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 - Talladega

This post is going to be short and sweet, because we want you to get some votes in on the People's Pigskin lineup. But first, we want to give you our weekly predictions for the NASCAR drivers who will finish in the top 10. Last week's forecasts went 1-3, leaving us with a season record of 42-74.
One from the front: If Jeff Gordon is going to climb back into this Chase, this has to be the week he makes a move. He starts 5th at Talladega, a track where he has won six times and finished 18 times in the top 10.
One from the back: It was a gift from the fantasy NASCAR gods when Kyle Busch qualified 34th, or just far enough in the back to qualify for this selection. He won here in 2008, and he sits only 18 points behind the Sprint Cup leader. Speaking of which...
Two from the middle: Kevin Harvick wants this Sprint Cup bad enough to wreck his wife in an ESPN commercial. So something as petty as qualifying 13th won't stop him from finding the top 10.
Another driver hungry for a championship is Tony Stewart, who starts 12th in this race. Regan Smith probaly won't drive below the bottom line to let him win again, but Stewart does have a dozen top 10 finishes here.
We'll be back with the football poll results, so get those votes in while you can.

Fearless Predictions - Charlotte

OK, so the quest to lift our NASCAR predictions to .500 for the season will fall a little short. Big deal. We can still finish this season with a bang. Here are this week's picks for the Sprint Cup drivers to finish in the top 10. Last week's forecasts went 2-2, leaving us with a season record of 41-71.

One from the front: It's hard to ignore Jimmie Johnson (who starts 9th tonight) at this time of year and at Charlotte Motor Speedway in particular. He has a whopping six wins on this track. And he finished 3rd in this race last year on his way to a fifth straight Sprint Cup title. Let someone eles pick another driver from the top 10.

One from the back: The pickings in the bottom 10 are as supermodel slim as ever. This week, we'll take a flyer on Dave Blaney, who starts 35th and has finished in that position or better in the last five races. You don't do that if you're going to start and park.

Two from the middle: Don't count Kevin Harvick out of it yet. He's starting 14th tonight, but he's still 2nd in the points standings. Also, he's finished in the top 10 in five of the last six races this season, and he won the 600-mile race at Charlotte in May. And you have to respect a driver willing to wreck his wife just to star in an ESPN commercial.
For our final pick, we're going to reach all the way back to the 20th starting spot for Kurt Busch. He finished in the top five here in May, and he won a race here last year. Besides, the best way to snuff out questions about your crew chief is to have a strong day at the track.

Remember that you can still vote on the fantasy football polls on right side of this page while you watch the race. The People's Pigskin needs to mount a comeback, and we need your help to assemble the lineup. Please vote now.

We'll be back with the football poll results.

A Kansas Comeback

Don't count the People's Pitstop out just yet.
The Internet's favorite fantasy NASCAR team piled up 308 points during Sunday's race at Kansas Speedway. The season total of 7,956 lifted us two spots in the 9beersfantasysportstavern league, to 4th place. We are just over 100 points behind the leader, so winning the championship is more than a mere mathematical possibility.
Here are the more detailed results.
Kevin Harvick: Started 14th, finished 6th and 80 fantasy points. These results probably would look even better if we hadn't benched the eventual race winner. Harvick slipped just enough late in the race to trail Carl Edwards in the points standings by a single point.
Kasey Kahne: Started 5th, finished 2nd and 88 fantasy points. The remarkable thing isn't that Kahne got so close to the front but never led a lap. It's that he got so close to the front after an early problem on pit row left him in 40th place.
Brad Keselowski: Started 12th, finished 3rd, 5 laps led and 96 fantasy points. The truly encouraging thing about Keselowski's day is that he was hungry for more when it ended. He'll be somebody to watch next year on the A List.
Regan Smith: Started 16th, finished 24th (1 lap behind the leaders) and 44 fantasy points. Frankly, this is probably as good as we can expect from the C List drivers available to us for the rest of the season.
And if you debated whether to watch this race or the Sunday afternoon NFL games (or if you sprained your finger switching back and forth), this is the week for you. NASCAR is taking its act to Saturday night for a Chase race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The qualifying session is scheduled for Thursday, so we're going to need to pick our drivers by Wednesday night. The polls are now open. Please note that both Kahne and A.J. Allmendinger are down to their last starts for us. And please vote accordingly.
We'll be back with the fantasy football results.

