The Last Time We Visited Daytona

This week, NASCAR resumes one of its long traditions. No, not restrictor plate racing or sponsor hopscotch or drivers blaming everyone around them. This week, NASCAR makes the first of many return trips to tracks it visited earlier in the season -- in this case, the incomparable Daytona International Speedway. In football, a team doesn't return to an opponent's arena unless there's a playoff game (or tons of snow on your own artificial field). In this sport, if at first you didn't succeed, there's a good chance you'll get an opportunity to try, try again.
Thank the deity of your choice for that.
This week, the People's Pitstop starts an occassional series of flashbacks to tracks we've already visited. When George Santayana said those who can't remember the past are doomed to repeat it, he might have been thinking about the Internet's favorite fantasy racing team.
In the first week of the season back in February, the People's Pitstop trotted out this lineup for the Daytona 500: Jeff Gordon, Jeff Burton, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Michael Waltrip. Two of those drivers (Earnhardt and Waltrip) had won races before at Daytona. All four of them qualified in the top 10 for this race. Earnhardt grabbed the freakin pole, while Gordon and Burton started in the front four.
This normally would have gotten us bonus points, but the Daytona 500's unique qualifying structure precluded that. Still, with a lineup like that, you would have expected the People's Pitstop to start the season on the highest of notes. Instead, we racked up a grand total of 142 points, our lowest total of the season by far (so far). No starting driver finished better than 24th, and Waltrip limped home in 40th place. In the ultra-competitive 9beersfantasysportstavern league, which we currently lead, we started out in 13th place.
Meanwhile, some kid who was making his second career Sprint Cup start (and who, according to his official biography, still can't legally drink in America) won the Great American Race.
The lesson: You can't relax after the qualifying session, whether you're a driver or a fantasy NASCAR player.
Speaking of the fantasy game, you have until Thursday night to make your picks for the People's Pitstop lineup. Two from the A List, four from the B List and two from the C List, please. Your votes will determine who starts for us.
And whether we've learned from the recent past.

As the Engines (and Tempers) Cool Off...

The People's Pitstop is hanging on for dear life, but at least it's hanging in there.
The Internet's favorite fantasy NASCAR team scored 233 points during Sunday's Sprint Cup race in Sonoma County, California. Our season total of 4,402 keeps us in first place in the cutthroat 9beersfantasysportstavern league, but our lead over runner-up Jeff Gordon Dupont 24 has dwindled to 39 points. Another week like this one (without or without mistakes on our part) will put our lead in jeopardy, to say the least.
Here's what we can say about our drivers without risking a secret NASCAR fine.
Jimmie Johnson: Started 12th, finished 7th and 78 fantasy points. Last year's race winner was the only People's Pitstop starter to improve his position from start to finish.
Kasey Kahne: Started 6th, finished 20th and 52 fantasy points. Kahne was heading for a potential top five finish until he was run over by Juan Pablo Montoya, who needs to consider checking this book out of his local library.
Ryan Newman: Started 5th, finished 25th and 42 fantasy points. Newman (and any fantasy NASCAR player considering using him again) had better hope Tony Stewart was kidding on Sunday about wrecking his teammate.
Paul Menard: Started 3rd, finished 17th and 61 fantasy points. Notice that every starting driver finished on the lead lap, which was more than either Denny Hamlin or Dale Earnhardt Jr. or Stewart could say.
This week, the NASCAR caravan hauls back across the country for a Saturday night race at Daytona International Speedway. We'll have more about this race in our next post, but the lineup polls are now up and open for voting. Since qualifying is Friday, you have until Thursday night to make your votes. (And they will be reflected in this week's lineup. Cross our heart.)

