Stewart on the move!
Written by Rich Hemstreet · July 9, 2008
Tony Stewart is leaving Gibbs at the end of this season. Reportedly he will take over an ownership position in a newly named Stewart/Haas team. Stewart will be back in a Chevy, but how competitive will the team be? It’s also reported that Crew Chief Zippadelli will be staying with Gibbs. I think breaking up Smoke and Zippy is going to really hurt Stewart’s competitive edge. For sure it’s going to delay how quickly the new team becomes a legitimate threat to win on a weekly basis.
Stewart should eventually make his new team competitive. With continued support from the Hendrick team, especially with Hendrick powerplants under the hoods, Stewart/Haas should become a top 35 two car team quickly. Who the second driver on the team will be is yet to be seen, but rumor has it is that Ryan Newman will get the ride. I’m not sure that will be a good fit… Newman hasn’t really been all that impressive in the Penske ride. Granted, Penske hasn’t been very competitive lately either, but how much is that the driver and how much is the equipment?
The next question is… who will be in the seat of the #20 car next season? Will it be a rookie or a proven winner? Which would Zippy prefer to work with?
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Zippy will be the crew chief of Joey Lagano. Young talented driver and an experienced crew chief will get the 20 car out of the box as a very fast team next year.