To accompany your morning cup of coffee -- or any other beverage you use to start your day -- we at the People's Pigskin are proud to present predictions for NASCAR drivers who will finish in the top 10 in Sunday's race at Kansas Speedway. We are not proud of the quality of these picks so far. Last week's forecasts went 0-4, dropping our season record to 10-30.
One from the front: It's awfully hard to pick against Carl Edwards these days. He's leading the pack in driver points, and he starts this race in 7th place. Also, he considers this his home track. If he can keep enough gas in the tank, he should do well here.
One from the back: How did Marcos Ambrose land in 35th place? No matter; we'll take it. The Tasmanian Devil has finished in the top 10 in the last two points races. (Three if you include the Sprint Showdown.)
Two from the middle: By landing a second Sprint Cup race, Kansas Speedway became even more important for those hoping to lift the cup. And for these picks, we will go with two drivers who have won here twice before and are looking to become the first three-time winner: Tony Stewart, who starts 13th, and Greg Biffle, who starts 14th and won the last time the top NASCAR drivers were here.
Take these picks with as many grains of salt as you wish. And enjoy the race. We'll be back with results.
Showing posts with label Greg Biffle. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Greg Biffle. Show all posts
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Fearless Predictions - Dover
The NASCAR folks may have issues with Mother Nature on Sunday at Dover International Speedway, but the people who bring you this fine Web site should have no trouble getting this week's top 10 driver forecasts to you. Of course, this may not necessarily be a good thing. Last week's predictions went 0-4, lowering our season record to 8-24.
One from the front: You might look at this 2009 Dover video and think that Joey Logano might not be the best candidate for a top 10 finish. But then we would have to remind you that he finished in the top 10 in both races on this track last season. Logano starts fifth this time and should be able to keep his car near the front.
One from the rear: The official starting list may show Kyle Busch in 7th place, but he's being sent to the rear because he had to replace his engine. Still, this is the guy who won the truck race on this track on Friday. He's also the guy who won last year's spring race at Dover.
Two from the middle: It's hard to pick against Carl Edwards these days. He's starting 12th this week, but he won the Nationwide race on Saturday, and he almost won last week's Sprint Cup race at Darlington. Oh, and did we mention he's the points leader?
And then there's Greg Biffle. He's starting 12th today and sits quietly in ninth place in driver points. Unless you looked up his career statistics, you would never guess that he has 10 finishes in the top 10 on this track. (Only Bristol has given him more top 10 finishes.) You also wouldn't guess that he has won here twice; only Homestead-Miami Speedway has sent him to Victory Lane more often.
Enjoy the race, everybody. We'll be back with results.
One from the front: You might look at this 2009 Dover video and think that Joey Logano might not be the best candidate for a top 10 finish. But then we would have to remind you that he finished in the top 10 in both races on this track last season. Logano starts fifth this time and should be able to keep his car near the front.
One from the rear: The official starting list may show Kyle Busch in 7th place, but he's being sent to the rear because he had to replace his engine. Still, this is the guy who won the truck race on this track on Friday. He's also the guy who won last year's spring race at Dover.
Two from the middle: It's hard to pick against Carl Edwards these days. He's starting 12th this week, but he won the Nationwide race on Saturday, and he almost won last week's Sprint Cup race at Darlington. Oh, and did we mention he's the points leader?
And then there's Greg Biffle. He's starting 12th today and sits quietly in ninth place in driver points. Unless you looked up his career statistics, you would never guess that he has 10 finishes in the top 10 on this track. (Only Bristol has given him more top 10 finishes.) You also wouldn't guess that he has won here twice; only Homestead-Miami Speedway has sent him to Victory Lane more often.
Enjoy the race, everybody. We'll be back with results.
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Fearless Predictions - Talladega
NASCAR is mere minutes from dropping the green flag at its biggest oval track, Talladega Superspeedway. The People's Pitstop has an outstanding lineup for this Sprint Cup race. Now all we need to do is improve the predictions for drivers that will finish in the top 10. Last week's predictions improved (if that's the word for it) to 1-3, leaving us with a season record of 4-16. Maybe this is the week we turn things around.
One from the front: Only one driver starting in the top five is eligible for selection. Fortunately, that driver won the pole and has won a record 12 times on restrictor plate tracks. Jeff Gordon may not like how plate races work, but he knows how to do well on them. He'll continue that trend today.