Fearless Predictions - Sonoma

Thanks to the later start time (and thank goodness we don't imitiate the Chinese in this regard) we at the People's Pitstop have had a few extra hours to consider the predictions for top 10 finishers for this week's NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Sonoma's Infineon Raceway. We'll need all the help we can get with these picks. Last week's forecasts went 0 for 4, lowering our season record to 16-36.
One from the front: There is a phrase in sports betting: "Ride the hot hand." In this case, that hand can be found on the arm of Denny Hamlin, who starts 4th in this race. He won last week's race at Michigan and has top 10 finishes in three of his last four points races.
One from the back: David Ragan may be starting 34th this week, but there's a reason he's been one of the most frequent starters so far this season for the People's Pitstop. He has four top 10 finishes under his belt this season, including a career-best runner-up finish in the Coca-Cola 600.
Two from the middle: Our first selection from this category starts 17th in this race but has won on this track before. In fact, that win was the first of his Sprint Cup career. It's Juan Pablo Montoya, who may be getting an extension soon from his team.
The other selection starts 20th in this race but has two wins on this track, to go with his two Cup titles. Tony Stewart could use a win Sunday to ease his mind. Last week he fell out of the top 10 in points, and he probably does not want to take his chances with the "wild card" rules.
Enjoy today's road race. We'll be back with results.

Um ... Oops

If the people who bring you the People's Pigskin were invited to speak at one of the many graduation ceremonies taking place this month, we would offer two pieces of advice.
First, never let anyone take pictures of your genitalia. It never turns out well.
Second, always remember to hit "Save."
The people who bring you this fantasy NASCAR blog failed to hit "Save" at a crucial moment. In the words of a famous politician we screwed up.
As a result of failing to hit "Save" on Thursday night, we failed to deliver the roster you selected for Sunday's Sprint Cup race at Infineon Raceway. We have the same eight drivers we had last week.
However, if the qualifying session is any indication, our cupboard is anything but bare.
A List: Jimmie Johnson qualified 12th, or 11 places ahead of Carl Edwards, and get a starting spot.
B List: This was a real dogfight. Clint Bowyer qualified 9th, but he will join Dale Earnhardt Jr. (9th) on the bench, because of the superior efforts turned in by Ryan Newman (5th) and Kasey Kahne (6th).
C List: Maybe it should no longer be surprising when Paul Menard has a surprisingly strong session, but it is surprising nonetheless. He qualified 3rd, earning a starting spot for himself and 3 bonus points for the People's Pitstop. David Ragan will start 34th.
We will be back with our fearless predictions, which we hope will turn out better than our roster-saving.

Hitting the Road Again (But Not Bashing It)

Every sport known to man has its share of evergreen arguments--debates that seem to have been going on since the dawn of history and seem destined to continue until the end of time. Some examples: Would baseball be better off getting rid of the designated hitter? Should college football institute a playoff? Does golf really count as a sport?
For you gearheads who found this blog, there's another argument that could go on forever: Should NASCAR be racing on road courses?
For the non-gearheads out there, road courses are those that require drivers to turn both right and left, as opposed to the "oval" courses, which demand turning in one direction only. In the Sprint Cup series, NASCAR uses two road courses: Watkins Glen in central New York and Infineon Raceway in northern California, which will host its annual stock car spectacular on Sunday.
NASCAR is quick to tell you that it has been running road races since the very beginning, and many people enjoy the racing that these tracks produce. Others think that road courses should disappear from the schedule altogether, especially if some teams are going to pull their drivers in favor of road "ringers."
But there are plenty of reasons to keep the roads on the roster.
For one thing, NASCAR's open-wheel cousins have no problem asking its drivers to demonstrate skill on both oval and road (and street) tracks.
For another thing, shifting gears from Michigan International Speedway's 2-mile oval to Infineon's 2.5-mile serpent of a course can't be that much more traumatic than shifting from Talladega's 2.66-mile restrictor-plate special to Martinsville's half-mile "paper clip," as the Sprint Cup drivers will have to do in October during the Chase.
Besides, every reporter who can be cajoled into riding on a road course end up saying things like "This was a thrill like no other."
When was the last time you said that watching a pitcher bat?

