Showing posts with label Bristol. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bristol. Show all posts

Sunday, August 28, 2011

Staying on Top in Tennessee

You, the Internet, were asked to help the People's Pigskin remain at the top of the charts, and you delivered like these guys.
The People's Pigskin scored 251 points at NASCAR's Saturday night Sprint Cup special at Bristol Motor Speedway. That gives us a season total of 6,532, which is good enough to increase our lead in the 9beersfantasysportstavern league. Our lead over Jeff Gordon Dupont 24 has expanded to 108 points. And we'd like it to keep growing.
Here is the Bristol breakdown.
Carl Edwards: Started 2nd, finished 9th and 79 fantasy points. Edwards came close to finding the lead several times. But he, like two fellow drivers, found something just as good Saturday night: a clinched Chase berth.
Brad Keselowski: Started 8th, finished 1st, 89 laps led and 100 fantasy points. By winning for the third time this season (only Kyle Busch has more checkered flags), Keselowski might as well have wrapped up a spot in the Chase. Even if he doesn't somehow move from 11th place into the top 10 in the driver standings, he has certainly wrapped up a wild card spot.
Mark Martin: Started 5th, finished 38th and 16 fantasy points. The only thing Martin found Saturday night was trouble.
Regan Smith: Started 12th, finished 18th and 56 fantasy points. It's never good when the press release about your driver starts with the phrase "The performance was better than the result." In the wish-it-were-dead language of PR, that means "He had a bad night, but if we don't say good things about him, no one will."
Now, let's discuss the new set of polls. And there are plenty of them.
We'll start with the three on the bottom. They will help select the People's Pitstop lineup for the Labor Day weekend race at Atlanta Motor Speedway. That race is Sunday night, and the qualifying session is on a Saturday. That means the polls will close Friday night. You know the drill.
The two polls on the top are for the Internet's favorite fantasy football team, the People's Pigskin. You have already told us to target Adrian Peterson at running back and (in a neck-related revote) Aaron Rodgers at quarterback. Now we need you to tell us which wide receiver and tight end should be in our sights. Those polls will close on Saturday night. Please vote now.

Saturday, August 27, 2011

Fearless Predictions - Bristol

Tonight, instead of watching reporters throw themselves in the path of a hurricane to demonstrate why you should stay away from it, you can watch NASCAR drivers throw themselves into harm's way -- and one another -- for your entertainment. Seems like an easy choice.
The Sprint Cup drivers will take their talents to Bristol Motor Speedway, and we at the People's Pitstop will throw our talents into predicting some top 10 finishers. Last week's forecasts went 2-2, lifting our season record to 27-57.
One from the front: The Jeff Gordon renaissance continues. Last week, he finished 6th at Michigan and moved up a spot in the driver standings, to 6th place. This week, he starts 4th at a track where he has won five times and finished 14 times in the top 10.
One from the back: Tony Stewart probably would like to borrow a little bit of Gordon's mojo right about now. He starts 42nd in this race, but he has won at Bristol before. Also, even though he might not deserve it, he currently holds the 10th and final automatic berth in the Chase for the Sprint Cup.
Two from the middle: Don't look now, but the real Five Timer is moving into the position of a contender. Jimmie Johnson walks into Bristol in 2nd place in the driver standings. He won here last year and starts 13th in this race. Triskaidekaphobes, calm down. He won't stay in that position for long.
The driver he trails, Kyle Busch, is the first one to clinch a spot in this year's Chase. He did that with his big weekend in Michigan (as longtime readers of this blog will recall). He may be starting 23rd this time, but he knows how to find the front of the pack, as he did Friday night, when he won his 50th Nationwide Series race.
Obligatory reminder: The fantasy football polls are still open and will remain open through Saturday night. You will help the People's Pigskin determine which running back and which quarterback to target in our upcoming People's League draft.
Enjoy the race, everybody. If you're in Irene's path, stay safe. If you're not, pray for those who are, including the reporters.

