BY SARAH TALALAY

South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Two-time NASCAR Champion Tony Stewart has found a new depot.

The driver of the No. 20 Home Depot Chevrolet will shed the orange paint job next season for a red one featuring Office Depot.

The Delray Beach, Fla.-based office products retailer announced today it will serve as co-sponsor of Stewart's car starting in 2009.

Office Depot will have the primary paint scheme on Stewart's Stewart-Haas Racing car for 22 NASCAR Sprint Cup races and Old Spice will be the primary sponsor for 14 races. Both companies will appear on the car for every race.

Financial terms of the deal, expected to run through 2012, were not disclosed. Primary race team sponsors typically pay $14 million to $20 million a year.

Office Depot started marketing through NASCAR in 2005 as the sport's official office products partner and as a sponsor of then-little-known rookie driver Carl Edwards. The Edwards deal ends this season and he has signed a new contract with insurance giant Aflac Inc.

Stewart owns a legendary Ohio short track, Eldora Speedway, and is part owner of two other tracks. He is also a race team owner with USAC and World of Outlaws Sprint Car teams and he acquired 50 percent of Stewart-Haas Racing earlier this month.

Office Depot spokeswoman Mindy Kramer said Stewart "knows what it's like to run a business. It's such a perfect fit. It's what our customers do every day."

Office Depot intends to continue its "Official Small Business of NASCAR" sweepstakes that rewards a small businesses by putting its logo on the back of the Office Depot car for one race. The business also gets a year's use of the NASCAR designation on stationery and business cards.

Kramer said Office Depot, whose first quarter profits dived 55 percent, sees NASCAR as an opportunity to grow its business even in a difficult economy because of fans' brand loyalty and the sport's exposure to companies across the globe.

As for whether fans will get confused which "Depot" Stewart is driving for, Kramer says the company is working on a creative remedy.

"Since he's going to run the No. 14 Office Depot car, if people make a mistake, maybe they can make a $14 donation to the Office Depot Foundation and we can make a nice contribution to Tony's foundation," Kramer said. "Something good will come of it."

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.