One from the back: We have a surprise driver in the back 10 this week. Kevin Harvick only qualified 38th, but he won on this track last year. He's a good bet to get things done.
Two from the middle: Nothing says "confidence" like getting a contract extension from your car owner and sponsor. Greg Biffle may be starting 17th, but he knows where he's driving in the near future, and that kind of momentum can propel him to the top 10.
Our other pick is Matt Kenseth, who qualified 25th but showed last week that he still knows how to win a race.
Enjoy the race. We'll be back with the results.
One from the front: Only one driver starting in the top five is eligible for selection. Fortunately, that driver won the pole and has won a record 12 times on restrictor plate tracks. Jeff Gordon may not like how plate races work, but he knows how to do well on them. He'll continue that trend today.
One from the back: We have a surprise driver in the back 10 this week. Kevin Harvick only qualified 38th, but he won on this track last year. He's a good bet to get things done.
Two from the middle: Nothing says "confidence" like getting a contract extension from your car owner and sponsor. Greg Biffle may be starting 17th, but he knows where he's driving in the near future, and that kind of momentum can propel him to the top 10.
Our other pick is Matt Kenseth, who qualified 25th but showed last week that he still knows how to win a race.
Enjoy the race. We'll be back with the results.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
The People's Choice - Richmond
Not only do we have the first game of this NFL season in the books, but we have also completed another week of NASCAR voting. You, the Internet, have selected the People's Pitstop lineup for Saturday night's Sprint Cup race at Richmond International Raceway. Here are the results.
A List. We have a tie for the starting spot here. Carl Edwards will battle Greg Biffle for the chance to represent the Internet's favorite fantasy NASCAR team. Once again, the qualifying session will serve as the tiebreaker.
B List. No need for a tiebreaker here. Two clear-cut winners emerged this week. They are Jamie McMurray and Kasey Kahne. They will start, while Clint Bowyer and Ryan Newman will watch from the bench.
C List. This time, we have a three-way tie. A.J. Allmendinger and Scott Speed will battle during the qualifying session for the starting spot. (Sorry, Sam Hornish Jr. fans, but he's too far down the driver points list.)
We'll update this post after the qualifying session. The NASCAR poll results appear below. The fantasy football polls will stay open until Sunday. Feel free to vote on those now.
UPDATED 8:45 P.M. Wow, what a qualifying session! Carl Edwards earned a starting spot (and a 10-point bonus) by winning the freaking pole! A.J. Allmendinger earned the C List spot (and a 3-point bonus) by qualifying 3rd. And even though Clint Bowyer will stay on the bench, he earned us a 1-point bonus by qualifying 4th.
We'll be back with predictions for both the People's League and the final Sprint Cup race before the Chase.
[polldaddy poll=3722579] [polldaddy poll=3722585] [polldaddy poll=3722594]
A List. We have a tie for the starting spot here. Carl Edwards will battle Greg Biffle for the chance to represent the Internet's favorite fantasy NASCAR team. Once again, the qualifying session will serve as the tiebreaker.
B List. No need for a tiebreaker here. Two clear-cut winners emerged this week. They are Jamie McMurray and Kasey Kahne. They will start, while Clint Bowyer and Ryan Newman will watch from the bench.
C List. This time, we have a three-way tie. A.J. Allmendinger and Scott Speed will battle during the qualifying session for the starting spot. (Sorry, Sam Hornish Jr. fans, but he's too far down the driver points list.)
We'll update this post after the qualifying session. The NASCAR poll results appear below. The fantasy football polls will stay open until Sunday. Feel free to vote on those now.
UPDATED 8:45 P.M. Wow, what a qualifying session! Carl Edwards earned a starting spot (and a 10-point bonus) by winning the freaking pole! A.J. Allmendinger earned the C List spot (and a 3-point bonus) by qualifying 3rd. And even though Clint Bowyer will stay on the bench, he earned us a 1-point bonus by qualifying 4th.
We'll be back with predictions for both the People's League and the final Sprint Cup race before the Chase.
[polldaddy poll=3722579] [polldaddy poll=3722585] [polldaddy poll=3722594]
Saturday, May 22, 2010
All-Star Updates
This post will offer occasional updates on tonight's All-Star festivites.
11:17 p.m. EDT The final segment of this race (only 10 laps, officially) took nearly as long to complete as the first one. That's because Kyle Busch wrecked, and then Jimmie Johnson spun out. In the end, Kurt Busch won. As I write these words, Kyle is still waiting to confront his "teammate" Denny Hamlin about the way his race ended. Good thing they won't have to contend with a 600-mile race next week or anything.
