Fearless Predictions - Texas

Things you won't see anytime soon include Ron Hornaday inviting Kyle Busch over for Thanksgiving dinner anyone recommending these NASCAR predictions for anything other than "entertainment purposes." Last week's forecasts went 2-2, leaving us with a season record of 45-79. But let's see which NASCAR drivers you should expect to see in the top 10 on Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway.

One from the front: Everyone has been talking about Tony Stewart's victory last week, and rightly so. But you shouldn't forget that Carl Edwards remains the points leader. He starts in 7th place this week in Texas, where he has won three times in his Sprint Cup career.

One from the back: The usual suspects are occupying the back 10 spaces this week, so we'll go back to last week's selection, Travis Kvapil, who starts 41st. For the reasons behind this decision, see last week's predictions.

Two from the middle: Time for a trivia question: Who got his first Sprint Cup victory in a 2000 race at Texas Motor Speedway? The answer: Dale Earnhardt Jr., who finished 9th in the April race here and starts in the 16th spot on Sunday.

For our final pick, we at the People's Pitstop would like to recognize Mark Martin. Sure, he's starting 30th on Sunday, but he has four top-six finishes in his last five races on this track. And he'll get more opportunities here, now that he's agreed to drive for Michael Waltrip Racing. I wonder if they've warned Martin not to touch whatever is being put in the engines over there.

There are still a few hours for you to get some votes in on the People's Pigskin lineup. Your votes will determine who starts this week for the Internet's favorite fantasy football team against the Arcadia Roses. Thanks. We'll be back with the results.

This Season's Not Over Yet

Martinsville Speedway may be one of the shortest tracks on the NASCAR circuit, but it's big enough to alter the Chase race as well as the fate of the People's Pitstop.

The Internet's favorite fantasy NASCAR team scored 260 points during Sunday's Chase race at Martinsville. Our season total of 8,655 lifted us into a tie for fourth place in the 9beersfantasysportstavern league with SteelerFan4Tony.

As we start dreaming of a top three finish, let's look as this week's results.

Kyle Busch: Started 6th, finished 27th (7 laps behind the leaders), 126 laps led and 58 fantasy points. It just goes to show that one tire flying off your car can ruin your whole day.

Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Started 9th, finished 7th and 78 fantasy points. That was Earnhardt's ninth and final start for the People's Pitstop this season. In his nine starts, he had an average finish of 15.7 and an average score of 66.3. Strangely, Talladega Superspeedway was the site of his best performance for us (95 points and a 4th-place finish in April) and his worst performance for us (52 points and a 25th-place finish in October). And Earnhardt would probably be the first to tell you that, even though he made the Chase this year, his team is still not where it wants to be. Fortunately, Hendrick Motorsports seems willing to give him another shot in 2012.

Brad Keselowski: Started 3rd, finished 17th and 58 fantasy points. If only Keselowski could have that last restart back.

Regan Smith: Started 26th, finished 13th and 66 fantasy points. It's a truly remarkable finish when you consider that Smith had to overcome the damage he suffered when Dave Blaney got into him early in the race.

That leaves us with three races to make our mark. The next stop is Sunday's race at Texas Motor Speedway. The polls are now open and will stay open through Thursday evening. Get your votes in now.

We'll be back with the fantasy football results.

The People's Choice - Martinsville

In addition to wreaking havoc with football games up and down the East Coast, Saturday's storm of rain and snow washed out the qualifying session for this weekend's Sprint Cup race. However, it did not stop you, the Internet, from voting on the People's Pitstop lineup. Here are the drivers who will represent the Internet's favorite fantasy NASCAR team at Sunday's Chase race at Martinsville Speedway in Virginia.

A List: Somebody must think Jimmie Johnson still has a chance to win a sixth straight Sprint Cup. He won this week's poll over runner-up Kyle Busch. However, with qualifying washed out, the order for this race is set by driver points. Busch (6th) starts one spot ahead of Johnson and will earn a spot in our starting lineup as a result. Let's just hope NASCAR doesn't give out penalties for bad singing.

B List: Because of a computer error, this poll ended quicker than the other two. That might be why we had a four-place tie involving Dale Earnhardt Jr., A.J. Allmendinger, Brad Keselowski and Kasey Kahne. By virture of points, Keselowski (3rd) and Earnhardt (9th) get starts, while Kahne (14th) and Allmendinger (16th) get spots on the bench. This will be Earnhardt's ninth and final start for the People's Pitstop this season. Let's hope he makes the most of it.

C List: To heck with foot injuries, the people said. The winner of this poll was Bobby Labonte. David Gilliland tied for second place with Regan Smith, who gets the roster spot by virtue of the driver point tiebreaker. Speaking of points, Smith (26th) gets the starting nod over Labonte (29th). So much for .

We'll be back later today with predictions for Sunday's NASCAR race. In the meantime, be sure to get those votes in for the fantasy football polls. We need to get the People's Pigskin out of its losing streak, and your votes can help make it happen. Thanks.

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.

Treading Water in Carolina

Under the circumstances, things could have gone worse for the People's Pitstop on Saturday night. They could have gone better, too.

