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.
Showing posts with label Daytona 500. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Daytona 500. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
The Man in Blue on the Man in Black
Most people know Michael Waltrip for some combination of the following things.
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.
- 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.
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.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
The People's Choice - Daytona 500
We are just minutes away from the season-opening race on the NASCAR Sprint Cup schedule (the Daytona 500, in case you're living under a rock), and the People's Pitstop has the lineup to take the early lead in the 9beersfantasysportstavern group on Yahoo Fantasy Auto Racing. Here are the drivers that you, the Internet, selected.
A List. Jeff Gordon, who will start on the front row of today's Great American Race, edged out Matt Kenseth for the starting spot. This week, we used starting position as a tiebreaker, but next week, we'll start using points, since the lineups will have to be set before qualifying.
B List. On the 10th anniversary of his father's death, Dale Earnhardt Jr. is officially the polesitter (even though a practice crash will send him to the back). He's also one of our starters this week, along with the leading vote getter, Jeff Burton. Martin Truex Jr. and Kasey Kahne (winner of a five-way tie by virtue of starting position) will be on the bench.
C List. This is also the 10th anniversary of Michael Waltrip's first Daytona 500 victory, so it's fitting that he's the starter for this week. His better qualifying position gives him the edge over Paul Menard.
The poll results appear below, and a very simple poll is now available for voting. We'll be back with the results. Until then, enjoy the race.
[polldaddy poll=4582796] [polldaddy poll=4582852] [polldaddy poll=4582815]
Thursday, July 22, 2010
"He Crashed Me" Redux?
Sometimes an unavoidable delay in your plans can prove to be a blessing.
For a couple of weeks, we at the People's Pigskin had planned a post urging NASCAR fans to pick up a copy of He Crashed Me So I Crashed Him Back, Mark Bechtel's authoritative look at the 1979 NASCAR season and how it helped make stock car racing a national phenomenon instead of a regional curiosity.
Yes, I know the People's Pigskin is hardly the first site to praise the book, but there is a fresh point to be made.
Bechtel does chronicle the entire season, including the yearend shootout in Ontario between Darrell Waltrip and Richard Petty. And the book does have some flaws. (Half the "footnotes" could have been incorporated into the main text with minimal effort.) But one of its strongest aspects is its look at the now-famous 1979 Daytona 500.
He describes what would prove a perfect storm for NASCAR: a blizzard that brought most of the eastern United States to a standstill, CBS' eyebrow-raising agreement to televise the race live in its entirety, the last-lap crash between Cale Yarborough and Donnie Allison (allowing Petty to win the race) and the subsequent fistfight between Yarborough and the Allison brothers that was seen by millions, many of whom have been watching stock car racing ever since.
Though no one involved with NASCAR goes so far as to endorse fistfights, lots of people still credit the fight with expanding the sport's audience by an order of magnitude. And none of the participants in that fight have suffered image-wide in the long term as a result.
Which brings us to Carl Edwards and Brad Keselowski.
For the second time this season, Edwards and Keselowski banged heads last week during the Nationwide race at Gateway International Raceway. Keselowski (intentionally or not) collided with Edwards early in the final lap, and Edwards responded by colliding with Keselowski. The second collision allowed Edwards to win the race.
NASCAR has been telling anyone who will listen this season that it is letting its drivers "have at it" on the track, responded to the latest incident by fining Edwards, docking him points and putting both drivers on probation for the rest of the season. Is this the end of "have at it"? Hardly. But you have to wonder what would have happened if NASCAR had responded this way when Allison and Yarborough had their most famous incident.
(A fantasy racing aside: Edwards and Keselowski will remain in the lineup polls as long as they are still driving, but it would take a real leap of faith to vote for these drivers while they seem to be wearing matching targets on their rear quarter panels.)
For a couple of weeks, we at the People's Pigskin had planned a post urging NASCAR fans to pick up a copy of He Crashed Me So I Crashed Him Back, Mark Bechtel's authoritative look at the 1979 NASCAR season and how it helped make stock car racing a national phenomenon instead of a regional curiosity.
