Saturday, April 17, 2010

Fearless Predictions - Texas

The People's Pitstop had a rough weekend at Phoenix, but the march toward .500 for the predictions gained some momentum. The predictions went a very respectable 7-3 on Saturday night, leaving us with an almost respectable season record of 29-31. Here's the Texas Motor Speedway version of the predictions. (And remember that this is a projection of which NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers will finish in the top 10. It is NOT a prediction of who will finish first, who will finish second, etc. Even we're not that crazy.)

1. Greg Biffle. Yes, he's one of the three drivers who didn't come through for us in last week's predictions (and the only one who wasn't a long shot), but he's still one of only two drivers with six finishes in the top 10 this season.

2. Matt Kenseth. Surprise, surprise...yes, he's the other one.

3. Tony Stewart. Smoke found his way to the pole this week, and one of his employees found his way to Victory Lane last week, so someone at Stewart-Haas has figured it out.

4. Ryan Newman. The win was Newman's second finish in the top five this season.

5. Kurt Busch. The former Sprint Cup winner has three top 10 finishes under his belt this season, including his victory last month in Atlanta.

6. Jimmie Johnson. Another week, another top five finish. Ho-freakin-hum.

7. Clint Bowyer. Stop the presses: Bowyer has just as many top 10 finishes (five) as the four-time defending Cup champion.

8. Kasey Kahne. How do you quiet speculation about how you're going to spend next year while waiting for someone else's contract to expire? You kick some asphalt on the track, of course.

9. Jeff Burton. He qualified sixth, and he has he's won here twice. What's that about muscle memory?

10. Brian Vickers. You may recall from the People's Facts that a few drivers were selected to test the rear spoiler last winter at Texas Motor Speedway. They were Biffle, Stewart, Kurt Busch and Vickers, our medium-to-long shot for this week.

By the way, fantasy football fans should note this. The poll on your viewing plans for the NFL draft will close Sunday. In its place, we'll have a new poll about the draft. So get your votes in while you can.

Friday, April 16, 2010

The People's Choice - Texas

With the help of you, the Internet, the lineup has been set for this Sunday's Sprint Cup race at Texas Motor Speedway. Remember: Once the eight drivers for our lineup are selected, we are now using qualifying order to break any ties between drivers who get the same number of votes. That said, here's this week's lineup:

A List. And we got a chance to put that new tiebreaker to work right away, since two drivers tied for the most votes on this list: Greg Biffle and Jeff Gordon. Since Biffle qualified third, he gets the start, while Gordon sits on the bench.

B List. We had one clear-cut winner in this vote: Kevin Harvick. The next three drivers were Jeff Burton, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Joey Logano. Burton qualified sixth for Sunday's race, so he gets the start, while Earnhardt and Logano will watch from the bench this week.

C List. Another list, another tie, this time between A.J. Allmendinger and Scott Speed. Allmendinger, by virtue of qualifying 17th, gets the starting spot.

The poll results appear below. We'll be back tomorrow with the forecasts for the top 10.

[polldaddy poll=3040513] [polldaddy poll=3040526] [polldaddy poll=3040539]

Thursday, April 15, 2010

The People's Facts - Samsung Mobile 500

There's still a couple of hours to vote on the polls for the People's Pitstop lineup for this Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup race deep in the heart of Texas. But first, here's a primer on the track everyone will be trying to tame.

Track basics: Texas Motor Speedway is a 1.5-mile oval that has a reputation for generating a lot of speed. Terry Labonte holds the qualifying record with a speed of 192.137 miles per hour. Even Sammy Hagar would be impressed. (As always, Yahoo Sports had provided a more extensive preview, which you can read by clicking here.)

Recent winners: Jeff Gordon (2009), Carl Edwards (2008), Jeff Burton (2007)

Who wins here a lot: Almost nobody. Edwards has three wins on this track. Burton has two. No one else has more than one.

Now THAT'S a test drive: You might have heard about NASCAR's switch back from the rear wing to the spoiler. Well, what you might not know is that before the switch was announced, NASCAR had a few select drivers test the new/old spoiler package. The test site? Texas Motor Speedway. Will the drivers have an advantage Sunday? Only time will tell.

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Brandon, Jimmie et al

Today's post is designed to satisfy both sets of fans of the People's Pigskin: those who love fantasy football and those who love fantasy racing.

First, here's the racing information. There is still time to vote on the People's Pitstop lineup for Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup race in Texas. But we need to issue a quick reminder. According to Yahoo Fantasy Auto Racing's rules (which you can read in full by clicking here), a team is only allowed to start a certain driver nine times during the course of the Sprint Cup season. And this is a season that lasts until a week before Thanksgiving.