A Tough Run in the Irish Hills

This week wasn't quite as bad for the People's Pitstop, but no one will be mentioning it in our Hall of Fame speech, either.
The Internet's favorite fantasy NASCAR team scored a grand total of 258 points during Sunday's race at Michigan International Speedway. Our season of total of 4,169 is good enough to keep us in first place in the 9beersfantasysportstavern league on Yahoo Sports, but the top of the standings are pretty tight. We lead the new runner-up, speedway41, by only 110 points.
Here are the complete results from the Irish Hills.
Jimmie Johnson: Started 21st, finished 27th (1 lap behind the leaders) and 38 fantasy points. Is it possible that there was a Hendrick Curse in effect on Sunday? Johnson spun out before many of his fans had gotten to their seats, and he was playing catch-up for the rest of the race. He plunged three spots in the points standings, and he probably took a lot of fantasy teams with him.
Kasey Kahne: Started 8th, finished 28th (1 lap behind the leaders) and 36 fantasy points. Michigan is known as a place where fuel efficiency mattered. And it bit Kahne in the tailpipe. He ran out of gas on his way to his pit box. His engine stalled, and he fell two laps behind trying to restart his car. It's a good thing Kahne is getting out of Red Bull Racing while the getting is good.
Ryan Newman: Started 13th, finished 6th, 3 laps led and 90 fantasy points. It was a good week for the Rocket Man to have a solid outing. Newman's car celebrated both the U.S. Army's birthday and Hall of Famer Bud Moore.
Paul Menard: Started 9th, finished 4th, 2 laps led and 94 fantasy points. You know your career is on the right track when columnists admit to rooting (even briefly) for you to win the race.
Now, it's time to turn our attention to this week's race at Sonoma's Infineon Raceway, a road course. No, NASCAR has not eliminated road races, which are certainly a different breed from the oval races that dominate the schedule. And there's a good chance this week's lineup for the People's Pitstop will look different from last week's roster. But that's up to you. The polls are now open, and they will stay open until Thursday night. Feel free to vote now.

Fearless Predictions - Michigan

While the fathers out there deal with their new ties and after-shave (or more modern gifts), it's time to offer our weekly predictions for the NASCAR drivers who will finish in the top 10 at Michigan International Speedway. Last week, our forecasts went 3-1 for the second straight week, raising our season record to an almost-respectable 16-32. Can we make it three in a row this week?
One from the front: If you want to know about the phrase "three in a row," you might consider asking Kurt Busch about it. After all, he's won the pole for the third straight week, and he has finished in the top 10 in the last three races. Looks like all he had to do was chew out his crew.
One from the back: Most weeks of the NASCAR season, we have at least one driver make a surprising appearance in the back 10 of a starting grid. This week, that "honor" goes to Brad Keselowski, who qualified 41st. This isn't some start-and-park operation. Keselowski won two weeks ago, and he has taken the checkered flag at two Nationwide races on this track.
Two from the middle: Our first pick from the middle starts in 15th place. However, like Busch, this driver has finished in the top 10 in three straight points races. He also sits third in the driver standings. That's right; it's Dale Earnhardt Jr., the driver America seems to love to hate.
Our other pick is Trevor Bayne, who starts 17th and has (hopefully) fully recovered from whatever ailed him earlier in the season. His recent results have not been all that spectacular, but he drives for Glen Wood, who was selected this past week for the NASCAR Hall of Fame. Having a Hall of Fame car owner has to count for something, right?
Happy Father's Day. Enjoy the race. We'll be back with the results.

