Tony Stewart was able to hold on Monday, but the People's Pitstop was not so fortunate.
The Internet's favorite fantasy NASCAR team scored only 192 points during the rain-delayed Chase-opening race at Chicagoland Speedway. The performance was bad enough that our season total of 7,146 points dropped us from first place to third place in the 9beersfantasysportstavern league. We trail Jeff Gordon Dupont 24 by 63 points and SteelerFan4Tony by 6.
Here are the unpleasant details.
Jeff Gordon: Started 23rd, finished 24th (2 laps behind the leaders) and 44 fantasy points. Gordon was one of the most notable victims of Monday's fuel-strategy finish.
Brad Keselowski: Started 6th, finished 5th, 4 laps led and 92 fantasy points. By far the brightest spot on our roster, Keselowski had enough sense to lead some laps during a caution midway through the race and enough gas to stay on the lead lap at the end.
A.J. Allmendinger: Started 18th, finished 27th (2 laps behind the leaders) and 38 fantasy points. This Tweet might have summed it all up: "Greg [crew chief Greg Erwin] and the boys kept swinging at it, but didn't get where we needed."
Bobby Labonte: Started 11th, finished 38th (31 laps behind the leaders) and 18 fantasy points. And our drivers who weren't running out of fuel were having trouble with their fuel system.
But this race, like the one for the Sprint Cup itself, is far from over. We have a great chance to rebound at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, but we need your help. And quickly. The lineup polls are now open. They will close Thursday night to accommodate a qualifying session scheduled for Friday. Please get those votes in now.
Showing posts with label Chicago. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chicago. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Fearless Predictions - Chicago
We'll have our second fantasy football selection set of the season shortly. For now, let's ease you into your Sunday morning with some predictions for the NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers who will finish in the top 10 at today's Chase-opening race at Chicagoland Speedway. Last week's forecasts went a pedestrian 2-2, leaving us with a season record of 34-62.
One from the front: Kurt Busch has plenty going for him this week. He's starting third, putting him in front of all the other Chase drivers. He has five top 10 finishes on this track. He has finished in the top 10 the last two weeks. And he certainly wouldn't be the first champion in the history of sports to have angry confrontations with reporters.
One from the back: We haven't had a lot of luck lately trying to pick a driver from the bottom 10. This week, we'll try Mike Bliss, who starts 42nd. Since joining the Sprint Cup series in May, his worst finish has been 36th. In other words, he (unlike some other drivers we could select) has avoided the "start and park" disease.
Two from the middle: This is the time Jimmie Johnson, who starts 12th this week. usually puts the pedal to the metal. He has finished in the top 10 in five of the last six weeks. He has seven top 10 finishes at Chicagoland. And then there's the whole "Five Time" thing.
OK, Dale Earnhardt Jr. It's time, in the words of Woody Harrelson to nut up or shut up. You're in the Chase for the first time since 2008. You're at a track where you have won before. You're starting in the 19th spot for this race. If you want to stay in Madison Avenue's sights for something other than your name, you need to produce some results.
And we need to produce some fantasy football poll results and predictions. Those will come shortly.
One from the front: Kurt Busch has plenty going for him this week. He's starting third, putting him in front of all the other Chase drivers. He has five top 10 finishes on this track. He has finished in the top 10 the last two weeks. And he certainly wouldn't be the first champion in the history of sports to have angry confrontations with reporters.
One from the back: We haven't had a lot of luck lately trying to pick a driver from the bottom 10. This week, we'll try Mike Bliss, who starts 42nd. Since joining the Sprint Cup series in May, his worst finish has been 36th. In other words, he (unlike some other drivers we could select) has avoided the "start and park" disease.
Two from the middle: This is the time Jimmie Johnson, who starts 12th this week. usually puts the pedal to the metal. He has finished in the top 10 in five of the last six weeks. He has seven top 10 finishes at Chicagoland. And then there's the whole "Five Time" thing.
OK, Dale Earnhardt Jr. It's time, in the words of Woody Harrelson to nut up or shut up. You're in the Chase for the first time since 2008. You're at a track where you have won before. You're starting in the 19th spot for this race. If you want to stay in Madison Avenue's sights for something other than your name, you need to produce some results.
