For one, he had driven a General Motors car his entire Cup career until 2008, when Gibbs made the transition from Chevrolet to Toyota. After driving a Pontiac and Chevy for nine seasons, Stewart was less than thrilled to be behind the wheel of a foreign-manufactured machine, especially given the way that the Toyotas performed during their first season in the NASCAR Sprint Cup series.
Who was to say that they would show signs of improvement in their second season? From the time that Gibbs made the manufacturer switch, there were murmurs that Stewart would get out of the final year of his contract with JGR and head to a Chevy squad.
There was great uncertainty regarding which team it would be—Hendrick? Childress? D.E.I.?
Then came Haas-CNC’s offer of part-ownership, and it was all said and done. Stewart’s opportunity to be his own boss, if you will, was the other major reason that the two-time Cup champion went looking for greener pastures. He has accomplished so much as a driver, so why not embark on a new journey as an owner?
The situation also presented Stewart with all kinds of freedom, something that was a lot harder to obtain as one of three talented and ultra-competitive drivers at JGR.
With that being said, why would it have been in Stewart’s best interest to remain with Gibbs? Let’s just say that the pros outweigh the cons.
Joe Gibbs Racing is one of the elite franchises in all of NASCAR.
No one in a million years would’ve thought that their shift from Chevrolet to Toyota would go this smoothly after Toyota’s nightmare of a maiden voyage in the Sprint Cup, but they have by far exceeded expectations.
Kyle Busch currently has seven wins on the season, and all three of the Gibbs cars are in position to qualify for the Chase.
When the team fielded GM-manufactured cars, JGR took three championships in NASCAR’s top series (Stewart two, Bobby Labonte one). Consequently, their continued success with a different make of machines does not come as that big of a shocker—it’s a winning organization.
On the other end of the spectrum, Haas-CNC, now Stewart-Haas, is unproven.
From a Cup driver’s perspective, it’s always a huge risk branching out and starting your own race team. Just ask Michael Waltrip, who has experienced a disastrous first season-and-a-half at the helm of his Toyota-based franchise. Likewise, Robby Gordon Motorsports has yet to break through and put itself on the map.
Haas-CNC is a race team that has been relatively unsuccessful and struggled to hold on to consistent sponsors over the last few years. There has also been a plethora of different drivers occupying Haas-CNC’s two rides—Scott Riggs, Tony Raines, Johnny Sauter, Jeff Green…the list of "C-listers" seems to go on and on.
Acquiring sponsors suddenly became a lot easier when Stewart, a proven, well-known driver in the sport, signed with Haas.
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