Office Depot, Old Spice to sponsor Stewart's No. 14 (cont'd)

Putting an exclamation point on Stewart's new ride for 2009 is that his red and black Office Depot/Old Spice Chevrolet will carry the No. 14, made famous by the legendary A.J. Foyt.

"Tony and I have been friends for a long time," said Foyt, a winner of four Indianapolis 500s, the 1972 Daytona 500 and the 1967 24 Hours of LeMans. "I think I first met him when he was running Midgets. It was quite a while ago so I don't actually remember where and when. A few times he drove the Silver Crown car I had with George Snider back in the mid-90s and I gave him his first test in an Indy car in Phoenix [in 1995] and he ran pretty quick as I recall.

"In addition to being quick, he's always told it how it is. I don't think there's anyone better to carry the No. 14."

Stewart-Haas Racing

• Deal Stewart couldn't refuse
• Gibbs grants Stewart release
• Menzer: Gamble worth taking
• Aumann: Driver-ownerships
• About Haas CNC Racing
• Stewart's ownership roles

Stewart has always admired what Foyt, currently an IRL IndyCar Series owner, accomplished in a driving career that began in 1957 and spanned such racing divisions as Indy car, NASCAR, USAC and sports-car racing.

"A.J. has always been my hero and will always be No. 1 on my hero list, with the best part being that we are really good friends," Stewart said. "We obviously have a tremendous amount of respect for one another. I remember him calling me after I won my first Cup championship in 2002 and I remember how much it meant to have him call that night and congratulate me. We really do have similar pasts and carry a lot of characteristics that are the same. He is one of the greatest icons in racing worldwide and to be compared to him in any way is always a huge honor.

"We came up through the same types of cars, from Sprint Cars to Midgets, and then I went to the IRL and moved into NASCAR. A.J. ran Indy cars for a long time and still came into stock-car racing and was successful. There aren't a lot of guys that can go from car to car and still win races. It was something that A.J. was really good at and something that we have been very fortunate to replicate.

"He has given a lot back to racing and has been one of its biggest supporters. Without guys like him, guys like me wouldn't have had a chance to succeed."