Looking Back at Silly Season 2007: Who Got the Better Deal?

This has been a question that has come up recently, and I thought I would get your input. Let's say that the year is 2030, and we are looking back at Silly Season 2007. Busch goes to Joe Gibbs Racing, which opens up the ride for Dale Earnhardt Jr. at Hendrick Motorsports.

I know that this question is a no-brainer to the Junior Nation. Unfortunately (and I say this with kindness), the Junior Nation can't get past the theory that he will end up winning more races than his dad, and win more championships than any driver in history not named Richard Petty.

They could never admit (publicly, anyway) that Kyle Busch is arguably as good of, if not better, a driver than Earnhardt Jr.

So here are the rules: To honestly answer the question, you will need to put popularity aside. This is strictly a wins and championship question.

Looking back to Silly Season 2007, who do you think will have had the better career: Busch or Earnhardt, Jr.? And which team ended up making the better signing: JGR or Hendrick Motorsports??

As many of you will learn about me, I am very analytical. I enjoy looking at stats, and real world numbers. The only problem with this is that I am also a huge fan of NASCAR, and the stats I read often are not in favor of my favorite driver.

With this being said, there are several arguments to be made by both drivers and their fans. Until last year, Busch was an immature, wreck-less driver that couldn't get over himself long enough to complete 500 laps.

Yes, he won a few races here and there, but he had an annoying habit of making himself look like a junior high student in those post-race interviews.

Earnhardt Jr., on the other hand, had proven himself in the Nationwide series, and had won several races in Sprint Cup. All of his fans believed that Teresa Earnhardt and her evil powers were the only thing keeping him out of Victory Lane. (Those darn DEI Motors!!)

The only thing holding him back was his lack of good equipment. The move to Hendrick was sure to fix this.

So, we get to the 2008 Chase. Both drivers are in the Chase, with both having been successful; and both winners at some point in the year.

Busch ended up winning more races than any other driver, but Earnhardt Jr. had arguably had a better year than his teammates at Hendrick at that point in the season. The Chase starts and both drivers are out of the conversation after only three races.

What happened?

In Earnhardt's case, his fans blamed it on Jimmy Johnson having better equipment, and/or he and crew chief Tony Eury Jr. not having a good relationship and fighting on the radio. Some fans even called for Eury to be fired and replaced in the offseason.

In Busch's case his fans (and enemies) blamed it on a conspiracy of NASCAR not wanting JGR and Toyota to succeed after JGR was caught cheating in the Nationwide Series, and/or Busch peaking too early in the season.

The real answer is most likely that neither driver and/or their team have much success in the Chase events, unlike Johnson and the No. 48 team.

Regardless of your opinion, both drivers failed mightily during the Chase.

So what does 2009 hold? Will this be Earnhardt's year?

Can he win enough races to be a legitimate contender for the championship?

Can Busch and his team turn it around this year?

Can Toyota continue to grow and be competitive??

These answers may prove to give us our answer to the question: Who will be better? Earnhardt, Jr. or Busch.

Give me your thoughts....