-I can't disagree with this statement, but was it not also true of Richard Petty and Dale Inman, David Pearson and Leonard Wood, Jeff Gordon and Ray Evernham? Does that fact diminish those driver's successes?
Impossible to compare eras, nothing is the same.
-And those resources are somehow more powerful than TRD's, Roger Penske's or even Roush Fenway in their heyday?
I don’t believe anyone else was on par with HMS when Jimmie was dominating. Again, my opinion was NASCAR was more lenient with them at the time, or they were doing something that NASCAR couldn’t pinpoint.
-Judging by the fines and suspensions, they must not have been looking the other way too often, and I think there are SEVERAL organizations that could give Chad a run for his money on bending the rules.
This I disagree with.
-Evidently you missed the part where other drivers including Jeff Gordon said if they tried to run their car the way Jimmie did, they would crash every lap. And yes, pretty much EVERY driver that dominates has one of the VERY best cars. Jimmie is no anomaly in that respect.
Everyone likes a different setup based on their driving style.
-I think it is folly to call the RCR cars of Dale's era mediocre. They had some off years in the late 90's but I think other teams catching up, revolving crew chiefs and Dale's physical condition, especially after the big wreck at Talladega in 1996, held him back until he finally had some surgery and almost won the 2000 title. Remember too that Kevin Harvick got in those cars and was fast IMMEADIATLY too. The fall off only came later.
I’m never going to believe that Dale’s success was more about the car and not about his determination and ability.
-Kurt Busch IS an amazing talent, and if he had had 30% of Jimmie's common sense and self restraint, he might be a three or four time champion. The fact that he has gotten a chance to win so many places is because he can't keep a job.
Kurt is one of the best drivers currently in the Cup series.
-Kyle Busch is ALSO an amazing talent, but until very recently, head to head Jimmie beat him like a drum year after year, including the time they were driving the same equipment. Jimmie was a legitimate title contender as a Cup rookie. How many years did it take Kyle to even get CLOSE to a title?
Nobody at HMS had the same equipment or crew chemistry as JJ when he was dominating.