Tiger Woods (Image: Zuma Press)

According to an unidentified person close to the situation, GM and tour officials will make the announcement at the conclusion of the tournament, which ends this coming Sunday.  No word was given on the fate of the other GM sponsored event, the Buick Invitational.

GM, which only recently emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, is discontuining sponsorship of the PGA event in order to rechannel those funds towards marketing and advertising.  More importantly, losing GM’s sponsorship means losing the Buick Open, which would be yet another crushing financial blow to the residents of Flint, Michigan, one of the most economically depressed areas of the country.  The Buick Open is responsible for an estimated $10 million to $12 million in economic impact.

Post from: EveryJoe

Image details: Goody’s Cool Orange 500 Qualifying served by picapp.com

There’s been talk all over the internet (again) revolving around the infamous Tony Stewart and his contract with Joe Gibbs Racing. Smoke has been driving for JGR since 1998, and back in 2003 signed a six-year deal with the team that would put him there through the 2009 season. Just as he did in ’03, Stewart appears to be willing to listen to just about anyone talking to him about offers, and as one might expect, a two-time former champ is going to receive plenty of them.

Some believe he may be letting his negotiations fall into the public eye purely for the sake of having some leverage to get a more lucrative deal from JGR, but it appears also that Stewart’s long-time relationship with the folks over at General Motors may be playing a large role in his uncertainty. There are certainly some viable options out there that would put him back in the seat of a Chevy, including the now widely-gossiped notion of becoming at least a part owner at Haas CNC Racing, whom not only drives Chevy’s, but also have a standing business relationship with Hendrick Motorsports. We also know that Richard Childress Racing will be fielding a fourth car next season, but placing Tony in that car would require an early release from his contract.

Stewart has stated that there have been talks with a couple of teams out there that would include him becoming a car owner in the Cup Series, but he said that he has not yet talked to the Joe and/or JD Gibbs about becoming a partner at JGR. He also said that while he and his agent have presented various scenarios to Gibbs to feel out whether or not there might be a possibility of being released from his current contract prior to ’09, he has not actually asked for that to happen.

JD Gibbs has gone on record by stating that they have Tony under contract through the 2009 season, and that they have no intention of allowing him to part from the company early. He and Toyota’s President of Competition, Lee White, both also said that they would like to see Stewart not only re-sign with Gibbs, but to retire with the organization.

I’ve scouted many sources on this topic, and just about everyone seems to have a differing opinion.  Reverand Jim’s Rants ‘n’ Raves is shrugging the rumors off for the time being, whereas Bruce Simmons over at Bruce’s Bits and Pieces seems to think that it might just make too much sense for Tony to move back to a GM-based team. One article that I found very interesting, however, was the opinion of Matt Mercer posted over at Bench Racing with Steve and Charlie. Matt made a very good point in that if Joey Logano runs well enough in the Nationwide Series later this year, then they just might be willing to bring him up early and let Stewart out of his contract.

I can’t say that I necessarily agree with that assessment, but it did get the wheels churning a bit. I don’t think that there’s going to be any situation that presents itself that would cause Gibbs to let Tony walk early, nor do I think they should. That said, however, if Logano does run well in the Nationwide Series this year and in his first full season in ’09, then I could see a situation where JGR may not offer Tony the exact dollar figures he’s going to be looking for. I mean, let’s face it, there’s very few – if any – names in the sport that can replace Tony Stewart, but at the same time, if you’ve got a team with the youth and talent of Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, and Joey Logano … well, let’s just say that you’re not hurtin.

If Stewart does get into the car ownership side of the house in the Cup Series, it would be a crowning achievement to his long list of business ventures. He currently owns several lower-series race teams (all GM powered, mind you) and also has stock in quite a few race tracks, including full ownership of Ohio’s Eldora Speedway.

Post from: EveryJoe