Friday, August 26, 2011

The People's Choice - Bristol

A certain portion of our fans are battening down the hatches, while others are (trying to) get the heck out of Dodge as Irene makes its way up the Atlantic Coast. But skies are sunny at Thunder Valley, aka Bristol Motor Speedway, where NASCAR has set up shop for the second time this season. And you, the Internet, picked a heck of a roster for the People's Pitstop as it tries to stay atop the 9beersfantasysportstavern league. Here are the selections.
A List: Clearly, you paid attention to what happened the last time we were at this track. The winner of this poll was Kyle Busch, followed by a whisker by Carl Edwards. But when the qualifying session came, it wasn't that close. Edwards qualified 2nd (versus 23rd for Busch) and earned himself a starting spot, along with a 5-point bonus for the People's Pitstop.
B List: The voting was close in this poll. Dale Earnhardt Jr. earned the win, followed by Brad Keselowski, Mark Martin and Clint Bowyer. The qualifying session separated the contenders from the pretenders. Martin (5th) and Keselowski (8th) earned starts, while Bowyer (16th) and Earnhardt (22nd) will watch from the bench.
C List: Life is full of surprises, and this poll provided one of them. The winner here was Regan Smith, followed by Bobby Labonte. That was the order in qualifying, too. Smith (12th) will start. Labonte (30th) will sit.
We'll be back with the predictions with this race. In the meantime, remember that the fantasy football polls are still open. Get those votes in while you can.

Thursday, August 25, 2011

The Last Time We Were in Bristol

Now, here's a track we haven't seen in a while.
NASCAR makes two visits a year to Bristol Motor Speedway, which is sometimes called the Bull Ring because it's small enough (0.53 miles) to be completely surrounded by seats. Our last visit here was all the way back in March -- perhaps because racing here is so stressful that it takes the drivers five months to recover.
The People's Pitstop has fond memories of the March race at Bristol, the fourth race of the season. That's because Kyle Busch took the checkered flag to complete a weekend sweep on this track. His victory got us 100 points all by himself. In all, the Internet's favorite fantasy NASCAR team scored 329 points. Suffice it to say that we would not mind a repeat performance this weekend.
And speaking of this weekend, it's coming quickly. This week's race is Saturday night, and the qualifying session is scheduled for Friday, so we have to get our lineup in Thursday night. You have a couple of hours left to vote in the lineup polls, and we'll take all the help we can get. We also have a couple of fantasy football draft questions up. Those will stay up through Saturday night.
Thanks for voting. We'll be back with the results. In the meantime, stay safe.

Monday, August 22, 2011

Back Where We Belong

Kyle Busch had a big weekend. So did the People's Pitstop.
With your insight and assistance, the Internet's favorite fantasy NASCAR team racked up 292 points during Sunday's race at Michigan International Speedway, even though none of our drivers led a single lap. Our season total of 6,281 is good enough to put us back into first place in the 9beersfantasysportstavern league. But we lead Jeff Gordon Dupont 24 by only 16 points, so we'll need to keep on our toes.
Here's how we got to the top.
Tony Stewart: Started 18th, finished 9th and 74 fantasy points. Despite his strong finish, Stewart told an interviewer after the race that his team was "wasting" a Chase spot. Still, you get the feeling he isn't go to offer that spot to Clint Bowyer out of the goodness of his heart.
Brad Keselowski: Started 6th, finished 3rd and 86 fantasy points. This was Keselowski's fourth straight top 10 finish. Between Keselowski's broken ankle this season and Denny Hamlin's knee surgery last season, NASCAR drivers are going to start wondering if they need to hurt themselves every season.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Started 8th, finished 14th and 64 fantasy points. In Earnhardt's young career -- remember, he's still only 36 years old -- he has gone through more than his share of crew chiefs. With the latest disagreement about that last pit stop before the green-white-checkered finish, could he be wearing out his welcome with another one?
David Ragan: Started 7th, finished 12th and 68 fantasy points. This was Ragan's ninth and final start for the People's Pitstop. This season, the soon-to-be-B-lister scored 626 points for us, or 69.6 points per start. His average finish was 14.6. His best performance for us is a tie between the Texas race (started on the pole and finished 7th) and the 600-mile race in Charlotte (finished 2nd); he scored 98 points in each race. His worst performance for us was at Watkins Glen this month, when he scored 36 and had a heck of a wreck. And I'll bet you, the Internet, can't wait for a chance to vote for him again.
You also can't wait for the Saturday night race at Bristol Motor Speedway. Well, you don't have to wait to vote in the lineup polls, which are available right now and will close Thursday night.
For those of you who prefer fantasy football, you can vote in the running back poll that will help the People's Pigskin determine its draft strategy. That poll will stay open through Saturday night. Please vote now.