Yes, I know the People's Pigskin is hardly the first site to praise the book, but there is a fresh point to be made.
Bechtel does chronicle the entire season, including the yearend shootout in Ontario between Darrell Waltrip and Richard Petty. And the book does have some flaws. (Half the "footnotes" could have been incorporated into the main text with minimal effort.) But one of its strongest aspects is its look at the now-famous 1979 Daytona 500.
He describes what would prove a perfect storm for NASCAR: a blizzard that brought most of the eastern United States to a standstill, CBS' eyebrow-raising agreement to televise the race live in its entirety, the last-lap crash between Cale Yarborough and Donnie Allison (allowing Petty to win the race) and the subsequent fistfight between Yarborough and the Allison brothers that was seen by millions, many of whom have been watching stock car racing ever since.
Though no one involved with NASCAR goes so far as to endorse fistfights, lots of people still credit the fight with expanding the sport's audience by an order of magnitude. And none of the participants in that fight have suffered image-wide in the long term as a result.
Which brings us to Carl Edwards and Brad Keselowski.
For the second time this season, Edwards and Keselowski banged heads last week during the Nationwide race at Gateway International Raceway. Keselowski (intentionally or not) collided with Edwards early in the final lap, and Edwards responded by colliding with Keselowski. The second collision allowed Edwards to win the race.
NASCAR has been telling anyone who will listen this season that it is letting its drivers "have at it" on the track, responded to the latest incident by fining Edwards, docking him points and putting both drivers on probation for the rest of the season. Is this the end of "have at it"? Hardly. But you have to wonder what would have happened if NASCAR had responded this way when Allison and Yarborough had their most famous incident.
(A fantasy racing aside: Edwards and Keselowski will remain in the lineup polls as long as they are still driving, but it would take a real leap of faith to vote for these drivers while they seem to be wearing matching targets on their rear quarter panels.)
Monday, February 15, 2010
The People's Damage Assessment
The drivers in the Daytona 500 weren't the only ones dealing with potholes on Sunday. (And we'll leave aside for the moment the question about how the folks in NASCAR allow a structural problem to affect the biggest race of the season on the most storied track in stock car racing.)
The People's Pitstop racked up a grand total of 236 fantasy points during Sunday's running of the Great American Race. That leaves the Internet's favorite fantasy racing team tied for 129th in the From the Marbles league. Here's the breakdown of our performance.
Jimmy Johnson (A List): Started 3rd, finished 35th (23 laps behind the leaders), 22 fantasy points. Rough starts are nothing new for the four-time defending Sprint Cup champion. But there's never a good time to break an axle.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. (B List): Started 2nd, finished 2nd, led 4 laps, 98 fantasy points. Earnhardt gets the 10 bonus points for leading at least one lap, and he would have won it all if he had one extra lap.
Kevin Harvick (B List): Started 5th, finished 7th, led 41 laps, 98 fantasy points. Harvick got 10 bonus points for leading a lap, plus 10 more bonus points for leading more laps than anyone else. None of it makes up for the fact that under the old "one green-white-checkered attempt only" rules, he would have won the race.
Sam Hornish Jr. (C List): Started 36th, finished 37th (48 laps behind the leaders), 18 fantasy points. Oh, well. These drivers are on the C list for a reason.
(By the way, our bench drivers, including eventual winner Jamie McMurray, scored no points for the People's Pitstop, but they're still eligible for nine starts each.)
Now it's time to turn our sights west to Fontana, California, the site of next Sunday's Auto Club 500. This week, Yahoo will start awarding bonus points for qualifying well. In a related development, Yahoo also will start forcing fantasy players to turn in their lineups before the Friday qualifying session. Therefore, the lineup polls are up now and will close Thursday night. Please vote now.
The People's Pitstop racked up a grand total of 236 fantasy points during Sunday's running of the Great American Race. That leaves the Internet's favorite fantasy racing team tied for 129th in the From the Marbles league. Here's the breakdown of our performance.
