Winning's the Only Thing? Are You Sure?

We are halfway through NASCAR's "regular season," and Mike Helton and Company are probably hoping things change in the second half.
Back in January, NASCAR announced some rule changes, including changes to the way it selects drivers for its Chase for the Sprint Cup. Under the old system, the top 12 drivers in points after 26 races (in other words, after the fall race at Richmond International Raceway) were given spots in NASCAR's version of a playoff. It did not matter how many wins those drivers had -- or even if those drivers had won at all. Points were all that mattered. Now, NASCAR will give playoff spots to the top 10 drivers in points, and it will award two "wild card" spots. Those spots are for the drivers ranked 11th-20th in points who have the most wins in the first 26 races.
This "wild card" has gotten the nickname "the Jamie McMurray Rule," because McMurray won last year's Daytona 500 (along with the race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway) but missed the Chase because he didn't have enough total points. That nickname is unfair to McMurray, since his Chase miss was hardly a fluke. In 2009, Matt Kenseth won the Daytona 500 (and the following week's race in Fontana) but missed the Chase and finished 14th in points. In 2008, Ryan Newman won the Daytona 500 but missed the Chase and finished 17th in points.
Clearly, something had to be done. After all, the Daytona 500 is allegedly the Super Bowl of NASCAR, but the winner of that race is 0-for-the-last-3 in Chase qualification.
Lots of people saw it as a good thing for the sport to put more emphasis on wins. In this post on fines, Jay Busbee of Yahoo Sports cites the changes as one of the ways "this sport has taken more steps to address fan concerns than any other." And Joe Menzer of NASCAR.com tells us the wild card rule is "having its intended impact" by stoking fan interest and making drivers think about winning.
But take a look at how things stand now.
Of the current top 10 drivers in points, five of them (Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kurt Busch, Tony Stewart, Clint Bowyer and Ryan Newman) have no wins under their fan belts so far this season. And when you look at the next 10 drivers -- the ones eligible for a wild card -- only one driver has the requisite victory. That would be Jeff Gordon, who won the spring race in Phoenix. Yes, Brad Keselowski, our most recent winner, currently sits in 21st place, and it would not be shocking for him to be in the top 20 next week. But it also would not be shocking for the current top 10 drivers and Jeff Gordon to monopolize the rest of the wins this regular season. If that happens, and something unforeseen happens to take Keselowski out of the top 20, what happens to that last wild card?
Look further down the standings. Down in 29th place, you'll find Regan Smith, the proud owner of a victory at another iconic NASCAR track, Darlington Raceway. Unless he gets into the mother of all grooves, he's unlikely to make the top 20, and his win will go to waste, too.
Oh, and let's get back to the Daytona 500 for a moment. Do you remember who won that race this year? Trevor Bayne. And even if he didn't have his unfortunate illness this season, you wouldn't see him getting a wild card. That's the result of another rule change NASCAR made in January. It told drivers they could compete for only one series title. And Bayne now sits in 15th place -- in Nationwide points.
Make that 0-for-4.

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.

Fearless Predictions - Kansas

To accompany your morning cup of coffee -- or any other beverage you use to start your day -- we at the People's Pigskin are proud to present predictions for NASCAR drivers who will finish in the top 10 in Sunday's race at Kansas Speedway. We are not proud of the quality of these picks so far. Last week's forecasts went 0-4, dropping our season record to 10-30.
One from the front: It's awfully hard to pick against Carl Edwards these days. He's leading the pack in driver points, and he starts this race in 7th place. Also, he considers this his home track. If he can keep enough gas in the tank, he should do well here.
One from the back: How did Marcos Ambrose land in 35th place? No matter; we'll take it. The Tasmanian Devil has finished in the top 10 in the last two points races. (Three if you include the Sprint Showdown.)
Two from the middle: By landing a second Sprint Cup race, Kansas Speedway became even more important for those hoping to lift the cup. And for these picks, we will go with two drivers who have won here twice before and are looking to become the first three-time winner: Tony Stewart, who starts 13th, and Greg Biffle, who starts 14th and won the last time the top NASCAR drivers were here.
Take these picks with as many grains of salt as you wish. And enjoy the race. We'll be back with results.

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.

So Who's in Control Here?

