History shows wins hard to come by for driver-owners

If past performance is any indication, Tony Stewart's decision this week to become the most recent driver-owner on the Sprint Cup circuit will prove to be a difficult challenge. During the past two decades, driver-owners have had extremely limited success.

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At least a dozen drivers have attempted to run a full-time schedule while paying the bills since the late 1980s, and more than 20 have dabbled in driver-ownership. There are two current teams in operation -- Robby Gordon and Michael Waltrip -- that fit the description exactly, and Kyle Petty was chief executive officer of Petty Enterprises until David Zucker was named to the post earlier this year.

After driving for Jim Smith in 2005, Gordon formed his own team in 2006. And Waltrip started his own operation a year later with Toyota support.

But none have been able to break into the win column as driver-owners. Waltrip came closest recently when he recorded a second-place finish at New Hampshire. And Gordon was sixth at Daytona this past weekend, his best effort of the season. Still, Waltrip sits 29th and Gordon 30th in points after 18 races.

So how difficult is it to wear both hats? No driver-owner has won a championship since Alan Kulwicki piloted his own "Underbirds" to the title in 1992. In fact, no driver-owner has won a race since 1998, when Ricky Rudd triumphed at Martinsville.

Starting with Lake Speed's 1988 victory at Darlington, only five driver-owner combinations have won races in the years that followed.

With the exception of Kulwicki, who won five races with his own equipment, Rudd was perhaps the most successful. The Virginia native wound up winning six times and finishing fifth in the standings in 1994, followed two years later by a sixth-place effort. He closed the doors on his own operation when Tide pulled its sponsorship after the 1999 season.

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Darrell Waltrip was a driver-owner twice -- when he first broke into the sport from 1972-75, and then again from 1991-98. During that time, he won five races and had four top-10 finishes in the points. His last win as a driver-owner came at Darlington in 1992.

Geoffrey Bodine ran 129 races from 1993-97 as a driver-owner, scoring four victories, including the 1996 race at Watkins Glen. Younger brother Brett also ran his own operation from 1996 until 2003, but never won in 228 starts.

Other drivers with little success as driver-owners include Kirk Shelmerdine, Joe Nemechek, A.J. Foyt, Hermie Sadler and Morgan Shepherd.

Bill Elliott's foray into the world of driver-ownership is the scenario Stewart would most like to avoid. The 1988 champion had won 40 races when he formed his own team heading into the 1995 season -- and promptly went 196 races without another victory. Elliott had 14 top-five finishes -- and came closest to winning twice in 1997. He finished second to Ernie Irvan at Michigan, and then led 181 laps in the Southern 500 at Darlington, only to fade to fourth behind eventual winner Jeff Gordon.

In 2005, Elliott discussed the chances of someone succeeding as a successful driver-owner combination.

"I don't say it can't be done, but I'm saying the odds are way out there," Elliott said. "We didn't have nothing. We just went in and did it, and there again, you can't be cocky if you're the only one there and you do everything you've got to do."

So how will Stewart fare? At 37, in the prime of his career, and with solid manufacturer and sponsorship backing, one could assume he won't miss a step when he leaves Joe Gibbs Racing at the end of the season. But putting together a successful team as both the owner and driver has been tougher than it appears.

The opinions expressed are solely of the writer.