Jimmy Johnson (A List): Started 3rd, finished 35th (23 laps behind the leaders), 22 fantasy points. Rough starts are nothing new for the four-time defending Sprint Cup champion. But there's never a good time to break an axle.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. (B List): Started 2nd, finished 2nd, led 4 laps, 98 fantasy points. Earnhardt gets the 10 bonus points for leading at least one lap, and he would have won it all if he had one extra lap.
Kevin Harvick (B List): Started 5th, finished 7th, led 41 laps, 98 fantasy points. Harvick got 10 bonus points for leading a lap, plus 10 more bonus points for leading more laps than anyone else. None of it makes up for the fact that under the old "one green-white-checkered attempt only" rules, he would have won the race.
Sam Hornish Jr. (C List): Started 36th, finished 37th (48 laps behind the leaders), 18 fantasy points. Oh, well. These drivers are on the C list for a reason.
(By the way, our bench drivers, including eventual winner Jamie McMurray, scored no points for the People's Pitstop, but they're still eligible for nine starts each.)
Now it's time to turn our sights west to Fontana, California, the site of next Sunday's Auto Club 500. This week, Yahoo will start awarding bonus points for qualifying well. In a related development, Yahoo also will start forcing fantasy players to turn in their lineups before the Friday qualifying session. Therefore, the lineup polls are up now and will close Thursday night. Please vote now.
Saturday, February 13, 2010
The People's Choice - Daytona
Another NASCAR Sprint Cup season is about to begin, and you, the Internet, have spoken about who gets spots in the People's Pitstop lineup for Sunday's Daytona 500. Here are the results for the Internet's favorite fantasy racing team.
A List. You were asked to pick two drivers, and you selected Jimmie Johnson and Kyle Busch. Since Johnson got more votes, he'll get the starting spot, while Busch will get the bench spot.
B List. Here you were asked to pick four drivers. Your choices: Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kevin Harvick, Kasey Kahne and Jamie McMurray. Earnhardt Jr. and Harvick will get the starting spots. Kahne and McMurray will get the bench spots.
C List. The people of the Internet were asked to vote for two drivers. They chose Sam Hornish Jr. and A.J. Allmendinger. Hornish gets the start, while Allmendinger gets the bench position.
Thanks to all of you for voting. Our new poll is a pretty basic one, but one that needs to be asked: Who do you have winning this season's championship? We'll be back Monday with some results. Until then, enjoy the race, now with reduced gopher. (Carl Spackler will be pleased.) The poll results appear below.
[polldaddy poll=2671501] [polldaddy poll=2671519] [polldaddy poll=2671532] [polldaddy poll=2664722]
A List. You were asked to pick two drivers, and you selected Jimmie Johnson and Kyle Busch. Since Johnson got more votes, he'll get the starting spot, while Busch will get the bench spot.
B List. Here you were asked to pick four drivers. Your choices: Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kevin Harvick, Kasey Kahne and Jamie McMurray. Earnhardt Jr. and Harvick will get the starting spots. Kahne and McMurray will get the bench spots.
C List. The people of the Internet were asked to vote for two drivers. They chose Sam Hornish Jr. and A.J. Allmendinger. Hornish gets the start, while Allmendinger gets the bench position.
Thanks to all of you for voting. Our new poll is a pretty basic one, but one that needs to be asked: Who do you have winning this season's championship? We'll be back Monday with some results. Until then, enjoy the race, now with reduced gopher. (Carl Spackler will be pleased.) The poll results appear below.
[polldaddy poll=2671501] [polldaddy poll=2671519] [polldaddy poll=2671532] [polldaddy poll=2664722]
Friday, February 12, 2010
Random Pre-Daytona Thoughts
There's still time to vote in our polls on who gets into the People's Pitstop lineup for the Daytona 500. The polls will close Saturday night. In the meantime, here are some thoughts to tide over fans of fantasy racing.
