Sports Commentary
TALLADEGA, Ala. -- Supposedly, NASCAR has entered the age of free agency. A year ago the sweepstakes winner was Dale Earnhardt Jr. The process has evolved to the point where Tony Stewart, who isn't contractually available until the 2010 season, has willingly placed himself in the spotlight.
Casey Mears gets a hug from his girlfriend Trish Grablander before the start of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Best Buy 400 auto race, Sunday, June 1, 2008, at Dover International Speedway in Dover, Del. (AP Photo/Pat Crowe II)
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Casey Mears waves to the crowd after being introduced before the start of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Best Buy 400 auto race, Sunday, June 1, 2008, at Dover International Speedway in Dover, Del. (AP Photo/Pat Crowe II)
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** FILE ** In this April 6, 2008 file photo, NASCAR driver Kyle Busch smiles before the NASCAR Sprint Cup series Samsung 500 auto race in Fort Worth, Texas. The journey hits historic levels this weekend, when Busch becomes the first driver in NASCAR history to attempt all three national series on one weekend at three different tracks. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
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Casey Mears waits for the start of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Best Buy 400 auto race, Sunday, June 1, 2008, at Dover International Speedway in Dover, Del. (AP Photo/Rob Carr)
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Casey Mears drives out of turn four during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Best Buy 400 auto race, Sunday, June 1, 2008, at Dover International Speedway in Dover, Del. (AP Photo/Rob Carr)
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Casey Mears, right, talks with Reed Sorenson before the start of the NASCAR Best Buy 400 auto race, Sunday, June 1, 2008, at Dover International Speedway in Dover, Del. (AP Photo/Pat Crowe II)
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Tony Stewart climbs into his car before practicing for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Best Buy 400 auto race, Friday, May 30, 2008, at Dover International Speedway in Dover, Del. (AP Photo/Russ Hamilton)
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Tony Stewart waves to the crowd during driver introductions before the start of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Best Buy 400 auto race, Sunday, June 1, 2008, at Dover International Speedway in Dover, Del. (AP Photo/Pat Crowe II)
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Formula One driver David Coulthard, of Scotland, talks with reporters before the NASCAR Sprint Cup Best Buy 400 auto race, Sunday, June 1, 2008, at Dover International Speedway in Dover, Del. Formula One's Canadian Grand Prix is June 8. (AP Photo/Pat Crowe II)
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Members of Tony Stewart's pit crew work on his car in the garage area after Stewart and several other drivers were involved in a wreck on lap 17 of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Best Buy 400 auto race Sunday, June 1, 2008, at Dover International Speedway in Dover, Del. (AP Photo/Russ Hamilton)
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But stock-car racing has never had a reserve clause. It has never had a working agreement between its drivers and teams. The age of NASCAR free agency began in 1947, just like NASCAR. The difference is that deals once bound by a handshake are now brokered by agents, sealed by contracts and analyzed by the media. What would be more accurate is labeling this the age of media frenzy.
Stewart's situation is turning into a process defined by exposure, not negotiation. The two-time champion, who hasn't always been in love with his own image being shaped and defined by cameras and tape recorders, might as well have been Regis Philbin or Dr. Phil. He held a month's worth of press conferences within the span of a single Talladega Superspeedway weekend.
To his credit, Stewart showed no signs of distraction. He won the Nationwide Series race, qualified on the front row and led the most laps in the weekend's Sprint Cup race. Things on the track didn't work out, but it was no fault of Stewart's. A blown tire put his orange-and-black Toyota in the turn-two wall. After pit-road repairs, Stewart had recovered and was mounting a late charge when the No. 20 sped into a hole full of quicksand. A huge crash enveloped him and five others on the 174th lap of the race won by teammate Kyle Busch.
Wrong place, wrong time. It wasn't his day.
It was, however, Stewart's weekend. Apparently frustrated by the slow movement in contract negotiations with his team, Joe Gibbs Racing, word leaked out that Stewart might entertain offers elsewhere. It was pretty obvious that Stewart didn't mind the rumors. If he had, Stewart undoubtedly would have been surly and confrontational.
He made all the right moves. Rather than saying outright that he would fulfill the remaining two seasons (counting this one) of his contract with JGR, Stewart said that he hadn't asked to be released from it. Stewart said he had entertained offers and been "humbled" by what he had heard.
This was the charming Stewart, the self-deprecating Tony. He said he wasn't overly worried about growing old because his age in terms of maturity had been frozen at 12. Repeatedly he used the phrase "in all honesty." He said "we" over and over when grammar would seem to suggest the use of "I."
"This happened the last time that Joe Gibbs talked about renewing my contract," he said, "and it got out in the media, and the next thing that happened was other car owners and organizations started calling and courting us, so to speak. It's happening again this year. There are just a couple organizations that have thrown an extra twist into it that's a little different than what we've seen in the past.
"It's not that we're looking to leave. There's nothing wrong. Nothing's broke; nothing needs to be fixed. There are three great teams at Joe Gibbs Racing that are in the top 10 in the points. We've got two teammates we're working great with, and we've never had this chemistry at JGR. Everything is really good where we're at right now. I think we'd be stupid to not look at what's being offered. It doesn't cost a dime to listen, so we're definitely interested in some of the offers that have come across."