The People's Choice - Michigan

Some people may be impressed with the way Rory McIlroy is playing golf right now, but we at this Web site are more impressed with the way you, the Internet, keep coming out to support and vote for the People's Pitstop. Thanks to your votes, and Saturday's qualifying session, here are the drivers who will represent the Internet's favorite fantasy NASCAR team during Sunday's race at Michigan International Speedway, the state's true Big House.
A List: The voting produced a dead heat between Jimmie Johnson and Carl Edwards. The qualifying session nearly produced the same thing. Johnson qualified 21st, just 2 spots ahead of Edwards, and gets the starting nod as a result.
B List: You don't necessarily have to win a People's Pitstop poll to start for it. Ryan Newman and Dale Earnhardt Jr. tied for first place, followed by Kasey Kahne and (on the strength of the points tiebreaker) Clint Bowyer. Kahne drove his car to the 8th qualifying spot and into our starting lineup. Newman did likewise by qualifying 13th, beating out Earnhardt (15th) and Bowyer (27th).
C List: Three drivers have been monopolizing the votes in this poll as of late. This week, the pollsters were split between Paul Menard and David Ragan. Menard settled the matter by qualifying 9th, while Ragan settled for 20th and a spot on our virtual bench.
We'll be back with the weekly predictions.

Light at the End of the Tunnel?

This post is being written on the evening of June 17. As of this writing, we don't know:

• Where Donovan McNabb and a bunch of other players will play their next game.
• If Randy Moss and many others have a next game in them.
• What will happen with Chase Beeler and the host of undrafted free agents waiting (impatiently) for a chance to impress an NFL club and turn into one of those "I can't believe no one drafted him" stories.
• When the National Football League, despite its fictional-for-now schedule, will see its next action.

Despite all of the uncertainty that has descended over the football world like smog over Los Angeles, some people are showing signs of optimism.
For one thing, Yahoo Sports, one of the many Web sites that host fantasy football, sent out an e-mail Wednesday inviting folks to sign up for this year's fantasy football game. Now, it's possible that this was an automatic e-mail set to go out on a certain date, and that Yahoo simply forgot to tell its computers to put that e-mail on hold.
Then there are the magazines.
This week, the people who bring you this fine blog were in a bookstore that has a sizable magazine section. We wandered by the sports section of that magazine section, and we saw at least four freshly printed magazines on one of our favorite topics: fantasy football. You might not know where Carson Palmer will throw his next pass, but there are several publishers willing to tell you right now whether you should bother drafting him as a backup.
Now, it's possible that these publishers had to put out these magazines because of advertiser or printer obligations--that it would have cost too much money to wait for a definitive agreement between players and owners. It's quite possible that neither the magazine people nor the Yahoo people know anything more about the NFL situation than you do.
It's also possible that someone has heard something about the negotiations of the past few days, and even if the owners aren't presented a united front, maybe there is reason to believe we will have football this fall, after all.
Either way, it makes no sense to ignore the negotiations altogether.
It also makes no sense to miss your chance to vote on the People's Pitstop lineup. The polls will close Friday night. Just pick 2 A List drivers, 4 B List drivers and 2 C List drivers to represent the Internet's favorite fantasy NASCAR team Sunday at Michigan International Speedway.
We'll be back with the results.

What We Can Learn from LeBron

No, this blog did not just turn into one about fantasy basketball, but we do need to discuss what happened on Sunday.

The just-concluded NBA season turned into a referendum on "The Decision" even before it started. On the day after Dirk Nowitzki and Mark Cuban got their hands on the Larry O'Brien Trophy for the first time, everyone seemed to have something to say about LeBron James. As usual, Bill Simmons' Game 6 diary had more than its fair share of insight. One of his observations: James surrounded himself with a lot of enablers, including "his high school friends (who assumed an inordinately crucial role in his life without any real experience), his agents (who never threw their bodies in front of "The Decision"), and Miami's management (who walked him into another fiasco with the Heat's Welcome Party)."

Yes, James has made his share of mistakes, including the "my critics have problems of their own" comment. But he did not get here by himself. Here is a partial lists of the errors and their makers.