Green, white ... oh, wait, start over. NASCAR may be the only body in professional sports that changes its rules in the week before its regular season starts. The latest change involves the "green-white-checkered" format for overtime racing. Instead of giving the drivers only one chance at a "green-white-checkered" finish, NASCAR now will give them up to three chances to get it right.
Drivers and crew chiefs are less than pleased; Jeff Gordon said, "All you're going to do is set yourself up for another wreck. You give us two laps out there under green and we're going to find a way to wreck." Right, like drivers need an excuse to wreck at Daytona.
If it's Wednesday, this must be Showtime. NASCAR has listened to the complaints of folks who said Michael Waltrip wasn't getting nearly enough camera time. This season Showtime will air the weekly show "Inside NASCAR," featuring one talking head (Chris Myers), one reporter (Randy Pemberton), one team owner/former NBA All-Star (Brad Daugherty) and one driver (Waltrip).
Two things struck me as I watched the initial episode Wednesday. First, having no crew chief, active or otherwise, on the set is a bit like having an NFL pregame show without a former coach. Second, given Waltrip's 33rd-place finish in last year's Sprint Cup standings, shouldn't he be spending a little more time working on his cars and a little less time in the television studio (especially if they are going to tape your show in Charlotte while you're qualilfying in Daytona)?
The weekly reminder that we follow fantasy football, too. It's been less than a week since the New Orleans Saints shocked a good portion of the football world by winning the Super Bowl. But that doesn't mean it's too early for fantasy football players to start thinking about their drafts this summer. In fact, the Sporting News has already published rankings to help you decide important things like, say, which receiver you should draft in the fifth round.
We'll be back tomorrow night with results from our polls. Vote now, please.
Green, white ... oh, wait, start over. NASCAR may be the only body in professional sports that changes its rules in the week before its regular season starts. The latest change involves the "green-white-checkered" format for overtime racing. Instead of giving the drivers only one chance at a "green-white-checkered" finish, NASCAR now will give them up to three chances to get it right.
Drivers and crew chiefs are less than pleased; Jeff Gordon said, "All you're going to do is set yourself up for another wreck. You give us two laps out there under green and we're going to find a way to wreck." Right, like drivers need an excuse to wreck at Daytona.
If it's Wednesday, this must be Showtime. NASCAR has listened to the complaints of folks who said Michael Waltrip wasn't getting nearly enough camera time. This season Showtime will air the weekly show "Inside NASCAR," featuring one talking head (Chris Myers), one reporter (Randy Pemberton), one team owner/former NBA All-Star (Brad Daugherty) and one driver (Waltrip).
Two things struck me as I watched the initial episode Wednesday. First, having no crew chief, active or otherwise, on the set is a bit like having an NFL pregame show without a former coach. Second, given Waltrip's 33rd-place finish in last year's Sprint Cup standings, shouldn't he be spending a little more time working on his cars and a little less time in the television studio (especially if they are going to tape your show in Charlotte while you're qualilfying in Daytona)?
The weekly reminder that we follow fantasy football, too. It's been less than a week since the New Orleans Saints shocked a good portion of the football world by winning the Super Bowl. But that doesn't mean it's too early for fantasy football players to start thinking about their drafts this summer. In fact, the Sporting News has already published rankings to help you decide important things like, say, which receiver you should draft in the fifth round.
We'll be back tomorrow night with results from our polls. Vote now, please.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Fearless Predictions - Daytona
Those of you who followed the People's Pigskin during its quest for supremacy in fantasy football will remember the predictions that appeared every week of the NFL season with varying degrees of success. That tradition will continue as the People's Pitstop seeks dominance in fantasy NASCAR.
Each week, this blog will offer a prediction of which drivers will finish in the top 10 of each race. This week we have a forecast for the Daytona 500, whose starting grid was finalized with today's Gatorade Duels. Like the football predictions, these forecasts are for entertainment purposes only. Anyone foolish enough to bet on the basis of them would probably buy this.
