Stewart unveils new future at Chicagoland Speedway

JOLIET -- Tony Stewart, one of NASCAR's most reputable drivers for the past decade, on Thursday officially announced an ownership deal with one of NASCAR's fledgling operations.

The announcement that Stewart will join Haas CNC Racing in a new operation called Stewart-Haas Racing has been rumored in the garage for weeks. On Thursday, Stewart joined Joe Custer, Haas CNC's current general manager, to announce the deal publicly.

"This is a huge day for me," Stewart said at a press conference at Chicagoland Speedway. "This is a turning point in my career." A day earlier, Stewart's current team, Joe Gibbs Racing announced it will release Stewart from the final year of his contract.

Stewart owns three racetracks and several sprint car teams, and the opportunity to own 50 percent of a team in NASCAR's highest series was an attractive deal for him.

"Eight years ago, if somebody said, 'Do you want to own a race team,' I would say, 'No way.' I couldn't deal with the politics," Stewart said.

"It's hard to walk away from a sport, and this gives me an opportunity if I even can't compete as a driver."

Stewart began his NASCAR career with JGR in 1997 while he was still running in the IndyCar Series. He set a rookie record in the Cup Series with three victories in 1999 while winning rookie of the year honors. It
began a 10-year run that has seen Stewart win at least two events a season and championships in 2002 and 2005.

"My strength is going to be taking the knowledge that I learned from Joe Gibbs over the years and putting the right people in the right places to
get the job done," Stewart said. "My job on the weekends will be to drive the car."

Currently, Haas CNC runs two cars, but Stewart said his newly merged team expects to announce a deal with a second high profile driver in the coming weeks.

It's rumored that fellow Indiana native Ryan Newman will drive the second car, although Stewart indicated the current Haas CNC driver Scott Riggs is also being considered.

Stewart will continue driving his No. 20 Home Depot Toyota for JGR until the end of this season. Currently, he stands 12th in the points, in the final position to make the late-August cut for the Chase for the championship.