And we need to produce some fantasy football poll results and predictions. Those will come shortly.
Saturday, September 17, 2011
The People's Choice - Chicago
Another work week has come and gone, and you, the Internet, found time once again to vote on the People's Pitstop lineup. Your votes, combined with Saturday's qualifying session, give us these starters for Sunday's NASCAR race at Chicagoland Speedway, the first race in the Chase for the Sprint Cup.
A List: As we've said before, it's hard to bet against Jeff Gordon these days. He won this week's poll, with Kevin Harvick as the runner-up, and he will start by virtue of qualifying 23rd (versus 30th for Harvick).
B List: Brad Keselowski is having a heck of a run these days, too. He won this week's B List poll, followed by Dale Earnhardt Jr., A.J. Allmendinger and Mark Martin. The only thing Keselowski didn't do was earn us bonus points. He did get a start by qualifying 6th. Allmendinger (18th) beat out Earnhardt (19th) and Martin (25th) for the other starting spot.
C List: This poll resulted in a tie between Bobby Labonte and David Gilliland. The qualifying session turned out...differently. Labonte (11th) easily earned a starting spot over Gilliland (38th).
We'll be back with some predictions for both the NASCAR race and the People's League fantasy football matchups. Speaking of which, you still have time to vote on the players who will take the field for the People's Pigskin this week, so please vote now.
A List: As we've said before, it's hard to bet against Jeff Gordon these days. He won this week's poll, with Kevin Harvick as the runner-up, and he will start by virtue of qualifying 23rd (versus 30th for Harvick).
B List: Brad Keselowski is having a heck of a run these days, too. He won this week's B List poll, followed by Dale Earnhardt Jr., A.J. Allmendinger and Mark Martin. The only thing Keselowski didn't do was earn us bonus points. He did get a start by qualifying 6th. Allmendinger (18th) beat out Earnhardt (19th) and Martin (25th) for the other starting spot.
C List: This poll resulted in a tie between Bobby Labonte and David Gilliland. The qualifying session turned out...differently. Labonte (11th) easily earned a starting spot over Gilliland (38th).
We'll be back with some predictions for both the NASCAR race and the People's League fantasy football matchups. Speaking of which, you still have time to vote on the players who will take the field for the People's Pigskin this week, so please vote now.
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
On to the NASCAR Playoffs
We'll get to the fantasy football results in just a moment. First, now that we've recovered from chasing Wes Welker, it's time to tell you about the People's Pitstop weekend. The Internet's favorite fantasy NASCAR team scored precisely 200 points Saturday night at Richmond International Raceway. It wasn't all that impressive, but our season total of 6,954 is just good enough to keep us in first place in the 9beersfantasysportstavern league. Our lead over Dale Jr Amp National Guard 88 is down to 46 points. Obviously, we'll need all the help we can get this week, but more on that later.
Here is how we did on the last week before the Chase for the Sprint Cup, NASCAR's version of the playoffs.
Kyle Busch: Started 13th, finished 6th and 80 fantasy points. All in all, not a bad effort for someone with nothing at stake. Busch had already secured at least a tie for the top spot in the Chase standings.
Clint Bowyer: Started 5th, finished 22nd (1 lap behind the leaders) and 48 fantasy points. Bowyer came into this race having an outside shot at making the Chase. But then he got to close to you know who.
Kasey Kahne: Started 12th, finished 38th (350 laps behind the leaders) and 16 fantasy points. Given the way Kahne's night went, you might be tempted to say he's ready for his season to end. But then you have to consider the fact that his sponsor is pulling out when his season ends.
Regan Smith: Started 23rd, finished 18th and 56 fantasy points. Sometimes, the best you can hope for from your driver is a post-race headline that contains the phrase "avoids wrecks."
Now it's time for the Chase, which begins this year at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Illinois. We have a fresh set of polls available for your voting. They will close Friday night, because the qualifying session is scheduled for Saturday. (Please note the "LAST TIME" next to Bowyer's name. He's down to his ninth and final start for us.)
We'll be back as soon as possible with the football results.