Monday, March 21, 2011

Back to the Middle

The People's Pitstop hasn't exactly reached Charlie Sheen's "winning" territory yet, but we're getting there.
The Internet's favorite fantasy NASCAR team racked up 329 points during Sunday's Sprint Cup race at Bristol Motor Speedway. That improved our overall score to 983 and raised us 2 spots, to 7th out of 14, in the prestigious 9beersfantasysportstavern group on Yahoo Sports.
Here are scoring details.
Kyle Busch: Started 12th, finished 1st, 153 laps led and 100 fantasy points. You think it's safe to say Kyle is comfortable with Bristol, or would that be jumping the gun?
Martin Truex Jr.: Started 8th, finished 17th, 63 laps led and 68 fantasy points. Not only is Truex in the top 10 in driver points, but he's also winning awards you never knew existed.
Mark Martin: Started 9th, finished 12th and 68 fantasy points. Martin was our only starting driver who did not lead a lap.
Paul Menard: Started 4th, finished 5th, 35 laps led and 93 fantasy points. You know you're having a strong season when NASCAR.com writers are naming months after you.
Perhaps the most impressive achievement for the People's Pitstop this week was that, despite racing on one of the shortest tracks on the NASCAR circuit, all our starters managed to keep themselves on the lead lap.
Will that be the case again when NASCAR takes its act to Fontana, California? Only you, the Internet, can make that call. The polls are now open and will stay open until Thursday night. The results of the weekend poll appear below. Please feel free to exercise your voting rights now.
[polldaddy poll=4739447]

Sunday, March 20, 2011

Fearless Predictions - Bristol

We're just hours away from the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Bristol Motor Speedway. While you prepare your snacks and beverages, we at the People's Pigskin are busy figuring out which drivers will finish in the top 10. Once again, drivers in our starting lineup are ineligible for selection. But that doesn't excuse our going 1 for 4 in the last edition of these picks.
One from the front: We have three starters in the top 10 (Paul Menard, Martin Truex Jr. and Mark Martin), so that narrows the field considerably. We'll go with the driver who won the Phoenix race and has the pole this week: Carl Edwards.
One from the back: The bottom 10 this week is a veritable "Who's That" of auto racing. Except we find a driver who's currently in 4th place in Sprint Cup points but only 36th on the starting grid. That would be Juan Pablo Montoya, who finished 7th last August on this track.
Two from the middle: Believe it or not, Dale Earnhardt Jr. has finished in the top 10 in the last two races this season. The networks might be able to manufacture crowd noise when he passes, but they can't manufacture a top 10 finish.
And quick, before you reach for that cup of coffee, name the driver who sits on top of the point standings as of right now. If you guessed Tony Stewart, either you know your racing stats or you peeked at one of the links earlier in this post. Either way, Stewart finished 2nd at Bristol last spring and starts in 13th place today. Pencil him in for a strong day.
We'll be back with the results. Enjoy the race.

Friday, March 18, 2011

The People's Choice - Bristol

Today, instead of focusing on what's wrong with sports (we'll cover some of that territory over the weekend), we'd like to extend a special thanks to you, the Internet. You found time during your busy bracket-filling (and shredding) schedule to vote in the lineup polls for the People's Pitstop. As a result, the Internet's favorite fantasy NASCAR team has a roster for this week's Sprint Cup race at Brisol Motor Speedway.
A List: One driver ran away with this poll, and he should be familiar to longtime readers of this blog. Kyle Busch, last seen reporting "flames in my face," was the winner. He'll be joined in the roster by runner-up Tony Stewart. Whoever qualifies better Friday afternoon will get the starting nod.
B List: We another clear-cut winner here. That would be NAPA commercial co-star Martin Truex Jr. Three other drivers tied for second place: Dale Earnhardt Jr., Mark Martin and Kasey Kahne.
C List: Paul Menard is threatening to become the first driver in People's Pitstop history to use up all his starts before Independence Day. He won this week's poll yet again, and he'll be joined in the roster by Trevor Bayne, who hopefully celebrated Saint Patrick's Day responsibly, seeing that he's still 20 years old and all.
Again, thanks for voting. The results appear below. A new poll about your weekend plans is now available for your consideration. We'll update this post once qualifying is complete.
UPDATED 11:30 P.M. At least Menard is earning your faith in him. He qualified 4th, earning not only a starting spot but a bonus point for the People's Pitstop. Busch (12th) edged out Stewart (13th). Truex (8th) and Martin (9th) beat out Kahne (10th) and Earnhardt (22nd).
[polldaddy poll=4730878] [polldaddy poll=4730892] [polldaddy poll=4730910]

