Fearless Predictions - Martinsville

It's not Sunday yet. At least, it's not Sunday yet in most of the United States. It's already Sunday evening in China, even though they don't have Faith Hill to inform them of that. But even if it's not Sunday where you are, you can still look forward to Sunday with the help of these predictions for the top 10 finishers in NASCAR's Chase race at Martinsville Speedway. Last week's predictions finished a paltry 1-3, leaving us with a season record of 43-77.

One from the front: Thanks to Saturday afternoon's washout, this week's starting order is being set by driver points. That means Kevin Harvick gets to start in fifth place. He always seems to drive better when he's absolutely ticked off at somebody. And it was awfully nice of Greg Biffle to step into that role for him this week.

One from the back: You won't find someone in this week's bottom 10 with a top 10 finish this season. But Travis Kvapil is probably the next best thing for our purposes. First, he's currently in 35th place (the last spot guaranteed a spot in every race), so he's motivated not to start and park and surrender that spot. Second, he has a name that's fun to try to say out loud. For those of you keeping score at home, it's pronounced KWAH-pul, according to this site.

Two from the middle: Denny Hamlin sits in 11th place and won the truck race that NASCAR was able to run in Martinsville on Saturday after it couldn't run its qualifying session. Oh, and the Virginia native has won four Sprint Cup races at Martinsville. Yeah, there's always that.

If you're nervous about Clint Bowyer having the 13th spot, don't be. It means he's got the highest point total among non-Chase drivers. He has momentum from last week's win at Talladega. And he has a new team owner to impress. (Maybe he can wear the dog suit in those commercials.)

Remember to get your votes in on the People's Pigskin lineup. The polls will close later tonight. Thanks. We'll be back with the results.

Fearless Predictions - New Hampshire

Like Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon, the predictions have been fighting their way back into the realm of respectability. For those of you just joining us, these forecasts tell you which Sprint Cup drivers will finish in the top 10 every week. Last week's predictions went 3-1, lifting our season record to 37-63. Now, let's see how high we can lift that record between now and Homestead.
One from the front: He's ineligible for the People's Pitstop lineup, since he's already started for us nine times, but that doesn't mean we can't benefit somehow from Ryan Newman. He won the last time NASCAR was in New Hampshire, and he starts from the pole for this race.
One from the back: The bottom 10 is the usual driver wasteland, so we'll pick Mike Bliss again. He's starting 40th, but he finished in 25th place last week. That means he's trying to get to the front.
Two from the middle: Many of the drivers we could pick from the middle are already in the People's Pitstop lineup this week. One driver who isn't is Tony Stewart, who starts 20th. He won last week and finished 2nd the last time we were in New Hampshire. If he is a legitimate contender for the Sprint Cup, he'll demonstrate it this week.
For the final pick, we're going to reach deep into the starting order (and the point standings) for Denny Hamlin. He starts 28th, but he can't stay there if he wants to make a run at the Sprint Cup. Fortunately, this is a track that has treated him well. He won at New Hampshire in 2007 and finished in the top five there in the summer.
We'll be back with the results of our fantasy football lineup polls. They are still taking votes for a little bit longer. Get your votes in now.

