Dale Earnhardt Jr.: “He Needs To Do What’s Good For Him”
Apr 26, 2008
CIA Stock Photo, Inc.
Two-time NASCAR series champion Tony Stewart is considering offers from other teams, including Haas CNC Racing, and may ask for an early release from Joe Gibbs Racing.
Stewart, whose contract with the former Washington Redskins coach runs through the 2009 season, said he has offers from several teams, some of which include taking an ownership stake.
Stewart has driven the car sponsored by Home Depot for Gibbs for 10 seasons. He won the series championship in 2002 and 2005 and the Indy Racing League championship in 1997.
Dale Earnhardt Jr., who last year announced in midseason that he’d be changing teams, said he didn’t see anything wrong with Stewart looking 18 months down the road.
“I think that Tony’s always been really good at making smart business decisions,” Earnhardt said. “He needs to do what’s good for him.
To Earnhardt, though, there’s a clear distinction between his situation and Stewart’s, because Stewart’s contract with Joe Gibbs Racing runs through 2009, and any earlier change of venue for Stewart would require a release from Gibbs.
“Tony is in a different deal to where his contract isn’t up,” Earnhardt said. “So he’s in a different situation entirely than I was. Tony has several different options. Staying where he is is a great one. Joe is going to be around for a long time. Joe’s going to be competitive and have a great program for a long time.
“Or, he (Stewart) could become his own Joe Gibbs if he wants to. And Tony has networked his entire career. He has a lot of relationships with a lot of people that would suit him well, should he ever decide to become an owner in this sport. So really, it’s up to Tony and what he wants to do, because I think he could accomplish his goals, however he wants to stack it up.”
In fact, Earnhardt said Stewart would probably be a “fun owner” because he understands the game from behind the wheel.
“It is what it is,” Hamlin said. “If he chooses to go, he chooses to go, but if he doesn’t, we’re going to definitely keep him as our team leader. . .
“It definitely won’t affect the 11 car (Hamlin) or the 18 (teammate Kyle Busch), for that matter. I think all of those guys are going to stay focused. Even though they work with each other around the shop, I don’t think that will be a distraction.
“Everyone knows their job. Our whole FedEx team—we’re staying focused. We know that we have a great set of tracks coming up for us, and we’re not going to let any kind of distraction like that get a hold of us.”
