Stewart leaving Joe Gibbs Racing

Jul 9, 2008 - 7:18 PM HUNTERSVILLE, North Carolina (Ticker) -- Tony Stewart is leaving Joe Gibbs Racing.

A two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, Stewart will part ways with the racing team at the conclusion of the 2008 season.

"I cannot thank Joe and (president of JGR) J.D. Gibbs enough for the opportunity they gave me and for the support they've given me throughout my entire NASCAR career," Stewart said. "I've learned so much from them and have a tremendous amount of respect for what they've built.

"If I've learned anything from my time at Joe Gibbs Racing, it's that Joe Gibbs' saying of, `You win with people,' is incredibly true. They always surround me with not just good people, but great people, and the results speak for themselves."

J.D. Gibbs held no ill feelings of Stewart leaving the team.

"We've had a lot of success with Tony in our 12 years here at Joe Gibbs Racing," he said. "While this moment is bittersweet, we're parting on good terms and we know that each of us has benefited greatly from one another."

Stewart will finish the Sprint Cup season with JGR behind the wheel of the No. 20 Toyota. He also will compete for JGR in the two NASCAR Nationwide Series races still remaining on his original, nine-race Nationwide Series schedule - this weekend at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Illinois, and August 16 at Michigan International Speedway.

Stewart's future plans will become clearer Thursday at a press conference at Chicagoland Speedway. It's expected that Stewart will announce he's purchased majority ownership in the fledgling Haas-CNC two-car team.

FoxSports reported that JGR is expected to name 18-year-old Joey Logano as the replacement for Stewart. An up-and-coming star, Logano has a victory and two top-five finishes in four starts on the Nationwide Series.

Stewart's current deal with JGR ran through 2009, although there were reports in April that the 10-year NASCAR driver had asked to be released from his contract to pursue other interests.

That was denied by Stewart in an impromptu news conference on April 24. At the time, J.D. Gibbs said they planned to have Stewart honor the remainder of his contract.

The 37-year-old Stewart has 32 victories on the NASCAR circuit and captured Cup series championships in 2002 and 2005.

Stewart made his debut in 1999, winning three races and being named Rookie of the Year. He has won at least two races in each of his first nine seasons, making all 338 of his starts for Gibbs.

A four-time winner on NASCAR's Nationwide Series as well as a two-time victor on the Craftsman Truck Series, Stewart also has been a race car owner in the open-wheeled World of Outlaws since 2003.

Stewart, who is winless this season and is 12th in the Sprint Cup Series standings, has not won a race in NASCAR's top series since taking the checkered flag on August 12, 2007 at Watkins Glen International.