With the Nationwide Car of Tomorrow set to debut in selected races in 2009, Stewart would be smart to build a few cars and set up a driver development program in NASCAR's number two series. A full-time program could be ready by 2010, the year the Nationwide COT is supposed to become the series' new car full-time.
Stewart could even set up a full-time team next season, albeit potentially at great cost (with the old cars going to waste after one season), and expand to two cars in 2010.
The obvious first choice to build the program is Johnny Sauter, a longtime Haas CNC driver. Sauter has steadily put the team's Cup cars in races for the most part, and is an attractive driver to sponsors as evidenced by his long relationship with Yellow Transportation.
In the future, Stewart's USAC and World of Outlaws drivers—Tracy Hines, Levi Jones, Kraig Kinser, and Donny Schatz—could see themselves in the Nationwide cars. As a two-time WoO champion, Schatz could certainly use a new challenge. It also helps that Stewart and Newman, as former USAC drivers, would enjoy having a teammate with a similar racing background.
It'd also be a great step towards making Tony Stewart Racing, or Stewart/Haas Racing, or whatever the team is called in 2009, a perennial contender under the watchful eye of one of the best drivers of the past decade.
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