Tony Stewart Leaving JGR, Will Co-Own Stewart Haas Racing

Stewart Leaving JGR For Ownership Stake In Haas CNC Racing

TAKING THE NEXT STEP: ESPN's Smith said of Stewart's move from JGR to Haas, "A lot of people ask ‘Why in the world would Tony Stewart do that? Why would he want to take on that sort of burden to be an owner in NASCAR and have to be responsible for helping garner sponsorship for his teams and worry about payroll and all the other things that owners have to worry about?’ The fact is that it is as simple as it being his way of broadening his portfolio a bit” (ESPN, 7/9). Smith added, "This is sort of the next step in the evolution of this guy. It really sets up his future and quite frankly, he wanted to get back to Chevrolet” ("SportsCenter," ESPN, 7/8).

WHAT DOES FUTURE HOLD FOR JGR? Joey Logano, who is driving a partial Nationwide Series schedule for JGR this season, today acknowledged that he "is a candidate to replace" Stewart in the No. 20 Sprint Cup car next season. Logano: "It has been brought up a few times." Steve deSouza, VP for JGR's Nationwide Series driver development program, said that Logano "is ready for Cup racing" (ESPN.com, 7/9). But ESPN's Smith said of Stewart, “This is a guy who has been a staple for (JGR) for a decade who’s won a couple of championships … and is always in the hunt and he’s very sellable. He had a stable sponsorship package with Home Depot, so it is a huge loss” (“SportsCenter,” ESPN, 7/8). In Hartford, Shawn Courchesne reports The Home Depot, Stewart's sponsor since entering the Cup series full-time in '99, "is expected to remain with the No. 20 car and Logano" (COURANT.com, 7/9). The Home Depot CMO Frank Bifulco said the company will announce its future Sprint Cup sponsorship plans at a later date (THE DAILY).

Print This Article