The wheel deal
Stewart may drive away from Gibbs
LOUDON, N.H. - Since 1999, the year Tony Stewart first slipped behind the wheel of the No. 20
For 10 straight seasons, Zipadelli has supplied the cars that Stewart has taken onto the racetrack, making the adjustments his driver has called for en route to a pair of Sprint Cup championships.
Zipadelli and Stewart, the longest active crew chief-driver partnership in the Cup garage, have kidded they are the old married couple of NASCAR, able to communicate without a word being spoken.
It appears, however, that the couple is headed for a breakup.
Stewart is under contract with Joe Gibbs Racing through 2009 as the steward of one of NASCAR's most high-profile rides. But Stewart has been sniffing around for a new home, with various players all but certain that he'll be driving a new set of wheels in 2010 - if not sooner.
Stewart is considering an ownership option at Haas/CNC Racing and would be the top candidate for any team seeking a driver. Stewart noted yesterday that Hendrick Motorsports has an opening because of the sacking of Casey Mears from the No. 5 car.
"Is it disappointing? Yeah. I never thought we'd be in this situation," Zipadelli said. "But it's life. This is big-time auto racing. It's really turned into a big deal, a big thing.
"This is our 10th year. We always talked about starting together and retiring together on the same day in the same place. Not to say it still can't happen, but it's obviously not going to be at Joe Gibbs Racing, if he decides to go."
In 1999, Stewart was named Rookie of the Year after winning three races and finishing fourth in the standings. In 2002, the duo helped the No. 20 car win its first Cup championship. They turned the trick again in 2005, when Stewart won five races in seven starts.
This year, JGR switched to
Despite the workload of building engines for the Toyotas, JGR has proven to be a powerhouse this season. Hamlin's No. 11 won at Martinsville March 30 and should be a contender in tomorrow's Lenox Industrial Tools 301. The No. 18 car, which formerly belonged to J.J. Yeley, has been the class of the Cup series. Busch, the ex-Hendrick Motorsports driver, has swiped five checkered flags in his first season under the Gibbs banner and leads second-place Jeff Burton by 103 points.
Stewart, meanwhile, hasn't won a race all year. The No. 20 hasn't gone to Victory Lane since Aug. 12, 2007, and has failed to finish three races this year, tied with Jeff Gordon for most DNFs among top-12 drivers. Stewart, 11th in the standings, was poised to win the
During the final laps of last Sunday's Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Infineon Raceway, Stewart was in second place, hopeful he could attempt one last run at Busch. That opportunity never came.
In his rearview mirror, a spin by Kevin Harvick kicked off a series of race-changing events. Harvick, trying an ill-advised maneuver to gain position, looped his No. 29 Chevrolet, tapping the No. 26 Ford of Jamie McMurray. As he spun, McMurray clanged against the No. 20 Toyota, sending Stewart into a twirl that spoiled any hope of making a charge.
Good cars, good driving, good pit stops. Bad luck.
"Another good day got taken away from us," said Zipadelli, in what ended as a 10th-place finish. "It was out of our control. That's the frustrating part. If we weren't running good, we could go and test. You can always run better. We're still testing and trying to learn. But it's not like we're running 25th or 30th every week because our cars aren't good.
"That's the disappointing part. If we can continue to keep our heads high and continue to work like we're working, it's got to turn around. If it doesn't, it wasn't because of effort or that we didn't have the performance. But we've done a good job of focusing on what we can do."
Given the strength of JGR, other drivers have wondered why Stewart would leave the organization.
"I was shocked to see that Tony wanted to make a change," said Greg Biffle, driver of the No. 16 Ford, who announced his extension with Roush Fenway Racing yesterday. "I understand that Tony wants to move in to more of an ownership type of role. That's good for drivers in our category to look at. I enjoy running in the Nationwide races and the Cup races, but I enjoy having a little extra time to do other things."
According to team president J.D. Gibbs, the game plan would be for JGR to sign Stewart to a long-term extension, then promote 18-year-old hotshot Joey Logano to JGR's fourth Cup ride when the native of Middletown, Conn., is considered ready for the big leagues.
"[Logano's] tested a ton for the Cup guys, and they pretty much know who can do it and who can't," Gibbs said. "He'll have no problem winning at Cup. Right now, there's no hurry. He's been in the Nationwide Series and he's far exceeded expectations, winning out of the box and getting two poles. We're real encouraged about that. There's no hurry to do anything. When the time is right, he's going to be fine."
But that scenario might not become reality. If Stewart bolts, JGR might accelerate Logano and perhaps put him in the No. 20 to work with Zipadelli, who hails from Berlin, Conn., and is signed to a long-term deal with Gibbs.
"Right now, we're assuming that through '09, he goes with us," Gibbs said. "We always have contingency plans. If a guy gets hurt, what do you do? There's a lot of that. There's nothing where we've sat down and figured out exactly what it will look like. We have some pretty good ideas.
"Ideally, we'd sign Tony up for a long-term deal and Joey would be in a fourth car whenever he's ready. But that might change. We're open to anything. We don't have that set real hard. We haven't sat down and really said, 'Here's what it is.' At some time, we really have to know and plan for the future. But we're not there yet. One of these days we'll sit down and say, 'We have to know by that date.' "
For now, Stewart and the No. 20 team are focusing on tomorrow's race at NHMS, where the car has been successful. In 18 races, Stewart has won twice and posted 10 top-five finishes. Stewart has led 803 career laps at the 1.058-mile track, trailing only Gordon (1,141). In his last six NHMS starts, Stewart has posted one win and four top three-finishes.
"There's a lot of variables to look at, still," Stewart said of remaining at JGR. "We've got all of the information except for what's happening today [with Mears]. The good news is that we have time to look. We're going to have to make a decision at some point."
Fluto Shinzawa can be reached at fshinzawa@globe.com.
