Old Spice, Office Depot to sponsor Stewart; team will race Nos. 14 and 4
By SceneDaily Staff
Friday, July 25, 2008
Tony Stewart (left) unveils his new Office Depot-sponsored car for the 2009 season. Old Spice will serve as the other primary sponsor on Stewart's No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet.
David Griffin
NASCAR Scene
INDIANAPOLIS - When it came time for Tony Stewart to choose numbers for the two cars he’ll co-own next season at the new Stewart-Haas Racing, the choices were easy and obvious.
There was the No. 4, which was Stewart’s number during his early go-kart racing days. And there was the No. 14 made famous by Stewart’s racing hero, open-wheel legend A.J. Foyt.
Faced with the decision of which number Stewart wanted for the car he’d be driving at Stewart-Haas, the choice wasn’t so straightforward.
“It was a hard decision to decide which one of those two numbers that I wanted but I’m going to be really happy to run A.J.’s number next year and see if we can have the same success that he’s had," Stewart said on Friday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Foyt, a four-time Indianapolis 500 champion and winner of the Daytona 500, the 24 Hours of Daytona and the 24 Hours of Le Mans, wasn’t in attendance Friday. But he didn’t need to be for Stewart to be at peace with his choice to drive the No. 14 when he formally begins a new chapter in his NASCAR Cup career in 2009.
“Everybody knows that A.J. Foyt has always been my all-time hero and when this opportunity came about, it was about a five-minute tug-of-war between, ‘Do I want my first number back or do I want A.J.’s number?’” Stewart said. “It was pretty easy to decide that I wanted the number that my all-time hero had. … If I had to guess, I would say he’s pretty happy and very proud that we’re able to do this and share the number with him.”
As for who will drive the No. 4 on the second Stewart-Haas entry in 2009, Stewart said no final decisions have been made.
“We’re looking at everybody right now,” the two-time NASCAR Cup champion said, noting that Ryan Newman – widely considered to be the leading candidate for the ride – is in the running. “We’re weighing all the options.”
While the picture of who will drive the second Stewart-Haas car remains muddied, speculation on the primary sponsorship on Stewart’s car is over. Stewart confirmed Friday that Old Spice and Office Depot would serve as co-primary sponsors on his Chevrolet next season.
Office Depot, which previously announced plans to end its primary sponsorship on the No. 99 car of Roush Fenway Racing's Carl Edwards at the conclusion of 2008, will have a 60 percent share in the sponsorship. Old Spice, which has a 10-year relationship with Stewart, will sponsor the other 40 percent as part of the multiyear agreement.
The arrangement puts Office Depot as the primary sponsor on Stewart's car for 22 points races next year, with Old Spice taking the other 14. Both cars will feature a red and black paint scheme.
Office Depot will also maintain its official partnership status with NASCAR.
"I think we’ve done a pretty good job of building equity with Roush Fenway and Carl Edwards,” said George Hill, senior vice president of Office Depot. “And we think that Tony is going to take us, honestly, to a new level. We really know that Tony is a champion; he’s a proven winner. Tony is a small business owner. We take care of small business – that’s what we do."
Stewart indicated the decision to bring on co-primary sponsors might have been driven in part by the economic climate that is impacting sponsorship dollars throughout the Cup garage. Financial terms of the contracts were not disclosed.
“I think everybody’s realistic on what the economic situation is now,” he said. “ ... If it works out better that you can accomplish the same thing in a budget that works for two major corporations that are willing to work with each other, it makes it better for everybody all around. It just seemed like it made sense, I think.”
The announcement came 15 days after Stewart announced at Chicagoland Speedway that he was entering into a 50 percent partnership with Haas Automation to form Stewart-Haas Racing, which will absorb Haas CNC at the end of the season.
Stewart, who has driven all 10 of his Cup seasons for Joe Gibbs Racing and won his two titles and 32 races with the group, will reunite with Chevrolet next season. JGR switched from Chevrolet to Toyota for the 2008 campaign.
“If you look at history with marketing programs we’ve had the opportunity to run in the NASCAR space, we’ve had some of our greatest performance when we’ve used Tony as a spokesperson and an ambassador for our brand to help us sell our cars and trucks to consumers,” said Terry Dolan, marketing manager for Chevrolet Racing. “So being able to demonstrate that to the GM leadership and the value that he brings as an ambassador helped us close the deal on what we felt could be a game-changer program for 2009 for us.”
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21 responses to "Old Spice, Office Depot to sponsor Stewart; team will race Nos. 14 and 4". Post a Comment.
mike simpson said:
Jul 25, 2008 at 10:41 AMWE ALL WISH TONY ALL THE BEST IN HIS NEW TEAM AND IN OUR HEART WE KNOW IT WILL BE A CHAMPION TEAM
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» Confirm Abuse Reportdonna mcclay said:
Jul 25, 2008 at 11:25 AMTony can and will succeed. He is awesome....
