Wrapping Up a NASCAR Season

Thanks for your patience over the past few days as the people who bring you this fine fantasy sports blog have been on the road. We are back home, and another auto racing season is in the books. The People's Pitstop is proud of its performance over the past 10 months, concluding with a 280-point outing on Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Our season total of 9,550 dropped us one spot to 5th place in the 9beersfantasysportstavern league. Congratulations to Dale Jr Amp National Guard 88 for winning the league.
And here are the final results of 2011 for the Internet's favorite fantasy NASCAR team.
Carl Edwards: Started 1st, finished 2nd, 119 laps led and 118 fantasy points. Edwards did everything except what he needed to do to get his first Sprint Cup: win. However, longtime readers will recall that we anticipated that.
Brad Keselowski: Started 5th, finished 20th (1 lap behind the leaders), 11 laps led and 62 fantasy points. Keselowski is certainly someone to watch for 2012. As long as no one asks him about fuel injection.
A.J. Allmendinger: Started 12th, finished 15th and 62 fantasy points. As it turns out, 15 was the number to describe Allmendinger's weekend. With his 15th place finish in Homestead, he secured 15th place in the final NASCAR standings.
Bobby Labonte: Started 35th, finished 27th (1 lap behind the leaders) and 38 fantasy points.
Thanks to all of you for helping the People's Pitstop achieve all it achieved this season. And remember that the People's Pigskin still has some meat left on its season. A fresh set of polls are now open for voting through Wednesday night.
We'll be back with the football results.

Hot Results from Phoenix (and New Football Polls)

We'll get to our special football polls in a moment. But first, we picked a heck of a week for the People's Pitstop to have one of its best outings ever.

The Internet's favorite fantasy NASCAR team racked up an astounding 335 points during Sunday's Chase race at Phoenix International Raceway. The season total of 9,270 left us in 4th place in the 9beersfantasysportstavern league, but we got more points than anyone else in the league this week. So, no, we might not win the league, but we got feel what it's like to win a week.

Here is how we got here.

Tony Stewart: Started 8th, finished 3rd, 160 laps led and 106 fantasy points. Stewart got 10 bonus points for leading a lap and 10 more for leading the most laps. But he'll probably focus on the fact that he has turned the Chase for the Sprint Cup into a two-way race.

Kasey Kahne: Started 10th, finished 1st, 14 laps led and 100 fantasy points. Now, that's how you finish a season. Kahne made his 9th and final start for the People's Pitstop. In his nine starts, he scored an average of 51.2 points and had an average finish of 23.3. His worst performance came in Richmond in September, when was collateral damage in a get-together between Marcos Ambrose and Brian Vickers. His best (other than this week, of course) was in Kansas in October, when he finished second to Jimmie Johnson. And it's nice that he got Red Bull Racing something to celebrate before its potential breakup.

Marcos Ambrose: Started 3rd, finished 8th and 79 fantasy points. Once again, all that was missing was leading a lap.

Bobby Labonte: Started 31st, finished 21st (1 lap behind the leaders) and 50 fantasy points. You know it was a good day when the lowest scorer on your fantasy team got 50 points.

The NASCAR folks have one race to go -- at Homestead-Miami Speedway -- and for once, it will be more than simply a coronation. We have one more lineup to field for the People's Pitstop, so the lineup polls are upon once more. Qualifying is Saturday, so these polls will close Friday night. But feel free to get your votes in today.

Speaking of polls, the People's Pigskin has some decisions to make. The bye weeks return this week and will claim both our starting defense/special teams (the Pittsburgh Steelers) and our starting kicker (John Kasay). Since we have no backups at their positions on our roster, we need to hit the waiver wire to get their substitutes or replacements. And since this is a fantasy sports democracy, we have polls for you, the Internet, to help us make our choices. Which kicker and D/ST should we pick up? Who should be kicked off the roster to make room for our newcomers? The polls are now open. These polls will close Tuesday evening, since the waiver wire transactions will be processed Wednesday morning. Please get those votes in right away, too.