1. Jeff Gordon. When it doubt, take a driver who has been there and done that. Gordon has three Daytona 500s under his belt.
2. Tony Stewart. He doesn't have any Daytona 500 wins, but he does have three victories on this track. Oh, and did I mention to two cup championships?
3. Joey Logano. The rookie stripe is off his car, and Logano seems primed to compete for a spot in the Chase this season.
4. Jeff Burton. He's won on this track, and his team needs to rebound from a disappointing 2009. This would be a great way to start.
5. Mark Martin. Your pole-sitter may not have a Daytona 500 win on his resume, but he's got 17 finishes in the top 10 on this track.
6. Jimmie Johnson. Hmmm. Why is Johnson on this list? Is it because of the TV show following him around, or is it because he's won FOUR CUPS IN A ROW? (Sorry, but if a baseball team were on a streak like that, its fans would be shouting from the mountaintops about it.)
7. Kyle Busch. He won't win any Miss Congeniality contests, but he's shown a willingness to put his car anywhere he feels will give him an advantage.
8. Brad Keselowski. Another one making more waves than friends.But he does have a win on a restrictor plate track.
9. Dale Earnhardt Jr. He has the Hendrick Motorsports team behind him. Eventually that has to start counting for something, right?
10. Kasey Kahne. He won his Gatorade Duel today. That victory will put him near the front of the pack to start the race. That improves his chances of avoiding the first big wreck of the day.
We'll be back tomorrow with some more racing-related thoughts. Until then, feel free to vote in this week's polls.
Each week, this blog will offer a prediction of which drivers will finish in the top 10 of each race. This week we have a forecast for the Daytona 500, whose starting grid was finalized with today's Gatorade Duels. Like the football predictions, these forecasts are for entertainment purposes only. Anyone foolish enough to bet on the basis of them would probably buy this.
1. Jeff Gordon. When it doubt, take a driver who has been there and done that. Gordon has three Daytona 500s under his belt.
2. Tony Stewart. He doesn't have any Daytona 500 wins, but he does have three victories on this track. Oh, and did I mention to two cup championships?
3. Joey Logano. The rookie stripe is off his car, and Logano seems primed to compete for a spot in the Chase this season.
4. Jeff Burton. He's won on this track, and his team needs to rebound from a disappointing 2009. This would be a great way to start.
5. Mark Martin. Your pole-sitter may not have a Daytona 500 win on his resume, but he's got 17 finishes in the top 10 on this track.
6. Jimmie Johnson. Hmmm. Why is Johnson on this list? Is it because of the TV show following him around, or is it because he's won FOUR CUPS IN A ROW? (Sorry, but if a baseball team were on a streak like that, its fans would be shouting from the mountaintops about it.)
7. Kyle Busch. He won't win any Miss Congeniality contests, but he's shown a willingness to put his car anywhere he feels will give him an advantage.
8. Brad Keselowski. Another one making more waves than friends.But he does have a win on a restrictor plate track.
9. Dale Earnhardt Jr. He has the Hendrick Motorsports team behind him. Eventually that has to start counting for something, right?
10. Kasey Kahne. He won his Gatorade Duel today. That victory will put him near the front of the pack to start the race. That improves his chances of avoiding the first big wreck of the day.
We'll be back tomorrow with some more racing-related thoughts. Until then, feel free to vote in this week's polls.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Who Wants Some Swag?
Those of you who have been following NASCAR racing for a while know that the folks involved in the sport--racers, racing teams, sponsors, tracks, etc.--love to give away stuff, especially stuff you can wear. The cynical would call it free advertising. Everyone else would call it free stuff.
Anyway, From the Marbles, the fine Yahoo blog hosting the fantasy auto racing league that the People's Pitstop will attempt to dominate, is running a contest. The task: Figure out which 10 cars will finish in front at the Daytona 500, add up their numbers, and give the indomitable Jay Busbee the sum. Yes, math is involved. (Don't tell Barbie.) But first prize is a Dale Earnhardt Jr. jacket. Is that a prize or ... something else? I'll let you decide.
