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Some of the most popular talk this year in NASCAR’s ever growing rumor mill has circulated around Tony Stewart and his contract with Joe Gibbs Racing, which currently carries him through the 2009 Sprint Cup season. With numerous rides potentially being opened for 2009, and offers reportedly being thrown at him all over the place, the media has long speculated that Tony has asked for an early release from his contract following the conclusion of this year, though sources have yet to confirm such allegations. Many want to believe him to be a solid candidate to fill the new seat opening up over at Richard Childress Racing, while some claim that he is looking towards Haas CNC Racing or maybe even JR Motorsports (should Dale Earnhardt Jr. elect to bring the team into Cup competition next year) where he could potentially gain ownership interests in the team, as well as reviving his long-standing relationship with GM and Chevrolet.

On the other side of the spectrum, there’s been a lot of hype revolving around 18 year old, Joey Logano, who is set to make his Nationwide Series debut this weekend at Dover for the Heluva Good! 200 on Saturday. Not since the emergence of Jeff Gordon to the stock car world in the early 90’s has a driver’s NASCAR debut been so highly anticipated, and some have even taken to nicknaming the kid as “Sliced Bread,” in reference to the ol’ saying, “the best thing since sliced bread.” Mark Martin spotted Logano out three years ago at the age of 15 and already claimed that he was a driver to keep an eye on. Since then he’s managed to win the 2007 Camping World East Series championship in a season that brought him seven victories, and he also won in his ARCA Series debut earlier this year. He’s so highly thought of that Joe Gibbs Racing has even decided to debut him in the Nationwide Series behind the wheel of the no. 20 car – the winningest car in the series so far this year – and, even signed him to an 18 race deal this year.

The only problem currently staring the suits at Gibbs Racing in the face right now – and, it’s a good problem to have – is that they have too much talent, right? Already filling their lineup in the Cup Series is a two-time Cup Series champ in Stewart, the current points leader in Kyle Busch, and Denny Hamlin, who made the Chase field in both of his first two seasons in the series, and appears to be well on his way to doing so again this year. So, when you take these two stories and add them together, the quick summation is that Logano would be a very likely candidate to take Stewart’s place upon his departure from Joe Gibbs Racing … but, according to David Newton over at the Sporting News, that’s not exactly what Gibbs has in mind.

JD Gibbs, president of Joe Gibbs Racing, says that rather than focusing on replacing one of their current drivers, their goal is to have Logano seat a fourth team car when he’s ready to progress to the Sprint Cup Series. He stated that they’re still negotiation with Stewart for an extenstion beyond 2009. He also stated that under no circumstances would they release Smoke from his current obligations, and also reitterated the fact that Tony has never asked to be released.

“We’re still just trying to feel out exactly where he is and exactly he feels. We want him to be here,” says Gibbs. “I want him to be here for a long period of time. At the end of the day, all we can control is through next year.”

A large factor in determining Tony’s future with the organization also lies with sponsor, Home Depot, whom has sponsored Stewart since his arrival to NASCAR in 1999. Home Depot reported a first quarter decline in earnings of 66 percent, and their long-term future in the sport is reported to be uncertain.

“They really are in a lot of ways the decision maker,” Gibbs added. “We want to make sure whatever we do is something that encourages them. We wouldn’t do anything unless they were on board and excited about it.”

I fully expect Stewart to not only finish out his current contract obligations with Joe Gibbs Racing, but to also sign another long-term contract that will lock Tony up with the organization until the near-end of his driving career. I do, however, see him pursuing ownership opportunities outside of JGR, very much in the same fashion that Dale Earnhardt Sr. did late in his career. The only obstacle to doing so is JGR’s current commitment to Toyota, but if anybody could cut a deal to drive for one manufacturer and run a team in the same series under another, a name like Tony Stewart just might be it. Then again, with the horsepower that Toyota’s pumping out, as well as the money and resources they carry in their pocketbook, the best business decision for Tony should he pursue this course could very well be the emblem already on his car.

DYN Imposes:
This week, Do You NASCAR also asks its readers …

1. Will Tony Stewart sign a deal with JGR past the 2009 season?
2. Logano or Stewart – Who would Home Depot rather sponsor on a long-term deal?
3. How long will it take for Joey Logano to progress to the Sprint Cup Series?
4. Which driver will give JGR their next Cup Series championship?