10:30 p.m. EDT The third segment is over, and now we have what has to be the most random element in the entire All-Star Race: a 10-minute break. All the teams get 10 minutes to work on their cars (but not to change the tires; at the end of the break, the cars will drive back to pit row for a mandatory four-tire change).
If anyone can explain the logic behind this, I'd love to hear it. After all, they've run a grand total of 90 laps so far, and they're getting ready to run only 10 more. And this is the third break they've had so far tonight.
If you want to put a 10-minute break into a Charlotte race, wouldn't you want to put it into the 600-mile race they'll be running a week from Sunday?
10:04 p.m. EDT The second segment just ended, and over in the Yahoo Sports chat room, we've had ... well, I'm not sure if it's a hoax or something that would have been better suited for another forum:
"10:03 [Comment From thats what she said] JENNY- I know you are on this chat since you texted me right now....i wanted to ask you if you will take my hand in marrige?"
No word yet on whether she said yes. But really, what more could she want from a future husband?
9:44 p.m. EDT The first segment of tonight's four-segment race (and, at 50 laps, the longest one by far) has just concluded. And Darrell Waltrip, in his infinite wisdom, just told the Speed TV viewers that now the exciting part of this race will begin. Thanks, DW. Thanks for telling those of us who turned on our sets in time to watch the start of this race just wasted their time.
8:48 p.m. EDT Well, I'd like to say that your vote in the All-Star poll helped put Jeff Burton over the top and into tonight's main event. Alas, it wasn't meant to be. That spot went instead to Carl Edwards. Uh, oh. One of the drivers who already qualified for the race: Brad Keselowski. Hopefully, they won't get together tonight.
8:13 p.m. EDT The Sprint Showdown has just concluded, with Martin Truex Jr. and Greg Biffle earning spots in the All-Star race. This was preceded by what may be the proudest moment of my race chatting career. The details below. To set the scene, Juan Pablo Montoya had just nearly gotten into two different wrecks by trying to squeeze other drivers off their lines.
"7:45 [Comment From peoplespigskin] Over/under on number of laps until Montoya actually wrecks someone?"
"7:46 Jay Hart: CAUTION"
"7:46 Jay Hart: JPM wrecked."
"7:47 [Comment From Robby Gordon Fan Club] peoplespigskin is a clairvoyant. Does he know tonight's Powerball numbers?"
How can I top that? Stay tuned.
11:17 p.m. EDT The final segment of this race (only 10 laps, officially) took nearly as long to complete as the first one. That's because Kyle Busch wrecked, and then Jimmie Johnson spun out. In the end, Kurt Busch won. As I write these words, Kyle is still waiting to confront his "teammate" Denny Hamlin about the way his race ended. Good thing they won't have to contend with a 600-mile race next week or anything.
10:30 p.m. EDT The third segment is over, and now we have what has to be the most random element in the entire All-Star Race: a 10-minute break. All the teams get 10 minutes to work on their cars (but not to change the tires; at the end of the break, the cars will drive back to pit row for a mandatory four-tire change).
If anyone can explain the logic behind this, I'd love to hear it. After all, they've run a grand total of 90 laps so far, and they're getting ready to run only 10 more. And this is the third break they've had so far tonight.
If you want to put a 10-minute break into a Charlotte race, wouldn't you want to put it into the 600-mile race they'll be running a week from Sunday?
10:04 p.m. EDT The second segment just ended, and over in the Yahoo Sports chat room, we've had ... well, I'm not sure if it's a hoax or something that would have been better suited for another forum:
"10:03 [Comment From thats what she said] JENNY- I know you are on this chat since you texted me right now....i wanted to ask you if you will take my hand in marrige?"
No word yet on whether she said yes. But really, what more could she want from a future husband?
9:44 p.m. EDT The first segment of tonight's four-segment race (and, at 50 laps, the longest one by far) has just concluded. And Darrell Waltrip, in his infinite wisdom, just told the Speed TV viewers that now the exciting part of this race will begin. Thanks, DW. Thanks for telling those of us who turned on our sets in time to watch the start of this race just wasted their time.
