Tony Stewart apparently just had to scratch that itch -- you know, that itch that Dale Earnhardt Jr. scratched enough in 2007 to find his way to Hendrick Motorsports.And now that we know that Tony (or at least we think we know) won't be piloting the No. 20 Toyota in 2009 for Joe Gibbs Racing in favor of owning his own team, we need to look at Stewart the team owner/teammate. In other words, who is going to work best with Stewart as a teammate in 2009?
Let's start with the most-rumored candidate, "Flyin' Ryan" himself:
Ryan Newman - Newman seems to make the most sense for a number of reasons. Newman is a fellow Hoosier like Stewart, has a dirt track and open-wheel background just like Stewart, and he's in the final year of his contract with a struggling Penske. And, oh yeah, dude is fast.
Newman has 43 career poles and 13 wins -- including the 2008 Daytona 500. You put Newman into a fast car, and he can put you in victory lane. He's also got some pretty sweet wrestling moves, too. The only thing he doesn't bring is a sponsor package, though it wouldn't be hard to find one.
Martin Truex Jr. - Truex could be next great defector from the idling ship that is Dale Earnhardt Inc. With one career win coming last summer at Dover, Truex made the Chase for the Championship in 2007 but his chances don't look as good this time around.
A huge penalty stemming from Daytona last weekend against his No. 1 team combined with overall consistency issues has put Truex down to 18th in points. Truex may enjoy being the "top dog" at DEI, but is that worth it? If Stewart -- who already has a relationship with Truex's sponsor Bass Pro Shops in his dirt track operation -- comes a-calling, I'd bet Truex comes a-driving.
Casey Mears - Mears was made available just two weeks ago after being released from the No. 5 ride at Hendrick Motorsports following the 2008 season. The reason? He just wasn't getting the job done as Hendrick's fourth driver, just like Ricky Craven, Wally Dallenbach, Jerry Nadeau, Joe Nemechek and a host of others have.
Mears' demeanor may be the biggest thing against him in driving for Stewart, who you can guarantee will be a hard-nosed team owner. Casey just might not come across with enough tenacity to suit Stewart's style, but Mears has enough driving talent to get the job done if he's given quality equipment and a consistent team around him -- the latter of which he never got at Hendrick.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
7-09-2008 @ 10:47AM
Kim said...
Well if Stewart had his pick, you could bet his first choice would be Earnhardt Jr. if he wasn't already taken (look for that in the future when Earnhardt's contract is up with Hendrick). That being said, I would assume Tony will drive for the team he owns, so that apparently only leaves one other car. Although I like Mears, I would have to agree that he simply doesn't have the "tenacity" (good choice of words, Geoffrey) to drive for Stewart. I think Newman would be an excellent choice. I do not like Truex so would not support or root for him should Tony choose him. That being said, he and Earnhardt Jr. are good friends as Jr. is friends with Truex, so that pairing may be a possibility, too. My personal first choice for a Stewart teammate would be Newman or Jamie McMurray (who I also suspect will be without a ride here very soon).
So that just leaves the question, who the heck will their sponsors be? I imagine Stewart can't take Home Depot with him, although I am sure they would be willing to follow, so who does that leave? Alltel would probably follow Newman if Tony were willing to have them as a sponsor, so that shouldn't be a big issue. Does anyone have any thoughts on who would sponsor Stewart in his new ride? How about Corona, Michelobe (sp?) or another beer company? Perhaps True Value Hardware Stores or maybe someone like Carter Lumber to keep Stewart in the "home improvement rides." Just some thoughts. What are others?
Kim
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7-09-2008 @ 11:19AM
Maveness said...
My money's on Newman. (And admittedly, if the Burger King rumors for sponsorship for Newman came true, I'd giggle every Sunday.)
There's a "pound for pound" joke to make over the idea of a Stewart/Newman teammate situation. I'm just too fuzzy headed to make it.
Kim - Alltel can't go with Newman. Verizon is aiming to buy Alltel, which will most likely happen toward the end of this year, which means they're done in the sport (at least until the day comes that Sprint is no longer primary sponsor of the series). The AT&T/Cingular problems have put an end to any other buyouts hoping they can retain a foothold in the sport.
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7-09-2008 @ 3:36PM
Susan said...
Kim, Tony will have Office Depot, Old Spice and Ryan will have Jack Daniels if the rumors are true.
It's on Jayski's website.
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7-11-2008 @ 10:49PM
Dave said...
Tony was upset over Kyle Busch making him look bad so far this year. Tony likes to feel on top and hates to be ranked 3rd on a 3 car team.
Kyle won 13 races in NASCAR so far this year and at only halfway 6 cup 5 Nationwide and 2 truck races. Not bad for a kid fired by Hendrick to make way for another driver. I think it was a grown man called Jr.
Can someone tell me who this Jr guy is? Is he still racing?
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7-17-2008 @ 6:27PM
Moon said...
Dave you need to get a life. Kyle cannot even come close to being as Good as Tony. I am not only looking at NASCAR, but the other series Tony has driven for. And Kyle winning all those races is NOT what got Tony to make up his mind. It was Ownership, plain and simple.
Kyle has along way's to go before he can even get on the same plane as Tony.
I wonder where all you guys will be when Kyle isn't on a winning streak any longer. Because unfortunately it will not last forever.
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