1. Anyone who counseled James to go directly from high school to the NBA Draft. There is an old joke about the only person who could hold Michael Jordan to under 20 points a game: Dean Smith. Football players are surrounded by coaches who can (and do) teach their players and use the threat of the bench to drive their lessons home. But James' resume does not have anyone playing an analogous role. No one at his high school or the Heat really could have said to him, "You're not getting any playing time until you learn how to solve a zone defense." (Pat Riley could change that, but we'll have to wait and see.)
2. ESPN. Everyone has villified James for orchestrating "The Decision," but no one seems to realize that the alleged Worldwide Leader could have stopped that fiasco dead in its tracks. They could have said, "This thing is a cluster bomb waiting to happen, and some of the shrapnel will tear through us. We're not going to be a part of it." They didn't. They failed us.
3. The Miami Heat front office. Yes, James and Dwyane Wade and that other guy wanted to play together, but someone in the front office could have decided not to bring them together. They stopped putting together an NBA team and decided to assemble a fantasy team.

Anyone who has put together a fantasy team, in football or NASCAR or basketball or anything else, will tell you that one of the dumbest things you can do is pull all your players from the same team. Yes, Peyton Manning throws a lot of touchdowns, but you want to have receivers from other teams, just in case...well, let's not even say it. The Heat decided that they did not have to worry about things like chemistry or role players or any of the things that help a team win games, even when things are not going so well.

All-star squads don't win real championships. Teams do.

Fearless Predictions - Pocono

(Editor's Note: The following post was written Sunday morning but did not publish because of a Web error. We apologize for the delay.)
Sunday morning is upon us once again, and with it comes the People's Pitstop predictions for NASCAR drivers who will finish in the top 10 today at Pocono Raceway. The forecasts bounced back last week by going 3-1, raising our season record to 13-31.
One from the front: This time, we're going all the way to the front by picking Kurt Busch. He sits on the pole for this race, and he won the Pocono race where the people who bring you this blog learned what this sport is all about.
One from the back: Staying within the family, Kyle Busch has had an interesting few days. After being attacked by a rival owner, he was cast (unfairly) as the villain in the dispute. Now he finds himself starting in 34th place. He probably won't stay there very long.
Two from the middle: What do Tony Stewart and Jimmie Johnson have in common these days? Plenty. Both are two-time winners on this track. Both finished in the top 10 in both Pocono races last year. And they will start next to each other (Johnson in 14th, Stewart in 15th) in today's race.
Enjoy the festivities from Pennsylvania. We'll be back with results.

That Could Have Gone Better...

Of course, it could have gone worse, too. We could be absorbing a 6-point penalty from a failed post-race inspection.
As it stands, the People's Pitstop managed to score only 228 points at Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Pocono Raceway. The Internet's favorite fantasy NASCAR team managed to stay atop the 9beersfantasysportstavern league with a season total of 3,911, but our lead over SteelerFan4Tony is only 82 points.
Here are the gory details.
Carl Edwards: Started 6th, finished 37th (141 laps behind the leaders) and 18 fantasy points. We all know that Edwards has a television career waiting for him whenever he hangs up his firesuit. But we didn't expect him to log some practice time during Sunday's race.
Juan Pablo Montoya: Started 16th, finished 7th, 38 laps led and 88 fantasy points. Montoya was our only starter to lead a lap on Sunday. He was a contender to win his first oval race in a NASCAR vehicle until a couple of two-tire changes late in the race.
Clint Bowyer: Started 12th, finished 16th and 60 fantasy points. The driver who won the midweek Prelude to the Dream could not maintain his momentum on the Pennsylvania triangle. You know your driver had a mediocre day when his team's press release highlights the number of laps he spent in the top 15.
Regan Smith: Started 5th, finished 15th and 62 fantasy points. The bad news: This year's Darlington winner sits 27th in points and will need better results to get into the top 20 and be eligible for a wild card Chase spot. The better news: The Colorado-based racer doesn't need to win races to get warm coverage from his local paper.
The next stop on NASCAR's summer tour is Michigan International Speedway. The qualifying session is scheduled for Saturday, so we'll keep our lineup polls open until Friday night. You should know the drill by now: You vote for 2 drivers from the A List, 4 from the B List and 2 from the C List. Vote now, and get your friends to do the same. Thanks in advance.

