[bayou_bengals]

How about this for a stat? Dale Jr. leads Kyle Busch in the standings. Gavel falls, case closed, court adjourned. Oh yeah. And he's sitting on the pole at Texas this weekend.

[bayou_bengals]

How about this for a stat? Dale Jr. leads Kyle Busch in the standings. Gavel falls, case closed, court adjourned. Oh yeah. And he's sitting on the pole at Texas this weekend.

[bayou_bengals]

Originally Posted by Racer Duck

Let's see .. YTD stats though dry and boring give some indication which driver is more "active" than the other. By active I mean making passes, leading laps, coming from behind, etc.. Everyone wants their driver to be "active" so, let's see how these 2 guys have fared so far.

Passing: NASCAR has something they call "Quality Passes" which I haven't the foggiest what the criteria is for a "Quality Pass", but they claim Kyle has 304 while Jr. has 278. I think that means Kyle's been passing more than Jr. A point for Kyle.

Score so far: Kyle - 1; Jr - 0

Laps Lead: Again NASCAR statistics give some insight to which driver has been in the front more than the other. There's two different stats for leading: miles and laps: Kyle leads both with 597 miles and 337 laps lead while Jr has 227 miles and 237 laps lead. Another point for Kyle.

Score so far: Kyle - 2; Jr - 0

Coming from Behind: Ya have to look for this one, but NASCAR has something they call "Closers" which is basically the average number of spots gained in a race (Mr. Gilliland leads this category with 3.7 spots gained per race.) Kyle is shown as gaining 2.0 spots per race while Jr is shown losing 1.33 spots per race. Looks like another point for Kyle.

Score so far: Kyle - 3; Jr - 0

Average Running Position: This one takes into account the running position on every lap of the race and averages over the number of laps run. There have been only two drivers to run every one of the 2048 laps: Jeff Burton and Kevin Harvick. Kyle has run 1989 laps and had an average running position of 9.75 while Jr has run 2001 laps but has an average running position of 11.92. So, on the one hand Kyle consistently runs higher than Jr, but has missed more laps than Jr. I think this one is split, so no points to either as there's no clear domination.

Score so far: Kyle - 3; Jr - 0

Laps on the Lead Lap: This one counts the number of laps the driver has been on the lead lap for each race. Not surprisingly, Jeff Burton has been on the lead lap for all but 3 of the 2048 laps run so far this season. That's quite an accomplishment!!! Let's see how our 2 boys did: Kyle was able to stay on the lead lap 1605 times while Jr managed to do it 1816 times. One point for Jr.

Score so far: Kyle - 3; Jr - 1

Well there's other statistics you can pore over if you've a mind to, but I think these serve my purpose. What is my purpose, you ask? Well to see if what I think is backed up with statistics. And I think it is: Kyle is the more exciting driver - he passes more, runs higher, leads more laps and has won more races than Jr. The only edge Jr has is staying on the track longer and on the lead lap longer than Kyle. Sadly, while Kyle is improving his position in the race, Jr is doing just the opposite .. not good for fan (or sponsor) appeal.

And I could care less which one wins the popularity vote, or sells the most junk (aka souvenirs), or is in the most commercials, or has won the most money (Kyle has, by the way) or gets the most hype (I think this one is obvious ). I'm most interested in seeing action on the track and Kyle seems to provide more of it than Jr.

How about this for a stat? Dale Jr. leads Kyle Busch in the standings. Gavel falls, case closed, court adjourned. Oh yeah. And he's sitting on the pole at Texas this weekend.

[Phils20]

Originally Posted by bayou_bengals

How about this for a stat? Dale Jr. leads Kyle Busch in the standings. Gavel falls, case closed, court adjourned. Oh yeah. And he's sitting on the pole at Texas this weekend.

Ya really think it's that simple?? Who was leading the points at this point last year???

I'm not sure, but I bet it wasn't the 2007 champ!

[Racer Duck]

Originally Posted by bayou_bengals

How about this for a stat? Dale Jr. leads Kyle Busch in the standings. Gavel falls, case closed, court adjourned. Oh yeah. And he's sitting on the pole at Texas this weekend.

WOW, you're calling the season so soon? Why not wait until Jr. gets into the points lead?

BTW: it wasn't necessary for you to post this information 3 times in a row - we .. well most of us, anyway .. were able to get all the words decyphered correctly the first time.

[casa]

Originally Posted by Racer Duck

WOW, you're calling the season so soon? Why not wait until Jr. gets into the points lead?

BTW: it wasn't necessary for you to post this information 3 times in a row - we .. well most of us, anyway .. were able to get all the words decyphered correctly the first time.

Is Kyle in the points lead or have I missed something? By the way check your spelling of deciphered.

[jks812]

Originally Posted by bayou_bengals

How about this for a stat? Dale Jr. leads Kyle Busch in the standings. Gavel falls, case closed, court adjourned. Oh yeah. And he's sitting on the pole at Texas this weekend.