We'll be back with the football results for this week.

The People's Choice - Phoenix

We have reached the second to last weekend of the NASCAR season, and, unlike Kyle Busch or David Reutimann, the People's Pitstop has a chance to end its season on a strong note. Here are the drivers who will represent the Internet's favorite fantasy racing team during Sunday's Chase race at Phoenix International Raceway.

A List: There was no doubt about how you, the Internet, felt in this poll. You gave all your votes to the two drivers who have the best chance to hoist this year's Sprint Cup: Carl Edwards and Tony Stewart. And it looks like they'll really have to work to get some separation from each other. Stewart qualified 8th, or one spot in front of Edwards, so he gets the start.

B List: The winner of this week's poll was Brad Keselowski. Jeff Burton tied for second with a surprise latecomer to the party, Marcos Ambrose. The fourth spot on our roster went to Kasey Kahne by virtue of the points tiebreaker. And the surprises did not end there. Ambrose qualified 3rd, earning a starting spot for himself and 3 bonus points for the People's Pitstop. Kahne (10th) earned the other starting spot over Keselowski (12th) and Burton (14th). Kahne will be making his ninth and final start for us of the season. His next start for us will be as a teammate of Jimmie Johnson's.

C List: All the votes in this poll went to David Gilliland and Bobby Labonte. And Labonte (31st) got the starting spot over Gilliland (42nd).

Thanks as always for voting, and don't forget to get your votes in on the fantasy football polls tonight. We'll be back later with some racing predictions.

That Could Have Gone Better

Talladega Superspeedway didn't give us anything that could be classified a Big One on Sunday, but that doesn't mean it didn't do any damage to the People's Pitstop.

The Internet's favorite fantasy NASCAR team managed to score only 226 points during this week's Chase race. Our season total of 8,395 dropped us one spot in the 9beersfantasysportstavern league standings, to fifth place.

Here are all the relevant details.

Carl Edwards: Started 9th, finished 11th, 1 lap led and 80 fantasy points. The Edwards team strategy had him spending a lot of time in the back of the pack. But Edwards isn't complaining, since he retained his spot at the top of the driver standings.

Mark Martin: Started 1st, finished 20th, 2 laps led and 72 fantasy points. Martin got 10 points for winning the pole, 10 more points for leading a lap, but no points for having his car find Regan Smith's late in the race.

Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Started 6th, finished 25th, 2 laps led and 52 fantasy points. This blurb from SpeedTV says it all: "When he led briefly, the crowd went wild. Then reality set in."

Bobby Labonte: Started 21st, finished 35th (15 laps behind the leaders) and 22 fantasy points. It wouldn't be the People's Pitstop without a driver limping away from a race.

Time for some honesty. At this point, winning the 9beersfantasysportstavern season title is about as likely as Tony Sparano keeping his current job through New Year's Day. But we're going to keep competing through these last four weeks, because that's what fantasy players do.

And that means it's time to turn our attention to Sunday's race at Martinsville Speedway. The lineup polls are now open and will close Friday night. Please feel free to get the voting process started right now.

We'll be back with the football results.

The People's Choice - Talladega

When the people of the Internet were not busy stocking up on Halloween candy or dealing with a pile of dead leaves, they were busy helping the People's Pitstop pick a lineup for this Sunday's Chase race at Talladega Superspeedway. Here are the drivers who made it through the votes (and the qualifying session) to start for us this week.

A List: They lead the point standings, and they also led the voting in this week's poll. Carl Edwards was the winner, followed by Kevin Harvick. Edwards also beat Harvick in qualifying (9th vs. 13th) and will start for us as a result.

B List: This poll produced a two-way tie at the top between Brad Keselowski and Dale Earnhardt Jr. They were followed by Kasey Kahne and the drive he will soon replace, Mark Martin. But Martin didn't follow anyone on Saturday afternoon. He took the freaking pole, earning us 10 badly needed bonus points in the process. Earnhardt (6th) earned the other starting spot over Keselowski (16th) and Kahne (26th). Don't tell Michele Bachmann about all those sixes, though. She might make a bad joke about them.

