I’ve read what seems like a million articles and even a few emails about Tony Stewart and his new role as driver/owner of Stewart-Haas Racing over the last week or so. Some were good, some were bad. But there seems to be a pretty large group that think Stewart and his teammate(s) will run in the back next season, and it might be several seasons before we see Stewart’s team win. Some have even gone as far to suggest that Stewart may never win another race. And can I just say I’m tired of hearing the Stewart vs. Robby Gordon/Michael Waltrip comparisons.
Let me get this Robby Gordon/Michael Waltrip thing cleared up first. When both of these drivers started teams, they basically started from scratch. Tony isn’t. While Haas may not be a strong organization, the foundations are already in place. They receive support from Hendrick Motorsports and have a very new 140,000 square foot race shop in Kannapolis that houses the teams and includes a seven post shaker rig (Cars are put on these very expensive shakers to simulate race runs, it helps gather engineering data). Also, the level of success attained by both of these drivers combined doesn’t even begin to compare with Stewart’s career. Gordon and Waltrip have won a combined seven races, while Stewart has 32 wins and two championships. Translated, Stewart knows how to get it done.
Now, do I think that Stewart is going to come out next season and be a force? Of course not. But do I think he will be running for 30th every week and struggling to stay in the top 35? Definitely not.
Stewart has proven over the last several years that he is a good businessman and can run a successful team. Tony Stewart Racing is one of the top teams in sprint car and midget competition and his Eldora Speedway has flourished under his ownership. I think that owning his own Sprint Cup team is only a natural progression. Lets also not forget that he’s spent the last ten seasons racing for and learning from one of the most prolific owners in NASCAR over the last two decades in Joe Gibbs. And oh yeah, doesn’t Gibbs have two three (thanks Bass) Super Bowl rings to go along with his Cup titles?
I can promise you that once Stewart and his management team finalize their sponsor and driver lineup for next season, that some of the best people in the business will be lining up to be a part of this new team. And if you think that Tony hasn’t already got a pretty good idea who he’d like working for him, you are crazy.
I believe the future is very bright for Stewart and his new venture. I think its only a matter of time before they are competing for wins in Sprint Cup competition, and I wish him nothing but good fortune. Oh, and if you are reading this Tony, need any tire changers?
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on Jul 15th, 2008 at 9:41 am
Hey, guys, I enjoy your site a lot. I think you’ve hit it on the head with Smoke–he’s got a lot of advantages Michael and Robbie have not had. Getting maximum value out of that Hendrick relationship is key for sure. And, yeah, he’s a pretty good driver (ya think??!) . . . However, there are a couple of things that cut the other way. First, like all sports, racing is a zero-sum game. There’s no such thing as being good in a vacuum. You have to be better than your competitors. So to run in the top 15 consistently Smoke’s got to run better than some of the combined 15-16 cars of the 4 top-tier teams: JGR, Hendrick, RFR, and RCR. That team has to pass some folks. Plus we all know the GEMs and the rest are trying to get better too. Second, although the evidence from is other ownership ventures is good, we can’t really be sure just how good of an owner Tony will be in NASCAR–especially Sprint Cup, where the teams, I would think, are a bit larger and more challenging to manage. Third, any human endeavor, no matter how often you’ve done it before, takes longer than you think. Every time I go to the story to buy a gallon of milk I tell my wife I’ll be back in 15 minutes and it always takes me 30. I agree Tony will do well in the end, but I think it’s going to be pretty hard, even with the many advantages he does have.
And oh yeah. Coach Gibbs has 3 rings.
on Jul 15th, 2008 at 11:04 pm
I just wonder how the GM troubles will affect the Chevy teams, and Tony’s new team?I don’t think Tony will win another 32 but he’ll probably notch a few more.
on Jul 21st, 2008 at 11:50 am
Well stated BassMasters… I do also think that Tony will have a tough road ahead of him…I believe that indirectly Rick Hendrick has just Signed Tony as a new driver. He is going to expect to get the best of everything from Hendrick and I think he will get it. It is going to be a great “show” to watch next season and I hope he does well. Will he compete in the chase next year ??……… I don’t think so but, Stranger things have happened in this sport. I think the media is also putting extreme pressure on him to be the champion next year when we all know this is unfair. Come on guys you all know the deal around starting up and reorganizing, Stop trying to create news with these unfair and speculative stories. I wish Tony good luck and I have no Doubts about this move he made he ‘WILL’ be succesful with this new endeavor.