Fans want to know and Tony Stewart wants it to stop

LOUDON, N.H. – Tony Stewart was back at work Friday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, telling the media how to do our job. You’d think he’s an expert or something.

Stewart actually is an ad hoc member of the racing media, since he hosts a weekly radio show on Sirius. But the driver of the No. 20 Toyota would probably rather be called any other name than you can think of than “media.”

Last weekend he chastised a television reporter during a live interview. This, of course, made him eligible for sainthood in some fans’ eyes.

Friday, he told another gathering of media that he’s tired of being asked about where he’ll drive next year. He said it’s like having kids in the backseat on a long car trip constantly asking “are we there yet” When he gets there, Stewart said, he’ll let us know.

Sorry, bud, but that ain’t how this works.

Stewart apparently holds the perception that reporters should work with him – or even for him. That’s not the deal, unless of course you’re Matt Yocum.

Reporters work for their respective outlets, but our primary purpose is to represent the fans. We’re here to find out the answers to questions the fans are asking. I do four hours of live radio on Sirius each weekday, so believe me when I tell you that fans want to know what Stewart is going to be doing next season.

The fact that fans do want to know is the reason Stewart has the opportunity to do whatever it is he’ll be doing next year. Stewart is one of the best drivers who has ever been in any kind of car, and a lot of fans care about where he’s going to race. That fact gives Stewart the very bargaining power he’s using – as he absolutely should – to cut what he thinks is the best deal for him and his future.

That and the fact that Stewart’s decision is the critical domino in up to a half-dozen drivers’ decisions about their futures, makes the weekly questions to the two-time champion entirely appropriate and relevant.

Not all reporting, of course, is going to break new ground.

“STEWART NEGOTIATING WITH SPONSORS!” one online report screamed this week. Well, duh. If he’s going to leave Joe Gibbs Racing to become a driver and at least partial owner with another team, such as Haas CNC Racing, Stewart is going to need sponsors. Even if Stewart decides to stay where he is for another 10 years, the process of considering his future is going to involve talks with potential sponsors.

Clearly, most signs point to Stewart leaving the Gibbs team even though he’s got a contract for 2009. Everybody keeps talking about that contract, but those things rarely seem to offer any real entanglement. That’s especially true when the team a driver wants to leave has options, and the Gibbs team certainly has those.

Here on Saturday, young phenom Joey Logano said all the right things about how it’s up to Joe Gibbs and J.D. Gibbs when Logano will move up to Cup.

Then, I asked Logano a question. (Oddly, Logano didn’t tell me it was none of my business. But he’s young. He’ll get the hang of it.) I asked Logano what he’d do if it was all up to him. Would he rather have a full season in the Nationwide Series, or would he just as soon move on up now?

“Let her rip,” Logano said.

Is Logano ready to drive the No. 20 Toyotas if Stewart leaves? There’s really only way to answer that question for sure, and we’ll see if that’s what winds up happening.

Meanwhile, we now know for sure that Greg Biffle is staying at Roush Fenway and that Clint Bowyer has a new deal with Richard Childress Racing.

We also know, for sure as of Friday, that Casey Mears is not coming back to the No. 5 Chevrolets at Hendrick Motorsports next year. Stewart, when he wasn’t teaching journalism class, did say Friday that opening might complicate his thought process since any driver would have to at least look at an opening at Hendrick. But team ownership seems to be such a big part of Stewart’s thoughts about leaving Gibbs, it’s hard to believe simply moving to another team as a driver really appeals to him.

Anyway, we think we know that it will be Mark Martin taking Mears’ spot. One person in the garage told me Friday that Martin had offers to run a full schedule in 2009 for as many as four different teams.

We know, also, that RCR has a fourth car to fill for next year. We know, too, that Ryan Newman is not locked down for 2009. But Newman’s name has been mentioned as a possible for teammate for Stewart at his new home. Does that put Mears in line for the open slot at RCR? Or is there another level to this, one that involves Martin Truex Jr. if he can get out of a contract option with Dale Earnhardt Inc?

We could guess. But we get paid to go around and try to find out for sure. If we don’t ask, we get accused to making things up. When we do, we’re accused of badgering.

That’s OK. I know some of the same guys who criticize me for living at the buffet and never leaving the media center’s air conditioning are safely ensconced in their $2 million motor home playing “Guitar Hero.” But when you sometimes know you’re not going to get many straight answers, you’ve got to keep trying.

The fact that it irritates Tony Stewart is just a bonus.