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

A Quick Bristol Preview

While everyone in the western world is getting their brackets filled out and/or prepping for fantasy baseball drafts, the NASCAR world is getting back from its random week off and heading to the bull ring of Bristol Motor Speedway.
The polls for this week's lineup are up (finally) and will stay up until Thursday night. So please vote now, and encourage a friend to vote, too. The People's Pitstop is depending on you.
We'll be back with some thoughts on that other sport.

Monday, August 23, 2010

Football Polls and a Bristol Wrap-Up

The People's Pitstop spent Kyle Busch weekend scoring only 257 points at the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Bristol Motor Speedway. The Internet's favorite fantasy NASCAR team now has a season total of 6,425, ranking us 49,698th overall on Yahoo Sports and dropping us five spots, to 69th, in the Fans of From the Marbles league. Here are the details.

Tony Stewart: Started 4th, finished 27th (6 laps behind the leaders), 1 lap led and 49 fantasy points. That includes 1 point for qualifying and 10 points for leading that single lap. Good thing he got the lead before Tony Raines found him.

Jamie McMurray: Started 7th, finished 3rd, 11 laps led and 96 fantasy points. Imagine what would have happened if he weren't snakebitten on pit row.

Kasey Kahne: Started 11th, finished 5th and 82 fantasy points. As this race chart shows, Kahne was at his strongest at the end of the race. Maybe he would have led if this race had 600 laps.

A.J. Allmendinger: Started 10th, finished 31st (12 laps behind the leaders) and 30 fantasy points. The title of this video says it all: Double Trouble.

The drivers are taking this week off, so it's time to turn our lonely eyes to fantasy football. The three polls are still open and will stay open until Wednesday night. Remember that you, the Internet, have already decided that Adrian Peterson, Chris Johnson and Maurice Jones-Drew should top our draft board, while Drew Brees should be our top quarterback and Andre Johnson should be our top receiver.

Also, there's still time for you to join the People's League and compete against the People's Pigskin this season. Sign up today.

Saturday, August 21, 2010

Fearless Predictions - Bristol

While you get ready to split your time between watching tonight's NASCAR Sprint Cup race and warming up to play quarterback for the suddenly needy Giants, it's time to offer predictions for which drivers will finish in the top 10 at Bristol Motor Speedway. Last week's forecasts should have hit the snooze button -- they went a pitiful 3-7, lowering the season record to an equally pitiful 104-116.

1. Kevin Harvick. The points leader can now cruise to the Chase. Of course, if he knew how to cruise, he wouldn't be the points leader now.

2. Jimmie Johnson. The four-time defending Sprint Cup champion needs to stop cruising. Of course, it helps that he has the pole for tonight's race.

3. Tony Stewart. You want a hot driver? How about one who has finished in the top 10 in five straight races and nine of the last 10?

4 and 5. Kurt and Kyle Busch. One driver has five Sprint Cup wins under his belt here. The other one has won two races here this week.

6. Clint Bowyer. He's holding the final Chase spot, but he'll need to stay on his toes...

7. Mark Martin. ...because this driver isn't going to let that spot go without a fight.

8. Juan Pablo Montoya. With his 7th-place finish at Michigan last week, Montoya now has 10 finishes in the top 10 this season. You know who else has that many? Denny Hamlin. (I'm just saying.)

9. Carl Edwards. He's won here before. He's starting in the front row tonight, and, perhaps most importantly, he's starting with six rows of cars between him and Brad Keselowski, who just can't seem to avoid trouble lately.

