Ward Burton (left) and Michael Waltrip have both enjoyed visits to the coveted Daytona 500 victory lane. Credit: Ward Burton (Jon Ferrey/Getty Images), Michael Waltrip (Autostock)

Why not Ward?

Burton deserves serious consideration for empty drivers' seats

Attention Nextel Cup team owners with open rides for 2006: Hire Ward Burton.

That's right. You heard me. You should even take a pass on the charismatic, made-for-TV, sponsor-spouting, two-time Daytona 500 winner Michael Waltrip -- because Burton is the better choice.

Inside the Numbers Burton vs. Waltrip: Stats from 355 head-to-head races Ward Michael Wins 5 4 Top-5s 24 23 Top-10s 82 75 Avg. Finish 21.8 20.9 E-MAIL •   Send Elliott your thoughts ...

Maybe you think this season has already driven me silly, so let me break it down for you.

On paper it would seem that Waltrip has an edge in overall on-track experience, racing on the Cup circuit since 1985 compared to Burton's career starting in '94. Waltrip also has raced close to twice as many Cup events as Burton (625 to Burton's 356), so to be fair I am going to make this comparison based on head-to-head competition.

Dating to 1994 Burton and Waltrip competed against each other in 355 Cup events, and while Waltrip has an extremely slight edge in average finishing position over that span (20.9 to 21.8), Burton scored seven more top-10 finishes (82), one more top-5 finish (24) and one victory more (5) than Waltrip.

Additionally, since 1996, Burton's average finishing position on 15 of the current 22 active tracks is better than -- or within two spots of -- Waltrip's, not to mention they have an equal number of victories at four.

Michael Waltrip wins the 2001 Daytona 500 Ward Burton wins the 2002 Daytona 500 Michael Waltrip wins the 2003 Daytona 500 Sign up for TrackPass now BUY YOUR NEXTEL DRIVER PHONE

For example, Burton's average finish at Atlanta since 1996 is 12th, while Waltrip's is 21st -- but at Texas, Waltrip's is 19th and Burton's is 20th.

Edge: Burton.

OK, maybe these stats aren't convincing enough. I mean, a lot has changed with the rules through the years, and Burton hasn't been in a car since Phoenix in November 2004.

And maybe over the years it could be argued that one driver had better equipment than the other, depending on whom they were racing for at the time.

That said, career stats come into play.

Burton's career winning percentage is twice that of Waltrip's (.014 to .006) -- certainly a by-product of Waltrip's 0-for-462 run before joining DEI and winning the 2001 Daytona 500 -- but Waltrip also falls short in four additional key driver stats, including top-5 finishes (.060 to .067), top-10 finishes (.195 to .230), poles (.004 to .019), and lead-lap finishes (.268 to .342).

Oh, and Burton accomplished back-to-back top-10 finishes in the final Cup point standings (1999 and 2000), something Waltrip has never managed once. His highest points finish was 12th back in 1995, long before he was in the DEI-quality equipment he has enjoyed these past five seasons.

DID YOU KNOW •   Since 1955, only Bobby Labonte (2000) and Ward Burton (2001) have won at Darlington from a starting position further back than 15th (both from 37th)  •   Ward Burton and Michael Waltrip combined to win the Daytona 500 three times (2001, 2002, 2003), but only have five career victories between them at tracks other than Daytona  •   Two of Michael Waltrip's four career victories have come at rain-shortened events

Edge: Burton again.

Then there are the intangibles.

Fortunately there is no debate here about youth vs. experience. Both Burton and Waltrip are over the age of 40, but we will give Mikey the edge in height.

What about personalities? Burton and Waltrip are both very likeable characters, have great senses of humor and sponsors love them. Remember Burton's Caterpillar and NetZero commercials? Funny stuff.

And while I might not hire Burton as a TV analyst as quickly as Waltrip, have you ever listened to his one-liners? Classics include "This car is pushing like a dump-truck" and "This car is running like a three-legged goat."

Now don't get me wrong. I don't think Burton could be dropped into the No. 2, No. 6 (if Mark Martin vacates), No. 41 (if Mears isn't renewed) or even the No. 11 (another silly season rumor) during the offseason and come out of the box being a Chase-contender in 2006.

On the other hand, in Roush, Penske, Ganassi or Gibbs equipment, it isn't a stretch of the imagination to see Burton secure multiple top-10 finishes and contend for victories. Imagine the potential when your teammates are guys named Greg Biffle, Kurt Busch, Ryan Newman, or Tony Stewart?

Burton recently told fans during an interview that his helmet is laying on the floor but he hasn't put it in the closet fully.

Here's hoping an owner puts a driver's suit in that closet instead.

The opinions expressed here are solely those of the writer.