C List: Stop me if you've heard this one before. The two top finishers in this poll were Regan Smith and Bobby Labonte. That sounds familiar. What might not sound so familiar is that Labonte (21st) qualified one spot in front of Smith and thus will start for us in his 650th NASCAR Sprint Cup race.

Thanks again for all your votes. We'll be back shortly with some predictions. In the meantime, don't forget about the fantasy football polls on your right, which are still open. The People's Pigskin is looking to halt a losing streak, and we need your help to do it.

Spinning Our Wheels in Delaware

There are seven weeks left in the People's Pitstop's quest for supremacy in the 9beersfantasysportstavern fantasy NASCAR league, and we almost that many spaces to make up.
The Internet's favorite fantasy racing team scored 262 points during Sunday's Chase race at Dover International Speedway. Our season total of 7,648 leaves us in sixth place in our fantasy league.
Here are the detailed results.
Kevin Harvick: Started 22nd, finished 10th, 10 laps led and 82 fantasy points. Harvick's strong performance was good enough to put him in a tie with Carl Edwards the top of the point standings with seven races left in the Chase.
A.J. Allmendinger: Started 7th, finished 7th, 8 laps led and 88 fantasy points. Allmendinger had a strong car from start to finish, especially for someone out of the Chase, thanks in part to a heck of a save. This was the eighth start for Allmendinger, who now will have the "LAST TIME" warning in our polls.
Martin Truex Jr.: Started 1st, finished 30th (4 laps behind the leaders), 2 laps led and 52 fantasy points. Good thing he got the pole. It was the only way he was going to lead a lap this race. For a more detailed breakdown of his performance, check out this nj.com blog post.
Bobby Labonte: Started 8th, finished 26th (2 laps behind the leaders) and 40 fantasy points. Labonte's slide on a restart ended his chances of contention.
Now we turn to our chances of contention. NASCAR takes its act to Kansas this week, and we have until Friday's qualifying session to field a roster. Therefore, the polls are now open and will close Thursday night. Please get your votes in now.
We'll be back with the fantasy football results -- without any golf comparisons.

The People's Choice - Dover

We've reached the month of October, when baseball starts a postseason that seems eternal but will be over long before NASCAR's. Speaking of which, the Sprint Cup drivers take on the Monster Mile of Dover International Speedway this Sunday. Here are the drivers who will represent the People's Pitstop in that race.
A List: Tony Stewart keeps racking up the wins. His latest came in this week's poll, where he beat a bunch of drivers. Kevin Harvick, by virtue of the points tiebreaker, took the second spot on the roster. And, by qualifying 22nd (six spots in front of Stewart), he earned a starting spot for this week.
B List: The winner of this week's pole was Brad Keselowski. Dale Earnhardt Jr. and A.J. Allmendinger tied for second place. Martin Truex Jr. grabbed the fourth and final spot. And then we had qualifying, which pretty much reversed things. Truex took the freakin' pole, earning us 10 badly needed bonus points. Allmendinger qualified 7th, earning himself a start. Earnhardt (21st) and Keselowski (15th) are relegated to the bench.
C List: Most of the drivers in this poll could have taken the week off as far as the voters were concerned. Regan Smith took the top spot again, followed by Bobby Labonte. And, like their B List counterparts, they reversed their order in the qualifying session. Labonte starts in 8th place (eight spots in front of Smith) and starts for us.
Thanks again for voting. And if you'd still like to participate in this little fantasy democracy experiment, take a crack at the football polls on the right side of this page. You can help decide who takes the field for the People's Pigskin this weekend.
We'll be back shortly with some NASCAR predictions.

