Tony Stewart might be ahead of him now, but Jeff Gordon will be back. Credit: Autostock

Last Lap: Closing the generation gap

For his tenacity, competitive cleanliness and general stewardship, Mark Martin is widely considered NASCAR's most respected driver by his peers. Words spoken from his heart are not politically driven and carry no biased undertones.

They are pure, honest. Always.

	MARTY SMITH •   E-mail Marty •   Opinion Archive •   Store: 'I Agree With Marty' tee

So when Martin was asked his opinion of Tony Stewart's 2005 emotional transformation and unhesitatingly proclaimed the newly crowned champ "the greatest race-car driver in this era," and "my driving hero," it was high praise indeed.

Stewart was understandably humbled.

"Any time a great driver like [Martin], or great group of drivers speak highly of you like that, that's probably the greatest honor in auto racing that you can have," Stewart said.

"For your peers to have that confidence in you and that respect for you, to hear those comments from those two guys -- that's better than any trophy I've ever received in my life."

Agreed. And it's not even close. Ten Brickyard 400 championships -- not even an Indianapolis 500 trophy -- could be more meaningful, even to Indiana's truest native racing son.

But is Martin right? Is Stewart the greatest driver of his generation? If not, who is your choice, and why?

UdntNoJacksc: Most definitely agree! Stewart's Championships:
* 2005 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Championship
* 2002 Winston Cup Championship
* 2001 World of Outlaws (Car Owner)
* 1997 Indy Racing League (IRL)
* 1995 USAC Triple Crown - USAC Midget; USAC Sprint Cars; USAC Silver Crown
* 1994 USAC Midget
* 1987 World Karting Association National Title
* 1983 International Karting Foundation Grand National

Not sure of any other CUP drivers with a Championship resume like Smoke!

LAST LAP: FINAL TURN The Last Lap is now twice as good. Just as before you, the fans, will speak out each Tuesday with Marty's somewhat insightful, but always entertaining comments on a hot topic. But look for Marty's final word each Thursday on LAST LAP: FINAL TURN as he digs deeper with an insider's perspective that gets even the drivers' attentions.  Catch NASCAR.COM's Marty Smith and the Last Lap weekly on SPEED's "Back Seat Drivers" at 7 p.m. ET and 10 p.m. ET Wednesday. More

Stewart's resume is indeed impressive, but Martin's definition spans deeper and wider than any list of personal accolades ever could. That's part of it, sure. But he's talking sheer talent, too, the intangibles that drivers see and experience that laymen can't fully understand.

Stewart's intangibles -- car control, vision, instinct -- are impeccable, second-to-none. Ever.

julezinky: Smoke is a great driver. He is solid every week and is a damn nice guy besides all that. But greatest of his generation? His generation includes Jeff Gordon and, even though I do not like Gordon, that is a tough call to make.

Gordon and Stewart are the same age but Gordon has accomplished a lot more in his 13 years in NASCAR then Tony has in his 6 years. Tony's star is still sailing however and I think Gordon's boat might have sailed.

I am impressed with the maturity Tony has gained throughout this season and have nothing but congrats for the whole Home Depot team. With all that being said, time for some Dairy Queen!

The DQ Reese's Pieces Blizzard is the most delectably fabulous desert item the country has to offer. And I don't mean America. I mean rural. As in, not city. As in kids in overalls that ride 40 minutes each way to school, where DQ is fine cuisine. As in Pearisburg, Va. Yes, small-town roots and undying affection for Dairy Queen are the only things Tony Stewart and I have in common.)

As for the Gordon argument, opinions vary.

TSRules20: It depends on what you look to in order to define greatness and the circumstances that surround it. Merely by stats of more wins, championships, etc, one would say Jeff Gordon.

	Tony Stewart has won two of the past four Cup titles. Credit: Streeter Lecka/Getty Images
	Inside the Numbers Stewart vs. Gordon Category Stewart Gordon Starts 248 437 Wins 24 73 Top-5 93 199 Top-10 149 269 Poles 10 54 Avg. Start 14.4 9.5 Avg. Finish 12.2 12.4 Titles 2 4

Jeff won a bunch of his races over a 3 year period in which there was a major technological revolution going on in NA$CAR, so it could be said that part of his greatness just happens to stem from being at the right place at the right time and being ahead of the technological curve and not necessarily being the greatest driver.

One other argument against just looking at the stats, Tony is a racer. He walks and talks like a racer. He isn't a bland watered down version of a racer to some peoples disliking because he isn't afraid to tell it like it is.

So my answer would be Jeff Gordon is currently the greatest NA$CAR Nextel Cup driver of his generation based on pure stats, but Tony is the greatest overall racer period.

One can't dispute Tom Sizemore's sentiment that Gordon flourished under Ray Evernham's direction, on a team that was eons ahead of the competition technologically in the mid-to-late 90s.

Forty-seven of Gordon's 73 career victories (65 percent), and three of his four championships (75 percent), came during the five-season span between 1995 and 1999.

Since 1999, Gordon has 31 wins to Stewart's 24. Gordon has one championship (2001), Stewart two (2002, 2005). Moreover, Stewart is a champion under more than one NASCAR point system.

