Smack: Undecided voters in Junior, Busch debate

1. Now that the season is almost over, it's time to assess: did Rick Hendrick make the right move by releasing Kyle Busch to add Dale Earnhardt Jr.?

Dave Rodman: I'm not dodging the question, but it's still a case where time will ultimately tell. Look at it this way: Three Hendrick teams made the Chase, and so did three at Joe Gibbs Racing, where Busch competes now. So I think it's been beneficial all the way around.

David Caraviello: I don't know who the joker is who came up with this question, but it's unanswerable. The Earnhardt-Busch situation was not a zero-sum game. You're talking about two guys who both needed new surroundings. And two guys who both clearly benefited from the change.

Joe Menzer: Well, Roadman is obviously avoiding the question. But the fact of the matter is that this is just like one of those NFL or major league baseball free-agency deals. You need a full three years to make the correct judgment. If you are asking how it looks right now, at this very moment, judging off just this first year, then the answer is obvious and you would have to say no.

David Caraviello: Three years? Dude, you're not covering the NFL anymore. Three years in this deal is a lifetime. This is a results-now business. And if you look at where they are versus where they were, both are much better off.

Dave Rodman: It will take even longer than three years, I believe. Who's gonna end up with the most championships? And that is totally open-ended. At Daytona in July you might've said Kyle would -- but with the way he's tanked in the last third of the season, we're gonna need another whole year to see what they really have.

Joe Menzer: Well, if you're gonna judge it that way ... then how can anyone possibly say you're better off to have a guy who has one win versus a guy who has eight in Cup?

David Caraviello: Because I don't think Kyle would have won eight races in that environment. It's all about fit, and for whatever reason, he didn't fit at Hendrick. There's something about Gibbs that's brought out his best. It's the same thing with Earnhardt. It was going to be very difficult for him to make the Chase and contend for titles at DEI. He needed a place where the equipment was more reliable and his talent could show. He found it at Hendrick.

Joe Menzer: There is indeed some truth to the fact that getting pushed out at Hendrick forced Kyle to mature, or lit a fire under him, or whatever. It put him in position with the right guy in crew chief Steve Addington.

Dave Rodman: Again, there are a lot of parameters you have to judge it by. Hendrick's Chase teams are gonna handle JGR's, and who finishes better between Junior and Shrub still remains to be seen. David, your point on timeframes is well-made, but I think the assessment here is longer-term.

Joe Menzer: But the question was if Rick Hendrick made the right move. And if I recall, even Hendrick said late last year that if Kyle had driven and acted like he did the latter part of that year, he never would have parted ways with him.

Dave Rodman: All things considered -- especially considering Casey Mears might win a couple of races next season -- I wonder if Rick ever wishes he had both Junior and Shrub right now. Wouldn't that raise some outcry amongst all the other fans that are still left in the sport. Though the point that can't be lost is that Steve Addington and that 18 crew are a big part of why that team won so much, just as much as they're at the root of the current slump.

David Caraviello: Given how things have turned out with Casey, there's reason to believe Rick might be second-guessing himself on cutting Kyle loose. But if Kyle isn't the odd man out at Hendrick, then does he become that more mature driver who wins eight races at Gibbs? In some ways, you could say he's a product of the environment.

Joe Menzer: Now that's an interesting point. But I think Mr. H is pretty happy to put Mark Martin in that car for at least next year. And, by the way, Dave, what makes you think Casey Mears will win anything next year? Not sure I see that.

Dave Rodman: He's teaming up with Gil Martin and a two-time Chase team.

Joe Menzer: So you're saying Mears' inability to win (more than once, anyway) in good equipment at Hendrick was his crew chief's fault -- more than his own?

Dave Rodman: If they mesh well, I can see him doing quite well. But of course, with Mark Martin already in the 2009 Chase, that doesn't leave many spots. I already can't wait.

David Caraviello: Well, Casey has been sort of jobbed throughout his career -- the whole five teams in five years thing. A little stability might do him good.

Dave Rodman: How did Kyle Busch win so little at Hendrick, comparatively speaking? We all know these teams and their success rates are the result of infinitely, exquisitely agonizing bouts of chemical balance. Did that make sense? Got off on the language there.

Joe Menzer: The younger, supposedly much less mature Kyle Busch still managed four Cup victories in the same car at Hendrick with Alan Gustafson as his crew chief. And you could argue that Gustafson's job was tougher under those circumstances.

David Caraviello: Hey, the comparison here isn't Kyle against Casey -- that's a no-brainer. As for Earnhardt and Busch, both guys seem much happier and much more able to live up to potential. Nobody loses. (Continued)