Fearless Predictions - Atlanta

Today's post could be called a hybrid, since it covered both fantasy football and NASCAR.
Let's take care of the football news first. You, the Internet, were kind enough to vote in our polls about the People's Pigskin and which players it should target first in Monday night's People's League draft. You decided that we should target Larry Fitzgerald as our primary wide receiver (OK, as long as we don't have to pay him) and Jason Witten as our tight end. Those are the players we will try to pick up for those positions.
Now, we turn our attention to NASCAR. The Sprint Cup drivers will spend their Sunday night taking on Atlanta Motor Speedway, and the people who bring you the People's Pitstop will spend it hoping the drivers we pick for the top 10 don't make us look like clowns. Last week's forecasts went 2-2, lifting our season record to 29-59. All in all, it's still been a better season than Jerry Lewis is having.
One from the front: It probably wouldn't shock you to learn that Jeff Gordon has won four Sprint Cup races at Atlanta. It also probably won't shock you to learn that he's finished in the top 10 in four of the last five races. Given all this, it probably shouldn't shock you that Gordon starts tonight in 5th place.
One from the back: The pickings in the back 10 are particularly meager for this race. If hard pressed, we'll go with Dave Blaney, who starts 35th tonight and sits highest among the bottom 10 drivers in point standings (30th).
Two from the middle: Brad Keselowski did not qualify well enough (14th) to earn a starting spot this week, but a busted oil pan has been his team's only misstep since the Road America test. Keselowski has finished in the top 10 in the last five races, including two that he won outright.
Right in front of him tonight, in the 13th starting spot, we find Denny Hamlin. He currently holds the final wild card spot, but he probably would prefer one of the top 10 automatic qualifying spots. And he got a top 10 finish last week at Bristol.
Enjoy the race (and the telethon), everybody. We'll be back with results and new polls.

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.

Fearless Predictions - Watkins Glen

It's raining today in the Northeast, but optimistic NASCAR fans will tell you the sun will shine just long enough on Watkins Glen to get Sunday's Sprint Cup race run. That means it is worth our while to predict some drivers who will finish in the top 10. Last week's forecasts went 2-2, raising our season record to 24-52.
The pessimist probably has stopped reading this post already. So we don't have to worry about the pessimists for the rest of this post. (Whew.)
One from the front: It's hard to ignore these facts. Juan Pablo Montoya has two Sprint Cup wins under his belt. Both of them have come on road courses. Montoya won the Watkins Glen race last year. He starts fifth today. This week, we'll ignore the fact that he is having a hard time making friends in NASCAR.
One from the back: How on earth did Denny Hamlin qualify 42nd for this race? Did he do it just to make our bottom 10 pick simple? If so, we'll take it. He has four top 10 finishes on this track, including a second place finish in 2007. And it was just last year when people were saying he had a chance to dethrone Jimmie Johnson.
Two from the middle: Every year, a few road course specialists (or ringers) show up at Sonoma and Watkins Glen to show the regular Sprint Cup drivers how to turn right. One of them is Boris Said, who is known as much for his hair and he is for his driving. He starts 15th tonight and is quite comfortable with hairpin turns.
Jeff Gordon isn't a specialist, but he would be able to make a great living at it. He has four wins on this track. He also has top 10 finishes three of the last five races this season. He starts 17th this week and is always a good bet to find the front.
Enjoy the race, everybody, and think sunshine. (They are in upstate New York, after all.) We'll be back with the results, whenever they're available.

Fearless Predictions - Indianapolis

It's a good day to be a racing fan. The NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers bring their act to one of the world's most famous tracks, Indianapolis Motor Speedway. And the People's Pitstop has a good chance to retake the lead in the 9beersfantasysportstavern standings.
All you need now to round out your Sunday is a dose of predictions about which drivers will finish in the top 10. Our most recent forecasts (two weeks ago, back when the National Football League still had its head up its rectum) went 2-2, leaving us with a season record of 22-46.
One from the front: The numbers are trending in Kurt Busch's favor. He has finished in the top 10 in three of the last four Sprint Cup races. He currently sits third in driver points -- only 11 behind leader Carl Edwards. And he starts fourth this week, making him the top driver not starting for the People's Pitstop.
One from the back: The statistics for this week's bottom 10 starters are almost as sad as the attendance forecasts for this race. Almost by default, we're going with David Gilliland, who starts 37th and does have a pair of top 10 finishes this season, including a third-place finish at the Daytona 500.
Two from the middle: Denny Hamlin, who starts 14th, is a good pick for several reasons. For one thing, he finished third in our last race at New Hampshire. For another thing, he sits in 10th place in points, and he probably doesn't want to take his chances with a wild card. Staying in the top 10 would allow him not to worry about whether one win is going to be enough to secure the last Chase spot.
And since we're in Indianapolis, we have to give our final selection spot to Casey Mears. After all, the Mears family has a pretty strong history on this track. (Admittedly, Mears made this pick easier by qualifying 11th.)
Enjoy ESPN's first race of this Sprint Cup season. We'll be back with the results.

