Joe Gibbs could have forced Tony Stewart to spend the 2009 season in a Toyota.

But when it came down to it, why bother?

Stewart wasn't going to sign the contract extension Gibbs offered. And he didn't really like driving for Toyota. In fact, Stewart didn't really like the idea that Toyota was even allowed into NASCAR's Sprint Cup series.

Stewart said as much and a lot more last year when Gibbs announced he was switching his team from Chevrolet to Toyota.

“I'm a Chevy man,” Stewart said.

And most likely he will be again soon.

After 10 years with Joe Gibbs Racing, expect Stewart to launch his own team next year with a huge assist from Chevrolet, which already has a team lined up for Stewart.

Haas-CNC Racing is a two-car Chevy operation in need of a front-line owner. The team is for sale partially because team owner Gene Haas is a third of the way through a two-year prison sentence for tax evasion.

The team is also under NASCAR scrutiny after drawing major penalties in May for sending two illegal cars to the Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway near Charlotte, N.C.

With Stewart aboard as the owner-driver and Hendrick Motorsports and Chevrolet providing technical support, Haas-CNC could quickly be transformed from an embarrassment to one of the factory's top teams.

And Stewart, 37, already runs a sprint car operation. He wants to run his own team. He has said that. The only question has been when. Now sounds like a perfect time, given the situation. There is even a potential perfect No. 2 driver available in fellow Indianan – and the technically adept – Ryan Newman.

Meantime, Stewart's departure from Gibbs leaves one of the circuit's most coveted rides empty – and should Stewart sign Newman, two top rides will be available – adding a lot of interest to what was expected to be a quiet “silly season.”

As for the Gibbs-Stewart relationship, it produced 32 race wins and two Sprint Cup championships over a decade. Stewart and crew chief Greg Zipadelli also have the longest active pairing in the Sprint Cup series (10 years).

Meantime, don't cry for Gibbs.

He already has two very competent drivers in Sprint Cup points leader Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin and likely will move 18-year-old phenom Joey Logano into Stewart's seat next season.

Stewart is 12th in the Sprint Cup standings and on the bubble spot for the 12-car Chase for the Championship.

DEI controversies

It's been a strange week for the team founded by the late Dale Earnhardt.

First, Martin Truex's car was seized by NASCAR officials after it failed technical inspection at Daytona International Speedway last week. Truex was fined 150 championship points, crew chief Kevin Manion and car chief Gary Putnam were both suspended for six races and Manion was fined $100,000.

The penalty dropped Truex from 14th to 18th in the standings with eight races to go before the Chase begins.

Then, Teresa Earnhardt denied rumors that she is selling the team.

DEI recently lost Mark Martin to Hendrick Motorsports, starting next year. Truex has not reached an agreement on a contract extension, although DEI holds an option on him for 2009.

Miscellany

Ramona's Johnny Borneman finished third in the Camping World West race at Toyota Speedway in Irwindale on Friday. El Cajon's Austin Cameron finished sixth in the race won by Jason Bowles. Cameron, who will make his 100th series start this weekend, is fifth in the standings. Borneman is ninth.

Jeff Bernard won Sunday's Unlimited Hydroplane race at Madison, Ind. Steve David's Oh Boy Oberto, which is owned by the community of Madison, was second, with first-race winner Mike Allen third. Both the winner and third-place boats are owned by Formula Boats.

San Diego resident Richard Antunucci finished second to Raphael Matos in the Indy Lights race at Watkins Glen, N.Y., on Saturday and is tied with Dillon Battistini for the season points lead.

NFL star Randy Moss will debut his new NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series entry July 19 at Kentucky Speedway. The truck will be driven by 2007 series Rookie of the Year Willie Allen.

CHECKERED FLAGS

Kyle Busch: His victory in the Fourth of July weekend race at Daytona is his sixth Sprint Cup win of the season and 12th of the year in NASCAR's three top series.

Ryan Hunter-Reay: Becomes the seventh different winner in 10 IndyCar Series races this season. His victory is also the first for Rahal-Letterman Racing since 2004.

NHRA: For the short term, 1,000-foot drag races make sense. But the issue that needs to be addressed is engine limitations.

RED FLAGS

Jeff Gordon: After leading near the finish of the Coke Zero race at Daytona, gets passed and then is caught up in an accident and finishes 30th.

Carl Edwards: Had the Coke Zero lasted a half-lap longer before the final crash, he could have passed Kyle Bush for the win.

E.J. Viso: Forced to withdraw from Saturday's IndyCar Series race because of the mumps.

Scott Dixon: Spins out under yellow and is hit from behind by Ryan Briscoe on Sunday, eliminating his hopes of winning a fourth straight race on the road course at Watkins Glen.

SCHEDULE

Today

NASCAR Sprint Cup: Qualifying, LifeLock.com 400, Joliet, Ill. (1.5-mile tri-oval; Speed Channel, 5:30 p.m.).

Tomorrow

NASCAR Nationwide Series: Dollar General 300, Joliet, Ill. (200 laps; ESPN, 4:30 p.m.) – Kevin Harvick last year scored his fourth victory in the race in the seven-year history of the track. Gibbs Racing is coming off a 1-2 (Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch, respectively) finish at Daytona. Gibbs drivers have won 13 (Tony Stewart 5, Busch 4, Hamlin 3, Joey Logano 1) of the 18 Nationwide Series races this season. Because of Gibbs' dominance, Toyota also has 13 wins this season.

RaceLegal Drags: Qualcomm Stadium, west access road, 6 p.m.

Barona 1/8-Mile Drag Strip: Sport Compact Drags, 6 p.m.

Saturday

NASCAR Sprint Cup: Lifelock.com 400, Joliet, Ill. (267 laps; TNT, 3:30 p.m.) – Kyle Busch was a bumper ahead of Carl Edwards last Saturday at Daytona when the caution came out on the final lap to hand the Toyota driver his series-leading sixth win of the season. Teammate Tony Stewart won this race last year. That win snapped a 20-race winless streak for Stewart, who is now mired in a 32-race winless streak. This is the first Sprint Cup night race at Chicagoland Speedway.

IndyCar Series: Firestone Indy 200, Lebanon, Tenn. (200 laps, 1.33-mile tri-oval; ESPN, 5 p.m.) – Although he denied himself a fourth straight win at Watkins Glen, points leader Scott Dixon has a chance to win a second straight Chicago race.

Barona 1/8-Mile Drag Strip: Sport Compact Drags, 3 p.m.

Sunday

NHRA Drag Racing: Mopar Mile-High Nationals (1,000-foot strip; Morrison, Colo., ESPN2, 5 p.m.) – Doug Herbert is coming off his first Top Fuel victory of the season. The Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle pro classes plus the amateur classes will still run the full quarter-mile, with only the nitro-burning Top Fuel and Funny Car classes reduced to 1,000 feet. The NHRA will not award bonus points for elapsed time and speed records set at 1,000 feet.

RACING NUMBERS

50 – Years since Richard Petty made his NASCAR debut on July 12, 1958, by finishing sixth in a Convertible Division race.