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?

As Sunday's turn from touchdowns and turnovers to drafting and driving, there is only one thing I know for sure. . .This is not your father's NASCAR.  Of course, we've gotten used to that by now.  We've changed from Winston to Nextel.  We've gone from the race for the championship to the race for the Chase.  We've gone from southern drivers who like to drive fast to sophisticated advertising agents who are well groomed, well spoken, and well. . .less rough and tough.  Not just anyone who can turn a wheel can be a NASCAR driver anymore.  Not only that, but now the best driver may not be able to win the championship anymore.

The Winston Cup was always about consistency.  Most Cup champs have a few things in common.  The first is that they won races.  They didn't always have the most wins, but they won their share.  Second, and most importantly, they were consistently good.  Very good.  The year end resume would have three or four wins, but 20-25 top tens.  The key to winning was always not only winning, but having the opportunity to win.  This new point system puts so much of an emphasis on winning, that it may turn its back on the Alan Kulwicki's of the racing world. 

It's ridiculous to add points for wins to driver's totals AFTER the points have been reset for the Chase.  I started watching NASCAR in 1992.  My favorite driver, Davey Allison, had won the Daytona 500 so I was hooked!  I watched Bill Elliott proceed to win the next four consecutive races.  I watched as Davey and "Awesome" Bill won five races each that season.  I also watched a consistent and determined Alan Kulwicki break my heart and win the championship with his measly two wins.  However, I understood that my guy finished third in the standings because he wasn't consistent enough to be a champion.  Why do we want to change that?  Is it because NASCAR is desirous of its new glamour boy, Kasey Kahne, to win the title?  Is it because we don't want the no-names like Kulwicki to win titles ever again?  Some teams don't have what it takes to win five races per season.  However, they do have what it takes to consistently put their car in the top 10.  That deserves something.  If it leads to them scoring more Nextel Cup points over the course of a season than any other team, then it deserves a championship.

Winning a race is a lot about luck.  If you don't believe me, ask Derrick Cope!  Consistently putting your car in the top 10 is a lot about skill.  Sure, luck is still a factor, but great cars, great drivers, and great teams consistently run up front.  There is a reason why Matt Kenseth is a champion and Ryan Newman is not.  Consistency is that reason.  Please NASCAR, don't fall so in love with the win that you stop rewarding consistency!

The lasting image in my mind from Saturday night's race in Charlotte wasn't Kasey Kahne's impressive victory. It wasn’t the dejection of Jeff Gordon facing the reality of his fifth championship having to come in another season. Not even Jeff Burton's strong run and increased point lead was the major story from Saturday. The lasting image to me was hearing Mark Martin confess to the world that him ever being a Nextel Cup Champion just isn't "meant to be".

As J.J. Yeley swerved down toward pit road from the middle of the track, he potentially and probably ended the championship hopes of NASCAR's Dan Marino. Being the greatest championship-less competitor is the absolute last thing an athlete wants to be in any sport. The reason: Forgetability! In football conversations, the names Elway, Montana, and Favre roll of the tongue as if they belong in the pantheon of great NFL quarterbacks. Any of us who witnessed Dan Marino play know that no one, not even those three threw the ball any better. No one has ever been more tenacious than Karl Malone and Charles Barkley. However, why are they so easily dismissed in these conversations? You know.

It would be a true shame if the same happens with Mark Martin. To argue that Matt Kenseth or Bobby Labonte are greater drivers than he would be a farce. However, they do have a "Cup" in their trophy case unlike Martin. Sure, Mark is not completely out of the Chase yet. He currently sits in fourth place in the standings, 102 points behind former teammate and admitted understudy of Martin's, Jeff Burton. However, the odds are certainly against Martin.

The word that best describes Martin and his career is certainly "consistency". However, maybe the word should be changed to "class". I cannot remember Mark ever getting out of his car without thanking the fans first. He, of course, thanks his sponsors, teammates, crew, car owner, etc., but its always the fans first. Not only is Mark a great human being, but he's also a great driver. Mark has finished second in the driver's standing an astounding four times and has finished in the top five in points 12 times. He has won 35 races in his Nextel Cup career as well as being the winningest driver in both the Busch Series and IROC series. Mark has won the most IROC championships and was an ASA legend before hitting the big time.

Mark has agreed to a part-time contract next year with MB2 racing, and who knows what will happen with his career after that. The sad truth is that this season is probably Mark's last true shot at a championship in NASCAR's highest level. Mark may have fallen short of the ultimate goal of his racing career. Mark may never be a Cup champion. However, I will watch the last five races of this season with both sadness and pride as the red, white, and blue #6 turns it's final laps with Mark behind the wheel. No matter what any stat sheet says, I know I'll be watching the essence of a champion. I'll be watching a true champion. I'll be watching the incomparable Mark Martin.