Fearless Predictions - New Hampshire

TNT has its season finale today as the NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers take on New Hampshire Motor Speedway. (For some, this will be a good thing.) The People's Pitstop isn't at the finish line yet, so we have time to take back first place in the 9beersfantasysportstavern league. We also have time to improve our record for predicting which drivers will finish in the top 10. Last week's forecasts went 2-2, leaving us with a season record of 20-44.
One from the front: Tony Stewart has all the ingredients for a strong pick. He qualified 2nd, behind only polesitter Ryan Newman (who, thanks to you, the Internet, is in our starting lineup). Stewart also has two wins on this track, and he finished second at this race last year. Finally, he sits 11th in driver points but does not have a win that would help him secure a wild card Chase spot, if necessary.
One from the back: The pickings aren't all that promising this week in the bottom 10. We'll go with Joe Nemechek, who starts 35th today and won on this track back in 1999. In fact, the victory was the first of Nemechek's career, making him one of five drivers to get his first Sprint Cup win on this track.
Two from the middle: Even if he is starting in 19th place this week, it's hard to bet against Kyle Busch these days. He leads the Sprint Cup series in driver points, and his Nationwide win on this track Saturday was the 100th of his NASCAR career.
Denny Hamlin starts in 14th place at this race, but he knows how to get to the front in New Hampshire. He finished 2nd in the fall race last year, and he beat Jeff Gordon in 2007 in the closest finish in this track's history.
Enjoy the race. We'll be back with the results.

Fearless Predictions - Sonoma

Thanks to the later start time (and thank goodness we don't imitiate the Chinese in this regard) we at the People's Pitstop have had a few extra hours to consider the predictions for top 10 finishers for this week's NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Sonoma's Infineon Raceway. We'll need all the help we can get with these picks. Last week's forecasts went 0 for 4, lowering our season record to 16-36.
One from the front: There is a phrase in sports betting: "Ride the hot hand." In this case, that hand can be found on the arm of Denny Hamlin, who starts 4th in this race. He won last week's race at Michigan and has top 10 finishes in three of his last four points races.
One from the back: David Ragan may be starting 34th this week, but there's a reason he's been one of the most frequent starters so far this season for the People's Pitstop. He has four top 10 finishes under his belt this season, including a career-best runner-up finish in the Coca-Cola 600.
Two from the middle: Our first selection from this category starts 17th in this race but has won on this track before. In fact, that win was the first of his Sprint Cup career. It's Juan Pablo Montoya, who may be getting an extension soon from his team.
The other selection starts 20th in this race but has two wins on this track, to go with his two Cup titles. Tony Stewart could use a win Sunday to ease his mind. Last week he fell out of the top 10 in points, and he probably does not want to take his chances with the "wild card" rules.
Enjoy today's road race. We'll be back with results.

