Fearless Predictions - Phoenix

Those of you working the night shift will get first crack at this week's predictions for the NASCAR drivers who will finish in the top 10 at Phoenix International Raceway. Last week's predictions went 2-2, leaving us with a season record of 47-81.

One from the front: No matter how anyone tries to spin it, the Chase for the Sprint Cup has become a two-driver competition. One of the competitors, Tony Stewart, is starting for the People's Pitstop. The other one, Carl Edwards, will start in the 9th spot and is therefore eligible for this pick.

One from the back: It's pretty safe to say that Kyle Busch is ticked off. First, NASCAR suspended him for a Nationwide race and a Sprint Cup race for wrecking Ron Hornaday. Then M&Ms pulled itself off his car for the last two weekends of the season. Then he qualified 34th after having to change an engine. And if there's anything we've learned about Kyle Busch over the years, it's that he does some of his best driving when he's ticked off at the world.

Two from the middle: If Jimmie Johnson wants to make this more than a two-man race, he has to do something pretty extraordinary in Phoenix. He starts 16th this week, but finishing there is no longer an option.

And let's have a shout-out for Paul Menard, who starts 11th in this race. Menard started this year on Yahoo Sports' C List, the list for every random driver who decides to put a car together for a particular race. And after the year he's had, including a win at Indianapolis, it's safe to say he won't be on that list in 2012.

We'll be back with the results of our football polls.

This Season's Not Over Yet

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

We'll be back with the fantasy football results.

The People's Choice - Martinsville

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

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

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

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

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

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.

A NASCAR Playoff Primer

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

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

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

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

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

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

Some wins are more equal than others.

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

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

On to the NASCAR Playoffs

We'll get to the fantasy football results in just a moment. First, now that we've recovered from chasing Wes Welker, it's time to tell you about the People's Pitstop weekend. The Internet's favorite fantasy NASCAR team scored precisely 200 points Saturday night at Richmond International Raceway. It wasn't all that impressive, but our season total of 6,954 is just good enough to keep us in first place in the 9beersfantasysportstavern league. Our lead over Dale Jr Amp National Guard 88 is down to 46 points. Obviously, we'll need all the help we can get this week, but more on that later.
Here is how we did on the last week before the Chase for the Sprint Cup, NASCAR's version of the playoffs.
Kyle Busch: Started 13th, finished 6th and 80 fantasy points. All in all, not a bad effort for someone with nothing at stake. Busch had already secured at least a tie for the top spot in the Chase standings.
Clint Bowyer: Started 5th, finished 22nd (1 lap behind the leaders) and 48 fantasy points. Bowyer came into this race having an outside shot at making the Chase. But then he got to close to you know who.
Kasey Kahne: Started 12th, finished 38th (350 laps behind the leaders) and 16 fantasy points. Given the way Kahne's night went, you might be tempted to say he's ready for his season to end. But then you have to consider the fact that his sponsor is pulling out when his season ends.
Regan Smith: Started 23rd, finished 18th and 56 fantasy points. Sometimes, the best you can hope for from your driver is a post-race headline that contains the phrase "avoids wrecks."
Now it's time for the Chase, which begins this year at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Illinois. We have a fresh set of polls available for your voting. They will close Friday night, because the qualifying session is scheduled for Saturday. (Please note the "LAST TIME" next to Bowyer's name. He's down to his ninth and final start for us.)
We'll be back as soon as possible with the football results.

The People's Choice - Richmond

There will be no bonus points for the People's Pitstop this week, but we still have a solid lineup. You, the Internet, voted on the NASCAR drivers who should represent us at Saturday night's Sprint Cup race at Richmond International Raceway. Your votes, combined with Friday afternoon's qualifying session, have produced these results.
A List: In the last race before the Chase for the Sprint Cup begins, you split your votes even between a driver who's locked into the Chase (Kyle Busch) and one still fighting to get in (Tony Stewart). Busch qualified 13th, or nine spots in front of Stewart, so he will get the start.
B List: The co-winners of this poll were Brad Keselowski and Clint Bowyer, followed by Kasey Kahne and Dale Earnhardt Jr. Bowyer (5th) and Kahne (12th) get the starting nods over Keselowski (19th) and Earnhardt (27th).
C List: Two new favorites have settled into the top spots of this poll. Bobby Labonte got the most votes, while Regan Smith finished second. In qualifying, the order was reversed. Smith will start 23rd, or nine spots in front of Labonte.
We'll be back with predictions for this race. In the meantime, feel free to vote in the fantasy football polls still available on the right side of this page. We want the People's Pigskin lineup to be as strong as possible, and we need your help. Thanks.