The People's Choice - Kansas

Clint Bowyer may be switching teams, but we at this blog are glad that you, the Internet, are demonstrating your loyalty. You turned out yet again to pick a roster for the People's Pitstop. Your votes, combined with Friday's qualifying session, have combined to produce this starting lineup for the Internet's favorite fantasy NASCAR team for Sunday's race at Kansas Speedway.
A List: You could call this week's poll the Once and Future Kings poll. There was a tie between Kevin Harvick and Jimmie Johnson. We will start Harvick, who qualified 14th, or five spots in front of Johnson.
B List: Apologies to anyone who voted for Ryan Newman. His appearance in this poll was erroneous, since he's already used up his nine starts for us this season. Among drivers who may still represent the People's Pitstop, the top two vote getters were Brad Keselowski and Dale Earnhardt Jr., followed by Kasey Kahne and A.J. Allmendinger. The two K drivers, Kahne (5th) and Keselowski (12th) will start over Earnhardt (18th) and Allmendinger (22nd).
C List: The new champion of this "everybody else" poll appears to be Regan Smith. He got the most votes, and his 16th-place qualifying spot earns him a starting place over poll runner-up David Gilliland (30th).
Remember that you have until Saturday night to decide what to do this week with the People's Pigskin. The Internet's favorite fantasy football team needs your help to bounce back, so be sure to vote in the polls on the right. Thanks.
We'll be back with your weekly dose of NASCAR predictions.

Spinning Our Wheels in Delaware

There are seven weeks left in the People's Pitstop's quest for supremacy in the 9beersfantasysportstavern fantasy NASCAR league, and we almost that many spaces to make up.
The Internet's favorite fantasy racing team scored 262 points during Sunday's Chase race at Dover International Speedway. Our season total of 7,648 leaves us in sixth place in our fantasy league.
Here are the detailed results.
Kevin Harvick: Started 22nd, finished 10th, 10 laps led and 82 fantasy points. Harvick's strong performance was good enough to put him in a tie with Carl Edwards the top of the point standings with seven races left in the Chase.
A.J. Allmendinger: Started 7th, finished 7th, 8 laps led and 88 fantasy points. Allmendinger had a strong car from start to finish, especially for someone out of the Chase, thanks in part to a heck of a save. This was the eighth start for Allmendinger, who now will have the "LAST TIME" warning in our polls.
Martin Truex Jr.: Started 1st, finished 30th (4 laps behind the leaders), 2 laps led and 52 fantasy points. Good thing he got the pole. It was the only way he was going to lead a lap this race. For a more detailed breakdown of his performance, check out this nj.com blog post.
Bobby Labonte: Started 8th, finished 26th (2 laps behind the leaders) and 40 fantasy points. Labonte's slide on a restart ended his chances of contention.
Now we turn to our chances of contention. NASCAR takes its act to Kansas this week, and we have until Friday's qualifying session to field a roster. Therefore, the polls are now open and will close Thursday night. Please get your votes in now.
We'll be back with the fantasy football results -- without any golf comparisons.

