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.
Saturday, September 3, 2011
Friday, September 2, 2011
Think Before You Draft
In addition to dealing with Hurricane Irene, the people who bring you this fine blog has gone through two fantasy football drafts in the past week. (Neither one was for the People's Pigskin, which will hold its draft Monday night, so you still have time to vote on the fantasy football polls on the right side of this page.) It's amazing how much a draft can sneak up on you, especially when the off-season is sacrificed at the altar of short-sightedness. So it might be helpful to remember some simple rules.
First and foremost, plan ahead. Take a look at the pre-draft settings at your league's Web site, and adjust them if you think whoever compiled them goes to Ricky Williams' old dealer. You never know when Mother Nature is going to decide to interfere with your draft.
In the days leading up to your draft, know what matters and what doesn't. In the long run, Chris Johnson's holdout wasn't going to matter, since everyone knew he would get a new deal in time for the season. And Arian Foster calling you sick for playing fantasy football doesn't matter. But Foster posting a picture of a possibly torn hamstring will matter. As for Vince Young's hamstring, whether that matters remains to be seen.
Next, get online early. If your draft is scheduled to start at 8 p.m., it's best not to try to sign in at 7:59 p.m. For one thing, many leagues will release the draft order a few minutes before your draft starts, so you can get a head start on figuring out who will be available when your turn comes. For another thing, you want to give yourself a few minutes to handle any last-minute computer glitches.
Also, keep an eye on bye weeks. Yes, both of your favorite receivers may be available when you pick. But if both of them are taking the same week off, that will make it twice as hard to field a full lineup when that bye week comes.
And if possible, don't leave early. After one of our drafts, someone sent out an email asking how he got a couple of the players he didn't recall drafting. As it turns out, this player left the room a few rounds early, and the automatic picking feature took over. (Again, it helps to know whose ranked where on your Web site.)
One more thing: Take the kicker last. This serves two purposes. First, it will keep from being laughed at for taking a kicker too early. (In one of our leagues, someone used a keeper protection on a kicker. You can lead some players to water...) Second, if you have to leave a round early, your computer will pick your kicker automatically.
That should be enough to get you through the draft in one piece.
Now you can turn your attention to your Labor Day weekend, the MDA Telethon (yes, it's still on, and yes, the kids still need your help) and Sunday night's NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The three NASCAR lineup polls will close in a few hours, and we need your help to keep the People's Pitstop at the top of our league. Thanks. We'll be back with the results.
First and foremost, plan ahead. Take a look at the pre-draft settings at your league's Web site, and adjust them if you think whoever compiled them goes to Ricky Williams' old dealer. You never know when Mother Nature is going to decide to interfere with your draft.
In the days leading up to your draft, know what matters and what doesn't. In the long run, Chris Johnson's holdout wasn't going to matter, since everyone knew he would get a new deal in time for the season. And Arian Foster calling you sick for playing fantasy football doesn't matter. But Foster posting a picture of a possibly torn hamstring will matter. As for Vince Young's hamstring, whether that matters remains to be seen.
Next, get online early. If your draft is scheduled to start at 8 p.m., it's best not to try to sign in at 7:59 p.m. For one thing, many leagues will release the draft order a few minutes before your draft starts, so you can get a head start on figuring out who will be available when your turn comes. For another thing, you want to give yourself a few minutes to handle any last-minute computer glitches.
Also, keep an eye on bye weeks. Yes, both of your favorite receivers may be available when you pick. But if both of them are taking the same week off, that will make it twice as hard to field a full lineup when that bye week comes.
And if possible, don't leave early. After one of our drafts, someone sent out an email asking how he got a couple of the players he didn't recall drafting. As it turns out, this player left the room a few rounds early, and the automatic picking feature took over. (Again, it helps to know whose ranked where on your Web site.)
One more thing: Take the kicker last. This serves two purposes. First, it will keep from being laughed at for taking a kicker too early. (In one of our leagues, someone used a keeper protection on a kicker. You can lead some players to water...) Second, if you have to leave a round early, your computer will pick your kicker automatically.
