The Top 5 Reasons Tony Stewart Is Not Leaving Gibbs Early

Tony won’t be leaving Joe Gibbs Racing before his contract expires in 2009. Period. That’s a pretty bold statement to make and I have no inside information that tells me it’s true. I just don’t think it’s going to happen. Before I get into why, read this:

HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. (April 24, 2008) – The following is a statement from J.D. Gibbs, president of Joe Gibbs Racing, regarding the contract status of driver Tony Stewart,

“There has been much speculation regarding the future of our driver, Tony Stewart. Tony is currently here through 2009, and from a Joe Gibbs Racing standpoint, we hope he drives for us longer than that and retires here. Tony is a great partner and a huge asset to Joe Gibbs Racing. Right now, we are focused on winning races and winning the next two NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championships under his current contract.”

I know that Liz Smith at Fox started this, and the story was immediately “broken” by ESPN and Sports Illustrated, but I don’t believe it’s going to happen.

Here are my top 5 reasons why Tony Stewart will not be leaving Joe Gibbs Racing before his contract expires.

1. Tony is quite happy with his position at Joe Gibbs Racing. He’s well respected, he gets to play in the dirt whenever he wants and lets face it, he makes a pretty good income.
2. Tony has stated on several occasions that he would be working with Zippy until he retires from racing.
3. Tony isn’t about to move from being in the top group (JGR)  among the Toyotas to driving for, or even owning, an also ran team (CNC) among the Chevys.
4. Speaking of Chevy, just because his USAC teams are running Chevy’s, doesn’t mean that he has this huge loyalty thing with them.  If you recall, before 2007 his team was sponsored by MOPAR.
5. The final reason that Tony is not leaving Joe Gibbs Racing before his contract runs out, if ever, is that Tony is very loyal to his friends and the people who have helped him along the way.  Joe Gibbs has been more to Tony than just a boss.  He’s been a mentor and a friend.  Tony isn’t going to just forget that, buy his way out of his contract and move on.  He’s got too much class and loyalty for that.

So what does the future hold for Tony?  I believe that in 2010 we’ll see Tony owning the 4th Gibbs car, in the same way that Jeff Gordon owns the 48 car that Jimmie Johnson drives.  Joey Legano, who should get his first Nationwide start next month when he turns 18, will be driving it.

Since I’m making predictions here I’ll really go out on a limb and say that over the next 7 years, 2008-2014, Joe Gibbs Racing will win 4 Cup Championships.  Stewart and Busch are a lock, Hamlin is quite probable if he doesn’t turn into a jerk, and the 2014 champion will be Joey Legano.  2014 will also be the year Tony hangs up his NASCAR helmet.

Check back with me in November 2014 and we’ll see how I did.

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