Hanging in There

The People's Pitstop scored 222 points in the severely delayed Sprint Cup race at Atlanta Motor Speedway. It wasn't an impressive outing, but our season total of 6,754 allows us to hang on to the top spot in the 9beersfantasysportstavern league. We lead Dale Jr Amp National Guard 88 by 96 points.
Here are the scoring details from a soggy and historic race.
Kyle Busch: Started 3rd, finished 23rd, 19 laps led and 59 fantasy points. Busch found the front early but found nothing but trouble later in the race, including a pass-through penalty that essentially took him out of the running -- and out of first place in the driver standings.
Clint Bowyer: Started 2nd, finished 36th, 8 laps led and 35 fantasy points. Bowyer also got to the lead early in the race, but he couldn't stay away from the wall (or Juan Pablo Montoya).
A.J. Allmendinger: Started 11th, finished 10th and 72 fantasy points. You know you've had better fantasy NASCAR days when your top scorer is someone who makes people say, "Oh, yeah, he finished in the top 10, and he still has a shot at the Chase."
Paul Menard: Started 22nd, finished 18th and 56 fantasy points. That was Menard's ninth and final start for the People's Pitstop this season, and his time with us ended, not with a bang, but with a whimper. In his nine starts, he racked up 630 points, or an average of 70 a race. His best performance for us was in Michigan in June, when he finished 4th and scored 94 points. His worst was in New Hampshire, when he finished 24th and scored 44. And yes, we missed out on his first Sprint Cup win. But we'll hear from him next season, when he makes Yahoo's B List (at least).
We at the People's Pitstop have already turned our attention to the upcoming week, including the NASCAR race at Richmond International Raceway. Again, the polls are open, so get started on your voting. Thanks.

The People's Choice - Atlanta

Mother Nature can mess with your football game, but she can't stop you, the Internet, from showing your love for the People's Pitstop. You voted for the NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers who should represent us this Sunday night at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Your votes, along with Saturday afternoon's qualifying session, have produced these results.
A List: It shouldn't be surprising that the winners of this poll are also the top two drivers in points: Kyle Busch and Jimmie Johnson. By qualifying 3rd (or 14 spots in front of Johnson), Busch earned himself a starting spot and the Pitstop 3 bonus points.
B List: This poll came down to the proverbial wire. Brad Keselowski won -- something he's been doing quite frequently of late -- followed by A.J. Allmendinger, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and, in driver-points tiebreaker, Clint Bowyer. Bowyer qualified 2nd (earning us 5 bonus points), while Allmendinger qualified 11th. They will start, while Keselowski (14th) and Earnhardt (29th) will sit.
C List: The usual suspects rose to the top of this poll -- Paul Menard and Regan Smith. Menard qualified 22nd, while Smith qualified 26th. This means that Menard will make his ninth and final start of the season for the People's Pitstop. Let's hope he makes the most of it.
And if you want to make the most of your experience here at this site, don't forget to vote for the wide receiver and tight end you think the People's Pigskin should target in Monday night's fantasy football draft.
We'll be back with some predictions for Sunday's race and the results of the football polls.

Fearless Predictions - Bristol

Tonight, instead of watching reporters throw themselves in the path of a hurricane to demonstrate why you should stay away from it, you can watch NASCAR drivers throw themselves into harm's way -- and one another -- for your entertainment. Seems like an easy choice.
The Sprint Cup drivers will take their talents to Bristol Motor Speedway, and we at the People's Pitstop will throw our talents into predicting some top 10 finishers. Last week's forecasts went 2-2, lifting our season record to 27-57.
One from the front: The Jeff Gordon renaissance continues. Last week, he finished 6th at Michigan and moved up a spot in the driver standings, to 6th place. This week, he starts 4th at a track where he has won five times and finished 14 times in the top 10.
One from the back: Tony Stewart probably would like to borrow a little bit of Gordon's mojo right about now. He starts 42nd in this race, but he has won at Bristol before. Also, even though he might not deserve it, he currently holds the 10th and final automatic berth in the Chase for the Sprint Cup.
Two from the middle: Don't look now, but the real Five Timer is moving into the position of a contender. Jimmie Johnson walks into Bristol in 2nd place in the driver standings. He won here last year and starts 13th in this race. Triskaidekaphobes, calm down. He won't stay in that position for long.
The driver he trails, Kyle Busch, is the first one to clinch a spot in this year's Chase. He did that with his big weekend in Michigan (as longtime readers of this blog will recall). He may be starting 23rd this time, but he knows how to find the front of the pack, as he did Friday night, when he won his 50th Nationwide Series race.
Obligatory reminder: The fantasy football polls are still open and will remain open through Saturday night. You will help the People's Pigskin determine which running back and which quarterback to target in our upcoming People's League draft.
Enjoy the race, everybody. If you're in Irene's path, stay safe. If you're not, pray for those who are, including the reporters.