The People's Choice - Pocono

This post is a little bit on the late side, but better late than never. Anyway, you, the Internet, selected another week's lineup for the People's Pitstop, and the qualifying session took care of the rest. Here are the drivers who will represent the Internet's favorite fantasy NASCAR team during Sunday's Sprint Cup race at Pocono Raceway.
A List: Carl Edwards and Kevin Harvick tied for the top spot in this poll, but they certainly were not that close when it came time to qualify for the race. Edwards will start 6th, while Harvick will start 32nd and will watch from our fantasy bench.
B List: There was a surprise winner in this poll: Brad Keselowski. In second place, we had a three-way tie between Clint Bowyer, Juan Pablo Montoya and Dale Earnhardt Jr. Bowyer (12th) and Montoya (16th) earned starting spots over Keselowski (20th) and Earnhardt (21st).
C List: Let me know if this sounds familiar. The vote produced a dead heat between David Ragan and Regan Smith. And in this qualifying faceoff, Smith (5th) had the edge over Ragan (11th).
We'll be back before the race with the fearless predictions.

A Dream Worth Having

Like other athletes -- and, yes, they do qualify for that title -- NASCAR drivers do some pretty dumb things sometimes. They throw things at moving cars. They treat test drives like qualifying sessions. They treat photographers like punching bags. They do things like...well, like this.
But every now and then, they do things that make you proud to wear their T-shirts.
Tonight, Tony Stewart is hosting his annual Prelude to the Dream competition at his Eldora Speedway in Ohio. Stewart and 23 of his closest friends will compete in a series of dirt races to raise money for four worthy children's hospitals. The drivers are divided into four teams, each one competing for a certain hospital. Absolutely no fantasy points are on the line, but the winning team's hospital gets the biggest donation. More details about the event are available through this PDF.
All the fans have to do is order the event on pay per view. At $24.95, it seems like at least as good an investment as a Danica Patrick hat. And it's at least as worthy of your time as watching Piers Morgan react to stuff like this.
If you can't scrape up the cash, our friends at Yahoo Sports will host a chat session on the event here starting at 8 p.m. EDT on Wednesday.

Winning's the Only Thing? Are You Sure?

