Hendrick: Stewart will be 'great' team

Double champion driver Stewart has gone into partnership with Gene Haas to form his own Stewart Haas Racing team for the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series - and has got off to a promising start with third place in last weekend's Bud Shootout and second in the Gatorade Duel on Thursday.

Stewart Haas will use Hendrick Motorsports-built machinery, and Hendrick expects Stewart to quickly establish himself among the top team owners.

"I think Tony is going to go down as one of the great owners in the sport," said Hendrick.

"He's got a good partner with Gene Haas, Haas Automation. They've had the foundation. But he's bringing what they're missing.

"What he's accomplished, you have to see people from where I've been for the last 25 years and watched them come and go. Money doesn't do it; it's dedication and determination.

"He's going to be one of the greatest owners in the sport 'cause that's all he wants to do and thinks about. That kind of dedication will get him to where he needs to be."

Hendrick has no doubt that Stewart is putting a huge personal effort into his team.

"I can tell you he's been in the shop over there, 'cause I know they were a little nervous when they first put their deal together," said Hendrick.

"But he has busted his butt, a lot like Ray Evernham, and what Ray was able to build.

"I can tell you folks that this guy has been living in a shop, 'cause we get calls, and our guys have been over there just checking out what they've done. But what he has single-handedly done with Bobby Hutchens and Darian (Grubb) and Tony Gibson and Ryan Newman, they're going to be a force for us to deal with."

Stewart admitted that following in Hendrick's footsteps was a major ambition for him.

"This has been a huge opportunity for me to have a chance to be like Rick and to be like Joe Gibbs and Richard Childress and Jack Roush," said Stewart.

"One day maybe they'll talk about me like they talk about this guy next to me (Hendrick). That's the part that's exciting to me.

"You don't see a lot of new guys that came from the driving side. I mean, Rick came from the driving side. Richard Childress, Richard Petty. You just don't see that much any more. That's something that I'm really excited about, of having that opportunity to be a driver and a car owner down the road."