Therefore, when you vote, you might want to remember that certain drivers have already made frequent appearances in the starting lineup. For example, Jimmie Johnson has appeared four times so far, so we can use him only five more times this season, and we might want to use him during the Chase, when he won four races last year. Similarly, Matt Kenseth has made five appearances (and has four left), while Kevin Harvick has made four appearances (and has five left). Just saying.

Now, on to the fantasy football news. The Miami Dolphins traded a pair of draft picks to the Denver Broncos in exchange for headache/wide receiver Brandon Marshall. Who does this affect? First and foremost, ESPN's Christopher Harris says the trade helps Chad Henne, who may finally get to run a grown-up NFL offense now. Second, the good folks at Shutdown Corner say the trade may seal Ted Ginn's fate. Third...well, I'd say how this affects the Broncos starting quarterback, but that would suggest I knew who that will be.

Anyway, we will be back tomorrow with some facts about this week's race. Until then, feel free to vote.

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.

Saturday, April 10, 2010

Fearless Predictions - Phoenix

We are mere hours from the first Saturday night race of the NASCAR Sprint Cup season. We at the People's Pigskin aren't foolish enough to predict the qualifying order (and that's clearly a good thing), but we are foolish enough to offer predictions about who will finish in the top 10. The Martinsville predictions went a pedestrian 5-5, leaving us with a season record of 22-28.

1. Greg Biffle. Six starts, six finishes in the top 10. What else is there to say?

2. Jimmie Johnson. Regular readers of this blog will recall that he leads active drivers with four wins here. And he also has four...well, you know.

3. Kyle Busch. If you saw the fantastic finish to Friday night's Nationwide race, you know that Mr. Busch doesn't need to start out front to get to the front.

4. Matt Kenseth. Yes, he slipped up in Martinsville, but he still has three finishes in the top five this season. Only Johnson has as many.

5. Juan Pablo Montoya. If I had asked you to guess which driver from Yahoo's A List would be the top qualifier for today's race, how long would it have taken you to guess Montoya? (Here's a hint: There are 10 drivers on that A List.)

6. Jeff Gordon. You could say the fact that he lost the Martinsville race to Denny Hamlin means Gordon is slipping. Or you could say the fact that he nearly won the race on the preceding caution means he's got his car dialed in.

7. Mark Martin. He won last year's spring race here, and he already has two finishes in the top five this season.

8. Carl Edwards. Three top 10 finishes and a top 10 starting position. And a bonus: Personal nemesis Brad Keselowski starts 22nd.

9 and 10. A.J. Allmendinger and Scott Speed. This is normally the point in the predictions where we offer a medium-to-long shot. This week the powers that be (whoever they may be) decided to put the long shots on the front row.

We'll be back Sunday with results and polls for next week's lineup. In the meantime, enjoy the race and/or the Masters. Just make sure you don't call yourself a golf "fan" while watching it.

Friday, April 9, 2010

The People's Choice - Phoenix

For NASCAR fans, it's going to feel like a short week with the Sprint Cup race on Saturday night in Phoenix. Nevertheless, you, the Internet, found the time to pick the People's Pitstop fantasy racing lineup for the Saturday race. Here's your lineup.

A List. It was a four-way tie in this week's poll, so we go with the points tiebreaker. Your starting driver is Greg Biffle, while the backup spot goes to Jimmie Johnson.

B List. There was one clear winner in this poll, Matt Kenseth. He gets a place in the starting lineup, along with Jeff Burton, who wins the points tiebreaker. The bench spots go to Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Joey Logano.

C List. A familiar face returns to the starting spot, Paul Menard, who may end up on a different list (say, the Chase, perhaps?) if he keeps this up. The backup is David Gilliland.

We have a new poll up. This one deals with our other focus here at the People's Pigskin: football. Feel free to vote, and enjoy the qualifying, the race and even the golf (if you are so inclined). We'll be back tomorrow with predictions for the top 10 spots. The poll results appear below.

[polldaddy poll=3010585] [polldaddy poll=3010589] [polldaddy poll=3010604]

Thursday, April 8, 2010

So About That McNabb Thing

There is still some time for you, the Internet, to vote on the People's Pitstop lineup for Saturday's NASCAR Sprint Cup race in Phoenix. In the meantime, it's time for another reminder that, yes, Virginia, this is still a fantasy football Web site, too.

Most of the offseason trades, cuts and signings have little or no value for the fantasy football enthusiast. No matter how much you like Jason Taylor, on the football field or on the dance floor, his flirtations with the New York Jets likely are not going to change how you feel about the Jets or Dolphins defense/special teams come draft time.

Donovan McNabb's trade to the Washington Redskins? That's another story.

