Stewart happy to be back with Chevy Racing family

INDIANAPOLIS -- There are still 17 races remaining in the 2008 Sprint Cup Series season, including this Sunday's Allstate 400 at the Brickyard.

But on Friday, Tony Stewart made it clear that he's glad to be heading back home -- and he wasn't talking about his return to Indianapolis Motor Speedway, which isn't far from his hometown of Columbus, Ind.

14 is for Foyt

Tony Stewart made official his car plans for the Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet for 2009, and his number will honor his hero.

• Complete story, click here
• Sound off: Tony's number
• Video: Stewart unveils look

Stewart was talking about a return, beginning next season, to Chevrolets. Stewart will finish out this season driving a Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing before moving on to become owner-driver for the newly formed Stewart-Haas Racing team, which will field two Chevrolet SS Impalas.

"It makes me feel great," Stewart said. "It feels like a homecoming for me to come back to the Chevy brand in a lot of ways."

Terry Dolan -- manager of Chevy Racing -- was quick to remind everyone that Stewart's loyalty to the Chevy brand has long extended beyond Sprint Cup racing. Stewart also owns Chevy race teams in the USAC and World of Outlaws series.

"Tony has been an ambassador for our company for a decade, and he carries that connection well," Dolan said. "When you look at our brand, we determine what we're doing in motorsports on three core categories. We want to race to win -- and he embodies that; there is probably nobody more tenacious or passionate about winning than Tony. The second objective is that he needs to connect with our core customer, the Chevy buyer; his Midwest roots and what he brings are natural affiliations with our brand. And finally, we need to generate a return on our investment. Tony has a proven track record from the activities that we've done with him, of engaging people to buy Chevrolet cars and trucks.

"So it made sense for us to take advantage of an opportunity where we could elevate our portfolio to bill Tony as a continuing ambassador for Chevrolet."

During a Friday news conference just across the street from the famed Indy track, Stewart also made official some loose ends that long ago had been reported but had been left not yet publicly confirmed. Two weeks and two days after announcing that he was leaving Joe Gibbs Racing at the end of this season for a 50 percent ownership stake in the Stewart-Haas operation, Stewart confirmed the poorly kept secrets that the Chevy he will drive next season will be the No. 14 and that it will be co-sponsored by Office Depot and Old Spice.

The No. 14 decision was a no-brainer that Stewart said "took about five minutes." It's the old number favored by Stewart's long-time racing hero, the legendary A.J. Foyt.

Ditto on the Old Spice deal, which has had a sponsorship relationship with Stewart-driven cars for nearly a decade.

But Office Depot? That brand has been identifiable with the No. 99 Ford driven by Carl Edwards. Yet Office Depot is trading in Edwards for Stewart at season's end, while Edwards' car has a new primary sponsor in Aflac, the insurance company. (Continued)