Newman set to join Stewart's team

The deal is expected to be unveiled at Michigan next Friday, announcing that the Daytona 500 winner will drive the No.4 Chevrolet.

Newman announced last month that he was leaving Penske Racing at the end of the season, ending a nine-year relationship, and had already hinted at joinning Stewart's squad.

The move will allow him to rejoin former Penske crew chief Matt Borland, which he said was one of the factors. Borland is currently the director of competition at Haas CNC Racing.

"Matt's always been a good friend," Newman said at Chicagoland Speedway earlier this year. "Obviously we had a parting of the ways from a competitive level a couple years ago, but he's a great friend.

"Does it impact my decision? Yeah. There's a friend over there, that's something to consider."

Newman's move to Stewart Haas will put him in a challenging position at the start of the 2009 season as he will most likely have to qualify on speed for the first five races of the year, given that his future entry is currently outside the top-35 in the Sprint Cup owner standings.