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - JUNE 20: Ben Hornby of the Dragons watches from the sideline after having his face taped during the round 15 NRL match between the St George Illawarra Dragons and the Penrith Panthers at ANZ Stadium on June 20, 2008 in Sydney, Australia. (Cameron Spencer, Getty Images)
Cameron Spencer, Getty Images
BASEL, SWITZERLAND - JUNE 19: Pepe of Portugal holds the net after a missed chance during the UEFA EURO 2008 Quarter Final match between Portugal and Germany at St. Jakob-Park on June 19, 2008 in Basel, Switzerland. (Alexander Hassenstein, Bongarts/Getty Images)
Alexander Hassenstein, Bongarts/Getty Images
INDIANAPOLIS - JUNE 19: Ariel Rittenhouse comes up from her dive in the senior 3M springboard semifinals during the 2008 USA Diving Olympic Team Trials at the Indiana University Natatorium on June 19, 2008 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Harry How, Getty Images)
Harry How, Getty Images
Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers gets a Gatorade shower from Paul Pierce as the Celtics win the NBA Championship with a 131-92 win over the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 6 of the NBA basketball finals Tuesday, June 17, 2008, in Boston. (Elise Amendola, AP)
Elise Amendola, AP
Boston Celtics' Kevin Garnett, left, Ray Allen, center, and Paul Pierce celebrate in the locker room after winning the NBA basketball championship with a 131-92 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday, June 17, 2008, in Boston. (Winslow Townson, AP)
Winslow Townson, AP
Tiger Woods of the US hits out of a bunker on the 14th hole fairway in the 108th U.S. Open golf tournament playoff against fellow American Rocco Mediate at Torrey Pines Golf Course in San Diego, California on June 16, 2008. Woods won in sudden death. (Robyn Beck, AFP/Getty Images)
Robyn Beck, AFP/Getty Images
Spanish bullfighter Jose Tomas drives a sword into a bull during a bullfight in Madrid's Las Ventas bullring June 15, 2008. (Susana Vera, Reuters)
Five-time U.S. National runner-up and three-time world team runner-up Steve Mocco finally made the Olympic team by defeating Tommy Rowlands in the freestyle wrestling 120kg division championship match during the USA Olympic trials. Mocco didn't get away unscathed. The first-time Olympian was left with a swollen black eye. (Jonathan Ferrey, Getty Images)
Jonathan Ferrey, Getty Images
Spain's David Villa, clashes with Swedish goalie Andreas Isaksson during the group D match between Sweden and Spain in Innsbruck, Austria, Saturday, June 14, 2008, at the Euro 2008 European Soccer Championships in Austria and Switzerland. (Martin Meissner, AP)
Martin Meissner, AP
LSU center fielder Leon Landry tries to catch a ball hit by North Carolina's Ryan Graepel in the second inning of an NCAA College World Series baseball game, in Omaha, Neb., Sunday, June 15, 2008. (Ted Kirk, AP)
Ted Kirk, AP
"Tell it like it is" Tony could have headed up a diplomatic mission. Certain adjectives were being used to describe Stewart -- smooth, polished, tactful -- for the first time.
Joe Gibbs himself joined son and team president J.D. Gibbs in a belated attempt to match Stewart sweet nothing for sweet nothing. "We think we've got a great future for him and for our race team," said the Hall of Fame football coach, and Stewart didn't dispute that notion in the least. Joe Gibbs said it had been "a great ride, and hopefully it will continue in the future."
Taken in total, neither Stewart nor his employer said a whole lot. And Stewart didn't sound at all like a 12-year-old. What Stewart sounded like was Dale Earnhardt Jr. a year earlier.
At almost precisely this point in the 2007 season, Earnhardt had been keeping all options open in the same manner and style. That process ended with Earnhardt moving from his family team, Dale Earnhardt Inc. (DEI), to Hendrick Motorsports, which wasn't only his best option but the best option imaginable.
Hmm. Wonder if the two have talked.
Jeff Gordon, who is almost defined by personality traits Stewart has often lacked, watched from afar with admiration.
"I'm pretty confident Tony is going to get what he wants," Gordon said, smiling.
Unanswered amid talk of ownership, manufacturer switches and future success was the only question that really matters.
What, exactly, does Tony Stewart want?
IN THE STEWART MIX
-- Haas CNC Racing reportedly has offered Stewart a 50 percent share of ownership. That team, with two cars, hasn't produced a top-10 finish this year. There's a remarkable similarity with Earnhardt entertaining offers a year ago from Bobby Ginn, whose team wasn't even in business anymore (it "merged" with DEI) a couple of months later. Another similarity is the overwhelming likelihood that Stewart, like Earnhardt, can do better.
-- Racing doesn't have a draft, but if it did, JGR would have secured the No. 1 pick. Joey Logano, who becomes eligible for competition when he turns 18 next month, is the brightest star on the horizon. He might be ready for Sprint Cup in 2010, which is a major reason why J.D. Gibbs wants Stewart in the fold for the length of his contract.
-- The acquisition of Stewart would shore up Rick Hendrick's four-car team. This can't be comforting to Casey Mears.
-- Richard Childress Racing is adding a fourth team next year. Two teams have three drivers in the current top 10. JGR is one. RCR is the other.
-- General Motors wasn't happy when Toyota wooed JGR away. Stewart owns open-wheel (sprint and midget) teams carrying sponsorship from Chevrolet. Retrieving Toyota's most accomplished, and reluctant, driver would play well in GM's corporate boardrooms, not to mention its dealerships.
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