Is there anyway that Jr. ends up at DEI at season's end?  It seems like Jr. woke up and finally realized that he is the biggest star and NASCAR and has more leverage than any athlete in the history of professional sports.  Jr. is the man in NASCAR.  What makes that more amazing than anything is that this popularity has come with a moderate amount of success.  The NBA equivilent would be if Jeffrey Jordan, Michael's son, entered the league and played at a Paul Pierce level, but got LeBron James endorsements and attention.  Don't get me wrong.  Paul Pierce is a great player, but he's no LeBron, D-Wade, KG, or Tim Duncan.  Much like Jr. is great, but he's not Stewart, Johnson, or Gordon.

Having said all of that, with the addition of Toyota, who seems to be willing to pay any price to make a major splash in the sport, Dale is NASCAR's first A-Rod type free agent.  Anyone will pay anything to have him as the face of their team.  Anyone except maybe his jealous stepmommy. 

Here are Dale's 2008 options:

1)  Stay at DEI as the majority owner of the company and remain the face of NASCAR as we know it.

2)  Join a team like Hendrick or Roush with the proven ability to win championships with multiple teams and drivers.  This way, he can begin to build a legacy outside of his father (if that's even possible).

3)  Join a Toyota team, take Budweiser with him, and create a major shift in the power and influence of the newest and most controversial manufactoring brand in NASCAR history.

Whatever Dale chooses, he brings a marketability and economic power with him that no human being has ever had in any sport.  Good luck in the negotiations Dale.  The sport anxiously awaits.

What do you think he'll do?  What would you do?