We are halfway through NASCAR's "regular season," and Mike Helton and Company are probably hoping things change in the second half.
Back in January, NASCAR announced some rule changes, including changes to the way it selects drivers for its Chase for the Sprint Cup. Under the old system, the top 12 drivers in points after 26 races (in other words, after the fall race at Richmond International Raceway) were given spots in NASCAR's version of a playoff. It did not matter how many wins those drivers had -- or even if those drivers had won at all. Points were all that mattered. Now, NASCAR will give playoff spots to the top 10 drivers in points, and it will award two "wild card" spots. Those spots are for the drivers ranked 11th-20th in points who have the most wins in the first 26 races.
This "wild card" has gotten the nickname "the Jamie McMurray Rule," because McMurray won last year's Daytona 500 (along with the race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway) but missed the Chase because he didn't have enough total points. That nickname is unfair to McMurray, since his Chase miss was hardly a fluke. In 2009, Matt Kenseth won the Daytona 500 (and the following week's race in Fontana) but missed the Chase and finished 14th in points. In 2008, Ryan Newman won the Daytona 500 but missed the Chase and finished 17th in points.
Clearly, something had to be done. After all, the Daytona 500 is allegedly the Super Bowl of NASCAR, but the winner of that race is 0-for-the-last-3 in Chase qualification.
Lots of people saw it as a good thing for the sport to put more emphasis on wins. In this post on fines, Jay Busbee of Yahoo Sports cites the changes as one of the ways "this sport has taken more steps to address fan concerns than any other." And Joe Menzer of NASCAR.com tells us the wild card rule is "having its intended impact" by stoking fan interest and making drivers think about winning.
But take a look at how things stand now.
Of the current top 10 drivers in points, five of them (Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kurt Busch, Tony Stewart, Clint Bowyer and Ryan Newman) have no wins under their fan belts so far this season. And when you look at the next 10 drivers -- the ones eligible for a wild card -- only one driver has the requisite victory. That would be Jeff Gordon, who won the spring race in Phoenix. Yes, Brad Keselowski, our most recent winner, currently sits in 21st place, and it would not be shocking for him to be in the top 20 next week. But it also would not be shocking for the current top 10 drivers and Jeff Gordon to monopolize the rest of the wins this regular season. If that happens, and something unforeseen happens to take Keselowski out of the top 20, what happens to that last wild card?
Look further down the standings. Down in 29th place, you'll find Regan Smith, the proud owner of a victory at another iconic NASCAR track, Darlington Raceway. Unless he gets into the mother of all grooves, he's unlikely to make the top 20, and his win will go to waste, too.
Oh, and let's get back to the Daytona 500 for a moment. Do you remember who won that race this year? Trevor Bayne. And even if he didn't have his unfortunate illness this season, you wouldn't see him getting a wild card. That's the result of another rule change NASCAR made in January. It told drivers they could compete for only one series title. And Bayne now sits in 15th place -- in Nationwide points.
Make that 0-for-4.

Coasting Into the Summer Season

In the end, every week can't be like last week.
The People's Pitstop took its foot off the gas pedal this week at Kansas Speedway. We scored only 223 points. However, like Brad Keselowski, the Internet's favorite fantasy NASCAR team managed to hang on to first place with a season total of 3,683. Our lead in the 9beersfantasysportstaven league has narrowed to 112 points.
Here is the detailed scoring breakdown.
Kyle Busch: Started 3rd, finished 12th, 11 laps led and 81 fantasy points. If it weren't for Mr. Pink Car in a Pink Suit, our day would have been much worse. Busch was the only starter to lead a lap, and he was the only one to end the race on the lead lap.
A.J. Allmendinger: Started 26th, finished 27th (1 lap behind the leaders) and 38 fantasy points. Despite a paint job made famous by Richard Petty, Allmendinger didn't look much like the King. And he can't afford many more outings like this; halfway through NASCAR's regular season, Allmendinger sits 16th in driver points, and he get only four more starts for the People's Pitstop.
Mark Martin: Started 18th, finished 21st (1 lap behind the leaders) and 50 fantasy points. Martin has finished outside the top 10 in five of the last six races. Maybe he's the one who needs a new paint job.
Paul Menard: Started 9th, finished 19th (1 lap behind the leaders) and 54 fantasy points. At least his owner didn't humiliate his team by taking a cheap shot at a rival driver...oops, scratch that.
According to Yahoo Sports, the "spring" segment of the NASCAR season is over. The action now moves to the summer segment (and to TNT) with the first of two races at Pocono Raceway in Pennsylvania, home to Sukanya Roy, this year's Scripps National Spelling Bee champion. We won't ask you to spell words like stromuhr, but we will ask you to pick our lineup. The qualifying session is scheduled for Saturday, so you have until Friday to vote in our polls. Invite a friend to vote, too. The more, the merrier.
We'll be back with a look at how things stand for different drivers.

