Sell Your No. 20 Gear: Stewart-Haas Begins

I call myself an average eBay shopper, and because of that, I'm putting out a warning.

If you see some great deals on Tony Stewart gear, there's a reason for that: it's not relevant after 2008.

Stewart announced here at Chicagoland Speedway Thursday that he and Haas-CNC Racing will pair up to form Stewart-Haas Racing, an entity that Stewart will drive for in 2009, that will sport two teams, and will continue running Chevrolets.

The partnership, amazingly enough, doesn't appear to have involved any financial commitment on Stewart's part, with Stewart continually referring to the move in numerous tenses of the word "give". When asked directly, he skirted the question.

Stewart, who had to step out of last week's Coke Zero 400 at Daytona after feeling quite ill during the early parts of the race, looked a little weary during the press conference but said he was feeling much better. I'd hope so considering the contract he signed with Haas-CNC -- including the 50% ownership stake he recieved -- could be worth a very high two-digit number.

There were no sponsors announced, no car numbers announced, no crew chiefs announced, and no fellow drivers announced, but Stewart did make one thing clear. He intends to make this more than just a business venture.

"I've won races and I've won championships and I know I could've continued to do that at Joe Gibbs Racing, but to attempt to do those things as a car owner is something that really appeals to me.

"There's a whole new sense of appreciation and satisfaction that comes with success when you're both a driver and an owner."

The real question, though, is how long it will take this new team -- and Tony Stewart in particular -- to reach a competitive level in the Sprint Cup Series. Both of Haas-CNC's (the name will stay until the end of 2008) race cars are currently outside the Top-35 in points and have frankly struggled all season.

Of course, looking back to before the 2008 season began, the world was questioning whether Joe Gibbs Racing could compete with their new Toyotas, and Kyle Busch has absolutely dropped that thought on its head with six wins this season.

The situation this time is much different though, with the lone exception being the fact that a guy with the talent, performance and respect that Tony Stewart has should bring in talent and help make up for some deficits the team has at the start of next season.

My prediction? Stewart-Haas is going to reinvent the way drivers become owners, and could win a championship within three years. What say you?