It?s not easy being an owner and a driver in NASCAR. Several of the sport?s biggest names, including past champions Bill Elliott and Darrell Waltrip, have tried with disappointing results. More recently, Michael Waltrip and Robby Gordon have struggled running their own teams.
So what makes Tony Stewart think he will fare any better in his quest for a championship-contending team at newly-formed Stewart-Hass Racing next season?
Unlike those drivers, Stewart has a secret weapon: Hendrick Motorsports.
Hendrick has been providing engines, chassis and technical support to Haas Racing since it entered the Cup series in 2003, leaving some to wonder if Stewart truly is headed to a struggling team ? or an extension of NASCAR?s top organization.
“We have a great relationship with Hendrick Motorsports, but there are boundaries,” Joe Custer, Haas? General Manager, said at Stewart?s press conference before a race earlier this month. “There?s no ownership between the two companies. Rick Hendrick doesn?t make our decisions.”
Custer may downplay Hendrick?s role, but he?d be naïve to think his team?s connection with Hendrick did not influence Stewart to leave Joe Gibbs Racing and join Stewart-Haas.
Stewart acknowledged success at Stewart-Haas will take time, but he also is a fierce competitor who is used to winning. That?s why having the resources of Hendrick Motorsports, in addition to the possibility of Ryan Newman as a teammate, made Stewart?s jump from Joe Gibbs Racing understandable.
“Having that ability to tap into the Hendrick resources, I feel like, has given this team an opportunity to close a huge gap,” Stewart said. “Having the resources available to us and having these resources available long term are very,very key at this point. I see the relationship being a very valuable relationship not only now, but long-term also.”
That relationship could actually be valuable for both sides, as the better Stewart?s cars perform the more useful data Hendrick will get in return to distribute to their teams.
Of course, Haas has used Hendrick equipment for years with middling results, and some may argue that Stewart?s presence may not be enough to turn the company into a contender. But after watching Joe Gibbs build a dominant organization the past decade, Stewart knows the team will only be as good as the people running it.
“The one thing I think I?ve learned from Joe Gibbs Racing is that it takes people to win,” Stewart said. “It?s not equipment that wins races ? it?s people.”
But having a lot of horsepower and great cars never hurt, either. If Stewart performs to the level of his Hendrick equipment, he secret weapon will not be under wraps for long.
Get up to speed on the latest in NASCAR ? listen to Wilson?s Race Report every weeknight at 8:20 on 93.1 WPOC.