The Internet's favorite fantasy NASCAR team scored only 213 points during the Chase race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Our season total of 8,169 leaves us in fourth place in the 9beersfantasysportstavern league. We are now just over 100 points away from the current leader, Dale Jr Amp National Guard 88. In other words, it's still anybody's race.

Here's how our team's weekend went.

Carl Edwards: Started 3rd, finished 3rd, 1 lap led and 99 fantasy points. Edwards maintained his spot at the top of the point standings, but he probably lost his spot on Kyle Busch's Christmas card list.

Mark Martin: Started 13th, finished 37th (47 laps behind the leaders) and 18 fantasy points. To the growing list of "phrases you never want associated with your fantasy NASCAR driver," you may add "broken wheel hub."

Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Started 15th, finished 19th (1 lap behind the leaders) and 54 fantasy points. Of course, having your driver's name next to the words "frustrate" and "disappoint" in a NASCAR.com story headline is no picnic, either.

Regan Smith: Started 21st, finished 22nd (2 laps behind the leaders) and 42 fantasy points. Smith might have known he had a better car than the results showed, but someone must have forgotten to tell his car that.

Next up for the NASCAR drivers is the fall race at Talladega Superspeedway. Qualifying is scheduled for Saturday, so our lineup polls for the People's Pitstop will close Friday night. Please feel free to get your votes in early. NASCAR has penalties for a lot of things, but voting early in a lineup poll isn't one of them.

We'll be back with the fantasy football results.

The People's Choice - Charlotte

Watching the New York Jets implode under the weight of their own hubris has been fun for the last couple of days. But fortunately, you, the Internet, have been busy making selections for the People's Pitstop. Here are the drivers who will represent the Internet's favorite fantasy NASCAR team during Saturday night's Chase race at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

A List: This week's poll resulted in a tie between Carl Edwards, the current points leader and defending Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson. Thursday evening's qualifying session put Carl Edwards in the 3rd starting spot, six points in front of Johnson and high enough to get the People's Pitstop 3 bonus points.

B List: It's a good thing we have four roster spots for this group of drivers, because we had a four-way tie involving Mark Martin, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Brad Keselowski and Juan Pablo Montoya. Martin (13th) and Earnhardt (15th) will start, while Keselowski (26th) and Montoya (32nd) will watch the proceedings from the bench.

C List: Another poll, another tie. We're starting to look like John Belushi in the disciplinary hearing scene of "Animal House." This tie was between the new usual suspects, Regan Smith and Bobby Labonte. And if there could have been a tie in qualifying, these two drivers probably would have done that, too. As it turns out, Smith (21st) is one spot in front of Labonte and gets the start.

Remember that the fantasy football polls are still open and will remain open until Saturday night. The People's Pigskin needs all the help it can get in getting its season back on track. Please vote now.

We'll be back with our weekly 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.

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.

A NASCAR Playoff Primer

A NASCAR season that started in February has finally reached its post-season. Twelve lucky Sprint Cup drivers will compete over the next 10 weeks (and you thought hockey had a long playoff) for the right to lift the aforementioned cup, which technially isn't a cup, but we'll save that for another post.

The Chase for the Sprint Cup begins Sunday with a race at Chicagoland Motor Speedway. And here's what the makeup of that Chase can teach us.

First of all, we have to answer the question everyone has been asking since NASCAR unveiled yet another change in its scoring procedure: Do wins matter?

Well, in one sense, they don't. Two drivers -- Tony Stewart and Dale Earnhardt Jr. -- made it into this year's Chase without winning a single race. Five other drivers, including the winner of the Darlington race and the winners of both Daytona races, are on the outside looking in. Trevor Bayne (who became ineligible the moment he decided to chase a Nationwide Series title) is the fourth Daytona 500 winner in as many years to fail to make the postseason. Bright side: We may be approaching the day when talking heads stop referring to the Daytona 500 as the Super Bowl of motorsports.

In another sense, wins do matter. At least, they matter more than a stellar regular-season performance. In most sports, the top performer of the regular season would be rewarded in some way for it -- a bye week, home field advantage, etc. In NASCAR, Kyle Busch watched his points lead evaporate the moment Kevin Harvick crossed the finish line first last week in Richmond, equalling Busch's win total for the season (four). Both drivers will start the season with 2,012 points.

And if your Chase spot came via the wild card route, wins don't matter at all. You remember Stewart and Earnhardt, who got into the Chase without a single win? They start the Chase with 2,000 points -- the same number as Brad Keselowski, who won three times this season. Jeff Gordon's three wins are worth nine bonus points. Keselowski's are not.

Some wins are more equal than others.

And if Jimmie Johnson manages to win a sixth straight Sprint Cup, no one will notice that he won only one race during the regular season.

Got all that? Good. Now vote on the polls (fantasy NASCAR and fantasy football) on the right side of the page.

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.

