Stewart gets release from Joe Gibbs Racing contract

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- From his seat in the bright orange No. 20, Tony Stewart spent a decade driving his way to superstardom while helping Joe Gibbs Racing become one of NASCAR's top teams.

The partnership produced 32 victories, two Cup championships and more than $68 million in winnings. It also survived a flurry of storms created by one of the most tempestuous drivers in NASCAR history.

It was the perfect union, yet it left Stewart wanting more.

More than he could ever get at Gibbs, where an ownership stake wasn't an option and Stewart was simply the driver. So Stewart secured his release from the organization Wednesday, paving the way for him to purchase his own NASCAR team.

"While this moment is bittersweet, we're parting on good terms and we know that each of us has benefited greatly from the other," team president J.D. Gibbs said in a statement.

The remarkable and often emotional 10-year run will end for Smoke, Zippy and the JGR boys at the end of the season.

Gibbs had hoped to sign Stewart to an extension that would keep the 37-year-old driver in his seat past 2009 and until he retired, but Stewart stalled during contract talks. He wanted to see what else was out there, and given the opportunity to buy majority ownership in fledgling Haas-CNC Racing, Stewart couldn't resist. He scheduled a news conference today at Chicagoland Speedway to discuss his latest venture.

Stewart, who owns several sprint car teams and a trio of race tracks -- including famed Eldora Speedway in Ohio -- likely will model his NASCAR team after the Gibbs organization.

Joe Gibbs has supported unequivocally through a tumultuous 10 years that saw Stewart punch a photographer, engage in run-ins with fellow drivers, fans and the media, and often fall on NASCAR's bad side through his jaw-dropping candor and sharp wit.

He thanked the organization for sticking by him, and teaching him much of what he knows as a businessman.

"I've learned so much from them and have a tremendous amount of respect for what they've built," Stewart said in a statement. "I've modeled my USAC and World of Outlaws teams the same way they built their NASCAR team, and I made it a point to find good people to run those programs.

"If I've learned anything from my time at Joe Gibbs Racing, it's that Joe Gibbs' saying of, 'You win with people,' is incredibly true. They always surrounded me with not just good people, but great people, and the results speak for themselves."

Now Stewart will have to find the same quality people to help him revamp Haas's two-car team. Current owner Gene Haas began serving a two-year prison sentence for tax evasion in January, and the team is not exactly competitive.

Haas currently fields one car for Scott Riggs, and a second entry that's been piloted by several drivers this season. Neither team is inside the top 35 in points, and the organization was devastated by stiff NASCAR penalties in May for bringing illegal cars to Lowe's Motor Speedway.

But Stewart loves a challenge, and this newest one also will secure him a spot in NASCAR long after he quits driving. He's expected to pilot one of the cars, and fellow Indiana native Ryan Newman is in the running for the second seat. Newman has been noncommittal on his future plans, and the Daytona 500 winner is in the final year of his contract with Penske Racing.

Getting to this point, though, meant breaking up a quality partnership.

Stewart joined JGR in a developmental role in 1997 while he still was competing in the IndyCar Series. He ran five races in the Busch Series, now known as the Nationwide Series, for JGR that year, and also won the IRL championship. He expanded his Busch schedule in 1998 to 22 events in preparation of his move to full-time NASCAR in the Cup Series.

His arrival helped JGR expand to two teams, and Stewart made an immediate impact on the Cup Series. He set a rookie record with three victories in 1999 while winning rookie of the year honors. It began a 10-year run with Stewart winning at least two events a season.