Tony Stewart said he has had some discussions over the past month about starting an Indy Racing League team. Stewart, who started his career in open-wheel racing, won the IRL title in 1997. “It started with other groups of people that approached me about the possibility of starting a team,” Stewart said. “With our schedule in the Cup series, all my teams (World of Outlaws and U.S. Auto Club) teams are self-sufficient. The biggest thing would be hiring a team manager and a good crew. If we could do that, I would definitely entertain it.” Stewart, who races sprint cars in his spare time and is also running in three Grand American Sports Car series events this season, said he could see increased participation on his part if there were more such races run in conjunction with Cup. “I would love to see the IRL run in conjunction with NASCAR,” he said. “If they would do that just like the race at Daytona with the sports car, I could promise you I would definitely entertain that.”(ThatsRacin.com)(6-13-2004)