Post from: EveryJoe

Gibbs Says Logano Not Replacing Stewart at JGR

Matt Carter, the recently turned 27 year old son of Travis Carter, gave himself a belated birthday present this past Saturday night at Toledo Speedway by winning the Hantz Group 200. Carter held off Patrick Sheltra in the closing laps of the caution filled race, and managed to escape with the win only 0.115 seconds ahead of his challenger. Matt was making only his seventh career start in the series and has now pulled himself into a tie for the series’ points lead with last week’s race winner, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., just 20 points ahead of Frank Kimmel.

Other notables in the race included David Ragan, who finished fifth; Stenhouse, who finished seventh; and Ken Schrader who raced his way to a ninth place finish. The series will take back to the track on June 7th at Pocono Raceway for the running of the Pocono 200.

Post from: EveryJoe

Son of Cup Team Owner Wins at Toledo

Speed led 55 of the 112 laps, and held a commanding lead over the rest of the field with only 10 laps remaining until a series of wrecks tightened the field up and gave Stenhouse the opportunity to make the pass for the lead on the second restart. Speed went onto finish second, and Ryan Fischer battled his way back from an earlier spin to finish up third. Speed’s teammate, Ken Butler III finished fourth, and John Wesley Townley rounded out the top-five with his fifth place finish.

Following the race, Stenhouse, who took over the lead in the points standings, said, “I don’t know if it has really sunk in yet. I think the win probably won’t sink in until a little later on. We’ve come out here and have had good runs, and to finally have a win is great.”

The series returns to action next Saturday night at Toledo Speedway for the Hantz Group 200.

Post from: EveryJoe

Roush Racing’s Ricky Stenhouse Gets First ARCA Win

10. Justin Allgaier – 21 years-old, currently driving in his third full season in the ARCA/REMAXX Series. Has compiled one victory in each of the past three seasons.

9. Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. – 20 years-old, has recorded 2 wins and 4 top-five’s through his first 20 races in the USAC Series.

8. Brad Keselowski – 24 years-old, currently driving in the Nationwide Series for Bob & Kay Keselowski. Currently 7th in points with 4 top-ten finishes.

7. Steve Wallace – The twenty-year-old son of Rusty Wallace; finished 17th in the Nationwide Series points standings last year, and currently 15th in points with a top-five and two top-ten’s.

6. Marcos Ambrose – The 30-year-old Australlian native has won several accolades in lesser series, and is known as an accomplished road racer. He’s turning that into some noticeable stock car success, and through two seasons has 2 top-five’s and 8 top-ten’s. He’s currently 16th in the Nationwide points standings.

5. Brad Coleman – Brad has a future with Joe Gibbs Racing, though the timeline is still a bit sketchy as long as JGR has Joey Logano in the waiting. He made his debut in the Nationwide Series this year and is currently 17th in points with one top-ten finish through ten races.

4. Austin Dillon – Being the grandson of Cup Series teamowner, Richard Childress, is sure to have its perks, and having the fortune to know that you can one day bring Dale Earnhardt’s former number back into NASCAR one day is one of them. He already has a win this season in the Camping World East Series, and is expected to win quite a few more before long.

3. Chrissy Wallace – She earned herself a top-20 finish in her first career start in the Craftsman Truck Series in March, and has recently signed a deal with Germain Racing that will have her competing full-time in 2009. With her family name, superior backing inside the NASCAR garage, and her appeal as a standout female star, big things could be on the horizon for Chrissy Wallace.

2. Aric Almirola – He’s scheduled to run a part-time schedule this year inside the no. 8 car for DEI that includes 12 races, the first of which came earlier in 2008 with a top-five run at Bristol. He’s currently slated to run full-time for the organization when Mark Martin goes into full retirement, which could be as early as next year.

1. Joey Logano – His future lies with Joe Gibbs Racing, producer of three Cup Series championships, and could have a pretty sweet deal lined up for himself depending on what Tony Stewart decides to do at the end of his contract in 2009. He recently won his first-ever start in the ARCA series a little over a week ago in Rockingham, and will make his first Nationwide start at the end of this month when he turns 18 years old.

