Stewart says no to early contract renewal

Joe Gibbs Racing (and Toyota) wants to sign Tony Stewart to a new contract, even though his current contract runs through 2009. But Stewart said Thursday he doesn't plan to negotiate during the offseason. "It's flattering they already want to do this and get it done and out of the way, but I'm taking this off-season off. I need it desperately."

You can bet that Stewart also wants to see how well the team will perform with Toyota before making a decision to renew.