8:48 p.m. EDT Well, I'd like to say that your vote in the All-Star poll helped put Jeff Burton over the top and into tonight's main event. Alas, it wasn't meant to be. That spot went instead to Carl Edwards. Uh, oh. One of the drivers who already qualified for the race: Brad Keselowski. Hopefully, they won't get together tonight.
8:13 p.m. EDT The Sprint Showdown has just concluded, with Martin Truex Jr. and Greg Biffle earning spots in the All-Star race. This was preceded by what may be the proudest moment of my race chatting career. The details below. To set the scene, Juan Pablo Montoya had just nearly gotten into two different wrecks by trying to squeeze other drivers off their lines.
"7:45 [Comment From peoplespigskin] Over/under on number of laps until Montoya actually wrecks someone?"
"7:46 Jay Hart: CAUTION"
"7:46 Jay Hart: JPM wrecked."
"7:47 [Comment From Robby Gordon Fan Club] peoplespigskin is a clairvoyant. Does he know tonight's Powerball numbers?"
How can I top that? Stay tuned.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Damage Assessment, New Polls and Rule Change
First of all, a show of hands, please ... how many of you expected Ryan Newman to win Saturday night's race?
OK, now that we know who the liars are, let's discuss the People's Pitstop results. The Internet's favorite fantasy racing team scored only 214 points at this week's Sprint Cup race in Phoenix. The season total is 1,760, leaving us tied for 140,102nd overall and tied for 171st in the Fan of From the Marbles league.
Here are the detailed results.
Greg Biffle. Started 30th, finished 22nd, 48 fantasy points. I guess all we had to do to break Biffle's top-10-finish streak was to put him in the starting lineup.
Matt Kenseth. Started 27th, finished 6th, 90 fantasy points. That includes 10 points for leading a lap. Kenseth was the only People's Pitstop starter who found his way to the front of the pack at any point during Gnatfest 2010.
Jeff Burton. Started 15th, finished 25th, 42 fantasy points. At least Burton was able to wind up on the lead lap.
Paul Menard. Started 32nd, finished 29th (1 lap behind the leaders), 34 fantasy points. Ugh.
The polls are now up for the next Sprint Cup race Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway. As usual, the polls will stay up until Thursday night, so we can turn in a lineup in time for Friday's qualifying session.
Speaking of qualifying, it's time to announce a rule tweak for this fantasy NASCAR team. From now on, if a starter and a bench driver get the same number of votes, we will use the driver to qualifies better in the starting spot. We'll still use driver points to determine who does and doesn't make the lineup we turn in Thursday night, but from now on if, say, Greg Biffle and Jimmie Johnson are tied in votes, and Johnson qualifies SEVEN WHOLE ROW in front of Biffle, Johnson will get the start, and Biffle will sit on the bench.
(OK, rant over.) Feel free to vote now. We'll be back with a look at some driver trends.
OK, now that we know who the liars are, let's discuss the People's Pitstop results. The Internet's favorite fantasy racing team scored only 214 points at this week's Sprint Cup race in Phoenix. The season total is 1,760, leaving us tied for 140,102nd overall and tied for 171st in the Fan of From the Marbles league.
Here are the detailed results.
Greg Biffle. Started 30th, finished 22nd, 48 fantasy points. I guess all we had to do to break Biffle's top-10-finish streak was to put him in the starting lineup.
Matt Kenseth. Started 27th, finished 6th, 90 fantasy points. That includes 10 points for leading a lap. Kenseth was the only People's Pitstop starter who found his way to the front of the pack at any point during Gnatfest 2010.
Jeff Burton. Started 15th, finished 25th, 42 fantasy points. At least Burton was able to wind up on the lead lap.
Paul Menard. Started 32nd, finished 29th (1 lap behind the leaders), 34 fantasy points. Ugh.
The polls are now up for the next Sprint Cup race Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway. As usual, the polls will stay up until Thursday night, so we can turn in a lineup in time for Friday's qualifying session.
Speaking of qualifying, it's time to announce a rule tweak for this fantasy NASCAR team. From now on, if a starter and a bench driver get the same number of votes, we will use the driver to qualifies better in the starting spot. We'll still use driver points to determine who does and doesn't make the lineup we turn in Thursday night, but from now on if, say, Greg Biffle and Jimmie Johnson are tied in votes, and Johnson qualifies SEVEN WHOLE ROW in front of Biffle, Johnson will get the start, and Biffle will sit on the bench.
(OK, rant over.) Feel free to vote now. We'll be back with a look at some driver trends.
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