Passing Lane
by Mike Hembree
Food for thought: Stewart and Hendrick
April 30, 2008
More blog postings from Mike Hembree
Now that Tony Stewart has basically declared himself a free agent, one of the biggest guessing games of the next year or so will be trying to figure out where he might land.
The most obvious solution is to stay at Joe Gibbs Racing. Gibbs and his lieutenants have gone to the mat many times for Stewart in difficult and uncomfortable circumstances, in effect saving him from himself. A sense of loyalty to Gibbs and crew chief Greg Zipadelli might keep Stewart in house at JGR. He could buy another team and make it a winner without actually driving one of its cars.
Another intriguing possibility that has been tossed around, however, is a Stewart move to Hendrick Motorsports, where he would form a true “superteam” with Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr. Hendrick fields Chevrolets, the nameplate most identified with Stewart, and it isn’t difficult to imagine the marketing bonanza that might follow with Stewart on the same team as three other major stars.
This isn’t likely to happen, but few people expected the Earnhardt Jr. move to Hendrick, either. There was no room at the Hendrick inn for Junior, but Hendrick made room by cutting ties with Kyle Busch. Although Hendrick seems committed to Casey Mears, it isn’t difficult to imagine a split there if any Hendrick-Stewart discussions moved into the serious stage.
Stewart working with Gordon, Johnson and Earnhardt Jr. Imagine the possibilities.
The most obvious solution is to stay at Joe Gibbs Racing. Gibbs and his lieutenants have gone to the mat many times for Stewart in difficult and uncomfortable circumstances, in effect saving him from himself. A sense of loyalty to Gibbs and crew chief Greg Zipadelli might keep Stewart in house at JGR. He could buy another team and make it a winner without actually driving one of its cars.
Another intriguing possibility that has been tossed around, however, is a Stewart move to Hendrick Motorsports, where he would form a true “superteam” with Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr. Hendrick fields Chevrolets, the nameplate most identified with Stewart, and it isn’t difficult to imagine the marketing bonanza that might follow with Stewart on the same team as three other major stars.
This isn’t likely to happen, but few people expected the Earnhardt Jr. move to Hendrick, either. There was no room at the Hendrick inn for Junior, but Hendrick made room by cutting ties with Kyle Busch. Although Hendrick seems committed to Casey Mears, it isn’t difficult to imagine a split there if any Hendrick-Stewart discussions moved into the serious stage.
Stewart working with Gordon, Johnson and Earnhardt Jr. Imagine the possibilities.
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