Head2Head: Is Kyle Busch the best on the track?

The most popular driver in NASCAR he is not -- but without a doubt, Kyle Busch is the best driver in the sport. It's not even a contest.

Last I checked, there are three major divisions within NASCAR. The 23-year-old phenom can -- and does -- dominate any one of them on any given weekend (or two on the same day as proven when he made history). How many drivers can lead 95 of 100 laps and win a Truck Series race, then show the way for 143 of 150 laps in a Nationwide Series victory later that night? After leading 95 percent of the laps in two wins Saturday, he finished third in the Auto Club 500 on Sunday.

Fontana wasn't a fluke. As the best driver in Daytona, Busch finished fourth in the Nationwide race, second in the Truck race and led a Cup race-high 88 laps before getting caught in a wreck not of his doing.

Last year, Busch won 25 percent of the races he ran and his 21 victories (most in NASCAR history) came on all different types of tracks. Only schedule limitations can keep Busch from challenging for championships in every series.

People will say Kyle is not mature enough. Since when does attitude have anything to do with your ability to wheel a race car? People will say he "choked" in last season's Chase. Mechanical failures in three consecutive championship races does not a poor driver make.

Other drivers may have more fans, but nobody else has more skills.

Kyle Busch can wheel a car -- there is no question about it. But to call the 23-year-old the best driver in NASCAR is a bit excessive.

First, how many championships has he won? That would be none. And I'm not just talking Cup championships. In four full-time Cup and three full-time Nationwide seasons, Kyle has yet to hoist the final trophy.

It seems at least one would be necessary before crowning someone the best.

Second, let's look at the competition on the track. Are we ready to anoint Busch above Jimmie Johnson? Jeff Gordon? Tony Stewart? I'm sorry, but he's not a better driver than those three -- not yet anyway.

Let's keep things real. Busch's 21 wins in 2008 were phenomenal. But 13 of them came in the Nationwide and Truck series. The numbers are a little skewed because he ran more races than any other driver last year. It's impressive, but if Gordon, Johnson or Smoke ran an extra 48 races, I'm pretty sure they would be up there in wins.

Busch is amazing on the track. The kid is the future of the sport and he will break records -- he already is. It wouldn't surprise me to see him win multiple titles and challenge Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt for most Cup championships -- he's young enough.

But to say he is the best in the sport right now, that's a tough pill to swallow.