The official schedule was changed because of Stewart's actions the last time he won the title in 2005. A breakfast honoring the champion and some of the other top drivers is now a lunch because Stewart couldn't gather himself out of bed for breakfast back then.
But once the party favors are put away, Stewart will be a busy man trying to gather momentum for the 2012 season.The Stewart-Haas Racing team has yet to replace its competition director. Most importantly, Stewart and company will need to find a new crew chief to replace crew chief Darian Grubb. Confirming speculation that swirled in the week leading up to the finale in Homestead, Grubb revealed that he won't return. Grubb said he had been told before the Oct. 15 race in Charlotte that he wouldn't be back in 2012.
"It is [baffling] to me, honestly," Grubb said after the race. "..We just kept fighting. It did not change anything."
Grubb has been Stewart's crew chief for all 108 races since Stewart-Haas Racing was formed in 2009.
The decision becomes even more perplexing since Stewart won five of the 10 Chase races, and Grubb made a gutsy call to stay on the track toward the end of the race — a move that likely clinched the championship for Stewart.
Still, there will be no second-guessing, as Stewart-Haas Racing moves forward in the brief offseason.
"We're looking at all our options right now," Stewart said in a teleconference on Tuesday. "… we'll sit down as a group and try to come up with a decision."
Stewart will be scrambling for much of the offseason before testing starts at Daytona International Speedway on Jan. 12. He flew to Connecticut early Monday morning, just hours after winning the title.
He made the appointed rounds at ESPN and then went to New York for more appearances. As of Tuesday, he still had 300 text messages he had not been able to return.
His only down time may be when this week when he returns home to Indiana for Thanksgiving.
"I'm looking forward being able to go home for Thanksgiving," he said. "..as much as I'd love to take a break I still have a lot of things on the to-do list. We'll find the time. I'm not really concerned about time off. I've enjoyed being in New York; I've enjoyed being on the ESPN campus Monday. I felt I was part of something that was really special."
Stewart is likely going to hurt from all the back-slapping over the next few weeks. Some of the historical context includes the fact that he became only the ninth driver to win at least three Cup titles, and the seventh driver to win a Cup title with two teams.
Earnhardt's number?
The iconic No. 3 may be back in the Sprint Cup starting lineup one day, a possibility that may send some NASCAR fans into an emotional tizzy.
That number belonged to the Dale Earnhardt, the late, great Intimidator on the NASCAR circuit. Would it be disrespectful for another driver to drive a car with that number? We may find out soon enough. Austin Dillon — the grandson of Richard Childress — is already set to drive a No. 3 Chevy in the Nationwide Series next season. The natural progression points to Dillon moving up to drive the car in the Sprint Cup Series.
Childress — Earnhardt's former team owner and best friend — reached out to Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his sister Kelly, asking for permission to use the No. 3 in the Nationwide Series.
Junior's answer: Thumbs up.
"I don't look at the numbers tied to drivers as much as just the history of the number," he said last week in South Florida "The number is more of a bank, you know, that you just deposit history into. It doesn't really belong to any individual. Austin's ran that number and you can't really deny him the opportunity to continue to run it. It just wouldn't be fair.
"Dad did great things. He was a great ambassador for the sport and we're still as a whole, reaping the benefits of all he accomplished and what he did that put us in front of a lot of people. But even before that, the number was Richard's. Richard drove it. And someone else drove it before then….
"But I think it would be fine by me for him [Dillon] to do that. I think that it's got to get back on the race track one of these days. It just can't be gone forever you know?"
Busch gets bratty: It's a coin flip every week as to which one of the Busch Brothers is going to be a bigger jerk. Last weekend in Homestead, it was Kurt Busch. He ripped into ESPN pit road reporter Jerry Punch with a cluster of F-bombs after Busch had car troubles in the Ford 400.
"Penske Racing extends its apologies to Dr. Jerry Punch, our media partners and our sponsors and fans for Kurt Busch's inappropriate actions in Homestead on Sunday," Busch's team owner said in a statement released Tuesday. "These actions do not represent Penske Racing and are inconsistent with the company's standards for behavior, respect for others and professionalism. This matter is being reviewed internally with no further comment at this time."
Too much security? A quick aside about the over-zealous security folks at Homestead-Miami Speedway. While it's understood that security needed to be beefed up because first lady Michelle Obama was visiting, some local police officers went overboard trying to keep working officials with NASCAR permanent credentials (hard cards) away from the pits shortly before the race.
Those people included Kate Edwards, the wife of Carl Edwards. "I'm the wife of one of the drivers," Edwards pleaded with one of the officers, who didn't budge. Finally, another person in the party indentified Edwards and they let her through. Common sense prevailed. Barely.
gdiaz@tribune.com Read George Diaz's blog at OrlandoSentinel.com/enfuego
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