Random Thoughts from the Pit

On Thursday night, as part of its All-Star Weekend, NASCAR held its annual Pit Crew Challenge in Charlotte. This gave the folks who hoist the jacks and haul the tires and all those things a chance to shine on their own, instead of getting blamed for their driver's woes.
The most interesting aspect of the evening, by far, was learning how many of the pit crew members are former athletes. Once upon a time, the pit crews were people who had been working on cars since they could walk. (Think Tiger Woods with an air wrench.) Nowadays, the crews seem to be made of people who already had the athletic ability to haul rear end in the pit and now are being trained how to do mechanical stuff. One gas can man played running back for Appalachian State. A few of the jackmen had played lineman for colleges in and around North Carolina. One member of Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s crew is a former professional wrestler, and he seemed to play that role when Speed TV interviewed him.
One wonders if these crew members could have beaten the Carolina Panthers this season.
Back to the contest, which was designed to showcase what these people do week after week. However, in showcasing them, the people running this event also seemed to diminish what they do.
The crews went head to head--sort of. Jackmen worked on one car, while the front tire changers and carriers worked on a second, rear tire changers and carriers worked on a third, and the gas men (two gas men per crew, plus a supporter, despite the recent NASCAR rule change in that area) worked on a fourth. After they were finished with their individual work, the crew members congregated at a fifth vehicle and pushed it to the finish line. The fastest crew, after accounting for penalties, advanced.
Did anyone else watching this think the crew members should all have been working on the same car, the way they do in a typical race? After all, one of the hardest parts of their job has to be staying out of one another's way long enough to finish a pit stop. That's one reason you have occasional incidents like this.
Anyway, Denny Hamlin's crew won the contest. In addition to their cash reward, that crew got their choice of pit for Saturday's All-Star Race. Speaking of which, the polls for that race are still open. Remember that each driver who gets a vote in that poll will get a Fan Vote from the People's Pitstop. The driver who gets the most votes in our poll will get an extra vote. Get your vote in now. We'll be back with the results.

Fearless Predictions - Richmond

NASCAR has decided that Saturday night's all right for racing, and we at the People's Pitstop are getting ready with the site's official beverage and a new set of predictions.
The forecasts (for four drivers who will finish in the top 10) are finally showing signs of life. They went 3-1 at the Talladega drag race, raising our season record to an almost-respectable 7-17. Let's keep the ball rolling.
One from the front: This pick worked last week, and he managed to qualify in the top 10 again. Jeff Gordon has a strong track record at Richmond International Raceway, including two victories. And his car is finding its way to the front; he has three finishes in the top 10 so far this season, and he starts sixth on Saturday.
One from the back: Another odd name pops up in the back 10. His name is Kurt Busch, and when he's not selling gasoline, he's putting up top 10 finishes (five of them this season). But he only qualified 36th at Richmond, a track where he has won before. He won't stay in the back for long.
Two from the middle: Maybe Denny Hamlin needs to tear up his knee again. Or maybe he just needed to return to Richmond. He qualified 11th for Saturday night's race, but he's won two races here in two days. This should be where the turnaround starts for him.
Our other pick is Dale Earnhardt Jr., who may be known for his work on restrictor plate tracks but actually has three victories at Richmond and currently sits in third place in driver points.
Enjoy the race, everybody. We'll be back with results and some fresh lineup polls.

Fearless Predictions - Texas

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

The Climb Continues

This week's NASCAR Sprint Cup race could have gone much better for the People's Pitstop, but we'll take what we got.
What the Internet's favorite fantasy racing team got was 255 points at Martinsville Speedway. The season total is now 1,568, and we moved up one spot, to fifth place, in the highly competitive 9beersfantasysportstavern group on Yahoo Sports. And here's how we did it.
Denny Hamlin: Started 5th, finished 12th, 89 laps led and 78 fantasy points. Hamlin surprised even the experts by having to pit early and being less than his usually dominant self in Martinsville.
A.J. Allmendinger: Started 6th, finished 14th, 6 laps led and 74 fantasy points. Mr. Allmendinger was one of only two Ford drivers to lead this race. Maybe they should fetch some of the cars they lent to American Idol.
David Ragan: Started 14th, finished 8th and 76 fantasy points. Ironically, the People's Pitstop's only top 10 starting driver at the finish was also the only one who did not lead a lap.
And yes, we've saved the worst for last.
Kasey Kahne: Started 3rd, finished 39th (281 laps behind the leaders), 1 lap led and 27 fantasy points. To the long list of things you never want to hear about your NASCAR driver, you can add this gem from Mike Joy: "That might be the hardest hit I've ever seen at this small a race track."
Everybody walked away, though, and now they can walk (or fly, really) to Fort Worth for a Saturday night shootout at Texas Motor Speedway. The lineup polls for the People's Pitstop are now open, but they will close Thursday night, so we can submit a roster in time for Friday's qualifying session. Please vote now. We'll be back.
(Oh, and by the way, here are the results for the Final Four poll. Apparently, the people who read this poll are not into underdogs.)
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The People's Choice - Martinsville