The People's Choice - Michigan

We have reached the end of another week (cause enough for anyone to celebrate), and you, the Internet, have spoken again. You were asked to help the People's Pitstop select a lineup for Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Michigan International Speedway. Here, as promised, are the results.
A List: Welcome to the party, Tony Stewart. This fantasy NASCAR season just hasn't been the same without your milk-stained mug. You finished second to Carl Edwards in this week's voting, but you edged him in qualifying by starting 18th (versus 22nd for Edwards).
B List: No need to ask where the Dale Earnhardt Jr. fans are. Enough of them read this blog to help him win this week's poll. The suddenly popular Brad Keselowski was the runner-up, followed by Joey Logano and A.J. Allmendinger. And that's how they finished in the qualifying session. Earnhardt (6th) and Keselowski (8th) earn starting spots over Logano (23rd) and Allmendinger (29th).
C List: We knew we were probably going to lose a C List racer (who's probably heading for next year's B List) this weekend. It should come as a shock to absolutely no one that David Ragan and Paul Menard tied for the top spot in this week's survey. It also shouldn't be shocking that one of them is starting in the top 10. That would be Ragan, who qualified 7th and will start for the final time this season for the People's Pitstop. Menard qualified 11th and will live to earn fantasy points another day.
Thanks again for voting, and don't forget about our fantasy quarterback poll, which is still open. We'll be back with some predictions for this week's race.

The Last Time We Were in Michigan

If it seems as if the NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers were just at Michigan International Speedway, it's because they were there two months ago. But that doesn't stop them from coming back for a double dose of the two-mile oval.
In case you were wondering, here's what happened on this track not so long ago. A late crash by Dale Earnhardt Jr. (with teammate Mark Martin, no less) brought out a late caution. Denny Hamlin won the race off pit road and held on to win his first race of the season, holding off the late-charging Matt Kenseth in the process.
As for the People's Pitstop, it managed to score only 258 points. That's because both Jimmie Johnson and Kasey Kahne finished the race a lap down. The score was OK, but it was nothing to write home about.
Will we do better the second time around. That's up to you, the Internet. You have a couple of hours to get your votes in for our lineup. Those polls will close tonight, while the fantasy football quarterback poll will stay up through Saturday. Feel free to vote in all of them.
We'll be back with the lineup results.

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.

The Last Time We Visited Daytona

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

Fearless Predictions - Michigan

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

The Man in Blue on the Man in Black

Most people know Michael Waltrip for some combination of the following things.

• Being the baby brother of a former NASCAR Winston Cup champion.
• Hamming it up on Showtime and during TV commercials.
• Having rocket fuel (or something) show up in one of the first Sprint Cup cars he fielded as an owner.
• Winning the Daytona 500--his first points victory as a Sprint Cup driver--on the day Dale Earnhardt died blocking for him.

Now we can add another line to Michael's resume: author.
Claiming that "Nobody could tell the story" of the day Earnhardt died "like I could," the younger Waltrip has put out a book called "In the Blink of an Eye," written with the help of Ellis Henican.
Truth be told, though, this book focuses more on Michael Waltrip's career than anything else. To be fair, that is a story no one can tell quite like he can, since he was the one who lived it. We learn, for example, that Darrell Waltrip tried to discourage his brother from getting into racing. ("All you're gonna do is waste a lot of your time and other people's money.")
There are some parts of the book that discuss Earnhardt, who owned the car Waltrip took to Victory Lane that fateful day. For example, we learn that, in the days leading up to that race, Earnhardt laid out the strategy that would get Dale Earnhardt Inc. the checkered flag. Waltrip, Earnhardt and Dale Earnhardt Jr. would work their way to the front, slowly but surely. "Whichever of us gets to the front," Waltrip quotes Earnhardt Sr. as saying, "at the end we're gonna push and we're gonna make sure that person stays in the front."It was quite prescient; Waltrip and the two Earnhardts were the top three drivers going into that final lap.

But even though nearly 100 pages of this book deal with that day and its immediate aftermath, this still feels more like a Waltrip autobiography than anything else. He may have had a burning desire to tell his story, but it's hard imagining the throngs of Dale Earnhardt fans needing to hear it.

Remember that we will be closing our polls for this week's lineup on Wednesday night. You have until then to help the People's Pitstop pick the drivers who will represent us at Sunday's Coca-Cola 600.

Now, Back to the Races That Count

The Sprint All-Star Race last Saturday night was cool if you are a NASCAR fan, though not if you're the guy who has to fix Carl Edwards' car. (As least we know his crew can afford the parts.)
Dale Earnhardt Jr., one of the recipients of your votes in last week's poll, made it into the main event on the strength of his popularity. (Shocking, isn't it?) Jeff Burton and Marcos Ambrose, the other Sprint Cup drivers who got your votes, fell short in the Sprint Showdown and had to watch the rest of the festivities just like the rest of us.
But said festivities are now in our rear-view mirror.
And we at the People's Pitstop can't spend too much time looking back or planning our Memorial Day barbecue. We have to turn to the longest race on the NASCAR calendar, the Coca-Cola 600 this Sunday at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The qualifying session for this race is Thursday, so our lineup polls will have to close on Wednesday night. Please get your votes in now. We need your help to stay on top of the 9beersfantasysportstavern league.
We'll be back with, of all things, a book review.