CONCORD, N.C. -- The U.S. Army said it will sponsor Ryan Newman for 23 races next season with Stewart-Haas Racing.
The partnership has long been rumored and was not well received by numerous fans who have expressed their disapproval of the Army partnering with a team that has ties to a convicted tax evader.
Gene Haas, owner of Haas Automation, began serving a two-year sentence in federal prison in January for pleading guilty of defrauding the government of more than $34 million in taxes.
Maj. Gen. Montague Winfield said the Army looked at the Haas factor, but decided the involvement of Stewart and Newman "basically overrode that particular issue.
"We're talking about the Stewart-Haas Racing team. We're talking about a new team and more or less a new beginning," Winfield said. "The individual that deals with us, the individual that talks racing, is in fact Tony Stewart. When you think about our connection with racing, it's all about Tony Stewart, and that's why we ultimately made the decision to go with him."
Both Stewart and Winfield also pointed out that the race team is owned by Haas Automation, not Gene Haas.
"We basically separated Gene Haas from Haas Automation, and that's why the decision was a little easier to make," Winfield said. "We knew we wanted to be connected with Tony Stewart, and Tony Stewart is now a part of the Stewart-Haas Racing team.
"Haas Automation, in our mind, isn't Gene Haas. He doesn't run our racing team. Tony is responsible for this racing team. He has the authority to do all that is required, and he's the point man for it."
Stewart must still find a sponsor for the remaining 13 races on Newman's No. 39 Chevrolet. He's filled his car with a combination of Old Spice and Office Depot, and hired Darian Grubb to be his crew chief.
Stewart still needs a crew chief for Newman and a general manager to run the organization.
"We immediately just gained a fan base of over 1.2 million soldiers who will be on our side each week," Stewart said of the Army partnership.
The military is only permitted to sign one-year contracts, and the deal with Stewart-Haas is renewable at the Army's option after the 2009 and 2010 seasons.
Newman, who is leaving Penske Racing at the end of the season to drive for Stewart, said he's excited about all the changes.
Newman has driven the No. 12 for Penske since 2002, his entire Cup career.
"It's a unique situation for me. I have never gone through a transition like this with a sponsor and a team," Newman said. "I couldn't have put any plan together better."