With all apologies to Alex Haig, the folks who follow football have reason to ask that question right now.
First of all, consider this week's reports that the National Football League and the former union for its players had gotten together to discuss their differences. At first, we were told that the talks were so secret, some NFL owners did not know they were taking place. Then, we were told that the judge who oversaw earlier mediation efforts between the players and owners had instigated the new talks.
And all this was before the appellate court in St. Louis heard the case and said, essentially, "We'll get back to you."
Now, anyone who loves the game of football (and its love child, fantasy football) as much as the People's Pigskin will not quibble about how the conflict between players and owners is resolved, as long as it is resolved sometime before September 8. But you have to wonder if something other than altruism is motivating the sudden burst of activity on this front.
You see, the same week all this was happening, DirecTV sent its subscribers a letter about its NFL Sunday Ticket package. For the folks who run television, this conflict is not just an annoyance. It's a money issue. Football makes money -- Scrooge McDuck-type money -- for these folks, and they can't be happy that people are threatening harm to that money flow.
That might be why DirecTV sent this letter:

"Your NFL SUNDAY TICKET™ subscription is set to automatically renew for the 2011 season. Due to the NFL's uncertain labor situation, DIRECTV is offering all subscribers a no-risk policy. There will be absolutely no charge for your NFL SUNDAY TICKET subscription until it is confirmed that the 2011 NFL season will begin.
What happens with your NFL SUNDAY TICKET subscription during the dispute?

• A balance of $0.00 will show for the NFL SUNDAY TICKET portion of your bill. 
• Once an agreement is reached, your subscription will renew for six easy payments of $53.99 each. 
• If any games are cancelled from the season schedule, the balance on your bill will be adjusted accordingly." 

Coincidence? Maybe.

One reminder: You have until tonight to vote for the People's Pitstop lineup for Sunday's NASCAR race at Kansas Speedway. You have put the Internet's favorite fantasy NASCAR team on a roll, and you can keep it there.

We'll be back with the results.

At Least, WE Had Plenty of Gas

Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s car couldn't go the distance, but the People's Pitstop could. Not only did the Internet's favorite fantasy NASCAR team rack up 330 points during Sunday's race at Charlotte Motor Speedway, but we scored more points than any other team in the prestigious 9beersfantasysportstavern league on Yahoo Sports. Our season total of 3,460 is good enough to keep us in first place.
Here's how we did it, with a little help from you-know-who.
Carl Edwards: Started 3rd, finished 16th, 61 laps led and 73 fantasy points. Edwards did his best work early in the race. Still, he remains your points leader. (Yes, even the New York Times noticed.)
Clint Bowyer: Started 10th, finished 15th and 62 fantasy points. Bowyer was the only driver in our starting lineup not to lead at least one of the race's 402 laps. Maybe he'll get that done this week in his home state, where he'll even race a truck.
A.J. Allmendinger: Started 2nd, finished 5th, 5 laps led and 97 fantasy points. Like Edwards, Allmendinger had his best results early in the race, before the sun set. But he did collect his first top five finish of the season, and he was one of the many drivers whose standing improved when Earnhardt's gas tank went dry. But if you want a golden horseshoe, look for...
David Ragan: Started 8th, finished 2nd, 7 laps led and 98 fantasy points. Ragan was actually a lap behind the leaders when, at lap 396 (4 laps before the checkered flag was scheduled to fly), Jimmie Johnson blew his engine. Ragan got the "lucky dog" pass back to the lead lap, and he made the most of it.
The People's Pitstop certainly has momentum. Let's see how far it gets us as NASCAR heads for the heartland for Sunday's race at Kansas Speedway. The qualifying session is Saturday morning, so this week's polls will close Friday night. Get your votes in now, and help the People's Pitstop keep its wheels turning.

Fearless Predictions - Charlotte

Throw another hot dog on the grill, or anything else you like; we at the People's Pigskin don't judge. It's a Sunday packed with racing, whether your favorite drivers are in Monaco or Indianapolis or Charlotte Motor Speedway. If you chose option C from that list, then you'll be interested in reading our predictions for the Sprint Cup drivers who will finish in the top 10 in the NASCAR marathon, aka the Coca-Cola 600. Our most recent forecasts went a respectable 2-2 at Dover, but our season record is a less-than-respectable 10-26, so don't read them while operating heavy machinery (or taking a test drive with Kyle Busch).
One from the front: Your picks for the People's Pitstop this week left us with a smaller field of eligible drivers. We'll go with Jimmie Johnson, whose long list of career accomplishments includes six victories on this track. And, as longtime readers of this blog know, he starts 6th in this race.
One from the back: Jamie McMurray is starting back in 35th place. That makes this pick supremely easy. Last year, he finished 2nd in the 600 and then won the fall race in Charlotte. This year, the man who grew up in Joplin, Missouri, is representing a community devastated by last week's tornado. If there's anyone motivated to charge to the front, it's McMurray.
Two from the middle: Ryan Newman starts 12th, and we discussed his nine poles on this track in our last post. Now we need to consider a single win by Matt Kenseth, who starts 19th. He won Saturday's Nationwide race. How is that remarkable? It was the first Nationwide race he has entered all season.
Enjoy today's racing, but keep in mind why we call it Memorial Day. We'll be back with results.

