Stewart admits to considering options

Speaking at Talladega following NASCAR Nationwide Series practice, Stewart said there were no problems in his current relationship with Joe Gibbs Racing, but that it was natural that he look around for other options before his current contract expires.

"There's nothing wrong at Joe Gibbs Racing," Stewart said. "There's nothing broke, there's nothing need fixing, there's nothing wrong and there are no problems there whatsoever.

"It's the same thing that happened two or three years ago when we got a year within my contract. People started talking about the possibility of us doing other things.

"It's the same scenario as what we had a couple of years ago but this year the variables are a little bit different. There's a couple of groups that have thrown some ownership in the mix."

The two-time Cup champion has said he currently has a number of offers from different teams including one from Haas CNC Racing, but says he will remain committed to his duties driving for JGR this season.

"We've got multiple offers on the table right now, and there's a couple in particular that have really caught our interest," Stewart added. "Now, it's just a matter of figuring out what we want to do and just being smart.

"We've had a great run at Joe Gibbs Racing, and it doesn't mean it's over yet. We're just going to look at everything that's out there. A wise person told me it never costs a dime to listen, so right now we're all ears."

Stewart denied he has already asked for an early release from JGR, as he is signed with them until the end of 2009. However leaving before his contract expires is a possibility that he claims to have already put on the table of his current bosses.

"Not necessarily," he said when asked if he would like to leave JGR one year early. "We're going to look at all these options, we're going to evaluate what we want to do and once we decide, then we'll figure out what the plan is from there.

"But right now we've not asked to be released out of our contract or anything. We have talked to them about... they know that there's other offers on the table and we've said 'what if this is the case and what if this is presented to us, is there a possibility that we could leave a year early?' But we have not asked to be released from our contract at all."

Stewart did not reveal the name of the teams behind the offers he is currently pondering, but he is believed to be a candidate for the fourth team Richard Childress Racing is setting up for next year.