The Last Time We Were in Bristol

Now, here's a track we haven't seen in a while.
NASCAR makes two visits a year to Bristol Motor Speedway, which is sometimes called the Bull Ring because it's small enough (0.53 miles) to be completely surrounded by seats. Our last visit here was all the way back in March -- perhaps because racing here is so stressful that it takes the drivers five months to recover.
The People's Pitstop has fond memories of the March race at Bristol, the fourth race of the season. That's because Kyle Busch took the checkered flag to complete a weekend sweep on this track. His victory got us 100 points all by himself. In all, the Internet's favorite fantasy NASCAR team scored 329 points. Suffice it to say that we would not mind a repeat performance this weekend.
And speaking of this weekend, it's coming quickly. This week's race is Saturday night, and the qualifying session is scheduled for Friday, so we have to get our lineup in Thursday night. You have a couple of hours left to vote in the lineup polls, and we'll take all the help we can get. We also have a couple of fantasy football draft questions up. Those will stay up through Saturday night.
Thanks for voting. We'll be back with the results. In the meantime, stay safe.

The Last Time We Were in Pocono

For the second time this season, NASCAR takes its Sprint Cup drivers to the weird triangle that is Pocono Raceway. For those of you who picked that week to go on your summer vacation, here's a brief look at what happened.
The race was a monumental one for Jeff Gordon. His victory tied him with Darrell Waltrip and Bobby Allison for third on NASCAR's all-time list. Kyle Busch probably remembers this race a little less fondly. He finished third, but his car failed inspection afterwards, costing him 6 driver points and a bunch of money.
It also wasn't such a hot day for the People's Pitstop. The Internet's favorite fantasy racing team scored only 228 points that race. That included a grand total of 18 from Carl Edwards, who spent most of his day in the TNT booth because of an early engine problem. Good thing he didn't sign that Roush Fenway extension that weekend. That would have been awkward.
Anyway, now that you know a little history, you can use it to our advantage by voting in the lineup polls, which will close this evening. 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.

Back in the Groove

It certainly isn't saying much, but the People's Pitstop had a much better Saturday night than many of the people who had tickets to the race at Kentucky Speedway.
While lots of fans were wondering why NASCAR hates them, the Internet's favorite fantasy racing team was racking up 302 points. We remain in second place in the 9beersfantasysportstavern league with a season total of 4,872, but we now trail Jeff Gordon Dupont 24 by only 86 points.
Here's how we got there.
Kyle Busch: Started 1st, finished 1st, 125 laps led and 110 fantasy points. It's been a while since any driver dominated a Sprint Cup race the way Busch did. It's also been a while since a Busch sat at the top of the point standings, but he's there now.
Clint Bowyer: Started 20th, finished 35th and 22 fantasy points. You could be forgiven for thinking Bowyer got caught in traffic on the way to the track. And if the Sporting News is to be believed, he's in danger of getting caught on the outside of the Chase.
Ryan Newman: Started 18th, finished 4th and 84 fantasy points. Newman, on the other hand, solidified his status in the top 10 with his best performance of the season.
David Ragan: Started 8th, finished 8th, 3 laps led and 86 fantasy points. Ragan followed up the first Sprint Cup win of his career by bouncing back from an early spin.
Next up for the Sprint Cup drivers is the northernmost stop on the tour: New Hampshire Motor Speedway. The qualifying session is Friday, so the polls will close on Thursday. Hopefully, the parking lots in Kentucky will be empty by then.