Caught in a Granite Rockslide

It was an awful finish to what could have been a great day for the People's Pitstop.
Instead of surging back into contention in the 9beersfantasysportstavern league, the Internet's favorite fantasy NASCAR team scored only 240 points during Sunday's Chase race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Our season total of 7,386 dropped us two spots in the league standings, all the way to sixth place.
Here's how we got there.
Kevin Harvick: Started 6th, finished 12th, 1 lap led and 78 fantasy points. Spoiler alert -- Harvick, now an ex-owner in the truck series, ended up with the best performance among our starting drivers. And yes, we benched the eventual winner.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Started 12th, finished 17th and 58 fantasy points. A couple of flat tires helped keep Earnhardt out of contention. This may be where one of the Chase spots was truly wasted.
Clint Bowyer: Started 11th, finished 26th (2 laps behind the leaders), 49 laps led and 50 fantasy points. Bowyer actually looked like he could win this one -- until he ran out of fuel with a few laps left. That's how quickly a great day can turn into a lousy one.
Anyway, that was Bowyer's ninth and final start for the People's Pitstop. His average finish during those races was 19.4, and he scored an average of 59.9 points. His best performance was in April at Texas Motor Speedway, where he finished second (his best performance ever on that track) and scored 101 points. His worst performance was in Kentucky, where a wreck left him in 35th place with 22 points. Bowyer just didn't have it this year.
Bobby Labonte: Started 15th, finished 19th (1 lap behind the leaders) and 54 fantasy points. Actually, a top 20 finish is probably the best we can hope for from the C List drivers still available to us.
Well, if we're going to get back into contention for the league title, the time to turn this around is this Sunday at Dover International Speedway. And we clearly need your help. The lineup polls are up and will stay up through Friday night, since we have a Saturday qualifying session. Please vote early and often.
We'll be back with the fantasy football results. They aren't finalized yet. However, as Tom Cruise said to Kelly McGillis, it's looking good so far.

The People's Choice - New Hampshire

We at the People's Pigskin have spent the past week trying to figure out the new Facebook layout and trying to figure out the difference between a punctured lung and a collapsed lung. Having failed on both counts, we are happy to report at least one success. You, the Internet, successfully selected another roster for the People's Pitstop.
Here are the drivers who will represent the Internet's favorite fantasy NASCAR team during Sunday's Chase race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
A List: Considering how last week's race turned out, it should come as little surprise that the two winners of this poll were Tony Stewart and Kevin Harvick. The starting spot will go to Harvick, who will start in 6th place, or 14 spots in front of Stewart.
B List: This poll had one clear-cut winner, Brad Keselowski. It also had three drivers tied for second: Dale Earnhardt Jr., Clint Bowyer and A.J. Allmendinger. And the qualifying efforts were almost as close. Bowyer (11th) and Earnhardt (12th) earned starting spots over Allmendinger (13th) and Keselowski (16th). For Bowyer, it will be the ninth and final start of the season for the People's Pitstop. Let's hope he makes the most of it.
C List: It looks like this poll will be ruled by Regan Smith and Bobby Labonte until further notice. They got all the votes in this week's poll. Labonte (15th) will start over Smith (17th).
It was a decent showing in the qualifying session, but it wasn't enough to get us any bonus points. In fact, we fell from third place to fourth place in the 9beersfantasysportstavern league, where we now trail Dale Jr Amp National Guard 88 by 8 points.
We'll be back shortly with predictions for this race. In the meantime, be sure to vote on the People's Pigskin lineup polls, which will close tonight. We need all the help we can get.

Have We Run Out of Gas?

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.

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.