Report as AbuseHe just needed to be back in a Chevrolet.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportNancy Hall said:
Jul 25, 2008 at 12:36 PMI'M SORRY TO SEE OFFICE DEPOT LEAVE CARL EDWARDS, AS AND OFFICE DEPOT I WILL NOT BE CHEERING ON TONY STEWART OR HIS TEAMS. I WILL CONTINUE WITH THE ROUSH DRIVERS.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportCarol Jeanne said:
Jul 25, 2008 at 1:56 PMCongratulations Tony, Best of luck in your new ownership venture. I will still belong to your Fan Club, and rooting for you. You are an awsome driver. God Bless, from one of your most faithful "senior" fans.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportAshley Tillman said:
Jul 25, 2008 at 3:40 PMSeriously Tony, it'll be a miracle if you finish in the Top 20 next year. Who are you going to abuse when the TV reporters stop mentioning you after race #10? I used to support you but after 10 years of your childish, spoiled antics... Enough is enough.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportAshley Tillman said:
Jul 25, 2008 at 3:45 PMSo this is a Pro Tony website. I mention one valid concern about Tony's move and my comment gets removed? Where can I cancel my subscription?
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» Confirm Abuse Reportcindy matuse said:
Jul 25, 2008 at 3:48 PMGreat job, Tony. I can root for you again now that your back in a Chevy. Sorry, but can't support any driver/sponsor with Toyota affiliation. American Sport with American Drivers and American Cars. I know you'll be on top in no time at all. Good luck.
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» Confirm Abuse Reportrobert mcleester said:
Jul 25, 2008 at 5:02 PMcongrats tony, you are a champion and a winner,all the best to you.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportAnonymous said:
Jul 25, 2008 at 5:37 PMWay to go Tony, from a Great Fan of Yours and A J Foyt has always been my #1 Driver from way back in his Indy races.
Report as AbuseDavid Williams
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» Confirm Abuse ReportScott Baker said:
Jul 25, 2008 at 6:03 PMTony's winning days are over. When he starts his immature antics without the Gibbs PR people around, he will really look like an idiot. He needs to grow up. Maybe being an owner will help him mature and become a man.
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» Confirm Abuse Reportkenny mckinney said:
Jul 25, 2008 at 7:53 PMtony has won in everything he has driven. all you doubters stay tuned cause tony will put on another show next year, and it will be his best show of his racing career. he may not make the chase, but he will win and back in a chevy too. you go tony and only the best for you and your new team...
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» Confirm Abuse ReportJayne Deere said:
Jul 25, 2008 at 8:02 PMCongratulations Tony, couldn't be happier that you got the number of your #1 hero. The new cars look great, can't wait to start a new collection. I have no doubt that Stewart/Haas Racing will be an organizaton to be reckoned with. Look forward to hearing who will be driving the #4. Kiss the bricks on Sunday.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportJeri Richards said:
Jul 25, 2008 at 9:53 PMGood going Tony. Really glad you're going back to an American Car.I too cannot cheer for a Toyota nor can I support any driver that does.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportTimothy Schultze said:
Jul 25, 2008 at 10:15 PMFunny how some people can only see and comment on the negative side of everything good luck Tony with HMS the major player in the garage horsePOWEER and technology you will be there just leave Ryan Newman for Gillette.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportFRANK LAVACCA said:
Jul 25, 2008 at 10:42 PMgo tony go!!!!!!!!!!
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» Confirm Abuse ReportGladys Bedwell said:
Jul 25, 2008 at 10:52 PMLove the car Tony. Nice to see you back in a Chevy but I rooted for you when you were in the Toyota because to me it isn't the car as much as it is the driver. People who can't root for you because of the car you drive are not true fans. You are the best and I would not be at all surprised if you do make The Chase next year cause if any one could do it, it would be you. Best of luck to you and Kiss the Bricks on Sunday!
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» Confirm Abuse ReportSTEVEN SPARKS said:
Jul 25, 2008 at 10:56 PMChevy should exploit the fact that Tony drove a Chevy first had to switch to Toyota, but decided his heartbeat really belongs in a Chevy. Good luck Tony. Teaming up with Hendrick will only make his team stronger and maybe he will again work with Jr again.
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» Confirm Abuse Reportmark zysk said:
Jul 26, 2008 at 7:45 AMGreat for you Tony to finish you career driving your own car and with your Hero's number.My 8 year old loves you and can't wait for next year so he can get new Tony Gear. See you in Dover.
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» Confirm Abuse Reportpaul kennedy said:
Jul 26, 2008 at 10:42 AMWelcome back to chevy. Glad to see you back in an AMERICAN car. Since Gibbs was bought by Japan(TWO HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS), and will spend whatever it takes to not just win but to DOMINATE. It will take time to get your new teams up to speed, I know you'll soon have very competitive teams. GO SMOKE!!!!
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» Confirm Abuse ReportJohn Lockhart said:
Jul 26, 2008 at 2:33 PMWay to go Cindy!With every thing else American being sold off,like Budweiser,we don't need to sell out Nascar.I have always liked Tony.He is the only driver that Dale Jr.could count on at Daytona and Tallledaga. He'll be a big contender next year.Go Tony!
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» Confirm Abuse Reportsaid:
Jul 28, 2008 at 12:37 PMI LIKE TONY BUT ENOUGH IS ENOUGH, I'M SURE HE KNOWS WHO THE SECOND DRIVER IS GOING TO BE. IF IT ISN'T NEWMAN THAN I'M ALL DONE WITH TONY. NEWMAN IS ONE OF IF NOT THE BEST QUALIFIER AND THATS WHAT TONY'S TEAM WILL NEED. ALSO NEWMAN IS ONE OF THE GOOD GUYS AND HIS LOVE AND HELP FOR ANIMALS MAKES ME A BIG FAN. SO GET IT DONE TONY STOP ALL THIS GOOFING AROUND.
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