Emotion, frustration mark Stewart's Gibbs farewell (cont'd)

"I'm leaving a group of guys I'm used to working with 38 weeks a year for 10 years. It's always hard to do that," he said. "I guess if we didn't all like each other, it would make it all a lot easier to be where we are right now. But when you like the group of guys you're working with and you always have, it makes nights like [Sunday night] even harder."

Stewart wasn't the only driver forced by circumstances to say goodbye. Clint Bowyer, in his final ride in Richard Childress Racing's No. 07 car, finished fourth and secured the fifth position in final points Sunday, his last race with crew chief Gil Martin. Bowyer will drive a new car at RCR, the No. 33, for new crew chief Shane Wilson in 2009. Bowyer and Martin won two races together, and made the Chase for two consecutive years.

"Kind of an emotional night, really," he said. "Gil and all the guys, we have had a lot of fun together and a lot of success."

Some goodbyes were more emotional than others. Ryan Newman, who'll drive the second car for Stewart's new team next season, placed 21st in his final ride in Roger Penske's No. 12 car. The Penske team is the only NASCAR organization Newman, the reigning Daytona 500 champion, has ever known.

"The way that we ran [Sunday night], I'm glad that the season is over," Newman said. "Despite our run [Sunday night], I'm very, very grateful for the opportunity that Roger has given me over the last several years. The friendships and relationships that I've made over the last several years are priceless. To win the Daytona 500 for Roger is something that I'll never forget. Our year ended in a struggle, but my entire Alltel Dodge team fought every race to get the best finish that we could."

Stewart has long known that Sunday was coming, but that didn't make it any easier. As the final race neared, Stewart became reticent to speak publicly about his impending separation from the Gibbs organization. Some of the members of his No. 20 team, like crew chief Greg Zipadelli, have been with him the entire time.

"It's hard," Stewart said. "These guys are my family. When you've been with a group of guys for 10 years and a sponsor for 10 years like this, that's a long time. I know people who haven't been married that long. It's just one of those rough nights. We had a shot to win, and it didn't work out for us."

Which only made the night more difficult. "I sure wish we could have won that one," team president J.D. Gibbs said. "We had such a great car. That would have been a great finish."

Now Stewart must turn the page to his new organization and his new role as team owner, something he wasn't ready to do Sunday night. "Tomorrow is tomorrow," he said of Monday. "I'll worry about that tomorrow."

His old teammates will still be there, ready with a laugh or a handshake. "It's part of life," Gibbs said, "but the fact that he'll still be in the sport and we'll still see a lot of him will help."

That was of little solace to Stewart on Sunday night, when crewmen began disassembling parts from the No. 20 car and preparing to load it into the upper bay of the team's transporter. The next time it appears on the racetrack, rookie Joey Logano will be behind the wheel.