We'll be back tomorrow with some predictions for the Daytona 500.
Anyway, From the Marbles, the fine Yahoo blog hosting the fantasy auto racing league that the People's Pitstop will attempt to dominate, is running a contest. The task: Figure out which 10 cars will finish in front at the Daytona 500, add up their numbers, and give the indomitable Jay Busbee the sum. Yes, math is involved. (Don't tell Barbie.) But first prize is a Dale Earnhardt Jr. jacket. Is that a prize or ... something else? I'll let you decide.
We'll be back tomorrow with some predictions for the Daytona 500.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
The People's Facts: Daytona 500
I do not pretend to be an expert on NASCAR racing. I have neither the resources nor the insights to compete head to head with media outlets like the Charlotte Observer or the Orlando Sentinel or Speed TV or anyone else. However, I do hope to offer a few facts on each week's Sprint Cup Series race. My hope is that offering these basics will persuade you, the Internet, to cast your votes in the weekly polls that will determine the People's Pitstop lineups.
This week, of course, we have the Daytona 500, aka the Great American Race.
Track basics: Daytona International Speedway is one of the largest (a 2.5-mile tri-oval) and fastest tracks on the NASCAR circuit. Last year's winner had an average lap speed of nearly 133 miles per hour. In fact, it's so fast that it's one of two tracks where NASCAR requires cars to use restrictor plates, which tend to bunch the cars together. What happens when fast cars get bunched together in packs? Crashes like this one.
Recent winners: Matt Kenseth (2009), Ryan Newman (2008), Kevin Harvick (2007).
Who wins a lot here: Daytona hosts two NASCAR Sprint Cup races a year, excluding last week's Bud Shootout, the racing equivalent of football's Hall of Fame Game. Jeff Gordon leads active drivers with six wins in points races here, followed by Bill Elliott (four), Tony Stewart (three) and Michael Waltrip (three).
Who may be due: Mark Martin has 17 top 10 finishes at Daytona, including nine finishes in the top five, but has yet to win here. Since NASCAR fans are fond of calling this race their Super Bowl, would that make Martin the equivalent of Jim Kelly (with a cooler haircut)?
Want to know more about each week's race? Post a comment and let me know. In the meantime, feel free to vote in this week's polls.
This week, of course, we have the Daytona 500, aka the Great American Race.
Track basics: Daytona International Speedway is one of the largest (a 2.5-mile tri-oval) and fastest tracks on the NASCAR circuit. Last year's winner had an average lap speed of nearly 133 miles per hour. In fact, it's so fast that it's one of two tracks where NASCAR requires cars to use restrictor plates, which tend to bunch the cars together. What happens when fast cars get bunched together in packs? Crashes like this one.
Recent winners: Matt Kenseth (2009), Ryan Newman (2008), Kevin Harvick (2007).
Who wins a lot here: Daytona hosts two NASCAR Sprint Cup races a year, excluding last week's Bud Shootout, the racing equivalent of football's Hall of Fame Game. Jeff Gordon leads active drivers with six wins in points races here, followed by Bill Elliott (four), Tony Stewart (three) and Michael Waltrip (three).
Who may be due: Mark Martin has 17 top 10 finishes at Daytona, including nine finishes in the top five, but has yet to win here. Since NASCAR fans are fond of calling this race their Super Bowl, would that make Martin the equivalent of Jim Kelly (with a cooler haircut)?
Want to know more about each week's race? Post a comment and let me know. In the meantime, feel free to vote in this week's polls.
Monday, February 8, 2010
Pick the People's Pitstop - Daytona 500
First, a quick update on the fantasy football side. Thanks to the input of you, the Internet, the People's Pigskin finished the NFL Fantasy Playoff Challenge with 477 points. The most valuable player on our team was also the most valuable player of Super Bowl XLIV: Drew Brees, who scored 57 points. The Pigskin ended up tied for 55,478th overall and in 18th place in the 9beersfantasysportstavern league. And we have you to thank.