Here is how we did on the last week before the Chase for the Sprint Cup, NASCAR's version of the playoffs.
Kyle Busch: Started 13th, finished 6th and 80 fantasy points. All in all, not a bad effort for someone with nothing at stake. Busch had already secured at least a tie for the top spot in the Chase standings.
Clint Bowyer: Started 5th, finished 22nd (1 lap behind the leaders) and 48 fantasy points. Bowyer came into this race having an outside shot at making the Chase. But then he got to close to you know who.
Kasey Kahne: Started 12th, finished 38th (350 laps behind the leaders) and 16 fantasy points. Given the way Kahne's night went, you might be tempted to say he's ready for his season to end. But then you have to consider the fact that his sponsor is pulling out when his season ends.
Regan Smith: Started 23rd, finished 18th and 56 fantasy points. Sometimes, the best you can hope for from your driver is a post-race headline that contains the phrase "avoids wrecks."
Now it's time for the Chase, which begins this year at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Illinois. We have a fresh set of polls available for your voting. They will close Friday night, because the qualifying session is scheduled for Saturday. (Please note the "LAST TIME" next to Bowyer's name. He's down to his ninth and final start for us.)
We'll be back as soon as possible with the football results.
Monday, July 19, 2010
Now, Where Were We?
Sorry about the delay in posts. I was busy helping Tim McCarver find his airbrush. (Besides, if the Sprint Cup can take a random week off in July, so can the Internet's favorite fantasy NASCAR team, right?)
Anyway, last week the People's Pitstop racked up only 269 points at Chicagoland Speedway. That leaves us with a season total of 5,070, good enough for 53,004th place overall in Yahoo Sports and lifting us another 6 spots, to 63rd, in the Fans of From the Marbles league. Yes, there are people having a worse time than us. Johnny Jolly, for instance.
Here is a more detailed breakdown.
Jeff Gordon: Started 6th, finished 3rd, 47 laps led and 96 fantasy points, including the 10 bonus points for leading a lap. You just get the feeling it's only a matter of time before he shakes that winless streak.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Started 25th, finished 23rd (1 lap behind the leaders) and 46 fantasy points. Well, at least he can still make kids' wishes come true. I guess no kid has wished for Dale to win a Sprint Cup race yet.
Jeff Burton: Started 14th, finished 7th and 78 fantasy points. Again, all that's missing is the ability to take the lead, even in Sporting News polls.
Sam Hornish Jr.: Started 5th, finished 24th (1 lap behind the leaders) and 44 fantasy points. Too bad there aren't any fantasy points for having NASCAR randomly select your car for postrace inspection.
(And for you math majors, the weekly total also includes 5 points for Jimmie Johnson, who qualified second but was benched in favor of Gordon.)
This week, NASCAR heads a place where certain drivers should feel quite comfortable: Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It also heads to the Walt Disney family of networks. To celebrate, this week we have the usual lineup polls and a bonus TV poll. Please feel free to vote now. The results from the Chase poll appear below.
Also, this week you'll notice that Jeff Burton's name has a note attached. Mr. Burton may only start one more race for the People's Pitstop. Vote wisely.
[polldaddy poll=3447975]
Anyway, last week the People's Pitstop racked up only 269 points at Chicagoland Speedway. That leaves us with a season total of 5,070, good enough for 53,004th place overall in Yahoo Sports and lifting us another 6 spots, to 63rd, in the Fans of From the Marbles league. Yes, there are people having a worse time than us. Johnny Jolly, for instance.
Here is a more detailed breakdown.
Jeff Gordon: Started 6th, finished 3rd, 47 laps led and 96 fantasy points, including the 10 bonus points for leading a lap. You just get the feeling it's only a matter of time before he shakes that winless streak.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Started 25th, finished 23rd (1 lap behind the leaders) and 46 fantasy points. Well, at least he can still make kids' wishes come true. I guess no kid has wished for Dale to win a Sprint Cup race yet.
Jeff Burton: Started 14th, finished 7th and 78 fantasy points. Again, all that's missing is the ability to take the lead, even in Sporting News polls.
Sam Hornish Jr.: Started 5th, finished 24th (1 lap behind the leaders) and 44 fantasy points. Too bad there aren't any fantasy points for having NASCAR randomly select your car for postrace inspection.