The People's Choice - Kentucky

For the first time in its history, NASCAR takes its Sprint Cup act to Kentucky, home of good whiskey, fast horses and scandalous basketball teams. We at the People's Pitstop are prepared, thanks to all of you who voted in our lineup polls. Now, let's see who will represent us Saturday night.
A List: This poll produced a tie between Kyle Busch and new points leader Kevin Harvick. The qualifying session was a little more definitive. Busch claimed the pole and the starting spot, while Harvick settled for 19th place.
B List: Our survey here produced a three-way tie among Clint Bowyer, Ryan Newman and Mark Martin, with A.J. Allmendinger barely behind in fourth place. "Barely behind" also could describe the qualifying results, with Newman (18th) and Bowyer (20th) edging out Allmendinger (23rd) and Martin (28th) for the starting lineup.
C List: If this were baseball, you get the feeling David Ragan and Paul Menard would have been called up to the majors by now. Once again, they dominated this week's voting, and they rewarded the voters' faith with top 10 starting spots. Ragan (8th) outqualified Menard and will represent the Internet's favorite fantasy NASCAR team on Saturday.
We'll be back with this week's predictions.

Fearless Predictions - Daytona

Some traditions just make sense, like racing at Daytona on Independence Day Weekend. And then there are traditions like the People's Pitstop predictions, which we all tolerate before moving on to more pressing matters. Maybe we need to get some special help for these picks for the NASCAR drivers who will finish in the top 10. Last week's predictions went 0 for 4 (again), dropping our season record to 16-40.
In bowling, they call hitting three strikes in a row a "turkey." Is there a term for three gutter balls in a row? Let's hope we don't have to find out.
One from the front: We can't pick the polesitter, Mark Martin, because he's in our starting lineup for this week. (Thank you, voters.) However, since Daytona has become a "dance with your partner" type of track, we can pick the Hendrick Motorsports teammate who has publicly committed to pairing up with Martin. That would be Jeff Gordon, who starts in 4th place and should have little trouble finding Martin.
One from the back: Kyle Busch had a dreadful qualifying session. He will start in 38th place, but he has won this race before. Also, despite an early spin, he finished in 8th place the last time these drivers were here. If anyone can climb from the back, it's Mr. Pink Car.
Two from the middle: Jeff Burton needs to make a move -- quickly. He currently sits 24th in driver points, so he's in real danger of missing the Chase, even if he manages to win a race. Luckily, Daytona has been kind to him over the years. He has nine top 10 finishes on this track, including a 5th-place finish in this race last year. He also starts in 12th place on Saturday.
Kurt Busch has already made his move. He didn't just win last week's road race at Sonoma; he dominated it. He starts in 25th place for this race, but he has finished in the top 10 in a dozen Daytona races, including the last two straight.
Enjoy the race and the holiday, and remember why we celebrate it. We'll be back with the results.

Fearless Predictions - Pocono

(Editor's Note: The following post was written Sunday morning but did not publish because of a Web error. We apologize for the delay.)
Sunday morning is upon us once again, and with it comes the People's Pitstop predictions for NASCAR drivers who will finish in the top 10 today at Pocono Raceway. The forecasts bounced back last week by going 3-1, raising our season record to 13-31.
One from the front: This time, we're going all the way to the front by picking Kurt Busch. He sits on the pole for this race, and he won the Pocono race where the people who bring you this blog learned what this sport is all about.
One from the back: Staying within the family, Kyle Busch has had an interesting few days. After being attacked by a rival owner, he was cast (unfairly) as the villain in the dispute. Now he finds himself starting in 34th place. He probably won't stay there very long.
Two from the middle: What do Tony Stewart and Jimmie Johnson have in common these days? Plenty. Both are two-time winners on this track. Both finished in the top 10 in both Pocono races last year. And they will start next to each other (Johnson in 14th, Stewart in 15th) in today's race.
Enjoy the festivities from Pennsylvania. We'll be back with results.

That Could Have Gone Better...

