While the No. 5 team gained three points, Junior gained much more – a chance to get behind the wheel of a Hendrick Motorsports car, the same type of car that has been dominating Nextel Cup the last few seasons. In nine short laps, tons of valuable information was made available to Earnhardt. How much horsepower does the engine have? How does the car handle in the corners? What does the setup feel like?Now Junior can take this info back to DEI and his own team and tell the guys at the shop what areas they need to improve in to compete with Hendrick.

While I'm sure the decision to put Junior in the car was just a spur of the moment thing that wasn't thought out, team owner Rick Hendrick had to be furious when he found out. NASCAR is incredibly competitive, and teams are so close that even the slightest edge can make a huge difference on the track. Hendrick Motorsports clearly has an edge on the rest of the field right now, and the No. 5 team might have just compromised that advantage.

As bad as revealing pertinent information to a competitor was, equally as troublesome was the reason why Jr. had the opportunity to get in the No. 5 car. When the car was ready to return to the race, Busch couldn't be found. Maybe it was a breakdown in communication and Busch thought the car was too badly damaged to be repaired, but the more likely scenario was that Busch left because he was upset about wrecking a good racecar. While smashing a car is always frustrating for a driver, Busch can't just leave. The crew worked tirelessly to get the car back on the track and their driver doesn't even have the respect and courtesy to stick around and tough it out. What kind of team chemistry does that build? This situation is even worse because Junior ended up in the car and with vital information. I'm sure Busch got an earful from owner Rick Hendrick, and he owes his team an apology.