Dover Results and an All-Star Poll

I'm sorry this post couldn't go up sooner. I was busy installing a still in Charlotte.

Anyway, the People's Pitstop had a fairly conclusion to the spring portion of the NASCAR Sprint Cup season. The Internet's favorite fantasy NASCAR team collected 270 points at Sunday's race in Dover. That brings the season total to 3,085, good enough to move us up to 125th place in the Fans of From the Marbles fantasy league. Congratulations to Dick Trickle (the league, not the driver) for winning the spring segment of our league. Here are the details on our results:

Kurt Busch. Started 12th, finished 19th (2 laps behind the leaders), 1 lap led and 64 fantasy points.

Jeff Burton. Started 17th, finished second, 1 lap led and 98 fantasy points.

Clint Bowyer. Started 7th, finished 17th (1 lap behind the leaders) and 58 fantasy points.

Paul Menard. Started 23rd, finished 21st (2 laps behind the leaders) and 50 fantasy points.

Now the NASCAR drivers are back home in Charlotte, getting ready for the opening of the NASCAR Hall of Fame. Some drivers are preparing for Saturday's All-Star Race. Others are hoping to earn their way into that race one of two ways. They can win their way in by finishing first or second in the 30-car Sprint Showdown preceding the race. (By the way, if baseball wants to make its All-Star Weekend more exciting, it can try reserving a spot in the All-Star Game for whoever wins the Home Run Derby.) Or the drivers can hope that they win the fan vote that will decide a spot.

That's where the latest poll comes in. We've taken 10 of the drivers eligible for votes in the All-Star popularity contest. If you're favorite driver isn't on this list, it means either that driver is already in the All-Star Race or you need a new favorite driver. Anyway, the poll will stay up until Saturday. The JaMarcus Russell results appear below. We'll be back.

[polldaddy poll=3170463]

Fearless Predictions - Dover

Now that we've demonstrated why this blog isn't called the People's Paddock, it's time to put the forecasting skills back to work on predicting which drivers will finish in the top 10 for the NASCAR Sprint Cup race Sunday in Dover. Last week's predictions went 6-4, leaving us with a season record of 47-53.

1. Kyle Busch. His victory in the Nationwide Series race on Saturday shows that No. 18 had figured out the Monster Mile.

2. Greg Biffle. OK, big deal. So now he's only tied for the NASCAR lead with seven finishes in the top 10 this season...

3. Kevin Harvick. ...and yes, he has to share that title with the overall points leader.

4. Jimmie Johnson. Those of you saying his four-Sprint-Cup run is over should consider this. Johnson has won three races so far this season. At this point last season, he had recorded only one victory.

5. Martin Truex Jr. Maybe he can persuade NASCAR to move all its races to Delaware. Truex has the pole for Sunday's race, and this is the site of his lone Sprint Cup win. (See? We didn't even have to bring up the commercials.)

6. Kasey Kahne. If you tried to tell me you knew that Kahne would be starting next to Truex in the front row for Sunday's race, I'd ask you to give me a Belmont Stakes tip.

7. Denny Hamlin. Once you get over the "everyone's scheduling knee surgeries" jokes, you realize that his three victories this season make Hamlin a legitimate Cup contender.

8. Kurt Busch. He's got six top 10 finishes under his belt this season (the same number as Johnson), and he's making his debut in the People's Pitstop starting lineup.

9. Jeff Gordon. He has four top five finishes, and he has to have a victory in his sights.

10. Casey Mears. In case you missed it, Mears is filling in for Brian Vickers, whose team could use all the good karma it can get. Get well, Brian.

We'll be back after the race with results.

The People's Choice - Dover

Thanks to everyone who took time this week to cast their votes on the People's Pitstop lineup for Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup race in Dover. Here are the results.

A List. We had a two-way tie in this week's vote between Jeff Gordon and Kurt Busch. To break that tie, we go to qualifying order. Busch qualified 12th, or three spots in front of Gordon, and he gets the start for the Internet's favorite fantasy NASCAR team.