Picking Through the Wreckage

To put it succinctly, Saturday night stank for the People's Pitstop.
The Internet's favorite fantasy NASCAR team scored only 168 points at Daytona International Speedway. This was our lowest total since ... the last time we were at Daytona. Our season total is now 4,570. And the People's Pitstop has surrendered its lead in the 9beersfantasysportstavern league to Jeff Gordon Dupont 24. We sit in second place, with a 4-point edge over SteelerFan4Tony.
You might notice a theme to this breakdown of the results.
Carl Edwards: Started 14th, finished 37th, 1 lap led and 28 fantasy points. An early spin into the inside wall put him 25 laps down and kept him there the rest of the night. It also cost him his overall points lead.
Mark Martin: Started 1st, finished 33rd, 15 laps led and 46 fantasy points. Martin actually was a contender late I'm the race, until a nudge from Joey Logano on the first green-white-checkered attempt ended his night.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Started 6th, finished 19th, 1 lap led and 64 fantasy points. The final-lap wreck that caught Earnhardt was bad enough. His postrace question "What kind of fricking move can you make?" about what's supposed to be one of his strongest tracks was even worse.
Bobby Labonte: Started 24th, finished 31st and 30 fantasy points. Labonte took damage in a wreck on lap 5, and his car was never the same.
The good news: There's always another week in NASCAR. This one will take us to a brand new track for the Sprint Cup folks: Kentucky. The polls are now up, and they will stay up until Thursday night. (Forgive the order. The phone being used to post this won't let us click and drag.) We need your help to have a shot at redemption, so feel free to vote now.

The People's Choice - Daytona

Another week is over. Many of us are planning our fireworks viewing and cookout grilling (hopefully not in the same place), but enough of you took the trouble to vote in our polls that the People's Pitstop has a full and complete lineup for Saturday. Here are the NASCAR drivers who will represent the Internet's favorite fantasy racing team at Daytona International Speedway.
A List: Carl Edwards lapped the field in this poll, while Kevin Harvick edged out the other votegetters by virtue of the points tiebreaker. When it came time to qualify, Edwards (14th place) lapped Harvick again (31st) and earned the starting spot.
B List: Dale Earnhardt Jr. easily won this poll, outpacing runner-up Martin Truex Jr. and tiebreaker winners Mark Martin and Ryan Newman. Earnhardt has a well-earned reputation for winning with restrictor plates, and his 6th-place qualifying effort pushed Newman (11th) and Truex (34th) to the bench. But Martin just keeps on ticking; he won the pole for Saturday's race and earned 10 bonus points for the People's Pitstop.
C List: This poll ended in a dead heat between Regan Smith and Bobby Labonte. The qualifying session almost produced the same result. Labonte put up the 24th-fastest time, just four places ahead of Smith, and will start for us as a result.
We'll be back with the predictions for the Daytona night race.

It's Official--You Rock!

You, the Internet, clearly have this whole fantasy NASCAR thing figured out.
For the second race in a row, your choices have put the People's Pitstop at the top of the 9beersfantasysportsforum standings. This week, the Internet's favorite fantasy racing team racked up 311 points at Richmond International Raceway. Our season total is now 2,622.
For those of you wondering, in the words of David Byrne, "How did we get here?," here's a look at the results.
Kyle Busch: Started 20th, finished 1st, 235 laps led and 110 fantasy points. That's right; our A List driver led more than half of the 400 laps in this race. And it turns out that he had just enough fuel to complete the 400 laps; the Victory Lane celebration was delayed because he ran out of gas on the way there.
Clint Bowyer: Started 3rd, finished 6th, 18 laps led and 93 fantasy points, including the 3 bonus points he earned from the qualifying session. A driver getting this much "when will he break through" buzz is one worthy of our continued attention, even if he is spending his down time hosting Twitter parties.
Mark Martin: Started 5th, finished 14th (1 lap behind the leaders) and 64 fantasy points. Yes, Martin, NASCAR's biggest rap fan, was in our lineup because of a mistake on our part, but it turned out to be a happy accident. He finished six spots ahead of Ryan Newman, who would have started had everything gone according to plan. But Martin's plan probably did not involve getting caught up in a Jeff Gordon wreck.
Bobby Labonte: Started 14th, finished 24th (3 laps behind the leaders) and 44 fantasy points. Labonte was another driver collected in the Gordon wreck.
Now, the People's Pitstop tries to make it three in a row as NASCAR takes its act to Darlington Raceway. This is another Saturday night race--even the Frances won't mess with Mother--with a Friday qualifying session, so this week's lineup polls will close on Thursday night. Remember that you're voting for 2 A List drivers, 4 B List drivers and 2 C List drivers. Feel free to vote now, and tell a friend.