We're back from our sojourn in Las Vegas. We'd like to tell you all about the ultimate margaritas, the Michael Jackson impersonator, the world's dumbest roulette player, the 70 beers, the roller coaster, the lions and the man lying unconscious on the Strip, but what happens there stays there. (Really, it's in the contract.)
It's back to work for the People's Pitstop, but you, the Internet, did not take this week off. You came out and selected a lineup for Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Martinsville Speedway. Here are your results.
A List. You must have seen something in Jimmie Johnson's near-win last week in Fontana. The five-time defending Sprint Cup champion won this poll, followed by Denny Hamlin.
B List: This race was a lot closer. Three drivers (Juan Pablo Montoya, Martin Truex Jr. and Kasey Kahne) tied for first place, while A.J. Allmendinger came in fourth. Good thing we have four spots -- two starting and two bench -- to give them.
C List: Only two drivers received votes in this poll. One of them, surprise, surprise, was Paul Menard. The other was David Ragan. You know the drill by now. Whoever qualifies better will start. The other one will sit.
Thanks again for voting. The results appear below, and a new poll about college basketball's big event is available for voting. We will update this post after the qualifying session.
UPDATED 2 P.M. Kahne has spent a lot of time on our bench this season. Not this week; he qualified 3rd and earned the People's Pitstop 3 bonus points. The other starters are Hamlin (5th), Allmendinger (6th) and Ragan (14th). That's right; Paul Menard, who qualified 16th, finally gets a seat on the bench.
We'll be back with a fresh set of predictions.
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An Unexpected Timeout

Because of a family emergency, updates of this blog will be sporadic at best over the next few days. For now, let's just give you the starting lineup for the People's Pitstop for NASCAR's Sunday season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

A List: Another poll, another tie settle by a qualifying session. This one gives us Carl Edwards (who qualified 2nd) starting over Denny Hamlin (who qualified 37th).

B List: Three drivers tied for the right to vie for two starting spots. Jamie McMurray (3rd) and Clint Bowyer (17th) will start, while Joey Logano (19th) will join David Reutimann on the bench.

C List: Even here, we had a tie. The qualifying session gives Regan Smith (10th) the nod over Scott Speed (41st).

The poll results appear below. And you still have time to vote on the People's Pigskin lineup for this weekend's People's League clash with the Hudson Valley Hawks. Please vote now, and thanks in advance for your patience.

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Monday Morning Crew Chief (and Football Update)

First, the fantasy football update: The People's Pigskin will go into the Monday night game with a 113-80 lead over the NFL2K10 RedZone. The RedZone does have David Akers starting tonight, and strange things are still possible in this game.

Speaking of which, it's time to review the People's Pitstop's performance on Sunday. The Internet's favorite fantasy NASCAR team scored only 222 points during the Sprint Cup race at Phoenix International Raceway. That leaves us with a season total of 9,111, putting us in 84,668th place overall on Yahoo Sports and dropping us another nine spots, to 116th, in the Fans of From the Marbles league.

How did our starting drivers fare?

Denny Hamlin: Started 17th, finished 12th, 190 laps led and 88 fantasy points. How can you lead more than half the laps in a race (and garner the 20-point bonus for doing so) without finishing in the top 10? By losing a fuel-related gamble late in the race. Hamlin is still the leader in the Chase for the Sprint Cup, but only by 15 points.

Jamie McMurray: Started 5th, finished 10th and 72 fantasy points. McMurray's biggest splash, so to speak, came early in the race when he hit the outside wall and, while trying to save his car, tossed a water bottle that hit Jimmie Johnson's car. The move earned McMurray a one-lap penalty from NASCAR and a Wazzup from Dave Grayson of SpeedwayMedia.com.