10. David Reutimann. Yes, he still counts as a medium to long shot, even though he's won a race this year and is starting 5th tonight. That's because he's starting one of the toughest races on the NASCAR schedule while recovering from the type of food poisoning that would make you and I want to crawl into bed, assume the fetal position and pray for a quick demise.

Enjoy the race, and if you're a fantasy football fan, or you'd like to become one, make sure you sign up to run a team against the People's Pigskin in the People's League. We'll be back with results and new polls.

Friday, August 20, 2010

Umm...Oops

Put simply, the people who bring you this Web site fell asleep before setting the lineup for this week. No excuses. We screwed up. It will never happen again.

Yahoo will not allow us to change our drivers at this point for the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Bristol Motor Speedway. It will only allow us to send starters to the bench and vice versa. So the People's Pitstop has the same driver pool we had last week: Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon, Kasey Kahne, Jamie McMurray, Jeff Burton, Paul Menard and A.J. Allmendinger. The best qualifiers will start. (Kevin Harvick, who's now ineligible to start, will stay on the bench.)

Meanwhile, on the fantasy football side, you, the Internet, decided that Maurice Jones-Drew should be No. 3 on our draft board (after Adrian Peterson and Chris Johnson), and that Andre Johnson should be the top wide receiver on our board.

We have three new polls up now. One asks which football player should be No. 4 overall on the board. The others ask which quarterback we should rank second after Drew Brees and which receiver we should rank second after Andre Johnson. The results from our previous polls appear below. We'll update this after the qualifying session.

Oh, and there are still spots available in the People's League for those who want to match wits with the Internet's favorite fantasy football team.

UPDATED 8:00 A.M. The results are in. Tony Stewart not only beat out Jeff Gordon, but he also earned us a bonus point for qualifying 4th. Jamie McMurray (7th) and Kasey Kahne (11th) get the B List starting spots. A.J. Allmendinger qualified 10th, just two spots ahead of Paul Menard, who will live to start for us another day.

We'll be back with the weekly predictions.

[polldaddy poll=3630901] [polldaddy poll=3630910] [polldaddy poll=3630921] [polldaddy poll=3630934] [polldaddy poll=3630941]

Thursday, August 19, 2010

The People's Facts - Irwin Tools Night Race

There is still time to vote on the People's Pitstop lineup for NASCAR's Saturday night Sprint Cup race. To help you select the drivers who will start for the Internet's favorite fantasy NASCAR team, it's time to offer some information about this week's track.

Track basics: Bristol Motor Speedway is still the half-mile "bull ring," though these bulls usually stay in the ring and out of the stands. And it's still the place where you need to pay attention every millisecond, even if all you're doing is practicing. You can click here to download Yahoo's handy guide.

Last time we were here: Way back in March, when NASCAR was here for the "spring" race, Jimmie Johnson got his first-ever win on this track. The People's Pitstop left him on the bench in favor of Mark Martin. As a result, your favorite fantasy racing team racked up only 223 points, one of the lowest totals of the season.

Recent winners: For the August race, the list goes like this -- Kyle Busch (2009), Carl Edwards (2008), Edwards again (2007).

Who wins here a lot: When it comes time to discuss Jeff Gordon's Hall of Fame credentials, someone should bring up his knack for showing up in this category week after week. He and Kurt Busch are tied for the lead among active drivers with five victories apiece here.

A dish best served with sheet metal? Since the Chase lineup seems to be all but finalized, the only things left for drivers to settle over the next few weeks are scores. Bristol races often turn into high-speed games of bumper cars, so this would be the perfect place for a driver to try to right a perceived wrong by another driver. Edwards and Brad Keselowski are always a good bet to fight. Kurt Busch and Johnson may still need to resolve their Pocono dispute, and Joey Logano's dispute with Ryan Newman is so fresh it still has that "new fight" smell. There are plenty of storylines to consider. Vote wisely.

But also vote quickly, because the lineup polls and the fantasy football polls will close tonight, to be replaced with fresh football polls. Speaking of football, there's still time to join the People's League if you feel like competing against the People's Pigskin this fall.

We'll be back with poll results.

Monday, August 16, 2010

Summing Up Michigan

It was both the best of weeks and the worst of weeks for the People's Pitstop.

