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Joe Gibbs Racing has been left with a void to fill ever since a couple weeks ago when their franchise driver, Tony Stewart, announced his departure from the team following the conclusion of this season to venture into the realm of car ownership at the Sprint Cup level to become a 50% owner of the newly formed Stewart Haas Racing. In the absence of Stewart, Gibbs will still hold claim to two of the top young stars in the sport with Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin, but the fact of the matter is that Stewart has won two championships for the organization over his ten years with the team, and that’s just something that’s not easily replaced.

Now Joe and JD Gibbs are left with a decision to make. They had previously expressed interest in starting a fourth Cup team to build around their young star in the waiting, Joey Logano, and that’s still a viable option if they’re able to land a solid driver to fill their current void. Whatever they decide to do, though, whether it’s stay at three teams or expand to four, it’s very likely that their decision will revolve around Logano. At the very tender age of 18 years old and with only a few Nationwide Series races under his belt, Logano has already expressed his desire to climb into the no. 20 seat next season, and that could force Gibbs’ hand to give him an early promotion to the Cup level in an effort to protect their interests and keep other teams from pursuing him.

Another huge variable that has to come into play here, though, is Ryan Newman’s recent announcement that he will leave Penske Racing at the end of 2008. Newman is hands down considered the biggest player left on the free agent market, and he has a proven track record that when he’s surrounded by the right team and the right equipment, he’s more than capable to go out and win some races and put a bid in towards winning a championship. Gibbs’ best bet could be to pursue Newman as an option for the no. 20 car and begin building a part-time fourth team around Logano next season that would give him some seat time in the Cup through about six or so races, and then get him ready for a full-time run in 2010. This would also give him a full season in the Nationwide Series to work with Crew Chief, David Rogers, and continue to build a relationship with him, and then bring Dave to the new team with him.

That is a very circumstantial plot, however, as Newman has already stated that there are really three contenders for his services next season, and his other two options are considered to be the seat alongside Tony Stewart over at Stewart Haas Racing and the newly formed no. 33 ride at Richard Childress Racing. Other free agents on the market such as Casey Mears are not considered to be primary contenders for a spot within Joe Gibbs Racing, so if Newman’s name gets scrapped from the table, then expect to see Logano full-time in 2009.

Post from: EveryJoe

Where Does Joe Gibbs Racing Go From Here?

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It was the hardest easy decision in Tony Stewart’s career, but the two-time Sprint Cup Series champion addressed the media today at Chicago, and just as expected, announced his departure from Joe Gibbs Racing a year premature, and that his newest venture will be as a 50% owner of Stewart Haas Racing, currently competing as Haas CNC Racing.

Stewart took the time on Wednesday afternoon to address his friends and co-workers at Joe Gibbs Racing, and explain to them why he was leaving. He said that by the time he was done speaking, everyone at the company offered their applause and congratulatory remarks, and that he’d gotten the best night’s sleep that he’d had in a long time.

Tony has spent his entire NASCAR career driving for Joe Gibbs Racing and has had Crew Chief, Greg Zipadelli, in his corner every step of the way, but the offer that Gene Haas made to him at the end of last season was too enticing for him to pass up. As previously stated, without putting any capital on the line out of his own pocket, Stewart will assume 50% control of the company, and beginning next year, the organization will begin racing under the banner of Stewart Haas Racing. The moved also will reunite Stewart with General Motors, whom he had a long-standing relationship with prior to making the move to Toyota in 2008.

In respect to car numbers, sponsors, and a second driver, Stewart said it’s all still a work in progress, and general manager, Joe Custer, backed him by stating, “We’ll take his lead on personnel matters.”

The team is rumored to have already come to terms with Office Depot to be the primary sponsor of Stewart’s car next season, and Old Spice and Jack Daniels are reported to be in negotiations as well. As for the second driver, popular opinion is that Ryan Newman holds all the cards right now on that deal as he is in the final year of his contract with Penske Racing, but Casey Mears, Martin Truex Jr, or even Scott Riggs could wind up in that car just as easily. It has been confirmed, however, that the team will continue to receive their engines, chassis, and technical support from Hendrick Motorsports.

“We had always thought I would start and finish my career at Joe Gibbs Racing,” Stewart said. “But, this is where I’ll be next year, and hopefully for the rest of my life in NASCAR racing.”

In response to what he expected from the move, Tony responded, “I really feel like when you look at this program, we have support with Hendrick engines, chassis, and technical support. I feel like we have the variables in place to go out and be competitive right away. At the same time, we know it’s going to be a rebuilding and adjustment period. How long will that adjustment process take? We don’t know.”