David Reutimann: Started 6th, finished 26th (2 laps behind the leaders) and 40 fantasy points. Reutimann's chart for this race looks strangely like the one for Pets.com stock.

Scott Speed: Started 27th, finished 35th (5 laps behind the leaders) and 22 fantasy points. Speed was lumped into the fifth of Tom Bowles' "Five things we learned" article for SI.com:

"For people in need of potential sponsorship, the invisibility" of Speed and a handful of other drivers/teams was troubling Sunday. All of these drivers and teams in need of sponsorship and a ride for 2011 didn't do themselves any favors with Fortune 500 companies and potential new owners already hesitant to invest."

If the Pitstop is going to achieve its goal of finishing in the top 100 in that league, it will have to pass 16 other teams this week in NASCAR's season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Therefore, we will need your help one more time. The NASCAR lineup polls are now open and will close as usual on Thursday night. Please vote now.

We'll be back with the full fantasy football results.

The People's Choice - Phoenix

NASCAR rolls into Arizona this week for the second-to-last race of the season, and thanks to you, the Internet, the People's Pitstop is prepared with a lineup. Here are your contenders.

A List: Two drivers tied for the top spot in this poll. Jeff Gordon and current points leader Denny Hamlin will break their tie Friday during the qualifying session.

B List: This poll is even tighter than the one for the A List spot. We had four drivers at the top here. They are Jamie McMurray, Clint Bowyer, David Reutimann and Kasey Kahne. Fortunately, they can't tie for qualifying spots, so we'll know soon enough who starts and who watches from the bench.

C List: Here, we have a winner. We also have a problem. That's because Reed Sorenson took the most votes but is not fielding a car for this week's Sprint Cup race. Instead, the starting spot will go to the runner-up, Scott Speed, while the bench spot will go to the third-place finisher, Regan Smith. It's just like the Miss American pageant, only without the nude photos.

Anyway, thanks for voting. The results appear below, and the football polls remain open. If you haven't voted on them, please do so now.

We'll update this post after the qualifying session.

UPDATED 8:30 P.M. Hamlin, who qualified 17th, got the A List starting spot over Gordon, who qualified 22nd. In the B List competition, McMurray (5th) and Reutimann (6th) beat out Bowyer (14th) and Kahne (25th).

We'll be back with the weekly predictions.

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The People's Choice - Texas

As we get ready for another weekend, the NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers are preparing for Sunday's race at Texas Motor Speedway. And the People's Pitstop will be there with a lineup thanks to you, the Internet. Here are your choices.

A List. With 2 of the 10 drivers on this list now officially ineligible for the Internet's favorite fantasy NASCAR team, the pickings got a little slimmer. Maybe that's why you put Jeff Gordon and Denny Hamlin in a dead heat. They will compete during the qualifying session for a spot in the starting lineup.

B List. This poll produced one clear-cut winner: Jamie McMurray, who will start for us. But it also produced a tie for the second spot. Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Clint Bowyer will battle it out in qualifying. The loser will join David Reutimann on the bench.

C List. This will be the fantasy racing swan song for Sam Hornish Jr., who will start for the final time this season. Scott Speed gets the bench slot.

Thanks for voting. The results appear below. And while you're here, feel free to vote on the People's Pigskin lineup for this weekend's fantasy football match with the Fighting Amish.

We'll update this post after the qualifying session.

UPDATED 9:30 P.M. Gordon qualified 15th and will start over Hamlin, who qualified 30th. And Bowyer, who qualified 7th, will get the other starting spot over Earnhardt, who qualified 22nd.

We'll be back with our weekly fearless predictions.

