Tony Stewart apparently just
had to scratch that itch -- you know, that itch that
Dale Earnhardt Jr. scratched enough in 2007 to find his way to
Hendrick Motorsports.
And now that we know that Tony (or at least we think we know)
won't be piloting the No. 20 Toyota in 2009 for
Joe Gibbs Racing in favor of owning his own team, we need to look at Stewart the team owner/teammate. In other words, who is going to work best with Stewart as a teammate in 2009?
Let's start with the most-rumored candidate, "Flyin' Ryan" himself:
Ryan Newman - Newman seems to make the most sense for a number of reasons. Newman is a fellow Hoosier like Stewart, has a dirt track and open-wheel background just like Stewart, and he's in the final year of his contract with a struggling Penske. And, oh yeah, dude is fast.
Newman has 43 career poles and 13 wins -- including the 2008 Daytona 500. You put Newman into a fast car, and he can put you in victory lane. He's also got some
pretty sweet wrestling moves, too. The only thing he doesn't bring is a sponsor package, though it wouldn't be hard to find one.
Martin Truex Jr. - Truex could be next great defector from the idling ship that is Dale Earnhardt Inc. With one career win coming last summer at Dover, Truex made the Chase for the Championship in 2007 but his chances don't look as good this time around.
NASCAR fans, the point has been taken: April Fool's Day jokes just don't fly.
