Tony Stewart admitted owning a Sprint Cup team attracted him, but Joe Gibbs Racing would not give Stewart a piece of its team.

Instead, Gibbs agreed Wednesday to release Stewart from his contract a year early to allow Stewart to pursue his goal.

Now what?

Until Stewart offers more details — he’s expected to announce he’s bought half of Haas CNC Racing in a news conference today — here are the key issues with the two-time series champ changing teams.

Why?

Stewart idolizes former driver A.J. Foyt. Like Foyt, many praise Stewart’s talent and ability to win in various racing series. Foyt also co-owned many of the cars he drove, including his 1977 Indianapolis 500 winning ride. What better way for Stewart to follow his hero than to try to win the Daytona 500 in his own car?

Plus, ownership allows Stewart to remain a part of the sport. He’s a Midwestern-bred, dirt-under-the-fingernails racer who knows little else. Don’t ask him about politics, stocks or world news. He doesn’t care.

He just wants to be at a race whether it’s at a quarter-mile dirt track or Daytona. It’s easy to imagine Stewart, with a fuller gut, working on a race car even when he’s 70.

How much of a gamble is this?

It’s big. Both Haas CNC cars are not in the top 35 in car owner points and its owner, Gene Haas, has been in federal prison since January, serving a two-year term for tax fraud.

Although the team is aligned with Hendrick Motorsports, receiving engines and technical support, it has never placed a driver in the top 20 in points since it began running fulltime in 2003.

The team has the facilities, including a rolling wind tunnel, so, obviously, there are some personnel issues. Stewart would need to make some major changes.

What kind of season will Stewart have next year?

He won’t contend for many wins. Frankly, a race win next year would be remarkable. More than a win would be incredible. Teams this woeful don’t go to the front in one season. Chances are against him making the Chase. Of course, Stewart loves to prove people wrong and such dire predictions will further fuel his motivation.

Will his role as a lame-duck driver ruin Stewart’s chances of making the Chase this year?

No. Stewart’s team has been through similar turmoil for years. This group knows the drill — put your head down, work hard and the results come. Although Stewart is 12th in the points — the final transfer spot for the Chase — it’s hard to imagine his team quitting on him when he’s given them opportunities to do so in the past. Doesn’t mean it will be easy, though. This is just another issue that will add to Zipadelli’s future ulcer.

What does this mean for Joe Gibbs Racing?

Short term it hurts. Long term, losing Stewart is a great move. Eighteen-year-old Joey Logano likely will take Stewart’s ride. Logano is considered one of the best young drivers to ever come to NASCAR, winning a Nationwide race in his third career start.

Joe Gibbs talked last month about running Logano in a few Cup races later this year. While he’d take some lumps as a Cup rookie next year, Logano with Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin could make Gibbs the sport’s top team for years.

Also, losing Stewart allows Gibbs to remain at three cars and still get Logano to Cup. Gibbs always has been deliberate in adding teams, often doing so after many others have made such a move. Adding a fourth car would be tough because of the difficulty in finding sponsorship in this economic downturn. Stewart leaving resolves that quandary.

What about Home Depot?

The word is that Office Depot will be one of the sponsors for Stewart’s new team. Other reports have mentioned Old Spice and Bass Pro Shops, among others, as joining Stewart’s team. A statement from a Home Depot’s chief marketing officer stated that the company will announce its future plans later. Home Depot seems set with Gibbs. Who wouldn’t want to be associated with Logano, who, if he comes close to matching the hype, could be a star for two decades?

What about Stewart’s crew chief Greg Zipadelli?

Zipadelli will remain with Gibbs, thus Stewart will have someone else serve as his crew chief for the first time in Cup since his 1999 debut. It would make sense that as part of the agreement to release Stewart from his contract, he’s not allowed to take any Gibbs employees for a set amount of time. When Rick Hendrick let Ray Evernham leave as Jeff Gordon’s crew chief, years ago, Evernham was given such restrictions.

How does this impact the other Chevrolet teams?

Chevrolet’s main teams are Hendrick Motorsports, Richard Childress Racing and Dale Earnhardt Inc. Adding Stewart to the mix could put Chevrolet in a bind because that’s an extra team that will need major backing.

Hendrick will remain No. 1 and Childress No. 2, but Chevrolet won’t want Stewart to stumble so his new team likely will get as much support as Childress. Thing is that’s extra money Chevrolet has to find when General Motors faces financial woes.

So, if Stewart’s team gets a lot of help from Chevrolet, where does that put DEI? This move could continue DEI’s slide, which appears as if it won’t have any driver in the Chase for the second time in four years.