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A Merry Time in Martinsville

We'll update the football happenings in a post Monday. But for now, it's time to celebrate a great rebound for the People's Pitstop. The Internet's favorite fantasy NASCAR team piled up 326 points at Sunday's race at Martinsville Speedway. Our season total is 8,506, good enough for 61,199th overall on Yahoo Sports and lifting us 13 spots, to 83rd, in the Fans of From the Marbles league. Amazingly, at a track where you can go a lap down by sneezing, all four of our drivers finished on the lead lap.

Here's how we got where we are.

Denny Hamlin: Started 1st, finished 1st, 40 laps led and 110 fantasy points. Days don't get much better than Hamlin's. He's now within 6 points of Jimmie Johnson in the Chase for the Sprint Cup.

Joey Logano: Started 22nd, finished 6th and 80 fantasy points. All that was missing from Logano's day was the chance to lead a lap.

Jamie McMurray: Started 9th, finished 11th and 70 fantasy points. No word as of yet about whether McMurray gets to keep the title of NASCAR's most exciting driver.

Paul Menard: Started 12th, finished 13th and 66 fantasy points. Menard finishes his season for us with a surprisingly strong record for a C List driver. If he can avoid being swallowed whole by the mess at Richard Petty Motorspots, he should find himself on a different fantasy racing list next year.

The polls for next week's race will go up Monday. In the meantime, enjoy the Sunday night game. You, the Internet, have earned it.

The People's Choice - Martinsville

Yet another week has come and gone, and it's time once again to thank you, the Internet, for selecting the People's Pitstop lineup for Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Martinsville Speedway. Here are your selections.

A List. It really wouldn't be the People's Pitstop if we didn't have at least one tie. This one was between two teammates: Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch. Once again, we will use the qualifying session to break this tie, so stay tuned.

B List. This poll produced some more clear-cut results. Our winner is Jamie McMurray, and our runner-up is Joey Logano. Both drivers will start, while Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kasey Kahne will watch the proceedings from the bench.

C List. This week, we will say farewell to yet another driver. Paul Menard will start his last race of the season. Try to contain your tears. Our old friend Sam Hornish Jr. will sit on the bench.

Thanks again for voting on this lineup, and if you haven't done so already, please cast your votes for the People's Pigskin lineup for its fantasy football matchup against Team Z. Those polls will close Sunday morning, while the poll on the worst NFL team will close Saturday. The results of the NASCAR polls appear below. We'll update this post after the qualifying session.

UPDATED 4:30 P.M. Qualifying just wrapped up, and Hamlin just wrapped up a 10-point bonus by winning the pole. He earned a starting spot alongside McMurray (who qualified 9th), Menard (12th) and Logano (22nd).

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The People's Facts - Tums Fast Relief 500

Fantasy NASCAR fans have until Thursday night to vote on the People's Pitstop lineup for this week's Sprint Cup race. To help you make your decisions about the Internet's favorite fantasy racing team, here is some information about this week's track.

Track basics: NASCAR returns to one of its most historic tracks, Martinsville Speedway. The half-mile Virginia track has been called a lot of things, including "the Paperclip." One thing it's never been called is easy, especially on the brakes.

Last time we were here: The March race at Martinsville was postponed until Monday because of rain. In that race, Denny Hamlin made a late surge to win for the second straight week. The People's Pitstop scored only 226 points, one of the worst totals of the season (until last week, anyway). Our best performer was Jimmie Johnson, who finished 9th.

Other recent winners: Hamlin (fall 2009), Johnson (2008), Johnson again (2007).

Who wins here a lot: Jeff Gordon leads active NASCAR drivers with 7 victories on this track, followed by Johnson (6) and Hamlin (3).

This malaise brought to you by: Some weeks, NASCAR seems to pick the race sponsor by sticking their hand in a hat. And then there are the Martinsville races. The March race was sponsored by a headache remedy. This week's race is sponsored by an antacid. Coincidence?

If you'd like to learn more about this race, click here to download the Yahoo Sports guide. And then vote on the polls on the right side of this page.

We'll be back with some fantasy football thoughts.