The Internet's favorite fantasy racing team compiled 287 points at Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Michigan International Speedway. The season total is now 6,168. We're 46, 780th overall on Yahoo Sports, and we rose 6 spots, to 62nd, in the Fans of From the Marbles league. Here are the details.

Tony Stewart: Started 4th, finished 6th, 36 laps led and 91 fantasy points. That includes a 1-point qualifying bonus and a 10-point lap-leader bonus. And this clearly unbiased source tells us that "a win is just around the corner" for Stewart.

Kevin Harvick: Started 8th, finished 1st, 60 laps led and 100 fantasy points. Harvick finished his eligibility for the People's Pitstop in the best way possible. In his nine starts for us, he gave us 7 finishes in the top 10. Though we missed two of his wins, he gave us an average finish of 8.7 and an average score of 81.1. If we exclude the spring Martinsville race (where he finished 35th), he gave us an average finish of 5.5 and an average score of 87.2.

Kasey Kahne: Started 1st, finished 14th and 74 fantasy points. That's right -- the driver who started on the pole (and got the 10 point bonus for doing so) couldn't hold the lead for a single lap.

Paul Menard: Started 10th, finished 35th (3 laps behind the leaders) and 22 fantasy points. It's a good thing he signed that Richard Childress contract before starting this race.

This week NASCAR takes its show to prime time for a Saturday night race at Bristol Motor Speedway. The new lineup polls are open and will close Thursday night in time for Friday's qualifying session.

We also have a fresh set of fantasy football polls. The results of our two most recent ones appear below. You, the Internet, decided that Chris Johnson should be No. 2 on our draft board (after Adrian Peterson), and you said decided that the first quarterback we should target is Drew Brees. This time around, we ask you to pick the No. 3 player for our draft board, as well as the top wide receiver. Please vote now.

[polldaddy poll=3615257] [polldaddy poll=3596858]

Monday, March 22, 2010

The Bristol Breakdown (and Martinsville Polls)

Bristol races are never easy to predict, but the People's Pitstop had a particularly rough week this week. The Internet's favorite fantasy racing team scored only 223 points on Sunday. No starter led a lap, so we got no bonus points for doing so. The season point total is now 1,320, good enough to be tied for 105,293rd overall and 123rd in the Fans of From the Marbles fantasy racing league.

Here's the driver-by-driver breakdown:

Mark Martin. Started 13th, finished 35th (92 laps behind the leaders), 22 fantasy points. At one point the Venerable One was threatening to take the lead in Sunday's Sprint Cup race. And then this happened.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. Started 18th, finished 7th, 78 fantasy points. The good news is that Earnhardt found his way into the top 10. The bad news is that he failed to lead a lap on a track where he has a strong track record.

Matt Kenseth. Started 7th, finished 5th, 82 fantasy points. He did continued his every-week-in-the-top-10 streak. That's good.

Scott Speed. Started 29th, finished 31st (20 points behind the leaders), 30 fantasy points. He never really was a threat to do anything Sunday. That's bad.

Now it's time for you, the Internet, to turn your attention to our next race, which will take place at another fan-favorite short track, Martinsville. The polls are open and will close Thursday night, so that we can get the lineup in for Friday's qualifying session. Please vote now.

Saturday, March 20, 2010

Fearless Predictions - Bristol

Thanks again to those of you who voted on the People's Pitstop lineup for Sunday's race at Bristol. Special thanks go to those of you who voted for Joey Logano, who earned his first career Sprint Cup pole (and gave the Internet's favorite fantasy racing team 10 bonus points), and for Jimmie Johnson, who qualified fourth (earning us 1 bonus point).

Now it's time to offer some predictions about who will finish in the top 10 at Bristol. The forecasts from two weeks ago went 4-6, leaving us with a season record of 12-18.

And before you ask, no, I'm not putting Carl Edwards or Brad Keselowski into these predictions until they can demonstrate that they can make it through a race without putting their bumpers into each other's fenders.

1. Joey Logano. I will, however, choose the kid who got the pole for this race and already has a pair of top 10 finishes this season.

2. Kurt Busch. I'll also go with one of the active drivers with five wins here. Oh, as well as the driver who won the Atlanta race two weeks ago.