B List. Here we had another two-way tie, but in this case, that was a good thing, since we had two starting spots to offer. They went to Jeff Burton (who qualified 17th) and Clint Bowyer (who qualified seventh -- yes, the People's Pitstop has a top 10 starter). Watching this race from our bench will be Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Matt Kenseth. I wonder if they could stop by the Race Book and drop off a bet for us.

C List. This was the one poll where we had a clear-cut winner: Paul Menard. He gets the start, while A.J. Allmendinger gets the bench spot.

The poll results appear below. We'll be back before race time with the usual predictions. In the meantime, here's a free bonus forecast: Take Paddy O'Prado to win the Preakness Stakes, aka the People's Race. (You've got to love that slogan.) How did I come up with that prediction? The same way I come up with all the others.

[polldaddy poll=3176755] [polldaddy poll=3176770] [polldaddy poll=3176778]

The People's Facts - Autism Speaks 400

Sorry this post took so long to get online. I was waiting to see if I would be named Defensive Rookie of the Year.

Anyway, you still have a few hours to vote on the People's Pitstop lineup for Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup race. Here is some information to help you form your decision.

Track basics: Dover International Speedway is nicknamed the "Monster Mile" because it is a mile of solid concrete. That is, it's a mile in perimeter, not in the depth of the concrete. That would be heavy. And even if you learned your math from these folks, the lap/mile count should be easy to remember. If you drive 400 laps on this track, you've driven 400 miles. Understand? Good. If not, click here.

Recent winners: Jimmie Johnson (2009), Kyle Busch (2008), Martin Truex Jr. (2007). One caveat: The schedule was slightly different when those three drivers won their races. Back then, the spring Dover race was the first race after the 600-mile one in Charlotte. This year, it's two weeks before that race.

Who wins here a lot: Johnson leads active NASCAR drivers with five Sprint Cup victories on this track. His teammates Jeff Gordon and Mark Martin are right behind him with four wins apiece.

Why does this place look familiar? Longtime readers of the People's Pigskin -- or at least those of you who were reading last fall -- will recall a trip to Delaware to take advantage of the state's recently established football lottery. Turns out that Dover Downs shares its real estate with Dover International Speedway. That means that in the fall, you could go down to Dover, make parlay bets on the NFL and watch a NASCAR race at the same time.

Better wrap up this post before I faint.

As always, you can click here to download a handy-dandy guide from our friends at Yahoo Sports. The lineup polls will close later tonight, so please vote now.

Another Uneven Week (and New Polls)

The People's Pitstop tried to tame the Lady in Black Saturday night. Instead, we earned a stripe of our own.

The Internet's favorite fantasy racing team scored 251 points this week. Our season total is 251, bringing us up to a tie for 101,631st overall on Yahoo Sports and leaving us at 143rd in the Fans of From the Marbles league. Here's the breakdown:

Jeff Gordon: Started 2nd, finished 4th, 110 laps led and 109 fantasy points. That total includes 5 bonus points for qualifying so well and 20 bonus points for leading more laps than anyone else. All that's missing from Gordon's season so far is a win.

Jeff Burton: Started 11th, finished 8th, 31 laps led and 86 fantasy points. Burton's total includes 10 bonus points for leading a lap. At one point late in the race, he and Gordon were in first and second place. Too bad neither one could seal the deal. And it's too bad you don't get bonus points for having the fastest lap of the race.

And just like last week, the results take a turn for the worse at this point.

Joey Logano: Started 13th, finished 27th (4 laps behind the leaders) and 38 bonus points. Logano had trouble late in the race and never really got a chance to recover.

A.J. Allmendinger: Started 12th, finished 37th (189 laps behind the leaders) and 18 fantasy points. A.J. got an early start on his trip home for Mother's Day by getting into a scary wreck with Jimmie Johnson.

But one of the good things about a season as long as NASCAR's is that there always seems to be time to catch up. This week, the Sprint Cup series heads to Dover, and once again you, the Internet, get to pick our lineup. The polls are open and will stay open until Thursday night. Please vote now.