Of course, the fantasy football player will have to worry about McNabb's own production at his new home. He ranked 10th among quarterbacks in ESPN fantasy points. However, like George in "It's a Wonderful Life," McNabb's production affects so many other people in the National Football League.

DeSean Jackson. The Philadelphia Eagles may have all the confidence in the world in Kevin Kolb, Michael Vick and/or whichever quarterback gets drafted to be the "next Kolb/Vick." But Jackson, who ranked 4th among wide receivers in fantasy points, has to be at least a little nervous.

Washington's receivers. Here the sentiment may be more upbeat. The Redskins wide receiving corps did not exactly set the fantasy world on fire last year.

Chris Cooley. The Redskins tight end was having a decent season until a broken ankle ended it in October. And Brent Celek of the Eagles ranked 4th among tight ends in fantasy points, so you know McNabb enjoys throwing to a healthy tight end.

Jason Campbell. Oh, yeah, the man whose job McNabb is taking. Campbell's agent is exploring trade possibilities, but no matter where he goes, he's facing an uphill hike to fantasy relevance. Campbell ranked 16th among passers in fantasy points, and he's going to a place that either has an established starter (in which Campbell at least starts the season as a backup) or did so poorly last season that it's willing to take a chance on him.

And that's before we even consider the NFL Draft, but that's another topic for another post. In the meantime, remember to vote on our lineup polls. They will close Thursday night, so the lineup can be set in time for Friday's qualifying session. We'll be back with the results.

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

The People's Facts - Subway Fresh Fit 600

While you, the Internet, ponder who should make the People's Pitstop lineup for this week's race, it's time to take a look at the race venue.

Track basics: Phoenix International Raceway is a one-mile oval with relatively flat corners. Turns 1 and 2 have the highest banking: a whopping 11 degrees. (Insert your "Home Alone" scream here.) By the way, the "600" in the race's name refers to kilometers, not miles or laps. For those of you who don't feel like spending your free time on metric conversions, they'll run 375 laps, or 63 more than they did last year, when it was 500 kilometers long.

As always, you can get a more in-depth preview by clicking here to download a PDF from our friends at Yahoo Sports.

Recent winners: Mark Martin (2009), Jimmie Johnson (2008), Jeff Gordon (2007)

Who wins here a lot: In this case, "a lot" is a relative term. Johnson leads active NASCAR drivers with four victories on this track. Four others (Martin, Jeff Burton, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kevin Harvick) are tied for second place, with two victories apiece.

Change four tires and a knee ligament: Last week, a commenter on this board wrote that Denny Hamlin "may like Virginia, but his knee doesn't like racing at the moment." This was before Hamlin won a rain-delayed race at Martinsville, in spite of the ACL he tore in January. Two days after the race, Hamlin had surgery to repair his knee. On Saturday, 10 days after the surgery, Hamlin plans to race in Phoenix.

I'm not a doctor. I don't even play one on TV. But it's stunning to me that knee surgery can sideline football players and golfers for months at a time, but drivers can get back into the racecar less than two weeks after having a knee repaired. Can anyone out there with medical training explain this? (Feel free to leave a comment, and no, we won't call you in the morning.)

We'll be back with a peek at the goings-on in the football world.

Monday, April 5, 2010

A Brief Review of Last Week

Like the NASCAR Sprint Cup, the Internet's favorite fantasy racing team took last week off. The polls for this week's race at Phoenix are already up, so feel free to vote now. Though this week's race will take place on Saturday night, the People's Pitstop polls will still close Thursday night.

Speaking of the People's Pitstop, our team managed to score only 226 points in our last race in Martinsville. That leaves us with a season total of 1,546, tied for 105,242nd in Yahoo Fantasy Racing and tied for 126th in the Fans of From the Marbles league. Here's the breakdown:

Jimmie Johnson. Started 3rd, finished 9th, 74 fantasy points. Even though Jimmie spent a good portion of the race near the front of the pack, he didn't manage to lead a single lap.

Kevin Harvick. Started 1st, finished 35th (100 laps behind the leaders), 32 fantasy points. And that total includes 10 points for leading 57 laps before being knocked out of the running for good by one of the most important auto parts on a track like this one: the brakes.

Matt Kenseth. Started 2nd, finished 18th, 56 fantasy points. More proof that where you start a NASCAR race may not have any bearing on where you finish it.

Paul Menard. Started 9th, finished 14th, 64 fantasy points. What does it say about your fantasy auto racing team when the C List driver may have been the brightest spot of your week?

No matter. It's time for a new race and new polls. The results of our wing-vs.-spoiler poll appear below. Please vote.

[polldaddy poll=2969749]