With the fantasy football completed for the time being, it's time to shift gears (pardon the pun) to fantasy NASCAR. And once again, it's time for you, the Internet, to speak up.
The People's Pigskin will be running the People's Pitstop team in Yahoo! Fantasy Sports Auto Racing. We'll be part of the Fans of From the Marbles league. Our goal: to win by picking a lineup via Internet polling.
Here are some of the rules. (You can learn more by clicking here.) Each week the fantasy players pick a roster of eight drivers for that week's NASCAR Sprint Cup race. It's sort of like a Chinese menu. You can have two drivers from the A List (basically the top 10 drivers from the last season), four drivers from the B List (the 16 next-best drivers in NASCAR), and two drivers from the C List (everyone else). From those drivers, we pick four starters (one from the A List, two from the B List, and one from the C List). The starting drivers score points for the fantasy team according to how well they do in that week's race.
Oh, and one more thing: No driver can start more than nine races for a fantasy team. Once a driver has started his ninth race, he (yes, for the time being, that's still the correct pronoun) is off limits.
In future weeks, there will be points for qualifying well for that week's race. However, this week's race is the Daytona 500, and qualifying for that race -- well, it's complicated. They had a typical qualifying session this past weekend, but only for the front two positions. They went to Mark Martin (one of the drivers on the A List) and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (one of the drivers on the B List). On Thursday, NASCAR will hold a pair of 125-mile races to determine the rest of the grid for Sunday's version of the "Great American Race."
Got it? Good. Cause now it's your turn to vote. The polls are now open. You're voting for two drivers in the first poll, four drivers in the second poll, and two drivers in the third poll. The drivers with the most votes will get the spots in the People's Pitstop lineup. If you want to learn more about the race, you can click here for a Yahoo-written PDF or click here for a RotoSports.com preview. Because I will be on the road Sunday for a Chinese New Year dinner (again, it's complicated), the polls will close on Saturday night. Please vote now. We'll be back later with some more thoughts on the NASCAR season.
With the fantasy football completed for the time being, it's time to shift gears (pardon the pun) to fantasy NASCAR. And once again, it's time for you, the Internet, to speak up.
The People's Pigskin will be running the People's Pitstop team in Yahoo! Fantasy Sports Auto Racing. We'll be part of the Fans of From the Marbles league. Our goal: to win by picking a lineup via Internet polling.
Here are some of the rules. (You can learn more by clicking here.) Each week the fantasy players pick a roster of eight drivers for that week's NASCAR Sprint Cup race. It's sort of like a Chinese menu. You can have two drivers from the A List (basically the top 10 drivers from the last season), four drivers from the B List (the 16 next-best drivers in NASCAR), and two drivers from the C List (everyone else). From those drivers, we pick four starters (one from the A List, two from the B List, and one from the C List). The starting drivers score points for the fantasy team according to how well they do in that week's race.
Oh, and one more thing: No driver can start more than nine races for a fantasy team. Once a driver has started his ninth race, he (yes, for the time being, that's still the correct pronoun) is off limits.
In future weeks, there will be points for qualifying well for that week's race. However, this week's race is the Daytona 500, and qualifying for that race -- well, it's complicated. They had a typical qualifying session this past weekend, but only for the front two positions. They went to Mark Martin (one of the drivers on the A List) and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (one of the drivers on the B List). On Thursday, NASCAR will hold a pair of 125-mile races to determine the rest of the grid for Sunday's version of the "Great American Race."
Got it? Good. Cause now it's your turn to vote. The polls are now open. You're voting for two drivers in the first poll, four drivers in the second poll, and two drivers in the third poll. The drivers with the most votes will get the spots in the People's Pitstop lineup. If you want to learn more about the race, you can click here for a Yahoo-written PDF or click here for a RotoSports.com preview. Because I will be on the road Sunday for a Chinese New Year dinner (again, it's complicated), the polls will close on Saturday night. Please vote now. We'll be back later with some more thoughts on the NASCAR season.
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