Can Tony Stewart Accomplish the Impossible?
Written by Tiffany Ricardo · May 2, 2008
Now that we’ve had a week or so to digest the news that Tony Stewart is thinking about leaving what is arguably the hottest team in NASCAR, we have to start asking the most important question. Why?
True, Tony has yet to win a race in 2008 while his two Joe Gibbs Racing teammates, Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch, have at least one win apiece. However, Tony shouldn’t be too bothered about that. He is typically a late season bloomer, picking up steam after the midpoint of the season. Plus, it isn’t as though he has been given junk cars to drive. He finishes in the top ten nearly every week, except when he is taken out at places like, oh, Talladega.
So where does that leave us in our evaluation of the psyche of Mr. Stewart? Has he lost his mind, or is he really unsatisfied with the state of the #20 team? Outwardly, Tony seems happier and more relaxed than he ever has before. It’s been a good while since he shoved anyone or cursed during a live broadcast.
Come to think of it, I sort of miss that Tony.
If the rumors are true, one can only assume that Tony is being enticed by the dangling carrot so many drivers have chased - and eventually caught and choked upon. I am speaking of the oh-so-glamorous-sounding role of Sprint Cup “driver/owner.” Sources in the garage say that Tony is being courted to buy into an existing GM team (most likely Haas-CNC Racing, which fields the #70 and #66 Chevys of Johnny Sauter and Scott Riggs, ) and become the primary driver in a multi-car operation. Sounds great, right? Tony Stewart Racing has a nice ring to it.
Sure. So do Michael Waltrip Racing and Robbie Gordon Motorsports. So did Rudd Performance Motorsports, Darrell Waltrip Motorsports, Brett Bodine Racing, and Geoff Bodine Racing.
Does Tony actually want to add his name to this trail of tears, only two of which are still in operation? Well, I say in operation, but were it not for Robbie Gordon’s eleventh-place finish at Talladega and Michael McDowell’s infamous Texas wreck, there would be next to zilch for these teams in the way of performance or news for 2008.
If Tony is going to make a go of this driver/owner thing, he is going to have to become a completely new kind of creature - one never seen before in Sprint Cup racing. He will have to combine Waltrip’s uncanny ability to make people want to throw money at him with Robbie Gordon’s I-play-by-my-own-rules attitude. He will have to surround himself with the absolute best people to “run” the day-to-day headaches so that he can concentrate on driving. Michael Waltrip has proven himself a genius in this area, hiring savvy veterans like Ty Norris and Cal Wells to oversee his team. Most of all, Tony’s going to have to keep up the fiery attitude and burning desire to compete and win a-la Robbie Gordon, who is probably the most grudgingly respected individual in the entire racing world.
Accomplishing all these things will not be an easy task. But if any current driver in the Sprint Cup Series can do it, it’s Tony Stewart. This is the man who unrepentently climbs fences when he wins even though he knows his gut is too big for such shenanigans. The man who brings a pet monkey to the racetrack when all the other drivers bring perfectly-groomed pooches. The man who is never afraid to tell it like it is. The two-time Sprint Cup Champion.
Yes, if there is anyone who can become the first successful driver/owner since Alan Kulwicki, it is none other than our very own Smoke.
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5 Responses to “Can Tony Stewart Accomplish the Impossible?”
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Very good points about the recent “trail of tears” - however Tony wouldn’t exactly be starting from scratch: http://www.tonystewartracing.com/. He already “owns” a successful racing team. And with a guy like Larry Curry running it (lets forget his prison time for now http://www.fastmachines.com/irl/stewart-hires-outlaw-curry-to-run-sprint-car-teams/) I, like you, think he could make a real go of it.
Where has there been any credible news that Stewart is going to take up that deal, anyway? All news has been to the contrary. Stewart has admitted that he has looked at that offer, and many others as well. That we can accept. He has also said that he will be staying with JGR through 2009. That we can accept, as it has been verified by both JGR and Tony Stewart’s business manager, Carey Argelijan, or something like that.
Haas/CNC has also offered the same deal to Ryan Newman, and since Newman’s contract is up this year, it would seem more important to speculate on what he is going to do with that offer. How come we don’t read hundreds of stories about what Ryan Newman will do when he goes to Haas/CNC as an owner-driver?
Is Tony running to an ownership opportunity or from competition? Kyle is driving like the Tony of old, and I think Tony’s top ten finishes, as you say, are due to superior equipment. Inserted into a mediocre team I suspect his finishes will drop further.
I think his buying into a team is his early retirement plan: Stay active in NASCAR, rake in the cash, and build up his track holdings and open wheel racing series at those tracks.
Personally, I’d love to see him attack Indy in a good ride once more. With the state of competition over there, he’d stand a good chance of winning it.
Welcome to the site, nice piece.
I’m not sure Tony is actually ready to take an ownership role in a team that isn’t a front runner. I think he might be using this bargaining chip to get an ownership role of a single car under the Gibbs or Hendricks banner. That way he has all the support of a full team but can capitalize financially on his own deal as well.
“How come we don’t read hundreds of stories about what Ryan Newman will do when he goes to Haas/CNC as an owner-driver?”
Because Newman doesn’t have the popularity or personality of Smoke, would be my guess RevJim. I think your call on Newman moving first is spot on, as it will determine where all the other drivers wind up. On the other hand, if Smoke knows Newman is out there looking at the same offers he could grab, that could also lead to him asking out of his deal for next year.
I hope he stays at Gibbs, it’s where he belongs, along with Zippy.