(And for you math majors, the weekly total also includes 5 points for Jimmie Johnson, who qualified second but was benched in favor of Gordon.)
This week, NASCAR heads a place where certain drivers should feel quite comfortable: Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It also heads to the Walt Disney family of networks. To celebrate, this week we have the usual lineup polls and a bonus TV poll. Please feel free to vote now. The results from the Chase poll appear below.
Also, this week you'll notice that Jeff Burton's name has a note attached. Mr. Burton may only start one more race for the People's Pitstop. Vote wisely.
[polldaddy poll=3447975]
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Fearless Predictions - Chicago
We are mere hours away from a spectacular sporting event. Oh, and the World Cup final is coming up, too.
Before NASCAR drops the green flag on tonight's Sprint Cup race at Chicagoland Speedway, it's time to offer some predictions for which drivers will finish in the top 10. Last week's forecasts went 4-6, lowering our season record to 81-89.
1. Jeff Gordon. He's getting a lot of attention for making his 600th Sprint Cup start. Maybe he can convert the love (and a top 10 start) into a top 10 finish.
2. Kevin Harvick. Still the points leader at NASCAR's version of halftime. Just saying.
3. Jamie McMurray. Did you know that his pole this week is McMurray's third of the season? Really? We had to look it up.
4. Dale Earnhardt Jr. Maybe he got sick of being called everything except a winner. Maybe his father's ghost lit a fire under his firesuit at Daytona.
5. Kasey Kahne. Write this down, chief: Someone will sign Kahne to drive next season. And that someone will be happy about it.
6. Jimmie Johnson. His daughter's midweek birth certainly took away the "will he miss seat time" question. Oh, and there's also the FOUR STRAIGHT SPRINT CUPS!! (Whew ... haven't said that in a while.)
7. Tony Stewart. He's third in the lineup and ninth in the points race. All that's missing? The wins.
8. Mark Martin. Last week's drive through a burning ring of fire took Martin temporarily out of the Chase. Note the word "temporary."
9. Greg Biffle. He answers the question "How do you rack up 10 finishes in the top 10 in the first half of the season as quietly as possible?"
10. Juan Pablo Montoya. This week's medium to long shot is one of two A List drivers who haven't started for the People's Pitstop this season. Montoya gets the nod over Carl Edwards for starting 10th.
Enjoy the race. We'll be back with results.
Before NASCAR drops the green flag on tonight's Sprint Cup race at Chicagoland Speedway, it's time to offer some predictions for which drivers will finish in the top 10. Last week's forecasts went 4-6, lowering our season record to 81-89.
1. Jeff Gordon. He's getting a lot of attention for making his 600th Sprint Cup start. Maybe he can convert the love (and a top 10 start) into a top 10 finish.
2. Kevin Harvick. Still the points leader at NASCAR's version of halftime. Just saying.
3. Jamie McMurray. Did you know that his pole this week is McMurray's third of the season? Really? We had to look it up.
4. Dale Earnhardt Jr. Maybe he got sick of being called everything except a winner. Maybe his father's ghost lit a fire under his firesuit at Daytona.
5. Kasey Kahne. Write this down, chief: Someone will sign Kahne to drive next season. And that someone will be happy about it.
6. Jimmie Johnson. His daughter's midweek birth certainly took away the "will he miss seat time" question. Oh, and there's also the FOUR STRAIGHT SPRINT CUPS!! (Whew ... haven't said that in a while.)
7. Tony Stewart. He's third in the lineup and ninth in the points race. All that's missing? The wins.
8. Mark Martin. Last week's drive through a burning ring of fire took Martin temporarily out of the Chase. Note the word "temporary."
9. Greg Biffle. He answers the question "How do you rack up 10 finishes in the top 10 in the first half of the season as quietly as possible?"
10. Juan Pablo Montoya. This week's medium to long shot is one of two A List drivers who haven't started for the People's Pitstop this season. Montoya gets the nod over Carl Edwards for starting 10th.
Enjoy the race. We'll be back with results.