Recommended Reads:
- The Berthing of Stewart Haas Racing (Full Throttle)
- It Will Be Stewart Haas Racing in 2009 (RevJim’s Rants ‘n’ Raves)

Post from: EveryJoe

Stewart Haas Racing Becomes Official

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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

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Dave Rogers has done absolutely nothing short of a spectacular job since taking over the helm as the Crew Chief for Joe Gibbs Racing’s no. 20 entry in the Nationwide Series in 2006. In his 2 1/2 seasons with the team, Rogers has helped coach five different drivers to a total of 14 Nationwide wins, to include: Denny Hamlin (6), Tony Stewart (5), Kyle Busch (1), Joey Logano (1), and Aric Almirola (1). More impressively, 8 of those wins have come this season with four different drivers behind the helm (five by Stewart). After putting Tony Stewart into Victory Lane last weekend at New Hampshire, Rogers will now have the task of getting Denny Hamlin back to Winner’s Circle Friday night at Daytona.

Rogers has previous experience at the Sprint Cup level, having served as the Crew Chief for Jason Leffler in the series back in 2005. The tandem was unable to produce satisfactory results, and Gibbs aptly found a place for Dave down at the Nationwide Series. Since then, however, Rogers has been compiling a very impressive resume’ that could land him back into Cup competition by 2010.

Why 2010, you ask? Because Joe Gibbs Racing has two very lucrative scenarios that could play out in Rogers favor between now and then, the first being that of Tony Stewart’s contract situation. Forget about all the hooplah that’s governed our Stewart talks in concerns of where he’ll be driving in 2009, the fact is that even if he stays, his contract expires next year, and he’ll most likely be driving for GM in 2010. And, with Smoke most likely goes his longime companion, Greg Zipadelli, as the two form the longest driver / chief combination currently active in all of NASCAR.

The second scenario, and truly the most likely one regardless of the Stewart situation, revolves around the young phenom, Joey Logano – or, “Sliced Bread” as you may know him better by now. Logano has all of the tools to be a great competitor in the sport, and Dave Rogers has been given the task of molding and fine-tuning his talents behind the wheel of the no. 20 car in the Nationwide Series. The team has already made it known that they plan to run Logano in a fourth team car in the Cup Series on a partial schedule next season, and possibly even get him a few races this year. Don’t be surprised – as it completely makes sense – if JD and ‘the Coach’ find it appropriate to keep the tandem of Logano and Rogers together as Joey goes about his Cup Series endeavours.

Some might chalk it up to simply being Gibbs’ superior equipment, but I don’t care who’s funding the goods … to switch over to a completely new manufacturer and have to work with a different driver every week and still find the level of success that this team has is truly special. Dave Rogers deserves all the credit in the world for what the no. 20 team has accomplished this year, and he adequately deserves a promotion back to the big leagues in the not-so-distant future.

Post from: EveryJoe

Only a Matter of Time Now for Dave Rogers

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Yes, it’s Friday once again, and I think we all know what that means!  Welcome, everyone, to yet another edition of “Loose in Turn Three” with your favorite blogging panel. Of course, you know who I am, and I believe my colleagues here no longer need introduction, either … but, just formality’s sake, I’m joined once again by Bruce Simmons from Bruce’s NASCAR Bits & Pieces, and the infamous Charlie Turner from On Pit Row.

We’ve got another exciting lineup for you this week, as we refuse to let go of the drama that was the Coca Cola 600 as we analyze the decisions of Tony Stewart and Greg Zipadelli on pit road late in the race. We will also examine the struggles of Dale Earnhardt Jr. to get into Victory Lane, and we also tackle NASCAR’s “great debate” … otherwise known as “Give and Take”. So, sit back and buckle up tight. Three questions, three voices, and three different answer … we’re about to get Loose in Turn Three! 

Should the no. 20 team have called for two right-side tires on Tony Stewart’s next-to-last stop at the Coca Cola 600?

TZ: As we all know, hindsight’s 20/20, so it’s easy to sit here and bash Zippy for not giving Smoke some fresh rubber with sixty plus laps left. But, it was the right call. For the past two weeks, the checkers at Lowe’s have gone to the gamblers , so I don’t see why they’d have reason to call this one differently. Kahne won the All-Star race by not taking tires; Busch won the Nationwide race not pitting so they could keep their track position; and, the 20 crew had the same thing in mind. No tire stops aren’t common for this team, and now I guess we know why, but it was still the correct call, and Tony should’ve been climbing the fence in Charlotte.

Bruce:  I’m all about fresh rubber…  Yes you lose time putting on tires, but you can gain that time if you have enough laps back up..   nothing ventured, nothing gained.. then again, they did venture.  No, it was not a bad call for the 20 team to not take tires…  the dice just came up snake eyes this time and did not work for them.  They must have had reason to believe the tires would have lasted.    Wouldn’t they?

Charlie: Charlie:  When in doubt, trust Zippy. Nobody knows Tony Stewart better than Zippidelli. I have to give him the benefit of the doubt. Besides, what do I know anyway?

Follow the rest of our discussion here:
- Kyle Busch got his panties in a bunch because Jeff Gordon kept racing him hard for position in the Coca-Cola 600.  Should drivers get over the idea of people moving over for them because they think they're faster than they are? 

- Why Can’t Junior Finish?

Post from: EveryJoe

Loose in Turn Three: Did Tony Stewart’s Team Make The Right Call In Charlotte?