But how long did Kyle lead Jr in the points?

[The Dude]

Originally Posted by jks812

But how long did Kyle lead Jr in the points?

I believe most of the season thus far, and he IS only a few points away from Jr.

[Bryan88]

God I am sick of this argument, can we just let this thing die!!!! First things first, Hendrick picked Mears over Busch and not Jr over Busch. It was a no brainer to bring Jr aboard, so why we have to keep bringing this up time and time again is beyond me.

[Bryan88]

Originally Posted by Racer Duck

And I could care less which one wins the popularity vote, or sells the most junk (aka souvenirs), or is in the most commercials, or has won the most money (Kyle has, by the way) or gets the most hype (I think this one is obvious ). I'm most interested in seeing action on the track and Kyle seems to provide more of it than Jr.

Oh come on, you are painting a picture here that Jr is a boring, if not incapable, driver and completely a product of hype. Which, and I mean no offense to you, is a ridiculous statement. Can we be done with this silly argument.

[Racer Duck]

Originally Posted by Bryan88

Oh come on, you are painting a picture here that Jr is a boring, if not incapable, driver and completely a product of hype. Which, and I mean no offense to you, is a ridiculous statement. Can we be done with this silly argument.

I apologize in not being more clear. I think both drivers are exciting to watch. Both are not satisfied unless they are leading the race, and neither is particularly happy with their finish unless it's a win. That said, i still think Kyle is the more exciting of the two for the reasons I cited.

re: the "arguement", I don't know about anyone else, but I've merely stated my opinion. Whether you decide to participate in the discussion or not is completely up to you. Since you think the discussion has gone on long enough, but still join in from time to time, it makes me wonder whether "your driver" is somehow seen on the losing side of the discussion? I do look forward to your constructive and illustrative comments, though.

[Bryan88]

Originally Posted by Racer Duck

I apologize in not being more clear. I think both drivers are exciting to watch. Both are not satisfied unless they are leading the race, and neither is particularly happy with their finish unless it's a win. That said, i still think Kyle is the more exciting of the two for the reasons I cited.

re: the "arguement", I don't know about anyone else, but I've merely stated my opinion. Whether you decide to participate in the discussion or not is completely up to you. Since you think the discussion has gone on long enough, but still join in from time to time, it makes me wonder whether "your driver" is somehow seen on the losing side of the discussion? I do look forward to your constructive and illustrative comments, though.

Hey, I think that Kyle is the most exciting driver in NASCAR and he is quickly becoming one of my favorites. I am just a little sick of the constant comparisons between the two based on the Hendrick situation (which is how this whole thing got started).
I am a die-hard Jr fan, but I have no problem admitting that Busch has way more potential than Jr and can be a better driver right now. I said can be, because he is still inconsistent and does some stupid things out there, so I want to see the season play out a little more before I say who is better... we are only 6 soon to be 7 races into the season. Like i said, I am just sick of the two being compared based on the Hendrick thing. I suspect that we will be hearing about it for a long time to come though.

[BiscuitMan]

Normally the driver winning most often is not always the most popular driver. Jeff Gordon is a prime example. When he was beating the most popular drivers Dale Sr. and Bill Elliott he became disliked by most fans at the track. Kyle Busch and Dale Jr. fit that situation right now.

This argument can be settled by using the same index to measure their performance such as the NASCAR standings. Currently, Dale Jr. is in 4th place with 831 points and $1.3 million in winnings. Kyle is in 5th place with 831 points and $1.3 million in winnings. The season is still in the first phase and there is a long way to go. Place your bets now and wait and see who wins.

Personally, I think Kyle is a very exciting driver in all NASCAR series. Good or bad, he is opting for Jimmy Spencer’s title of “Mr. Excitement”, and I think rightly so. Dale Jr. is a calculating driver who may not have the pizzazz on the track as Kyle, but is there up front somewhere at the end of the race.

[BiscuitMan]

The correct statistics for Kyle and Dale Jr. are:

• Dale Jr. - 4th place 846 points and $1.2 million winnings
• Kyle Busch - 5th place 831 points and $1.3 million winnings

[Bryan88]

Originally Posted by BiscuitMan

The correct statistics for Kyle and Dale Jr. are:

• Dale Jr. - 4th place 846 points and $1.2 million winnings
• Kyle Busch - 5th place 831 points and $1.3 million winnings

I sorta like this driver rating stat as an overall view of how a driver is doing.

Formula combining the following categories: Wins, Finishes, Top-15 Finishes, Average Running Position While on Lead Lap, Average Speed Under Green, Fastest Lap, Led Most Laps, Lead-Lap Finish. Maximum: 150 points per race. Must have raced in 75 percent of scheduled point-paying races.

1. Kyle Bush 110.5
2. Carl Edwards 106.5
3. Jeff Gordon 106.5
4. Dale Jr 105.0
5. Tony Stewart 100.8