Friday, July 9, 2010
The People's Choice - Chicago
Another week has come and gone, and once again the People's Pitstop has you, the Internet, to thank for voting in the polls that will shape this week's lineup. This week's NASCAR Sprint Cup race is scheduled for Saturday night (Alec's favorite night), and here are the drivers we will be backing.
A List. In this poll, the voters paid attention to who has run well at Chicagoland Speedway in the past. The starting spot goes to Jeff Gordon, while the bench spot goes to his teammate, Jimmie Johnson.
B List. Here, we have one clear-cut winner and a bunch of other drivers battling (not literally) for the second starting spot. Last week's Nationwide series winner, Dale Earnhardt Jr., gets the first starting spot. The second one will go to Kevin Harvick, Jeff Burton or Clint Bowyer. The one who qualifies the best will start. The others will ride the proverbial pine.
C List. This poll ended in a dead heat between Scott Speed and Sam Hornish Jr. Again, the stronger qualifier will get the start.
The poll results appear below. The new poll is a response to NASCAR's assertion that it is looking at ways to change its Chase. Feel free to vote now. We'll be back with the predictions for Saturday's race.
UPDATED 9 P.M. EDT The qualifying results are in. Jeff Burton (who qualified 14th) gets the B List starting nod over Clint Bowyer (15th) and Harvick (27th). Sam Hornish Jr. (who qualified 5th) gets the C List spot over Scott Speed (39th). Jimmie Johnson will stay on the bench, but by qualifying 2nd, he earns the People's Pitstop 5 bonus points. Thanks, papa.
[polldaddy poll=3433295] [polldaddy poll=3433298] [polldaddy poll=3437958]
A List. In this poll, the voters paid attention to who has run well at Chicagoland Speedway in the past. The starting spot goes to Jeff Gordon, while the bench spot goes to his teammate, Jimmie Johnson.
B List. Here, we have one clear-cut winner and a bunch of other drivers battling (not literally) for the second starting spot. Last week's Nationwide series winner, Dale Earnhardt Jr., gets the first starting spot. The second one will go to Kevin Harvick, Jeff Burton or Clint Bowyer. The one who qualifies the best will start. The others will ride the proverbial pine.
C List. This poll ended in a dead heat between Scott Speed and Sam Hornish Jr. Again, the stronger qualifier will get the start.
The poll results appear below. The new poll is a response to NASCAR's assertion that it is looking at ways to change its Chase. Feel free to vote now. We'll be back with the predictions for Saturday's race.
UPDATED 9 P.M. EDT The qualifying results are in. Jeff Burton (who qualified 14th) gets the B List starting nod over Clint Bowyer (15th) and Harvick (27th). Sam Hornish Jr. (who qualified 5th) gets the C List spot over Scott Speed (39th). Jimmie Johnson will stay on the bench, but by qualifying 2nd, he earns the People's Pitstop 5 bonus points. Thanks, papa.
[polldaddy poll=3433295] [polldaddy poll=3433298] [polldaddy poll=3437958]
Thursday, July 8, 2010
A Quick Halftime Assessment
The lineup polls for the People's Pitstop's roster for Saturday night's NASCAR Sprint Cup race in Chicago will close later tonight. Feel free to vote in the polls before you read the rest of this post. That's fine. We'll wait.
(Humming the Jeopardy! theme)
OK, now let's look at the first half of this fantasy NASCAR experiment. We've had our up weeks and our down weeks. But we've sure had some fun along the way.
Best. Week. Ever. (OK, for the first half of the NASCAR season, anyway.) Let's set the Wayback Machine back to week 3 in Las Vegas. The Internet's favorite fantasy racing team racked up a season-high 342 points. Fueling the way was Jimmie Johnson, who got the second of his five wins so far this season.
The week that wasn't so good. Four races after we hit our high, we dipped into the valley in the Valley of the Sun. In week 7 in Phoenix, the People's Pitstop got a season-low 214 points. Johnson crossed the finish line in third place. That was the good news. The bad news is that we left him on our bench.
Speaking of the bench... The voters in the People's Pitstop polls managed to pick the winner of the race six times in the first half of the season. Unfortunately, four of those winners sat on our bench. Johnson won three times as a member of our team, but two of those times he was riding the pine. The lesson? Vote carefully.
