Stewart considers leaving Gibbs Racing
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Confirming he has multiple offers, the two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion even says his departure could come before his contract expires at the end of 2009.
Two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Tony Stewart said Thursday he is exploring whether to eventually leave Joe Gibbs Racing for another team, perhaps before his contract expires at the end of 2009.
"We've got multiple offers on the table right now, and there's a couple in particular that really have caught our interest," Stewart said.
He declined to be specific but said "a couple offers" included ownership in a team other than Gibbs.
Stewart, 36, also said "it doesn't mean it's over" at Gibbs, his only team since he joined the Cup series in 1999. "We're just going to look at everything that's out there," he said.
Gibbs President J.D. Gibbs issued a statement saying "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.
"Right now, we are focused on winning races and winning the next two NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championships under his current contract," said Gibbs, son of team owner and former Washington Redskins coach Joe Gibbs.
Stewart, who drives the No. 20 Toyota Camry in the Cup series and also competes in NASCAR's second-tier Nationwide Series, made his comments at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway, site of this weekend's races.
Gibbs' other Cup drivers are Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch.
"We haven't made a 100% decision yet on what we're going to do, but we're going to look at all the options," Stewart told reporters after Nationwide practice.
Stewart also said he had not yet asked to be released from his current contract, but had inquired whether that might be possible if an appealing offer surfaced. "The good thing is we have a year left on our contract, we're not in a rush," he said.
The website SceneDaily.com said Stewart also acknowledged reports this week that Haas CNC Racing, one of the Cup series' small, struggling teams, was among those that have talked to him about possible ownership.
Haas CNC has two Chevrolet Cup cars, one driven by Scott Riggs. The other was driven early this season by Jeremy Mayfield, but he has since parted. Veteran Ken Schrader will attempt to qualify the car for Sunday's NASCAR race.
Stewart won his NASCAR Cup titles in 2002 and 2005. He's winless through eight races this season but has five top-10 finishes and is tied with Hamlin for sixth in the point standings.
Stewart, the former Indy car racer, has won 32 Cup races and more than $67 million in prize money since joining the series.
Associated Press contributed to this report.
james.peltz@latimes.com
