HOMESTEAD, Fla. -- So much has been said this past week about what kind of champion Tony Stewart will be. Will he represent NASCAR and Winston Cup racing in the manner befitting a champion, or will he continue to be a free-spirited sort who could care less what people think or say about him or the type of persona he conveys to the public?

Even more, will he be a so-called "good" role model for young NASCAR fans who dream at night about some day becoming the next Stewart or Jeff Gordon or Dale Earnhardt Jr.?

There's no arguing the fact that Stewart and NASCAR have locked horns many times, perhaps too many in his four-season tenure on the Winston Cup circuit. I have to wonder if some of NASCAR's highest officials aren't secretly cringing just a little bit inside, feeling squeamish knowing that Stewart will be their point man for the next year. No matter what happens, from a questionable call against a driver or some other controversy, Stewart in his role as defending champion will be the first guy reporters will flock to for comment, even if is not directly involved in the imbroglio. And because you never can quite guess what he's going to say -- whether it'll be conventional or unpredictable -- it makes Stewart a capricious front man for the series at best.

Stewart has outright challenged NASCAR officials to showdowns, one of the most memorable being last season when he defiantly said he would not wear any type of head-and-neck restraining device, even after NASCAR mandated it as required equipment. It was only when NASCAR President Mike Helton threatened Stewart, saying he would not be allowed to race if he didn't follow the new protocol, that Stewart finally capitulated.

I've covered motorsports for nearly two decades and, to me, Stewart is an amalgam of several former NASCAR champions that I've reported on. He has the fiery grit and irascible personality of the late Dale Earnhardt, the mischievous twinkle in his eye and Hollywood smile of Jeff Gordon, garners the kind of respect akin to that of Darrell Waltrip, has the potential fan appeal of Richard Petty, the never give up determination of Dale Jarrett, and the tough competitive drive of Bill Elliott.

And, the irony of all those drivers who have preceded Stewart as series champion is that their public personas grew to new heights the second they were handed the championship trophy. Even a driver like Earnhardt, who had nearly as many as detractors as rabid fans -- you either loved him or hated him -- played up his dubious man in black persona with the upturn of his mustache followed immediately by an almost cocky smirk. In any other sport, Earnhardt might have been vilified, but this is NASCAR, and he rode that mysterious and cocky guise all the way to the bank, making both himself and NASCAR richer and more popular than had ever been seen before in the sport.

That's the same type of situation facing Stewart now, but whether he will take full advantage of that remains to be seen. Will he continue to be a small town boy from rural Indiana, or will become an astute big city guy, realizing it's best to go along to get along with NASCAR -- and ride each other's respective coattails to greater riches and success.

As champion, Stewart will attract more attention than he ever has from the media and fans. Why, he already attracted the eye of pop music queen Britney Spears, who coolly hung out for part of Sunday's season-ending Ford 400 right in the middle of Stewart's pits. How much do you want to bet that next week's National Enquirer will suddenly link Stewart and Spears romantically? That's the price you pay for success.

And then there's what Stewart will represent to the most impressionable audience of all, children. He has already publicly stated that he doesn't feel being a good role model is part of the responsibility of being reigning Winston Cup champ, that the extent of his job begins and ends with driving the No. 20 Pontiac and doing what his team owner and sponsors ask of him.

	It remains to be seen how much Mike Helton and NASCAR will embrace the new champion.

I'm not saying it will leave a good impression with today's youth if Stewart kicks a dog or spits on the sidewalk -- and it will all be caught on camera, of course -- but even if he doesn't feel comfortable with or even want the position of role model, the fact of the matter is it, too, is a part of Stewart's job, whether he sees it that way or not.

It will be hard for Stewart not to evolve into some type of role model, given the type of people he's surrounded by, particularly when you have a team owner like Joe Gibbs, whose strong belief in religious and family values have received nearly as much attention in his professional life as his success in coaching and racing. There's also teammate Bobby Labonte, a true Texas gentleman and one of the most astute drivers on the circuit when it comes to displaying a good, positive personality to the public.

And let's not forget about Home Depot, Stewart's primary sponsor. Company executives would likely cringe if Stewart were to do anything that would put the company in a bad light. One only has to look at the unprecedented $50,000 fine and the zero tolerance probation that Home Depot officials penalized Stewart with after that celebrated run-in with a photographer at Indianapolis to know just how serious the company is to maintain a good image and good public relations. Corporate America doesn't mess around, nor does it tolerate bad publicity. If Stewart were to become an abominable, impossible to live with personality now that he's champion, he's not untouchable or irreplaceable in Corporate America's eyes.

All those kids out there today that Stewart says he doesn't necessarily have to be a role model to are tomorrow's Home Depot customers, and company officials and stockholders are certain to remind Stewart of that, in the event he forgets who ultimately signs his paycheck.

Recall the uproar caused by former NBA player Charles Barkley back in the early 1990s when he said athletes do not have an inherent responsibility to be role models. The louder the criticism against him grew, the more adamant Barkley became in trying to justify his comments. He eventually saw the error of his ways -- with some not-so-gentle prodding from some of his corporate sponsors -- and began to backtrack, saying he was misquoted and the meaning and spirit of his words were misunderstood. As a result, Barkley fell into that typical trap that has vexed athletes for years: when the heat gets too hot, blame the reporter to deflect as much of the intensity as you can away from yourself.

I can only hope that Stewart accepts and assumes his new high-profile position with the kind of aplomb and responsibility that comes with it. As I said earlier, Stewart only need look back at some of his predecessors as champions to learn sometimes you have to do what you may not want to -- and being a good, high-profile role model is a crucial element of that -- to gain the respect deserving of a champion.

For, if Stewart thought it was hard trying to win a championship while keeping his cool and fulfilling the obligations of the double probation he's raced under for the last 3½ months, with all the notoriety and attention he'll get now and his attempts to try to be as many things to as many people as he can, whether he wants to or not, well, it's pretty clear he hasn't seen anything yet.

Jerry Bonkowski covers NASCAR for ESPN.com.