Post from: EveryJoe

the Big Ten: Potential Stars in the Waiting

2/9 – Michael Annett won the season opener for the ARCA Series at Daytona this weekend in only his second race for Bill Davis Racing.  Read More.

2/10 – Jimmie Johnson won the Pole Award on Sunday for the Daytona 500, with Michael Waltrip set to start on the race from the outside of the front row.  Read More.

2/12 – Kurt Busch and Tony Stewart have both been placed on probation by NASCAR for the next six races for incidents that occurred during practice sessions for the Budweiser Shootout last Friday. Nobody has yet come forward and confirmed allegations that Stewart punched Busch in the hauler, as NASCAR officials state that the penalties for both drivers are for their conduct on the track.  Read More.

2/12 – While many members of the NASCAR family spent their days off in Daytona on Monday and Tuesday by visiting places like Sea World or playing golf, Brian Vickers decided to take a shot at skydiving.  Read More.

Post from: EveryJoe

Wednesday Mid-Week Wrap

The top rated motorsports blog was given an overall score of 9.0, so we’re almost there. I would like to thank Blogged.com for this special recognition. Within due time, hopefully this site will find itself moving up that list!

Click here for the complete listing of racing blogs ranked by blogged.com!

Post from: EveryJoe

DYN Gets a Top Ten of Their Own!

1/30 – Richard Petty will waive the green flag at this year’s Daytona 500, a race that “the King” has won himself on seven different occasions.  Read More.

1/30 – Hershey’s is honoring racing legend Dale Earnhardt by releasing four limited edition collector chocolate bars this month depicting different images of “the Intimidator”.  Read More.

1/30 – Richard Childress is among eight inductees this year into the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame.  Read More.

1/31 – Billboards at Texas Motor Speedway promoting the Sprint Cup Series’ visit to the track with the wording “Reason # 88: Step-Mom” are being replaced at the request of Kelly Earnhardt, Dale’s sister.  The billboard will now read “Reason # 88: New Car Smell”.  Read More.

1/31 – Johnny Benson ran the fastest lap in the four testing sessions for the Nationwide Series held this week at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. He turned in a lap of 29.552 in his no. 20 Toyota.  Read More.

1/31 – Cunningham Motorsports has announced that they will expand to the Craftsman Truck Series this year. CHM is already a top competitor in the ARCA Series and is now seeking drivers and sponsors for 2008 to run the trucks.  Read More.

2/1 – Robby Gordon Motorsports has signed a new partnership to align the race team with that of Gillette-Evernham Motorsports. Per the terms of the deal, Gordon’s single car operation will field Dodge’s on the track in 2008, and in return will receive the financial and sponsorship assistance he’s lacked in recent years.  Read More.

2/1 – Due to new state laws in Tennessee banning smoking in most public facilities, smoking at Bristol will now be restricted to the concourse areas.  Read More.

2/1 – Denny Hamlin led the pre-season Sprint Cup testing at California by turning a lap of 39.447 seconds in his no. 11 Joe Gibbs Toyota in the Thursday morning session.  Read More.

Post from: EveryJoe

Saturday Morning Quick Fix

Figure the odds! The IRL and Champ Car League (same open-wheel type cars – different leagues) can’t get their act together to reunite. What makes any of them think they could co-exist with NASCAR. And what was that about replacing Busch races? Again – figure the odds!

Terry Angstadt, the IRL’s new president of its commercial division, said the IRL would not allow itself to be presented as a support race. He also claims that IRL is a ‘tier-one’ series. What did he leave unsaid? NASCAR is _________ (fill in the blanks).

In the same statement he said, “…certainly it would be hard to argue that the Indianapolis 500 is not a cornerstone event, if not the premier motor sports event in the world.” Well – yeah, the Indy 500 probably is the premier motor sports event in the world BUT it’s one race. Deal with reality, Terry. Indy-car racing is now 2nd tier with the one exception of the Indy 500.

IRL and Champ need to reunite before they try to horn in on NASCAR. Do NASCAR fans care one whit about Indy racing? Let me know what you think. Tell me too if you think I’m being too hard on the IRL/Champ people. I grew up in Indianapolis, in Indy car racing – before the big feud that split them in two. It was stupid then and it’s still stupid.

Post from: EveryJoe

NASCAR and IRL? Figure The Odds!