The People's Choice - Dover

We've reached the month of October, when baseball starts a postseason that seems eternal but will be over long before NASCAR's. Speaking of which, the Sprint Cup drivers take on the Monster Mile of Dover International Speedway this Sunday. Here are the drivers who will represent the People's Pitstop in that race.
A List: Tony Stewart keeps racking up the wins. His latest came in this week's poll, where he beat a bunch of drivers. Kevin Harvick, by virtue of the points tiebreaker, took the second spot on the roster. And, by qualifying 22nd (six spots in front of Stewart), he earned a starting spot for this week.
B List: The winner of this week's pole was Brad Keselowski. Dale Earnhardt Jr. and A.J. Allmendinger tied for second place. Martin Truex Jr. grabbed the fourth and final spot. And then we had qualifying, which pretty much reversed things. Truex took the freakin' pole, earning us 10 badly needed bonus points. Allmendinger qualified 7th, earning himself a start. Earnhardt (21st) and Keselowski (15th) are relegated to the bench.
C List: Most of the drivers in this poll could have taken the week off as far as the voters were concerned. Regan Smith took the top spot again, followed by Bobby Labonte. And, like their B List counterparts, they reversed their order in the qualifying session. Labonte starts in 8th place (eight spots in front of Smith) and starts for us.
Thanks again for voting. And if you'd still like to participate in this little fantasy democracy experiment, take a crack at the football polls on the right side of this page. You can help decide who takes the field for the People's Pigskin this weekend.
We'll be back shortly with some 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.

As NASCAR Takes a Timeout

New Hampshire is known as the Granite State, so you could say that the People's Pitstop had a solid weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
The Internet's favorite fantasy NASCAR team scored 282 points during Sunday's Sprint Cup race. The season total is now 5,154. We remain in second place in the always-competitive 9beersfantasysportstavern league on Yahoo Sports, trailing Jeff Gordon Dupont 24 by 93 points. Translation: We are still within range of the lead, but we haven't made up any ground.
Here are the detailed results.
Kevin Harvick: Started 18th, finished 21st and 50 fantasy points. It must be hard to pass drivers when you're wearing handcuffs.
Ryan Newman: Started 1st, finished 1st, 119 laps led and 120 fantasy points. That's the maximum number of points you can get on Yahoo Sports from a single driver. It includes 10 points for winning the pole, 10 for leading a lap, 10 for leading the most laps and 90 for finishing in first place. Newman needed a win to solidify his Chase chances, and he got it. (Incidentally, Newman has only one start left for us this season, so we need to make it count.)
Clint Bowyer: Started 12th, finished 17th, 3 laps led and 68 fantasy points. Last fall's debacle on this track had to be in the back of this team's mind, but they were able to keep Bowyer on the track during a caution and gained him (and us) some bonus points for leading a lap.
Paul Menard: Started 9th, finished 24th and 44 fantasy points. As far down as he is in the points standings, especially after dropping three spots on Sunday, Menard is going to need a win and the equivalent of a Hail Mary to get into the Chase.
But he won't get much of a chance to do anything this week. NASCAR is giving the Sprint Cup folks the week off. The next race will be July 31 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The lineup polls will return this weekend. In the meantime, we have a poll about the still-lingering NFL lockout. There may be a resolution soon, but we are going to take the "Believe it when they sign it" position. Feel free to vote on the poll. Thanks.

The People's Choice - New Hampshire

As we approach the dog days of summer and the end of qualifying for the Chase, the People's Pitstop has reason to be optimistic.
The Internet's favorite fantasy NASCAR team sits just outside first place heading into Sunday's Sprint Cup race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. But thanks to you, the Internet, we have a strong team taking the track this week.
A List: Once again, this poll came down to a qualifying showdown between Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick. This time, Harvick won the faceoff by qualifying 18th, just one spot in front of Busch, so he will make his first start for us this season.
B List: Four of the usual suspects won the right to qualify from this list: Dale Earnhardt Jr., Ryan Newman, Clint Bowyer and A.J Allmendinger. Bowyer's 12th-place put him ahead of Earnhardt and Allmendinger, but Newman put himself in front of everybody. That's right; he won the freaking pole! And we get 10 bonus points for seeing it coming.
C List: You, the Internet, have decided that David Ragan and Paul Menard will share this starting spot until they run out of chances. This week, it's Menard's turn; he qualified 9th.
We'll be back with the weekly predictions.

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.

