate over whom Roger Penske has slated to drive for his team next season. Casey Mears remains on the free agent market after his release from Hendrick Motorsports, and Penske already has David Stremme in their pocket as a backup and test driver, but there are also a few drivers out there lurking that we haven’t talked much about during the early stages of this Silly Season.

Read more on this over at On Pit Row.

Post from: EveryJoe

Stewart Haas Racing Could Get Loose in Turn 3

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*UPDATED* 

Sources are reporting that two-time Sprint Cup Series champion, Tony Stewart, has been granted his release from the final year of his contract with Joe Gibbs Racing. Stewart is expected to make the announcement on Thursday at Chicagoland Speedway his plans to move to Haas CNC Racing as a driver and 50% owner next season, and the company will reportedly change its name to Stewart Haas Racing.

 The deal will also make Stewart the highest paid driver in NASCAR, and Office Depot will be named as the car’s primary sponsor for 2009. A deal may also be in the works to add Old Spice and possibly Jack Daniels as associate sponsors, but they have yet to nail down a sponsor for the team’s other car.

Additionally, Haas CNC Racing, which currently features the no. 66 and no. 70 cars driven by Scott Riggs and Johnny Sauter, may change their car numbers. Though no numbers have yet been settled on, some believe that they may opt to change one of the car numbers to no. 14, the same number as former racing legend, AJ Foyt. Ryan Newman – in the final year of his contract with Penske Racing – is rumored to drive the car opposite of Stewart, and that deal is also expected to happen sometime in the coming weeks. 

As for Joe Gibbs Racing, they have not yet named a driver for the no. 20 car next year, but popular belief is that it will be Nationwide Series rookie standout, Joey Logano. Greg Zipadelli – Stewart’s longtime friend and Crew Chief – is already locked up to a long-term deal with Gibbs, and has stated that he will remain the organization, despite his disappointment with Smoke’s departure.

We will continue to track this story as it develops throughout the day.

Post from: EveryJoe

Tony Stewart Granted Release from JGR

Through 55 years of racing at NASCAR’s top level, the Wood Brothers have established themselves amongst the all-time winningest teams in the sport’s history with an accumulated 97 wins amongst the organization. The organization has housed such legendary names as Cale Yarbrough, David Pearson, Davey Allison, AJ Foyt, Tiny Lund, Dale Jarrett, Ricky Rudd, and Dan Gurney. The team made history in the late 70’s when they were invited to the White House by former U.S. President, Jimmy Carter … Yet, Wood Brothers Racing has not visited Victory Lane since Elliott Sadler’s 2001 win at Bristol Motor Speedway, and the organization has been relegated to one of stock car racing’s proverbial laughing stocks in recent years.

With the team struggling, and the evolution of the NASCAR economy seeming to work against them and the Ford Racing program, team owner Glen Wood sought to keep the driving program afloat by signing veteran drivers Bill Elliott and Ken Schrader to drive the no. 21 Ford for the team in 2007. The end result, however, was less than desirable as the combination failed to net the Wood Bros. a single top-ten finish, and much hasn’t changed in 2008 with Elliott again behind the wheel this year, this time being complimented by Jon Wood on occassion.

So, what does a team do when they’ve fallen so far off of the mark of excellence that they themselves established so long ago? They go out and fetch themselves the 31-year-old Aussie that’s largely credited with the revival of Ford Racing in Australia - Marcos Ambrose. Adequately named the “Tasmanian Devil,” Ambrose, a former Formula Ford Euro Cup and 2x former V8 Supercar Championship Series champion, broke into the NASCAR scene in 2006 when the Wood Brothers / JTG Racing partnership signed Ambrose to compete in full-time in the Craftsman Truck Series. Not being cleared by NASCAR to compete in the first three races of the season, Ambrose was limited to 22 races in which he garnered 4 top-ten finishes, including a pair of 3rd place runs at Nashville and Kansas.

The team then set Ambrose’s sights on the Nationwide Series in 2007, where Marcos tallied 6 top-ten runs through 35 events and ultimately finished 8th in the overall points standings, and was the third highest ranked non-Cup regular in the standings. 2008 has gotten Marcos off to a bit of a slower start in the series, where he currently sits 13th in points, but a 2nd place run at the road course in Mexico earlier in the season prompted a callup from the Wood Brothers this past weekend at Infineon.

Slated to make his long-awaited Sprint Cup debut behind the wheel of the famed no. 21 Ford Fusion, Ambrose got the weekend off to a great start when he was the 7th fastest during qualifying, and then led the final practice session on Saturday. Looking to prove his road course prowess was no joke and that he belonged at NASCAR’s premier level, Ambrose then established himself as one of the top cars in the field and definitely one of the guys to beat on Sunday, though looking at the box score following the race, you’d have never known it unless you’d watched the race yourself.

Marcos ran with the leaders and stayed up around the top-five all day long, even when pit strategies shuffled several of the other race leaders back into the pack. Only some unprovoked contact from Elliott Sadler late in the race kept him from getting the finish he deserved, and yet, even after a 42nd place run, both Ambrose and the Wood Brothers organization were rather upbeat following the race.

“Just awesome,” he said. “I couldn’t believe it. Here I am, passing Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon, racing with Earnhardt Jr, it’s just fantastic. It’s what I dreamed about, what I dreamed it would be like. It’s certainly like that. It’s just fantastic. It’s just a real shame we couldn’t finish the race.”

While most people probably find it tough to see the silver lining in a 42nd place finish, those that have followed the Wood Brothers throughout the years know that they’ve been far from competitive the last few years, and that even though the finish wasn’t indicative of the good run, it’s a huge morale booster for the organization to have a car run as well as Marcos did on Sunday. Ambrose is now scheduled to compete in seven more Cup events in the no. 21 car, including next weekend at New Hampshire and the August road course race at Watkins Glen.

*Credit photo to Newscom.

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Is Ambrose the Ticket for the Wood Bros.’ Return to Prosperity?