For the record, Gordon is my early choice to win the 2006 championship.

tj8aint3yet: I'm not a Gordon fan at all, and really do like Smoke, but I'd have a hard time saying Stewart is the greatest. Equal to or among the greatest of his generation I can buy, but THE greatest, not yet.

Stewart fans should not kid themselves into believing that had Gordon stayed where he was at and then went on to the IRL he wouldn't have won big all along the way. Given a good team and strong cars both can win and do it quite regularly.

I think a little leeway can be given to Jeff for a bad year considering how hard it is to keep up that level for a decade. It's still much more of a team sport than we like to believe. As Mark Twain might have said, "The reports of my greatness have been greatly exaggerated."

	Jeff Gordon won Cup titles in 1995, '97, '98 and 2001. Credit: Jamie Squire/Getty Images
	Inside the Numbers Multiple Cup championships Rank Driver No. 1. Dale Earnhardt 7   Richard Petty 7 3. Jeff Gordon 4 4. David Pearson 3   Lee Petty 3   Darrell Waltrip 3   Cale Yarborough 3 8. Buck Baker 2   Tim Flock 2   Ned Jarrett 2   Terry Labonte 2   Tony Stewart 2   Herb Thomas 2   Joe Weatherly 2

Joe Gibbs Racing president J.D. Gibbs said it perfectly Sunday evening -- you're only as good as your last race.

So, so true.

Webb1: Smoke is the best of his generation, but Mark is still the best overall driver in NASCAR. When you consider the best you should look at everything both on and off the track and when you do you will see that Mark has no equal.

How awesome would it be for Martin to win the 2006 championship in a season he had no desire to run. It's NASCAR. Stranger things happen ...

shootXs: I think Mark Martin was just being polite and kind of sold himself short saying Tony Stewart is the greatest driver in his era. Not taking anything away from this year's 20 team, but the 24 team has 4 championships to their two.

I cannot agree with Stewart being the greatest driver in this era. Stewart is a good driver and had luck on his side all season or he wouldn't be where he is today.

Martin, Biffle, Edwards, Johnson are all good drivers in this era too, but luck drives the train as much as they drive their cars. Without a little luck you finish 2nd place or 1st loser.

This is a broken record topic. Luck is crucial in a Chase format that penalizes DNF's far more than it rewards winning. In the current structure, DNFs have far more bearing on the season's outcome than victories do.

Both Chases to date have proven this dynamic. Jimmie Johnson won four races to Kurt Busch's one in 2004, yet Busch still won the championship. This year, Johnson and Carl Edwards both won twice, while Stewart didn't require a single Chase victory to waltz away with the title.

Might just be me, but something seems fundamentally wrong about that.

fbx22: I am confused with the question. Is Mark saying the greatest in his time? Or Stewart is the greatest for his own time? If it's the latter I might possibly agree with him.

Carl Edwards won four times in his first full season on the Cup circuit. Credit: Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images

Petty, to Earnhardt, to Gordon, and I suppose its now Stewarts game. Stewart is a very good all around racecar driver in any type of car but I'm not sure how long he will remain the king of NASCAR.

There is a kid in NASCAR Cup racing with the tenacity and refuse to lose mentality of Dale Earnhardt and Cale Yarborough combined. The man is as sleek as the Silver Fox that when its time to go for it he is always within reach of the flag.

He has that out of the car charisma of DW. There is a new E in NASCAR, and its not Earnhardt, it's Carl Edwards.

The Columbia, Mo., chamber of commerce is scrambling to copyright that slogan. Mass production of bumper stickers, T-shirts and smiley-face key chains is already underway. (I'm kidding. Seriously.)

Rhowdydog: Yes. Tony Stewart is the next Kenny Schrader -- Any race, any night, in any kind of car. "Greatest" isn't determined by wins, poles, championships. It's determined by what you give back to the sport.

Wow. What a wonderful response. Rest assured, Stewart has heeded extremely well an age-old creed: to whom much is given, much is expected. He gives millions to charity and wants no recognition in return. Too bad, Smoke. Kyle Petty would never let that happen.

As for racing, yes -- if it's self-propelled, he'll attempt to make it move faster than you can. Along similar lines:

Ken Schrader and Mark Martin are a pair of well-respected veterans. Credit: Autostock

smoke2fire: Of course Tony is the greatest of his era, maybe any era. It is not just his talent on the track. He is the best example of how a human, and sometimes flawed man, can use his talent to help others.

He is always honest, like it or not, and is a most deserving champion. I will be a fan for life, not because of racing stats, but because of his generosity.

That is the very best reason to applaud Stewart. Gordon, too, for that matter.

ALLHEART20: Tony certainly deserves consideration as the best since 2000. Jeff Gordon was the man of the 90's and still is a potent force.

The competition grows stronger each year, and continued success will be harder to achieve for both.

I hope we all get to share another 10 years of competition between Tony and Jeff. Then we can all make an objective decision.

Honestly, I'd be surprised if we're afforded that luxury, Mel Gibson.

That'd require both drivers to hang around to age 44, and considering the ever-expanding off-track duties thrown their way, I foresee both leaving by age 40, given proper financial security, or course. (Shouldn't be a problem.)

But I hope I'm wrong. Another decade would mean 360 -- possibly more if the schedule were expanded -- chances to witness true, pure, unmitigated greatness.