CUP: Gibbs Grants Stewart Release

Sprint Cup

CUP: Gibbs Grants Stewart Release

Tony Stewart's release from Joe Gibbs Racing is official.

Tom Jensen | Posted July 09, 2008 Charlotte, North Carolina

Tony Stewart is now free to move to Haas-CNC Racing as an owner/driver in 2009. (Photo: Geoff Burke, Getty Images)

Michael Waltrip will have a new Crew Chief starting this weekend in Chicago. (Photo: Geoff Burke)

Joe Gibbs Racing made it official Wednesday morning, announcing that the team has released two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion Tony Stewart from the final year of his contract, freeing him to move to Haas-CNC Racing as an owner/driver in 2009.

Stewart, who is currently 12th in Sprint Cup points, will compete in the final 18 Sprint Cup races of 2008 with JGR, as well as two more Nationwide Series races – July 11 at Chicagoland Speedway and Aug. 16 at Michigan International Speedway.

“We’ve had a lot of success with Tony in our 12 years here at Joe Gibbs Racing,” said President J.D. Gibbs in a statement released by the team. “While this moment is bittersweet, we’re parting on good terms and we know that each of us has benefited greatly from the other.

“We grew to two teams in the Sprint Cup Series with Tony and The Home Depot in 1999, and two championships and 32 wins followed. While our time together is coming to an end, we know there’s still a lot of racing left this season and we plan to make the most of it. On behalf of everyone at JGR, we’re proud of everything we’ve accomplished together with Tony and we wish him the best in pursuing his dream of NASCAR team ownership.”

“The Home Depot has had a remarkable relationship with Tony Stewart and Joe Gibbs Racing since our sponsorship commenced back in 1998,” said Frank Bifulco, chief marketing officer of Home Depot. “With two NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championships and 32 race wins, Tony is a true competitor and an excellent ambassador for our company. Details regarding our future plans will be announced at a later date.”

“I cannot thank Joe and J.D. Gibbs enough for the opportunity they gave me and for the support they’ve given me throughout my entire NASCAR career,” Stewart said. “I’ve learned so much from them and have a tremendous amount of respect for what they’ve built.”

Stewart is expected to announce his move to Haas-CNC as early as this weekend at Chicagoland Speedway. When he moves to that team next year, he will face tremendous challenges in lifting that squad to a competitive level. Currently, both Haas-CNC cars are outside the top 35 in NASCAR in owner points, and the team has just one career top-five finish dating back to 2002.

But Stewart will bring the kind of money to Haas-CNC that it never dreamed off in the past, when it’s had to scrape by with low-dollar sponsors like State Water Heaters and Hunt Brothers Pizza. Stewart is expected to bring Office Depot as a sponsor for his car, and perhaps either Jack Daniel’s or Bass Pro Shops for the team’s second car.

Those sponsor dollars should allow the team to put together a first-class management structure, as well as hire more personnel to build their competition efforts. Still, it likely will be several years before the elements are all in place to elevate Haas-CNC to serious championship contenders.

Tom Jensen is the Senior NASCAR Editor for SPEEDtv.com, the former Executive Editor of NASCAR Scene and a contributing Editor for TruckSeries.com. He is the author of “Cheating: The Bad Things Good NASCAR Nextel Cup Racers Do In Pursuit of SPEED,” and has appeared on television and radio shows to discuss NASCAR racing. Jensen is the President of the National Motorsports Press Association. Jensen is the 1997 National Motorsports Press Association Writer of the Year and has won numerous national and state awards for news reporting, columns and feature writing. The Answer Man is back at SPEEDtv.com. Tom Jensen answers your questions during every race week and looks forward to hearing from you - please e-mail it to

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