Who had the BEST season?

The results of Sunday's Ford 400 at Homestead- Miami Speedway will determine who will be crowned champion of NASCAR's Sprint Cup Series. But the final points standings won't necessarily decide which driver had the best season in 2008. That was evident, especially given the comments by several drivers during interview sessions at Phoenix International Raceway last week.

Photos by NASCAR Jimmie Johnson leads Jamie McMurray during Sunday's race at Phoenix International Raceway. In addition to Johnson, other drivers hailed for their performances in 2008 are (below, from left) Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards and David Ragan. Not surprisingly, the top two contenders in the Chase for the Sprint Cup, Jimmie Johnson and Carl Edwards, rank high on most lists.

But so is Kyle Busch, even though he has been an alsoran in the Cup Series throughout the Chase. Even though he's struggling in his Cup car, he has continued to add to his season victory total, which now stands at 21 (eight in Cup, 10 in the Nationwide Series and three more in the Craftsman Truck Series).

Jeff Burton said that if he had to pick a driver of the year, he'd choose Busch, who was already mathematically eliminated from the championship battle before the circuit arrived at Phoenix.

"When you say 'driver,' I look at a broader scope and what he's done in all three series," Burton said. "Ultimately, I just think Kyle has done a remarkable job this year even though he's not going to win a championship."

Burton said Busch deserves credit for doing what he has done while driving for a team, the No. 18 outfit at Joe Gibbs Racing, that finished 22nd in car-owner points last year and hadn't won since 2003.

"He walked into a new situation; a situation that hadn't really had success for a while and immediately that car started winning and running in the front," Burton said. "And everything he's sat in this year has run fast, so to me, that would be who I would award it to."

Kasey Kahne chose Carl Edwards.

"Personally, [he's] the guy who seems just to make it happen [although] he lost some points earlier in the year," Kahne said.

Tony Stewart's pick for driver of the year was a bit of a surprise. He said he'd give the nod to David Ragan, who barely missed the Chase and will finish 13th in the standings, tops among non-Chase drivers.

"That kid has impressed me so much from where he started in this series to where he has been at the end of the year this year," Stewart said. "I think he's probably demonstrated the most growth and patience of any of the drivers out there."

He said Ragan has gone from being a driver his peers tried to steer clear of on the track to one that can be trusted at 200 mph.

"He gets it now, he kind of gets the etiquette," Stewart said. "He understands the patience and the give-and-take. You can just see his confidence now.

"When he started, he was a dart without feathers. There was no confidence on the racetrack. He didn't understand the give-and-take very well. He was somebody that you saw him and you were coming to lap him, you were like, 'Oh man, I have to deal with this guy again.'

"Now when you see him, you're like, 'This kid gets it.' "

Of course, if only performance mattered, Stewart would lean toward Johnson, Edwards and Busch.

"Those three have had unbelievable seasons," he said. "Carl [Edwards] has had a great performance in the last couple of weeks to try to get himself back in a position to win the championship. Jimmie [Johnson] has been his normal championship self. He has been consistent every week. That is why he's won two years in a row.

"Kyle [Busch] has struggled in the championship side, but what he's done all year — not only in the Sprint Cup side, but in the Nationwide Series and the Truck Series. You can't overlook that, even though he's had a poor performance in the Chase."