Stewart straddles line as Toyota pilot, Chevy owner

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- These days, where there is Smoke there is Toyota.

But sometimes Chevrolet remains in the cloudy picture as well, when it comes to Tony Stewart. Long ago nicknamed "Smoke," Stewart now drives Toyotas for Joe Gibbs Racing in the Sprint Cup Series. The Gibbs operation made the switch to Toyotas following last season after running Chevrolets for the previous six years and for 11 of the past 16 (being in Pontiacs for the five-year stretch in between).

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But Stewart also is the proud owner of Tony Stewart Racing, based in Brownsburg, Ind. He opened a 25,200-square-foot shop there last year shortly after announcing that he had signed a three-year contract with Chevrolet to sponsor three USAC teams and in the World of Outlaw Series through 2009. According to sources, Chevy also has an option to extend the deal beyond '09.

So now Stewart is left at times to promote Toyota as a driver on one hand, and Chevy as a car owner on the other. No one should be surprised, since Stewart may be the most complex personality on the Cup circuit.

But maybe this arrangement is not quite as complex as it appears at first glance. When Stewart competed in the Chili Bowl Midget Nationals this past weekend in Tulsa, Okla., Toyota Racing Development general manager Lee White was spotted in Stewart's pits -- even though Stewart was driving a Chevy in that competition and fielded four other entries for Tony Stewart Racing.

Toyota had only five entries overall in the Chili Bowl, which began with 296 combatants trying to race their way into a 24-car main event (two of Toyota's five made it, finishing second and fourth, respectively).

"I'll be very honest: our preference would be if Dave Darland, Josh Wise, Jason Leffler or one of those guys won that event [driving a Toyota]," White said. "But if they can't win it, I'm pulling for Tony. I don't care if he's driving a Chevrolet, a Kia or a Mahindra tractor.

"If he wins, we win. It's just that simple."

White's point is that soon, if not already, whenever folks see Stewart's face connected with racing, they are going to know he drives a Toyota in the Cup Series. That belief is key to the manufacturer's entire marketing campaign connected to getting JGR to make what at first seemed a controversial switch.

Stewart downplays the fact that he owns and sometimes drives Chevys on the open-wheel side, yet works exclusively for Toyota now on the Cup side. (Continued)