Owner/Driver: Can Smoke find Success?

So long Joe Gibbs Racing.  So long Home Depot.  What race fans have become accustomed to over the past decade with the #20 car is changing as Tony Stewart has announced that he will be driving for Stewart/Haas Racing next year as a 50% owner.  Will Smoke be able to find success where so many others have failed? 

In the past twenty years there really have been no drivers who competed at as high of levels as they did in their primes after they took over part of the ownership of their respective teams.  Grant it the majority of them were on the back nine of their careers but Tony Stewart seems to have a little more time on his hands.

The last actual owner who won as a driver was Richard Petty, his 200th and final career victory.  Needless to say, many current drivers on the Cup Circuit weren't even alive or old enough to know what a race car was back then.

Stewart, unlike others like Michael Waltrip of late has had great success in the past as a Cup Driver.  Some may argue that Smoke's best days are behind him, but when he does have two series championships in his rear view mirror it is tough to argue things are on their way up.

Tony Stewart is going to a place where some of the best have not dared to go.  Dale Earnhardt, Sr. never attempted to own his own team in which he was driving for, nor have others like Jeff Gordon, Dale Jarrett, and Jimmie Johnson, some of the best of late.

As much as I hope Smoke well in his future endeavours, I doubt we will see him claim a championship as a driver/owner.  I have no doubts that he won't be making trips to victory lane as an owner/driver, but competing for championships is a different story. 

The long haul of a season on a driver is enough to mentally fatigue a driver for an entire off-season.  Parlay that with also owning the team you are driving for and I have trouble seeing long term success for Smoke/Haas.

Count on Tony Stewart to win a few races while owning the team he is driving for, unfortunately Smoke fans, don't plan on Stewart to be chasing any series titles in the next few years.

If anyone of the current drivers is to have extreme success as a driver/owner I would put my money on Smoke, but with as difficult as it seems to do I am absolutely not expecting to see it.