Another piece of the Stewart-Haas Racing puzzle will be fit into place Thursday when the race team will unveil the U.S. Army as primary sponsor of Ryan Newman’s No. 39 car for next season, sources have confirmed to NASCAR.COM. The announcement is scheduled to be made at 1:30 p.m. Thursday at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, site of this weekend’s Sprint Cup event.
The Stewart-Haas organization now has both its Chevrolets sponsored for next season - no small feat in this economy - with Office Depot and Old Spice set to back the car of team co-owner Tony Stewart. It’s another setback for Dale Earnhardt Inc., which had the Army on its No. 8 car this season. DEI driver Paul Menard announced last week that he and his Menard’s sponsorship would be moving to Yates Racing for the 2009 campaign.
Tony Stewart will use childhood hero A.J. Foyt’s No. 14 when he moves to his new team next season, and Office Depot and Old Spice will sponsor the two-time NASCAR champion. Stewart chose beloved Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where he picked up his second victory last season on his homestate track, to unveil his new cars at Stewart-Haas Racing. He’s leaving Joe Gibbs Racing at the end of the year to be part-owner of that team.
The Charlotte Observer is reporting that Stewart-Haas Racing is ready to announce the sponsor and number of Tony Stewart’s new Chevrolet for 2009. Stewart will drive the No. 14 Chevrolet in his debut season with his own Sprint Cup Series team and the car will share sponsorship from Office Depot and Old Spice. A formal announcement of Stewart’s car number and sponsorship plans will be made this weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
ESPN is reporting that two-time NASCAR champion Tony Stewart has been granted a release from the final year of his driving contract with Joe Gibbs Racing after 10 seasons with the team. Stewart will formally announce his departure from the team Wednesday. On Thursday at Chicagoland Speedway, Stewart will formally announce a move to Haas/CNC Racing as co-owner and driver, sources close to Stewart said. Haas/CNC, which currently fields the Nos. 66 and 70 Chevrolets, will be renamed Stewart Haas Racing in 2009. The deal will make Stewart the highest-paid driver in NASCAR.
The Stewart Haas cars will carry different numbers. The No. 14, made famous in IndyCar racing by Stewart’s hero, A.J. Foyt, is available, but sources would neither confirm nor deny that as his choice. Stewart will own a 50 percent stake in the organization, but his financial investment in attaining it was not disclosed. Office Depot is rumored to have a role in sponsoring Stewart’s car. Ryan Newman remains the lead candidate to drive Stewart Haas’ second car, though no deal had yet been finalized Tuesday night. Stewart Haas will continue to receive chassis and engines from Hendrick Motorsports.
NASCAR announced Tuesday that Tony Stewart has been fined $25,000 and penalized 25 Nextel Cup Series driver championship points, as a result of using inappropriate language during a post-race televised interview following his victory Sunday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Stewart retains his fifth-place standing in the series points, with his total points reduced to 2,599.
Joe Gibbs Racing president J.D. Gibbs said Sunday that a published report the team has a “done deal” to switch to Toyota in 2008 is “just not true.” Gibbs said the three-car team is in negotiations with General Motors about next year’s contract to remain with Chevrolet. Gibbs also said the team has talked with Tony Stewart about extending the driver’s contract.