The Rumor that won’t die: [#18 and #20] Car owner Joe Gibbs won’t be changing any sheet metal before the end of the season, so Tony Stewart and Bobby Labonte will remain in Pontiacs. But according to Detroit sources, General Motors [um isn’t Chevy GM too?] executives are so worried about losing Stewart and Labonte to Chevrolet next season that they’ve begun negotiations to sign two new teams to fill that void. One of the teams on the Pontiac list is the Cal Wells-Ricky Craven operation [see story below]. A possible Gibbs-Stewart-Labonte switch to Chevrolets next season is a decided possibility, according to Detroit sources and NASCAR sources. A final decision hasn’t been made, but it appears to be looming.(Winston Salem Journal). NOTE: Gibbs is also doing the bulk of the 2003 Pontiac testing, so…..(4-29-2002)
