Contract talks, ownership stakes in vogue in NASCAR

Was this past weekend's activity at Talladega Superspeedway a race weekend or a contract seminar? It sure felt like the latter, because everywhere you turned, a driver was talking contract, contract, contract.

Tony Stewart was quite candid about his contract renewal process, which triggered the rest of the drivers to comment on their status. Interestingly, Carl Edwards and Greg Biffle were among those commenting, and they, too, are in the last year or two of their deals.

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That the contract talk is in the open at all is the big story, as that business has usually been conducted in private. But ever since a report broke last week that Stewart had asked out of the final year of his contract with Joe Gibbs Racing, it's been the hot topic.

Stewart categorically denied that he had asked out of anything, and team president J.D. Gibbs backed him on it. Stewart will be the driver of the No. 20 Toyota for this season and all of 2009, if not longer.

So why are contract negotiations suddenly in the news? Because the drivers involved are among the top drivers in the series, the numbers (not that they've been mentioned) are fairly impressive, and team ownership is being dangled in some negotiations.

Biffle said that has happened to him.

"I have had offers of ownership of more than one team in the garage, and it's definitely an intriguing offer," he said. "There's a lot of things to consider when you're an athlete in the position that we are in. Both Tony and I are, let's say, we're at the 60 percent point in our career. We're not Kyle Busch, you know, 21 or 22 years old.

"So, at some point we need to start thinking about how long we want to be involved in this sport and what we want to do in the future. So, those ideas to stay involved in the sport are very intriguing to us. And I'm sure that's part of Tony's thinking is, when I'm done driving the 20 car, or whatever car, what am I going to do in the future? And he's probably watching out for himself, thinking ahead, and somebody's made an offer or whatnot, and he's considering it."

Speaking of consideration, consider that Jeff Gordon and Stewart are of an age. Gordon has a lifetime contract with Hendrick Motorsports and an ownership stake in his own team and that of teammate Jimmie Johnson.

Stewart, who has repeatedly said that he won't be driving in the Sprint Cup Series much past age 40, will turn 37 in May. He has open-wheel teams currently and was co-owner of an IndyCar team for a few years.

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Stewart, Gordon and several other drivers, Biffle included, are about the same age and all of them do not have to race full time to live comfortably. In some cases, 40 is the new 50.

Stewart's business people have met with Haas CNC Racing management about buying into the team, and he has received other similar offers, as well. There are several prime rides available at the moment.

Stewart acknowledged that his representatives had met with Haas CNC Racing to discuss the possibility of buying into that team. Since then, Stewart said, he has received other offers.

Stewart has stated that he is interested in team ownership, but that avenue is closed to him at Joe Gibbs Racing.

"Our [ownership] deal is set the way it is," Gibbs said. "But we could do some stuff to help him get started with his own team if that's what he really wanted."

Edwards, one of the hottest commodities in the garage behind Stewart, is working on his deal with Roush Fenway Racing.

"There are always little things that are negotiable in a contract," he said. "It's a lot more than just 'drive a racecar for this amount of money.' There's appearances. I think every person is different. They're willing to maybe do more days for more money, and some guys want to spend more time at home, so they're willing to negotiate that."

On top of the renegotiations, Edwards is facing a possible sponsorship change, as well. Office Depot is in the final year of its deal as his primary sponsor, but that isn't stopping Edwards.

"It's real simple, the sponsor wants the best exposure, and they want to get their brand out," Edwards said. "They want to win races, just like I do. And it seems like no matter what the circumstance or the sponsor, we've always been able to sit down, talk out whatever our plans are, and if there's some hang up we've been able to work it out. So for me, personally, I know that Geoff [Smith, team president] and Jack [Roush, team owner] and everyone, they've always included me in what's going on with the sponsorships, so I kind of know what's going on, and that's always been a big help. That always gives me more comfort."

So NASCAR has finally hit the stage where it's like other major sports in the sense that contract talks are front-page news. Check NASCAR.COM frequently for updates as the "free agent" classes line up to the pay window.