Gibbs calls Stewart contract situation ‘a nuisance’ to driver, team
Quote selected text Published June 21st, 2008 in NASCAR News
Tony Stewart’s contract situation is “a nuisance” for both the driver and his Joe Gibbs Racing team, JGR President J.D. Gibbs said Friday.
“It is hard,” Gibbs said. “If you look back, each team goes through this every other year, it seems like. Until you get it put to bed, it is kind of a nuisance – to Tony, to our guys.
“That doesn’t mean you make your decision quick just to be done with it. You’ve got to take your time and our hope is we can work something out and go into the future.”
Gibbs’ comments came in response to crew chief Greg Zipadelli, who told ESPN.com that Stewart’s contract situation was hanging over the team.
For his part, Stewart blamed it on the media.
“The wear comes from you guys,” Stewart said. “That’s the moral to the story. We’re all doing fine, we’ve all been doing fine.
“It’s having to answer the same questions week-in and week-out when we’ve told you all along that if there’s something new to tell you, we’ll tell you.”
Stewart is signed through next year, but is said to be exploring his options to drive somewhere else – including owning his own team – next year.
“People are always wanting to know, what’s going on, what’s going on,” Gibbs said. “For guys that come to the track just to really race, all that stuff after a while wears on you. It’s not like you have something to really announce.”
Gibbs said he was unable to predict when Stewart’s situation would be resolved, but that JGR still hopes to extend the two-time Cup champion to a longer deal.
“We’re still hoping something works out,” he said.
- Gibbs to make move to Toyota-new contract for Stewart?
- Could Stewart leave Gibbs if they move to Toyota?
- Stewart does not want to extend Gibbs contract this off season
- Gibbs says Stewart will not be offered ownership in team
- Stewart could partner with JR Motorsports?
Aww, poor baby JD. Buck up little soldier! Pretty soon you’ll have Logano running full time and your stable will be full. Forget about Smoke, he’s yesterday, right? Dump the old fart and enjoy having the kiddie pool full of young talent. I hope Tony leaves and destroys them.
I’m gonna get a rash of ca-ca for this post. Oh well, I say what’s on my mind..like my driver.
CornFed! wrote:
boy, you sure did feed us some corn!!!
he will have a stable of youngsters, but your right Tony is getting up there and he will only be looking for a 4 year contract where ever he goes because he will retire after that.
tony has something going on in his small brain. he will let us know by the end of the season. if he wins the championship he will stay with JD. if not he and heavy chevy are on their way for a [new] team.
If I had a two time champ and a champ in other disciplines in my stable I’d give Tony what he wants.I’d give him ANYTHING and EVERYTHING he wants! Mr. Rick Hendrick got it right giving Jeff Gordon a life time contract. Gibbs should do the same for Smoke and give him the best equipment not the hand me downs. It’s been all about Kyle this year and Soggy Bread Logano has much to learn. What he did to Brad Keselowski last night was bull! I also believe Denny Hamlin is not getting the best of stuff this year either. It’s all been focused on Kyle and Soggy Bread. That Nationwide car has been good because they were all being built with the expectations Joey was going in them not Smoke or Denny!
Erin wrote:
I hope you dont believe any of that stuff you write, there is no such thing as Joe giving Tony second rate equipment, Tony gets the same equipment Denny and Kyle gets, The parts all come from TRD and are assembled at JGR. If Tony wants to win, I guess hell have to drive alittle harder. Joey is a kid and has alot to learn, he just turned 18 and is setting the stock car world on fire. I guess Rick is giving Jeff and Jimmy second hand equipment too and Dale is getting all the good stuff. If you really believe with millions of dollars on the line that a owner that has 3-4 drivers racing one would give special treatment to another you should be watching F1.
Well let’s put it this way something is amiss with Smoke and his team. I’m not the first or last person to think Smoke is not getting what he deserves as far as equipment and staffing. If you listen to Smoke and Zippy during races they are not the same jovial guys kidding each other the last two months. Something is up there.
BTW I don’t think Mr Hendrick gives any of his guys second rate and not the best. Jeff is just struggling in this new car and it’s possible Jeff is just not as focused as he used to be because he’s happily married and a father now. He has different priorities now.