The People's Choice - Texas

It doesn't matter how long or short the voting period is. You, the Internet, come out in droves to vote on the People's Pitstop's lineup week after week. Thanks to you, we have a roster of drivers to represent us at Saturday night's NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Texas Motor Speedway.
A List: It's a good thing we have two spots to offer from this poll, because it ended in a tie between Kevin Harvick (aka the winner of back to back races) and Matt Kenseth (aka the other guy to win this poll).
B List: He might not have a stock car win on an oval track yet, but Juan Pablo Montoya does have a win in a People's Pitstop poll. He beat a field that included Dale Earnhardt Jr., A.J. Allmendinger and Clint Bowyer, all of whom join him on this week's roster.
C List: Maybe you just like the color brown. Or maybe you're impressed that he finished in the top 10 last week at Martinsville. Either way, David Ragan is your winner here. He'll be joined in the lineup by a familiar C List face: Paul Menard.
As usual, the qualifying session will determine which of these racers start and which will ride the pine. Thanks for voting. The results appear below. And a new poll about everyone's favorite golf tournament is now available for voting.
We'll upate this post when the qualifying session is complete.
UPDATED 9:50 P.M. Maybe you voters should consider buying extra Powerball tickets this week. Ragan got his first career pole, and we got 10 bonus points for having the foresight to pick him. Bowyer qualified third and got us 3 bonus points, while Kenseth qualified fourth and got us a single bonus point. They'll be joined in the starting lineup by Montoya, who qualified a relatively modest 14th.
We'll be back with some fearless predictions.
[polldaddy poll=4845921] [polldaddy poll=4845935] [polldaddy poll=4845947]

Fearless NASCAR Predictions - Dover

Most weeks, the people who run this blog already know by Friday evening who seems to be likely candidates for our weekly predictions about which NASCAR drivers will finish in the top 10 for that week's race.

Then you have weeks like this one.

First, Denny Hamlin disputed Clint Bowyer's account of how his car failed its inspection. Then, Kevin Harvick decided to use Saturday's practice session not to get his car ready for Sunday's Sprint Cup race, but to express his displeasure with Hamlin.

As of this writing, both Hamlin and Harvick are still scheduled to drive the race at Dover International Speedway. However, since they still might turn that race into their own personal demolition derby, neither driver will appear in these predictions. (Neither will Bowyer, whose crew chief has been suspended for six races.)

As for last week's forecasts, they went 5-5, leaving us with a season record of 124-136.

Now, on to this week's predictions.

1. Jimmie Johnson. Four Cups, the pole and the ability to drive away from Harvick and/or Hamlin if either driver still has any residual anger.

2. Kyle Busch. Who benefits when the points leader has a dispute with the driver in second place? The driver in third place, of course.

3. Jeff Gordon. Unless it's the driver who leaped up to fourth place.

4. Matt Kenseth. Since he is appearing in the People's Pitstop lineup for the last time this season, he might as well make the most of it.

5. Tony Stewart. He probably would rather be known for something other than the answer to the trivia question "Who was the last driver other than Johnson to win the Cup?"

6. Greg Biffle. Of the top 10 qualifiers for this race, only five are participating in the Chase for the Cup: Johnson, Biffle, the ineligible-for-these-picks Hamlin ...

7 and 8. Kurt Busch and Carl Edwards. ... and these two.

9. Juan Pablo Montoya. Would you have guessed that, among non-Chase drivers, Montoya has the most top 10 finishes this season (13)? Neither would we.

10. A.J. Allmendinger. This week's medium to long shot was an easy pick. Allmendinger, by hook or by crook, is starting on the front row.

Remember that the lineup polls for the People's Pigskin are still open. You have until Sunday morning to help the Internet's favorite fantasy football team defeat the Chicago VinSethBears and raise its record to 3-0. Please vote now.

We'll be back with the poll results.

Summing Up Michigan

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The People's Choice - Michigan

Another week of voting has concluded, and you, the Internet, have made your choices for the drivers who will represent the People's Pitstop in Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup race in Michigan. Here are the poll results.

A List. Ties are pretty common here at this Web site, but having two drivers take all the votes in a poll is not. This week, the voters split their votes evenly between Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon. The qualifying session will serve as the tiebreaker.