Who's popular with the voters? Four drivers have made seven starts each for the People's Pitstop. Surprisingly, none of them come from the A List. Three come from the B List (Kevin Harvick, Jeff Burton, Matt Kenseth), and the fourth comes from the C List (Paul Menard).
Hello? We're eligible, you know. Another surprise: The A List, which is supposed to include the best drivers NASCAR has to offer, has two drivers still waiting for their first start: Carl Edwards and Juan Pablo Montoya.
Maybe the voters are saving them for the fall push.
Remember to vote while you still can. We'll be back with the results.
(Humming the Jeopardy! theme)
OK, now let's look at the first half of this fantasy NASCAR experiment. We've had our up weeks and our down weeks. But we've sure had some fun along the way.
Best. Week. Ever. (OK, for the first half of the NASCAR season, anyway.) Let's set the Wayback Machine back to week 3 in Las Vegas. The Internet's favorite fantasy racing team racked up a season-high 342 points. Fueling the way was Jimmie Johnson, who got the second of his five wins so far this season.
The week that wasn't so good. Four races after we hit our high, we dipped into the valley in the Valley of the Sun. In week 7 in Phoenix, the People's Pitstop got a season-low 214 points. Johnson crossed the finish line in third place. That was the good news. The bad news is that we left him on our bench.
Speaking of the bench... The voters in the People's Pitstop polls managed to pick the winner of the race six times in the first half of the season. Unfortunately, four of those winners sat on our bench. Johnson won three times as a member of our team, but two of those times he was riding the pine. The lesson? Vote carefully.
Who's popular with the voters? Four drivers have made seven starts each for the People's Pitstop. Surprisingly, none of them come from the A List. Three come from the B List (Kevin Harvick, Jeff Burton, Matt Kenseth), and the fourth comes from the C List (Paul Menard).
Hello? We're eligible, you know. Another surprise: The A List, which is supposed to include the best drivers NASCAR has to offer, has two drivers still waiting for their first start: Carl Edwards and Juan Pablo Montoya.
Maybe the voters are saving them for the fall push.
Remember to vote while you still can. We'll be back with the results.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
The People's Facts - Lifelock.com 400
The polls are open for you to select the People's Pitstop lineup for Saturday night's NASCAR Sprint Cup race. To help you make your selections, here is some information about where our favorite drivers will be hanging out this weekend.
Track basics. Chicagoland Speedway is a 1.5-mile tri-oval located in the Chicago suburb of Joliet, Illinois. That's right. NASCAR fans of a certain age can visit this track and reminisce about the Blues Brothers. And no, that's not Joliet Jake getting into a car. That's just Tony Stewart.
Recent winners: Mark Martin (2009), Kyle Busch (2008), Stewart (2007).
Who wins here a lot? Well, this stat is going to be even less helpful than usual. Since the history of this track's construction is longer than its racing history, only two active NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers have as many as two wins at Chicagoland: Stewart (who also leads active drivers with seven finishes in the top five) and Kevin Harvick.
Is this NASCAR or Food Network? Anyone tuning into race coverage this week will hear the phrase "cookie cutter." And 90% of the time, this phrase will be used to suggest that Chicagoland, because of its similarity to several other 1.5-mile courses, is somehow less than worthy of the title "NASCAR track."
It may seem wrong to put this week's Sprint Cup race on another generic 1.5-mile track, while more "unique" experiences from Nashville Superspeedway to Road America have to settle for Nationwide dates. But here's something to consider: Would you want every week's race to be held someplace like Daytona, where the Big One can turn fantasy NASCAR into a lottery with rear spoilers?
As usual, if you're looking for more extensive advice, you can click here to download a handy-dandy fantasy NASCAR guide from the folks at Yahoo Sports. In the meantime, remember to vote. We'll be back with a halftime report.
Track basics. Chicagoland Speedway is a 1.5-mile tri-oval located in the Chicago suburb of Joliet, Illinois. That's right. NASCAR fans of a certain age can visit this track and reminisce about the Blues Brothers. And no, that's not Joliet Jake getting into a car. That's just Tony Stewart.