The People's Choice - Richmond

Another week has come and gone. Some people have become superstars, others have become spouses, and the People's Pigskin has settled into its new home on Blogger. We'd like to thank those of you who made the move with us and voted on the People's Pitstop's lineup for this week's NASCAR Sprint Cup race. Here are the drivers who will be driving for starting spots during Friday's qualifying session at Richmond International Raceway.
A List. Kyle Busch may not be everybody's favorite driver, but he did win this week's poll. Jimmie Johnson, who was last seen winning the Talladega race by a whisker, came in second. Both get roster spots for the Internet's favorite fantasy NASCAR team.
B List. Clint Bowyer is still hunting for his first win of the 2011 season, but that didn't stop him from winning our poll. There was a three-way tie for second involving Ryan Newman, A.J. Allmendinger and Martin Truex Jr. All three get to take the track Friday with a chance to start for us.
C List. It's a good thing we have two roster spots available here. Two drivers got all the votes--a young one (25-year-old David Ragan) and a not-so-young one (Bobby Labonte, who is days away from turning 47).
We will update this post when the qualifying session is over. In the meantime, enjoy the draft. And before you assume the NFL draft concluded on Thursday night, consider this fact: Twenty-eight current members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame were drafted in the second round, including Jack Lambert, Mike Singletary and Thurman Thomas. Nineteen Hall of Famers were drafted in the third round, including Ray Nitschke and this guy.
EDITED 9:00 P.M. The good news comes first. Bowyer qualified third for this race, earning a starting spot for himself and 3 bonus points for the People's Pitstop. Next comes the awkward moment: Instead of Martin Truex Jr., we mistakenly put Mark Martin on the roster. The saving grace is that Martin qualified 5th, beating Newman (13th), Allmendinger (18th) and Truex (21st).
As for the other starters, Busch (20th) beat Johnson (30th) for the A List slot. Labonte (14th) outfoxed Ragan (27th) for the C List slot.
Well, it could be worse. We could be on the Chicago Bears staff.

Fearless Predictions - Texas

It's a good time to be the People's Pitstop. The Internet's favorite fantasy NASCAR team sits in 5th place in the prestigious 9beersfantasysportstavern group on Yahoo Sports. But right now is not a good time to be either a Tampa Bay Rays fan or a follower of this blog's predictions. After a series of 1-3 performances, the forecasts for top 10 drivers hit rock bottom last week by going 0-4. The season record is now 3-13. However, like the Rays, these predictions have plenty of time to salvage the season.
One from the front: Three of the top four drivers in today's Sprint Cup race at Texas Motor Speedway are starting for the People's Pitstop this week, so they are ineligible for these picks. We'll go with the only top-four starter who is eligible: Carl Edwards, who also happens to be second in points and won Friday night's Nationwide race on this very track.
One from the back: The pickings are slim once again in the bottom 10. But there is a local favorite lurking here. Bobby Labonte has done well at Fort Worth; he's won the pole twice and has three finishes in the top five. We'll take him as the likeliest driver to surge into the top 10.
Two from the middle: It's surprising that Kyle Busch, who leads the way in points and could have won Friday if not for a close encounter with Tim Schendel, is eligible for this pick. However, he qualified 11th, so technically, he's in the middle. He gets one pick. The other one goes to another "How the heck did he end up back here?" driver, Denny Hamlin. Not only did he win both races in Texas last year, but he's getting praise from folks like Yahoo's Geoffrey Miller, who's not ready to write him off just yet.
Enjoy tonight's race and today's golf. We'll be back with the race results.

