SONOMA, Calif. -- Tony Stewart said Friday he was open to adding a third Sprint Cup car to Stewart Haas Racing in 2010 if the right sponsor/driver combination was available.
"It's a possibility," he said. "I made a promise [to team members] not try to grow too fast too soon.
"I wanted to make sure we had two cars that were competitive and had a chance to win a championship. I'm proud of the fact that I think we're at that point. So if the right situation came along, we would entertain it."
Stewart has proven this season that an owner/driver can be successful again at the Cup level. He leads the points standings in the No. 14 Chevrolet and won at Pocono two weeks ago.
Ryan Newman, Stewart's teammate, ranks fifth in the season standings with eight top-10 finishes in the No. 39 Chevy.
Stewart, a two-time Cup champion while driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, left JGR at the end of last season to become to the controlling partner of Haas Racing, which was renamed Stewart Haas Racing.
The Haas operation never was competitive in the past, so Stewart's success this season has surprised almost everyone.
Stewart would not say who he might consider as a driver or what company might step up to sponsor a third car.
He was asked specifically about IndyCar Series racer Danica Patrick, who said she is considering moving to NASCAR.
"Sorry, we don't pay attention to that stuff," Stewart said. "Contrary to what people may think, we're pretty busy around here. We don't watch others. I have no idea. I have enough to worry about."
One of Stewart's worries at the moment is the financial cutbacks GM is making to its NASCAR teams because of the bankruptcy process.
"We got our budget cut, but we still get support from Chevy and I'm proud of that," Stewart said. "It's hard. It's an especially hard situation for [GM]. We have to look at all the numbers, but we'll make it through the year OK."
"It's a possibility," he said. "I made a promise [to team members] not try to grow too fast too soon.
"I wanted to make sure we had two cars that were competitive and had a chance to win a championship. I'm proud of the fact that I think we're at that point. So if the right situation came along, we would entertain it."
Stewart has proven this season that an owner/driver can be successful again at the Cup level. He leads the points standings in the No. 14 Chevrolet and won at Pocono two weeks ago.
Ryan Newman, Stewart's teammate, ranks fifth in the season standings with eight top-10 finishes in the No. 39 Chevy.
Stewart, a two-time Cup champion while driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, left JGR at the end of last season to become to the controlling partner of Haas Racing, which was renamed Stewart Haas Racing.
The Haas operation never was competitive in the past, so Stewart's success this season has surprised almost everyone.
Stewart would not say who he might consider as a driver or what company might step up to sponsor a third car.
He was asked specifically about IndyCar Series racer Danica Patrick, who said she is considering moving to NASCAR.
"Sorry, we don't pay attention to that stuff," Stewart said. "Contrary to what people may think, we're pretty busy around here. We don't watch others. I have no idea. I have enough to worry about."
One of Stewart's worries at the moment is the financial cutbacks GM is making to its NASCAR teams because of the bankruptcy process.
"We got our budget cut, but we still get support from Chevy and I'm proud of that," Stewart said. "It's hard. It's an especially hard situation for [GM]. We have to look at all the numbers, but we'll make it through the year OK."