B List. Once again, we will have three drivers competing for two starting spots. Jamie McMurray, Kevin Harvick and Kasey Kahne will compete for those spots. (If Harvick gets one, he will represent the People's Pitstop for the final time this season.) The worst qualifier among the three will sit on the bench with Jeff Burton.

C List. It's nothing but ties this week for the World Wide Web's favorite fantasy NASCAR team. This poll came down to either A.J. Allmendinger or Paul Menard. Once again, the top qualifier gets the starting spot.

The poll results can be found below. For you fantasy football fans, the quarterback poll is still open, and we have a new poll. Last week, you, the Internet, decided that Adrian Peterson should top our draft board. Now we are asking you who should sit at No. 2. Please vote now. We'll update this post when qualifying is over.

UPDATE 6:30 P.M. Oh, what a qualifying session it was. Tony Stewart finished 4th, earning him a starting spot over Jeff Gordon and earning us a bonus point. Kasey Kahne got us 10 more bonus points for winning his second pole of the season, and Kevin Harvick (8th) edged out Jamie McMurray (19th) for the other B List spot. By the way, Happy Harvick better make this start count; it will be his last of the season for the People's Pitstop.

Even the C Listers ran well today. Paul Menard qualified 10th and earns the starting spot over A.J. Allmendinger.

We'll be back with more football thoughts.

[polldaddy poll=3596835] [polldaddy poll=3596845] [polldaddy poll=3596851]

Reflections on Pocono

One thing's for sure: The People's Pitstop had a better Sunday at Pocono Raceway than Elliott Sadler did.

The Internet's favorite fantasy racing team racked up 301 points during Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup race. The season total is now 5,625, leaving us in 51,237th place overall in Yahoo Sports and lifting us to spots, to 65th place, in the Fans of From the Marbles league.

Here are the details from a race that turned out to be more exciting than some had anticipated.

Tony Stewart: Started 1st, finished 2nd, 2 laps led and 108 fantasy points. The total includes 10 points for starting on the pole and 10 more for leading at least a lap. The only thing Stewart could not do was reel in Greg Biffle at the end of the race.

(By the way, Denny Hamlin, who sat on our bench, got us 3 points for qualifying third, though he only finished 5th.)

Kevin Harvick: Started 14th, started 4th and 84 fantasy points. All that was missing from his day was leading a lap. Somehow, I think the points leader will get over that.

Clint Bowyer: Started 40th, started 15th and 62 fantasy points. Bowyer was the least-discussed participant in the Kurt Busch-Jimmie Johnson get-together. But he was able to keep his car on the track, and he is still in the 12th Chase spot for the moment.

A.J. Allmendinger: Started 7th, finished 24th and 44 fantasy points. The most memorable part of the day for Allmendinger certainly was bumping Sadler in that incident that ended with Sadler's engine on the grass.

One bit of good news for the People's Pitstop: All four starting drivers finished on the lead lap.

Now we hit the road for Watkins Glen. As usual, we have our lineup polls, which will close Friday evening, since there is a Saturday qualifying session.

Also (attention, fantasy football fans!), we have our first fantasy football draft poll of the season. Please vote on all these polls now. The results for the "how many leagues have you joined" poll appear below. We'll be back with another magazine review.

[polldaddy poll=3545732]

The People's Choice - Pocono

As July creeps toward August and football players creep toward training camp (if they're not too out of shape to get in the door), NASCAR returns to Pocono Raceway, and you, the Internet, have given us a team to take there.

After another week of voting, we have two spots set and two up for grabs for Sunday's Sprint Cup race in Pennsyltucky. Here are the results of this week's polls.

A List. Another week, another tie. This time Tony Stewart, aspiring drive-through attendant, takes on his former teammate, Denny Hamlin. The qualifying session will break that tie.

B List. These two spots are set. Kevin Harvick will make his 8th start for the People's Pitstop, while Clint Bowyer will make his 5th. Matt Kenseth and Jeff Burton will watch this one from the bench.