Fearless Predictions - Fontana

This version of the fearless predictions will be brief, since the people who bring you this blog are in Las Vegas (BABY!) and will be watching this week's Sprint Cup race from one of the various sports books available here.
Here's hoping our luck at the blackjack table is better than our luck so far with these predictions for NASCAR drivers who will finish in the top 10. Once again, last week's forecasts went a pitiful 1-3, leaving us with a season record of 2-8. But here come another set of predictions anyway.
One from the front: We're going with someone who always seems to do well at tracks the size of Auto Club Speedway. Tony Stewart starts in fifth place and should be able to at least hold on to that spot.
One from the back: It's not the strongest of fields this week, in part because only 43 cars signed up for this race, so everybody qualified. When in doubt, you go with a former Sprint Cup champion. And we'll go with Bobby Labonte, who starts 34th.

Two from the middle: Lots of drivers to choose from here. Our choices are the current points leader, Kurt Busch, who starts 23rd, and Jimmie Johnson, who starts 16th and owns the Fontana track.

Enjoy the race, everybody. We'll be back with results.

The People's Choice - Fontana

Some people are getting ready to watch college kids compete for spots in the Final Four. Some are getting ready for the start of baseball season, the only season that holds a candle to NASCAR's in terms of length. But we at the People's Pigskin are thanking you, the Internet, for coming out again in droves to vote on our lineup. Here are the drivers that will represent the People's Pitstop this weekend in Fontana, California.
A List: The winner of this poll is someone who was winning back when Charlie Sheen was just a guy in a troubled marriage. Five-time defending Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson took this poll. He and Carl Edwards will compete during qualifying for a chance to start for the Internet's favorite fantasy NASCAR team on Sunday.
B List: Don't let people tell you stock car racing is strictly for Americans. This poll was won by Colombia's Juan Pablo Montoya. The runners-up were some usual suspects (Ryan Newman and Kasey Kahne), but the final spot went to a Tasmanian named Marcos Ambrose. The two drivers who qualify the best will start.
C List: UPS representative David Ragan won this poll, followed by Bobby Labonte.
Thanks once again for voting. The results appear below, and a new poll on rule changes is available for your votes now. We'll try to update this post once the qualifying session is over.
UPDATED 9:45 P.M. You guys are good. And so is Montoya, who took the pole and will earn us a 10-point bonus. He's joined in the starting lineup by Ragan (who qualified 6th), Newman (9th) and Johnson (16th).
[polldaddy poll=4759885] [polldaddy poll=4759909] [polldaddy poll=4759927]

The People's Facts - Lenox Industrial Tools 301

Sorry this post didn't get posted sooner. I was waiting for the U.S. to score.

Anyway, you still have time to vote on the People's Pitstop lineup for this week's NASCAR Sprint Cup race. Please note that Boris Said is not eligible for your votes this week. (Neither is Danica.) The polls will close Thursday night to allow us to set up a lineup in time for Friday's qualifying session.

In the meantime, here are a few things you need to know about where they're racing this week.

Track basics: New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon is just over a mile in length. (The "301" refers to laps, not miles or darts.) It's also one of the flattest tracks in NASCAR; the sharpest banking is 7 degrees. By comparison, next week's track banks as much as 31 degrees.

Recent winners: Joey Logano (2009), Kurt Busch (2008), Denny Hamlin (2007).

Who wins here a lot: Jeff Burton leads active NASCAR drivers with four wins on this track. Just behind him with three apiece: Kurt Busch and Jeff Gordon. Yes, that Jeff Gordon.

Why you should vote carefully: A lot can happen between the time you post some fantasy NASCAR polls and the time they actually run the race in question. First, Robby Gordon announced that he would not be driving this week, and that his car, which does not have a sponsor, would start and park at New Hampshire. Then, Bobby Labonte, another driver whose car was in search of a sponsor, announced that he would be leaving TRG Motorsports and would drive Robby's No. 7 car this week.

(Next thing you know, an ESPN analyst will admit to smoking marijuana...)

As always, you can click here to download a handy-dandy guide from the folks at Yahoo Sports. We'll be back.