A driver the status of Tony Stewart should be given ANYTHING he wants by Gibbs to keep him but I couldn’t blame him one bit for leaving that burgeoning day care center! Kyle is talented but acts like a jerk. Joey seems like a very sweet boy but I don’t want to see a kid with his abilities pushed too soon, too hard. Putting him in Smoke’s ride would put a lot of expectations on him and I don’t think they should do this to him until he’s a little older with more experience. Denny has changed with Kyle in the fold and it’s not for the better. His attitude is cocky now, not appreciative of what he has. Thank heaven Carl Edwards still gets it and knows what’s important. Junior gets it and knows what is important and something tells me Smoke is just plain fed up with the day care center. I’m not the only one who sees an implosion coming at JGR.
The problem is with Tony, he is not happy because he is Tony, He thinks he can do whatever he wants and his adopted brother (crew chief) Greg will come along for the ride, but Greg is happy at his home at JGR and is too old to be hop skippin around the country doin things like what Robby Gordon does. Tony is a spoiled little baby, he has settled down alot but he still has to get his own way. his race life is just like his personnal life with his girlfriend. up and down. he moved back to IN. to escape the pressure of Lake Norman and now hes not racing good so he needs someone blame, If I was Joe after the antics with Goodyear I would have said Tony we need to talk. plus with Kyle taking all the glory away at JGR that doesnt help either. but you can guess that Greg is looking out for Nan and his kids, she has alot of input and she is probadly tellin Greg that, hey you can retire pretty good at JGR, why leave a good thing and maybe fail somewhere else.
Oh please Smoke worked for all he’s gotten. Nothing was handed to him! His parents didn’t have money. Spoiled oh please! That belongs to Jeff Gordon whose rich step daddy financed his career. Smoke’s dad was a school teacher! The Busch brothers, spoiled brats too. They had to work but daddy and mommy spoiled those boys.They have no clue how to act in public. Yes Smoke has had his issues but he apologizes and takes blame. This is something I’ve never heard the Busch boys do or Jeff Gordon who always blames someone else or his set-up or Junior left him hanging out in the draft. Tony toiled for years in the IRL and lower series. He gave Gibbs two championships, more than anyone else has. Tony has won championships in every discipline he’s touched. Again Gibbs should give him what he wants! Give him four year extension and let him and Zippy retire together. Zippy is a good man and he will do what’s right for his family and Smoke will understand that. He knows what comes first, family, then racing. He knows what’s important period. He gets it. He saw this first hand with his parents and how hard they worked. Why do you think he came home to Indiana? He’s not the only driver to live in their home state. Carl Edwards moved home to Columbia, Missouri too. Why because he gets it too. He wants to be close to family just as Tony does.
Tony wants to leave, hes has pressure from Chevy. its not up to Joe, its Tony that wants out. Its not about money, its about the manufacturer, and its to late now. the best thing is for Tony to finish next season and leave before he makes everyone involved miserable. they have offered him strong backing if he wants to start something and he turned them down, i dont blame the Gibbs for not letting him have a piece if JGR, would you give up any part of your family business to someone?
jeffs step father took a second mortgage on
their house to finance his racing career.
check your damn facts before you open your mouth
jeez Andrew, dont have a heart attack.
Us residents of Pittsboro, IN
are quite fierce about defending
our driver
My apologies.
Oh boy…Andrew if they took out a second mortgage I understand but Tony’s parents had far less than that.From what I’ve heard they lost the house that Tony now owns for the same reason you say Bickford put a second mortgage on his home. Hey I’m an Indiana resident but from what I’ve heard Jeff had a pretty easy way coming up compared to Smoke. Newman didn’t have it so easy either his dad made him go to college before he could consider driving as a career.Talk about tough! It made Ryan a better person in the long run. Ryan is a fine young man and he’s often the forgotten Hoosier driver.
Howie obviously Mr Hendrick has given Jeff Gordon a piece of his family business and now Junior. Perhaps Mr Hendrick’s faith in people is the reason he has all those championships? I didn’t say give him a piece and if you are right about Chevy then Smoke should have asked out last year when they went to Toyota. It’s like many have said, Smoke is not happy in Toyota if what you say is true.
Erin, dont forget that Newman wanted to go to Purdue to get his mechanical engineering degree and the way the sport is evolving, that turned out to be an incredibly smart thing to do. Also don’t forget Jeffs parents moved accross the United States so he could follow his dream or racing. That isn’t easy, but neither was Tonys rise to the top either.
i thought newman went to purdue and has a degree in engineering?????