3. Kyle Busch. His brother is pretty good, too. He's won two of the last spring races on this track.

4. Matt Kenseth. Four races this season, four finishes in the top 10. As the gambler in your family will tell you, you bet on streaks to continue, not to snap.

5. Greg Biffle. Kenseth is one of three drivers to have finished in the top 10 every race this season. Biffle is another.

6. Kevin Harvick. Yes, he's the third. How'd you guess?

7. Jeff Gordon. Perhaps I should have him at No. 5 on this list. After all, he qualified fifth for Sunday's race, and he has 5 Bristol wins under his belt.

8. Jimmie Johnson. He qualified fourth, and he has...well, you know.

9. Mark Martin. Two finishes in the top five so far. And if you want someone who knows when to gamble and when to wait for a better opportunity, you go with Mr. Been There, Done That.

10. Marcos Ambrose. It's time to offer a long shot. Though in this case, the shot is closer to medium length. Ambrose finished in the top 10 in both races last season, and he qualified ninth for Sunday's race.

We'll be back later. In the meantime, be sure to vote in the underachiever poll.

Thursday, March 18, 2010

The People's Choice - Bristol

Once again, you, the Internet, rose to the challenge and picked the lineup for the People's Pitstop in the Fans of From the Marbles fantasy racing league. This week's race is at Bristol, and the races for the spots in our lineup were as tight as the racing at this legendary track. Here are the results.

A List. There was one clear winner for the starting spot: Mark Martin. There was a tie for the backup spot, and the winner, as determined by NASCAR driver points, is Jimmie Johnson.

B List. Two drivers rose to the top of this poll and won starting spots for their work: Matt Kenseth and a fan favorite, Dale Earnhardt Jr. There was a crowd vying for the backup spots, so we go to points to break up that logjam and award spots to Joey Logano and Jeff Burton.

C List. Once again, we have four drivers vying for two spots. Hopefully, you've figured out by now how this will be resolved. The starting spot goes to Scott Speed, while the backup spot goes to A.J. Allmendinger.

Thanks again for voting in our polls. You can see the results below. And we have a new poll up now. This one asks about those drivers whose seasons haven't gotten off to the strongest of starts. Please keep voting.

[polldaddy poll=2906078] [polldaddy poll=2906082] [polldaddy poll=2906096]

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

The People's Facts - Food City 500

Yes, NASCAR will be having a Sprint Cup race in the middle of the NCAA tournament's first weekend. The venue is one of the more hallowed ones in auto racing: Bristol. It's so hallowed that fans were already at the track last Sunday. It's so hallowed that folks like David Pearson come back in their golden years to race on this track again. It's so hallowed, in fact, that you'll be lucky to hear this race's official name (the Food City 500) a half-dozen times between now and the checkered flag. As you decide who should get into the People's Pitstop lineup for this race, here are some points to ponder.

Track basics: Bristol Motor Speedway in eastern Tennessee is officially 0.53 miles long. It just feels smaller than that. The front stretch and back stretch are each 650 feet long, so drivers will be using the brakes at least as much as they use the accelerator.

Recent winners: Kyle Busch (2009), Jeff Burton (2008), Kyle Busch again (2007)

Who wins here a lot: Jeff Gordon has five Sprint Cup wins on this track. He's tied for the lead among active drivers with the other Busch, Kurt. (You remember him? He was the guy who won that Atlanta race while everyone else was discussing the whole "Carl Edwards vs. Brad Keselowski" thing.)

So, why do they love this place so much? Well, even in the best of times, this track, with its tight turns and narrow lanes, is known to get drivers' blood boiling. And with the light punishment Edwards got for his actions in Atlanta, NASCAR has to be prepared for the possibility of something similar this week, particularly since Keselowski has had run-ins on this track before.

For a more extensive preview of this race, click here to download a PDF from Yahoo Sports. For a long-delayed look at the recent developments in football, read the post below.

Monday, March 15, 2010

Now, Where Were We?

After NASCAR's random week off (and just in case you were wondering, a race is scheduled for Father's Day), it's off to Bristol, and it's time for you, the Internet, to pick the lineup for your favorite fantasy racing team.

The new polls are up and will close on Thursday night. The results of the Carl Edwards vs. Brad Keselowski poll are below. We'll be back tomorrow with some facts about the race.

[polldaddy poll=2814368]