C List. Due to circumstances beyond our control, the Internet's favorite fantasy NASCAR team will start A.J. Allmendinger or Sam Hornish Jr. (remember him?) for Sunday's race. Once again, whoever qualifies better will start.

We'll update this post when the qualifying session is done. Meanwhile, feel free to cast your vote in our latest fantasy football survey. The lineup poll results appear below.

UPDATED 10 P.M. Hot damn! Tony Stewart more than earned a starting spot for the People's Pitstop by getting the frickin POLE! (He also earned us 10 bonus points for that feat.) Denny Hamlin will watch from the bench but still earns us 3 bonus points for qualifying third.

As for the C List, A.J. Allmendinger (who qualified 7th) will start, while Sam Hornish Jr. (who qualified 15th) will watch from the bench.

We'll be back with another fantasy football review preview.

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The People's Choice - Chicago

Another week has come and gone, and once again the People's Pitstop has you, the Internet, to thank for voting in the polls that will shape this week's lineup. This week's NASCAR Sprint Cup race is scheduled for Saturday night (Alec's favorite night), and here are the drivers we will be backing.

A List. In this poll, the voters paid attention to who has run well at Chicagoland Speedway in the past. The starting spot goes to Jeff Gordon, while the bench spot goes to his teammate, Jimmie Johnson.

B List. Here, we have one clear-cut winner and a bunch of other drivers battling (not literally) for the second starting spot. Last week's Nationwide series winner, Dale Earnhardt Jr., gets the first starting spot. The second one will go to Kevin Harvick, Jeff Burton or Clint Bowyer. The one who qualifies the best will start. The others will ride the proverbial pine.

C List. This poll ended in a dead heat between Scott Speed and Sam Hornish Jr. Again, the stronger qualifier will get the start.

The poll results appear below. The new poll is a response to NASCAR's assertion that it is looking at ways to change its Chase. Feel free to vote now. We'll be back with the predictions for Saturday's race.

UPDATED  9 P.M. EDT The qualifying results are in. Jeff Burton (who qualified 14th) gets the B List starting nod over Clint Bowyer (15th) and Harvick (27th). Sam Hornish Jr. (who qualified 5th) gets the C List spot over Scott Speed (39th). Jimmie Johnson will stay on the bench, but by qualifying 2nd, he earns the People's Pitstop 5 bonus points. Thanks, papa.

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Charlotte Results, Pocono Polls

We'll overlook the People's Pigskin's prediction about Dario Franchitti winning Sunday's Indianapolis 500 (except to wonder what they say about monkeys and typewriters). For now, we have to thank two groups: those who put themselves in harm's way for our country, and those of you who voted on the People's Pitstop lineup for Sunday's Coca-Cola 500 in Charlotte.

The Internet's favorite fantasy NASCAR team managed to score 300 points this weekend. That leaves us with a season total of 3,385, lifting us to 83,329th place overall in Yahoo Sports and lifting us 20 spots in the Fans of From the Marbles league to 102nd place. Here are the detailed results.

Tony Stewart. Started 26th, finished 15th, 1 lap led and 72 fantasy points. Maybe Smoke was distracted by concerns about what will happen to his monkey.

Kevin Harvick. Started 23rd, finished 11th, no laps led and 70 fantasy points. Yes, Happy Harvick retained his lead in the NASCAR Sprint Cup points race, but fans of the People's Pitstop should know that he is eligible to start for us only twice for the rest of the season.

Ryan Newman. Started 1st, finished 9th, 11 laps led and 94 fantasy points. That includes 10 points for starting on the pole and another 10 points for leading at least one lap, making him easily our star of the week.

A.J. Allmendinger. Started 18th, finished 14th, 0 laps led and 64 fantasy points. Notice that all four of our drivers finished within six spots of one another this week. (Good thing they didn't all wreck being so close together.)

This week, NASCAR takes its act from Fox to TNT and from the hub of North Carolina to the triangle of Pocono Raceway. This week's polls are up. The poll about Sunday plans appears below. Please vote.

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