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During his all too brief career, Jim Croce composed a number of classic songs, often of the storytelling with a twist type.  One of them, "You Don't Mess Around With Jim" (which for the record was not self-referencing), contained in its chorus this sage advice:

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You don't tug on Superman's cape
You don't spit into the wind
You don't pull the mask off that ol' Lone Ranger
And you don't mess around with Jim

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He could have well added "never play poker with a NASCAR team owner."

Two prime examples of this truism came out of yesterday's all-star race, with Joe Gibbs and Rick Hendrick both making sure plausible deniability permeated their "oh no he's not coming here" statements should either become, shall we say, inoperative down the line.  Gibbs was appropriately 'oh really gee I was unaware of that you'll have to ask my son' vague when questioned about a recent Earnhardt sighting at JGR headquarters, while Hendrick evaded the issue via stating the obvious ("but right now, I'm full") and tossing out some red herrings about possible technical help for JR Motorsports should Earnhardt decide to field his own Cup team next year.  Note he said "right now." Which a quick glance at the calendar states isn't 2008.

My personal hunch, based on... um, my personal hunch, is that Earnhardt will replace Kyle Busch in the #5 next year.  Busch's contract is reportedly up for renewal, and as last night amply demonstrated he has yet to commensurate his talent with on-track patience or common sense.  Add to this more than a few moments of his having to be apologized for by Hendrick or crew chief Alan Gustafson due to random acts of immaturity, and it's no stretch to surmise Hendrick may well have concluded Busch is more trouble than he's worth.  Earnhardt may not have the raw talent of Busch, but he is also far less likely to enter his car into the Checkers Or Wreckers game, and when given a competitive car (which the #5 certainly is) is more than capable of delivering the goods.  He gets along very well with both Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson, so team chemistry would not be an issue.  Given his penchant for not necessarily desiring the spotlight 24/7 no matter how much it is thrust upon him, he may well enjoy letting Gordon and Johnson be the lead dogs while he focuses more on simply driving in an environment minus melodrama, family squabbles, and where he'd be appreciated for being who and what he is above and beyond a cash cow.  Besides, it's hard not to imagine Hendrick developing a sly grin while contemplating the heads of those who hate him without cause exploding at the sight of Junior in one of his cars.  Budweiser has sponsored a Hendrick car before, so the renewal of this relationship should prove to be no difficulty.  That said, it's not unreasonable to picture Kellogg's stepping up at the opportunity of having NASCAR's most marketable driver under their umbrella.  Who's capable of selling more cereal: Kyle Busch or Junior?  Need I ask?

As has been the case since Day One of all this, stay tuned...