Of course, it could have gone worse, too. We could be absorbing a 6-point penalty from a failed post-race inspection.
As it stands, the People's Pitstop managed to score only 228 points at Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Pocono Raceway. The Internet's favorite fantasy NASCAR team managed to stay atop the 9beersfantasysportstavern league with a season total of 3,911, but our lead over SteelerFan4Tony is only 82 points.
Here are the gory details.
Carl Edwards: Started 6th, finished 37th (141 laps behind the leaders) and 18 fantasy points. We all know that Edwards has a television career waiting for him whenever he hangs up his firesuit. But we didn't expect him to log some practice time during Sunday's race.
Juan Pablo Montoya: Started 16th, finished 7th, 38 laps led and 88 fantasy points. Montoya was our only starter to lead a lap on Sunday. He was a contender to win his first oval race in a NASCAR vehicle until a couple of two-tire changes late in the race.
Clint Bowyer: Started 12th, finished 16th and 60 fantasy points. The driver who won the midweek Prelude to the Dream could not maintain his momentum on the Pennsylvania triangle. You know your driver had a mediocre day when his team's press release highlights the number of laps he spent in the top 15.
Regan Smith: Started 5th, finished 15th and 62 fantasy points. The bad news: This year's Darlington winner sits 27th in points and will need better results to get into the top 20 and be eligible for a wild card Chase spot. The better news: The Colorado-based racer doesn't need to win races to get warm coverage from his local paper.
The next stop on NASCAR's summer tour is Michigan International Speedway. The qualifying session is scheduled for Saturday, so we'll keep our lineup polls open until Friday night. You should know the drill by now: You vote for 2 drivers from the A List, 4 from the B List and 2 from the C List. Vote now, and get your friends to do the same. Thanks in advance.

Coasting Into the Summer Season

In the end, every week can't be like last week.
The People's Pitstop took its foot off the gas pedal this week at Kansas Speedway. We scored only 223 points. However, like Brad Keselowski, the Internet's favorite fantasy NASCAR team managed to hang on to first place with a season total of 3,683. Our lead in the 9beersfantasysportstaven league has narrowed to 112 points.
Here is the detailed scoring breakdown.
Kyle Busch: Started 3rd, finished 12th, 11 laps led and 81 fantasy points. If it weren't for Mr. Pink Car in a Pink Suit, our day would have been much worse. Busch was the only starter to lead a lap, and he was the only one to end the race on the lead lap.
A.J. Allmendinger: Started 26th, finished 27th (1 lap behind the leaders) and 38 fantasy points. Despite a paint job made famous by Richard Petty, Allmendinger didn't look much like the King. And he can't afford many more outings like this; halfway through NASCAR's regular season, Allmendinger sits 16th in driver points, and he get only four more starts for the People's Pitstop.
Mark Martin: Started 18th, finished 21st (1 lap behind the leaders) and 50 fantasy points. Martin has finished outside the top 10 in five of the last six races. Maybe he's the one who needs a new paint job.
Paul Menard: Started 9th, finished 19th (1 lap behind the leaders) and 54 fantasy points. At least his owner didn't humiliate his team by taking a cheap shot at a rival driver...oops, scratch that.
According to Yahoo Sports, the "spring" segment of the NASCAR season is over. The action now moves to the summer segment (and to TNT) with the first of two races at Pocono Raceway in Pennsylvania, home to Sukanya Roy, this year's Scripps National Spelling Bee champion. We won't ask you to spell words like stromuhr, but we will ask you to pick our lineup. The qualifying session is scheduled for Saturday, so you have until Friday to vote in our polls. Invite a friend to vote, too. The more, the merrier.
We'll be back with a look at how things stand for different drivers.

The People's Choice - Kansas

This post will be brief, but we would like to thank those of you who voted on the People's Pitstop lineup this week. Here are the drivers who will represent the Internet's favorite fantasy NASCAR team during Sunday's race at Kansas Speedway.
A List: This week, the poll ended with a tie between two drivers who know how to win races: Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick. They both know how to qualify too: Busch earned the starting spot (and a 3-point bonus for the People's Pitstop) for qualifying 3rd, while Harvick qualified 10th.
B List: Ties are the order of the day at this blog. Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Clint Bowyer tied for first place in this poll. A.J. Allmendinger was all alone in third, while Mark Martin edged out a host of drivers for the final roster spot by virtue of points. He also edged his way into a starting spot by qualifying 18th. Allmendinger go the other starting spot by qualifying 26th, just ahead of both Bowyer (27th) and Earnhardt (28th).
C List: We had a three-way tie between Paul Menard and the Regan/Ragan twins. Menard outdid them both in qualifying (9th) and gets the starting nod.
We'll be back with some predictions.