Fearless Predictions - Kansas

To accompany your morning cup of coffee -- or any other beverage you use to start your day -- we at the People's Pigskin are proud to present predictions for NASCAR drivers who will finish in the top 10 in Sunday's race at Kansas Speedway. We are not proud of the quality of these picks so far. Last week's forecasts went 0-4, dropping our season record to 10-30.
One from the front: It's awfully hard to pick against Carl Edwards these days. He's leading the pack in driver points, and he starts this race in 7th place. Also, he considers this his home track. If he can keep enough gas in the tank, he should do well here.
One from the back: How did Marcos Ambrose land in 35th place? No matter; we'll take it. The Tasmanian Devil has finished in the top 10 in the last two points races. (Three if you include the Sprint Showdown.)
Two from the middle: By landing a second Sprint Cup race, Kansas Speedway became even more important for those hoping to lift the cup. And for these picks, we will go with two drivers who have won here twice before and are looking to become the first three-time winner: Tony Stewart, who starts 13th, and Greg Biffle, who starts 14th and won the last time the top NASCAR drivers were here.
Take these picks with as many grains of salt as you wish. And enjoy the race. We'll be back with results.

The People's Choice - Kansas

This post will be brief, but we would like to thank those of you who voted on the People's Pitstop lineup this week. Here are the drivers who will represent the Internet's favorite fantasy NASCAR team during Sunday's race at Kansas Speedway.
A List: This week, the poll ended with a tie between two drivers who know how to win races: Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick. They both know how to qualify too: Busch earned the starting spot (and a 3-point bonus for the People's Pitstop) for qualifying 3rd, while Harvick qualified 10th.
B List: Ties are the order of the day at this blog. Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Clint Bowyer tied for first place in this poll. A.J. Allmendinger was all alone in third, while Mark Martin edged out a host of drivers for the final roster spot by virtue of points. He also edged his way into a starting spot by qualifying 18th. Allmendinger go the other starting spot by qualifying 26th, just ahead of both Bowyer (27th) and Earnhardt (28th).
C List: We had a three-way tie between Paul Menard and the Regan/Ragan twins. Menard outdid them both in qualifying (9th) and gets the starting nod.
We'll be back with some predictions.

So Who's in Control Here?

With all apologies to Alex Haig, the folks who follow football have reason to ask that question right now.
First of all, consider this week's reports that the National Football League and the former union for its players had gotten together to discuss their differences. At first, we were told that the talks were so secret, some NFL owners did not know they were taking place. Then, we were told that the judge who oversaw earlier mediation efforts between the players and owners had instigated the new talks.
And all this was before the appellate court in St. Louis heard the case and said, essentially, "We'll get back to you."
Now, anyone who loves the game of football (and its love child, fantasy football) as much as the People's Pigskin will not quibble about how the conflict between players and owners is resolved, as long as it is resolved sometime before September 8. But you have to wonder if something other than altruism is motivating the sudden burst of activity on this front.
You see, the same week all this was happening, DirecTV sent its subscribers a letter about its NFL Sunday Ticket package. For the folks who run television, this conflict is not just an annoyance. It's a money issue. Football makes money -- Scrooge McDuck-type money -- for these folks, and they can't be happy that people are threatening harm to that money flow.
That might be why DirecTV sent this letter:

"Your NFL SUNDAY TICKET™ subscription is set to automatically renew for the 2011 season. Due to the NFL's uncertain labor situation, DIRECTV is offering all subscribers a no-risk policy. There will be absolutely no charge for your NFL SUNDAY TICKET subscription until it is confirmed that the 2011 NFL season will begin.
What happens with your NFL SUNDAY TICKET subscription during the dispute?

• A balance of $0.00 will show for the NFL SUNDAY TICKET portion of your bill. 
• Once an agreement is reached, your subscription will renew for six easy payments of $53.99 each. 
• If any games are cancelled from the season schedule, the balance on your bill will be adjusted accordingly." 

Coincidence? Maybe.

One reminder: You have until tonight to vote for the People's Pitstop lineup for Sunday's NASCAR race at Kansas Speedway. You have put the Internet's favorite fantasy NASCAR team on a roll, and you can keep it there.

We'll be back with the results.