Fearless Predictions - Darlington

Before we all sit down with this site's unofficial beverage and watch the NASCAR Sprint Cup race, it's time to predict the top 10 finishers at Saturday night's race. Last week's version of the predictions went 5-5, leaving us with a season record of 41-49.

1. Kyle Busch. The driver that many NASCAR fans love to hate found his way to victory lane last week. And he has the team that can put him there again.

2. Jeff Gordon. Not only does he lead active drivers with seven victories at Darlington, but he also has 17 top five finishes. He's tied for the most among active NASCAR drivers...

3. Mark Martin. ...with this guy.

4. Greg Biffle. Yes, he fell out of the top 10 this week, but he's still fifth in driver points, and he still leads all drivers with seven finishes in the top 10.

5. Jamie McMurray. Quick, guess the only driver who has won more than one pole this season. Nope, try again. Nope, guess again...

6. Kevin Harvick. While everyone else was focusing last week on the Hendrick Family Feud, Happy Harvick was busy taking the lead in driver points.

7. Jimmie Johnson. Yes, he gave up the points lead last week, but he still finished in the top 10, and he has the most top five finishes so far this season (five). Oh, and there's the four...well, you know.

8. Denny Hamlin. Follow the numbers on this one. Driver No. 11 has four finishes in the top 10, three finishes in the top five and two wins, and tonight he starts eighth.

9 and 10. Brian Vickers and David Reutimann. This week we have a pair of medium-to-long shots. They won't be hard to find when the green flag waves, since they'll be next to each other in the second row.

Enjoy the race, and if you're a mother, enjoy NASCAR's gift to you: On your big day, none of the people in your life will have "But the race is on" as an excuse for not paying attention to you.

The People's Choice - Darlington

Sorry this post is so late. I was mourning two things: the end of JaMarcus Russell's career with the Oakland Raiders and the end of Ryan Leaf's reign as the biggest draft bust in the National Football League's history. We'll miss you, Ryan.

Anyway, you, the Internet, have spoken, and since we now have the qualifying results, we can reveal the full lineup the People's Pitstop will field for Saturday night's NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Darlington.

A List. This poll produced the clearest winner of all: Jeff Gordon. And you, the Internet, may be on to something. Gordon qualified second for Saturday's race, earning the Internet's favorite fantasy racing team 5 bonus points right off the bat. Jimmie Johnson will sit on the bench.

B List. One clear winner emerged in this poll: Jeff Burton, who qualified 11th. After Burton, there was a big tie that was broken when Joey Logano qualified 13th. The bench spots go to Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Matt Kenseth.

C List. Again, we had a tie that was broken by Friday's qualifying session. Your winner (and starter) is A.J. Allmendinger, who qualified 12th. Scott Speed will get a spot on the bench.

The poll results appear below. The new poll is about Mr. Russell's future. Feel free to vote now, even if you're this guy. We'll be back with our predictions for the top 10 finishers.

[polldaddy poll=3148931] [polldaddy poll=3148946] [polldaddy poll=3148953]

The People's Facts - Showtime Southern 500

There's still time for you, the Internet, to pick the People's Pitstop lineup for this week's NASCAR Sprint Cup race (another Saturday Night Special) at Darlington. Here is some basic information about the venue of the week.

Track basics: Darlington Raceway, the South Carolina track "Too Tough to Tame," is a 1.366-mile oval with an odd shape (more on that below). It's also one of NASCAR's more historic tracks, having hosted its first race in 1950. At this track, drivers try to get as close as they can to the outer wall whenever possible. Many of them get too close, earning themselves a Darlington stripe.

Recent winners: Mark Martin (2009), Kyle Busch (2008), Jeff Gordon (2007)

Who wins here a lot: Jeff Gordon, Jeff Gordon, Jeff Gordon. Mr. DuPont has won seven Sprint Cup races here. No other active NASCAR driver has more than two wins.