Recent winners: Mark Martin (2009), Kyle Busch (2008), Stewart (2007).
Who wins here a lot? Well, this stat is going to be even less helpful than usual. Since the history of this track's construction is longer than its racing history, only two active NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers have as many as two wins at Chicagoland: Stewart (who also leads active drivers with seven finishes in the top five) and Kevin Harvick.
Is this NASCAR or Food Network? Anyone tuning into race coverage this week will hear the phrase "cookie cutter." And 90% of the time, this phrase will be used to suggest that Chicagoland, because of its similarity to several other 1.5-mile courses, is somehow less than worthy of the title "NASCAR track."
It may seem wrong to put this week's Sprint Cup race on another generic 1.5-mile track, while more "unique" experiences from Nashville Superspeedway to Road America have to settle for Nationwide dates. But here's something to consider: Would you want every week's race to be held someplace like Daytona, where the Big One can turn fantasy NASCAR into a lottery with rear spoilers?
As usual, if you're looking for more extensive advice, you can click here to download a handy-dandy fantasy NASCAR guide from the folks at Yahoo Sports. In the meantime, remember to vote. We'll be back with a halftime report.
Monday, July 5, 2010
Picking Up the Pieces
The people who bring you the People's Pigskin hope you had a better Independence Day weekend than our fantasy NASCAR team.
The People's Pitstop managed to score only 242 points during Saturday night's Sprint Cup race at Daytona International Speedway. The team's season total is 4,801, dropping us to 54,143rd overall on Yahoo Sports but somehow raising us to 68th place in the Fans of From the Marbles league.
It would be tempting to skip the detailed results, but we're going to present them anyway.
Jimmie Johnson: Started 2nd, finished 31st (19 laps behind the leaders), 1 lap led and 40 fantasy points. The good news is that Johnson managed to get the 10 bonus points for leading a lap. The bad news is that he, like about half the field, had his night ruined by the proverbial Big One. And yes, it was big.
Matt Kenseth: Started 7th, finished 15th and 62 fantasy points. Well, at least he finished on the leap lap, and he did get to play table tennis with John Isner.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Started 13th, finished 4th and 84 fantasy points. After winning the Nationwide race in his father's paint scheme (and launching a fresh crop of conspiracy theories), Earnhardt ran near the front all night and provided the closest thing to a bright spot for the People's Pitstop.
Paul Menard: Started 23rd, finished 18th (1 lap behind the leaders) and 56 fantasy points. Another quiet week for our C List representative.
Speaking of another week, we start one now. And this week, NASCAR takes its show to Chicago for another Saturday night special. The lineup polls are now open and will stay open until Thursday night. The results of the Fourth of July poll appear can be found below.
[polldaddy poll=3422897]
The People's Pitstop managed to score only 242 points during Saturday night's Sprint Cup race at Daytona International Speedway. The team's season total is 4,801, dropping us to 54,143rd overall on Yahoo Sports but somehow raising us to 68th place in the Fans of From the Marbles league.
It would be tempting to skip the detailed results, but we're going to present them anyway.
Jimmie Johnson: Started 2nd, finished 31st (19 laps behind the leaders), 1 lap led and 40 fantasy points. The good news is that Johnson managed to get the 10 bonus points for leading a lap. The bad news is that he, like about half the field, had his night ruined by the proverbial Big One. And yes, it was big.
Matt Kenseth: Started 7th, finished 15th and 62 fantasy points. Well, at least he finished on the leap lap, and he did get to play table tennis with John Isner.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Started 13th, finished 4th and 84 fantasy points. After winning the Nationwide race in his father's paint scheme (and launching a fresh crop of conspiracy theories), Earnhardt ran near the front all night and provided the closest thing to a bright spot for the People's Pitstop.
Paul Menard: Started 23rd, finished 18th (1 lap behind the leaders) and 56 fantasy points. Another quiet week for our C List representative.
Speaking of another week, we start one now. And this week, NASCAR takes its show to Chicago for another Saturday night special. The lineup polls are now open and will stay open until Thursday night. The results of the Fourth of July poll appear can be found below.
[polldaddy poll=3422897]
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)