The People's Choice - Charlotte

This post got caught in the Memorial Day weekend traffic, but better late than never.
This week was a short one for voting, but you, the Internet, came through with your picks for the People's Pitstop. Thanks to you, the Web's favorite fantasy NASCAR team is a little like Casey Kasem: All our starters are in the top 10.
A List: The people must have been impressed with the way Carl Edwards performed last Saturday. (Well, for the most part, anyway.) He won this poll handily over runner-up Jimmie Johnson. He also won a starting spot by qualifying 3rd, three spots ahead of Johnson. As a result, we get an extra 3 bonus points.
B List: This race was considerably tighter. Ryan Newman squeaked out a victory over Clint Bowyer, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and A.J. Allmendinger, who tied for second place. However, the man with nine poles at Charlotte Motor Speedway could not outqualify Allmendinger (2nd) and Bowyer (10th), both of whom earned starting spots over Newman (12th) and Earnhardt (25th; he should stick to fan votes). In fact, Allmendinger got us 5 bonus points for getting on the front row.
C List: Two of the usual suspects rose to the top of this poll. David Ragan beat Paul Menard in terms of both votes and qualifying (8th vs. 16th).
We'll be back sometime before the race with predictions.

The Man in Blue on the Man in Black

Most people know Michael Waltrip for some combination of the following things.

• Being the baby brother of a former NASCAR Winston Cup champion.
• Hamming it up on Showtime and during TV commercials.
• Having rocket fuel (or something) show up in one of the first Sprint Cup cars he fielded as an owner.
• Winning the Daytona 500--his first points victory as a Sprint Cup driver--on the day Dale Earnhardt died blocking for him.

Now we can add another line to Michael's resume: author.
Claiming that "Nobody could tell the story" of the day Earnhardt died "like I could," the younger Waltrip has put out a book called "In the Blink of an Eye," written with the help of Ellis Henican.
Truth be told, though, this book focuses more on Michael Waltrip's career than anything else. To be fair, that is a story no one can tell quite like he can, since he was the one who lived it. We learn, for example, that Darrell Waltrip tried to discourage his brother from getting into racing. ("All you're gonna do is waste a lot of your time and other people's money.")
There are some parts of the book that discuss Earnhardt, who owned the car Waltrip took to Victory Lane that fateful day. For example, we learn that, in the days leading up to that race, Earnhardt laid out the strategy that would get Dale Earnhardt Inc. the checkered flag. Waltrip, Earnhardt and Dale Earnhardt Jr. would work their way to the front, slowly but surely. "Whichever of us gets to the front," Waltrip quotes Earnhardt Sr. as saying, "at the end we're gonna push and we're gonna make sure that person stays in the front."It was quite prescient; Waltrip and the two Earnhardts were the top three drivers going into that final lap.

But even though nearly 100 pages of this book deal with that day and its immediate aftermath, this still feels more like a Waltrip autobiography than anything else. He may have had a burning desire to tell his story, but it's hard imagining the throngs of Dale Earnhardt fans needing to hear it.

Remember that we will be closing our polls for this week's lineup on Wednesday night. You have until then to help the People's Pitstop pick the drivers who will represent us at Sunday's Coca-Cola 600.

Now, Back to the Races That Count

The Sprint All-Star Race last Saturday night was cool if you are a NASCAR fan, though not if you're the guy who has to fix Carl Edwards' car. (As least we know his crew can afford the parts.)
Dale Earnhardt Jr., one of the recipients of your votes in last week's poll, made it into the main event on the strength of his popularity. (Shocking, isn't it?) Jeff Burton and Marcos Ambrose, the other Sprint Cup drivers who got your votes, fell short in the Sprint Showdown and had to watch the rest of the festivities just like the rest of us.
But said festivities are now in our rear-view mirror.
And we at the People's Pitstop can't spend too much time looking back or planning our Memorial Day barbecue. We have to turn to the longest race on the NASCAR calendar, the Coca-Cola 600 this Sunday at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The qualifying session for this race is Thursday, so our lineup polls will have to close on Wednesday night. Please get your votes in now. We need your help to stay on top of the 9beersfantasysportstavern league.
We'll be back with, of all things, a book review.