So what's with the odd shape? You'd think a body as powerful as NASCAR would be able to dictate the shape of the tracks it uses, right down to the curvature of its press box. And these days, that would probably be true. But that wasn't the case in 1949, when, according to the track's official history, Harold Brasington started "a project known locally as “Harold’s Folly” to shape a 1-1/4 mile speedway on land that had once produced peanuts and cotton."

Unfortunately, Brasington had to answer to a higher authority. (No, not that one.)

"Brasington's plan called for a true oval, but the racetrack's design had to be changed in order to satisfy Sherman Ramsey, the landowner, who did not want his nearby minnow pond disturbed. The west end of the track (Turns 3 and 4) was narrowed to accommodate the fishing hole, creating Darlington's distinctive egg-shaped design."

As always, if you need to learn more, you can click here to download a PDF from the fine folks at Yahoo Sports. We'll be back with more thoughts.

The Richmond Split Decision (and New Polls)

For the People's Pitstop, it was both the best of times and worst of times Saturday night.

The Internet's favorite fantasy racing team managed to put up 265 points during the NASCAR Sprint Cup race in Richmond. However, our season total of 2,564 points leaves us tied for 104,061st overall and tied for 142nd in the Fans of From the Marbles league. Here are the details:

Kyle Busch: Started 1st, finished 1st, 226 laps led and 120 fantasy points. That total includes 20 bonus points for leading the most laps and 10 bonus points for starting on the pole. For only the second time this season, the People's Pitstop managed to start the NASCAR driver who won the race.

Kevin Harvick: Started 7th, finished 3rd, 1 lap led and 96 fantasy points. Leading that single lap gave Harvick 10 bonus points. Finishing that well put him on the top of the NASCAR driver points list.

And that's where the good news ends.

Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Started 25th, finished 32nd (3 laps behind the leaders) and 28 fantasy points. One would hope the off-the-track controversy isn't bleeding over to Earnhardt's on-the-track performance.

Sam Hornish Jr.: Started 27th, finished 36th (13 laps behind the leaders) and 20 fantasy points. You can read a long (and stilted) report from Penske, or you can just understand this: Hornish couldn't get out of his own way.

Now it's time for you, the Internet, to regroup and get ready for another Saturday night race, this one at Darlington. The lineup polls are up and ready for voting. The NFL rookie poll is closed, and you can see the results below. We'll be back with more information about this week's race site.

[polldaddy poll=3102728]

Fearless Predictions - Richmond

First, an update on the People's Pitstop lineup for the NASCAR Sprint Cup race in Richmond: Kyle Busch is on the pole and in the starting lineup for Saturday night's race. For winning the pole, Busch has earned the Internet's favorite fantasy racing team 10 bonus points. Jeff Gordon, who qualified fourth, got us 1 bonus point.

Now it's time for the latest set of predictions for the top 10 finishers. Last week's forecasts went a disappointing 3-7, lowering our season record to 36-44.

1. Greg Biffle. Nine races plus seven top 10 finishes equals the closest thing to a sure thing in these predictions.

2. Kevin Harvick. He found his way to the finish line last week, and his six top 10 finishes trail only Biffle's total.

3. Jimmie Johnson. Six top 10 finishes this season, three victories and FOUR STRAIGHT TITLES! Oh, and did I mention he's leading the points race?

4. Kyle Busch. He's on the pole, and he didn't even have to break out the pink car and the pink suit to get there.

5. Jeff Gordon. You get the feeling that it's only a matter of time before this four-time Cup winner breaks his winless streak.

6. Tony Stewart. He has three wins on this track, and he has a way of finding his way into the top 12 in time for the Chase.

7. Ryan Newman. So does Stewart's employee, who also has the advantage of starting in the top 10 on Saturday.

8. Mark Martin. He's quietly finished four times in the top five this season. Only Johnson has more top five finishes this season.

9. Jamie McMurray. He starts in the top 10 on Saturday, and he nearly beat Harvick to the finish line last week.

10. David Reutimann. This week's medium to long shot made things easier for the predictions by qualifying second.

We'll be back with results and polls for our next race.