That should be enough to get you through the draft in one piece.
Now you can turn your attention to your Labor Day weekend, the MDA Telethon (yes, it's still on, and yes, the kids still need your help) and Sunday night's NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The three NASCAR lineup polls will close in a few hours, and we need your help to keep the People's Pitstop at the top of our league. Thanks. We'll be back with the results.
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Staying on Top in Tennessee
You, the Internet, were asked to help the People's Pigskin remain at the top of the charts, and you delivered like these guys.
The People's Pigskin scored 251 points at NASCAR's Saturday night Sprint Cup special at Bristol Motor Speedway. That gives us a season total of 6,532, which is good enough to increase our lead in the 9beersfantasysportstavern league. Our lead over Jeff Gordon Dupont 24 has expanded to 108 points. And we'd like it to keep growing.
Here is the Bristol breakdown.
Carl Edwards: Started 2nd, finished 9th and 79 fantasy points. Edwards came close to finding the lead several times. But he, like two fellow drivers, found something just as good Saturday night: a clinched Chase berth.
Brad Keselowski: Started 8th, finished 1st, 89 laps led and 100 fantasy points. By winning for the third time this season (only Kyle Busch has more checkered flags), Keselowski might as well have wrapped up a spot in the Chase. Even if he doesn't somehow move from 11th place into the top 10 in the driver standings, he has certainly wrapped up a wild card spot.
Mark Martin: Started 5th, finished 38th and 16 fantasy points. The only thing Martin found Saturday night was trouble.
Regan Smith: Started 12th, finished 18th and 56 fantasy points. It's never good when the press release about your driver starts with the phrase "The performance was better than the result." In the wish-it-were-dead language of PR, that means "He had a bad night, but if we don't say good things about him, no one will."
Now, let's discuss the new set of polls. And there are plenty of them.
We'll start with the three on the bottom. They will help select the People's Pitstop lineup for the Labor Day weekend race at Atlanta Motor Speedway. That race is Sunday night, and the qualifying session is on a Saturday. That means the polls will close Friday night. You know the drill.
The two polls on the top are for the Internet's favorite fantasy football team, the People's Pigskin. You have already told us to target Adrian Peterson at running back and (in a neck-related revote) Aaron Rodgers at quarterback. Now we need you to tell us which wide receiver and tight end should be in our sights. Those polls will close on Saturday night. Please vote now.
The People's Pigskin scored 251 points at NASCAR's Saturday night Sprint Cup special at Bristol Motor Speedway. That gives us a season total of 6,532, which is good enough to increase our lead in the 9beersfantasysportstavern league. Our lead over Jeff Gordon Dupont 24 has expanded to 108 points. And we'd like it to keep growing.
Here is the Bristol breakdown.
Carl Edwards: Started 2nd, finished 9th and 79 fantasy points. Edwards came close to finding the lead several times. But he, like two fellow drivers, found something just as good Saturday night: a clinched Chase berth.
Brad Keselowski: Started 8th, finished 1st, 89 laps led and 100 fantasy points. By winning for the third time this season (only Kyle Busch has more checkered flags), Keselowski might as well have wrapped up a spot in the Chase. Even if he doesn't somehow move from 11th place into the top 10 in the driver standings, he has certainly wrapped up a wild card spot.
Mark Martin: Started 5th, finished 38th and 16 fantasy points. The only thing Martin found Saturday night was trouble.
Regan Smith: Started 12th, finished 18th and 56 fantasy points. It's never good when the press release about your driver starts with the phrase "The performance was better than the result." In the wish-it-were-dead language of PR, that means "He had a bad night, but if we don't say good things about him, no one will."
Now, let's discuss the new set of polls. And there are plenty of them.
We'll start with the three on the bottom. They will help select the People's Pitstop lineup for the Labor Day weekend race at Atlanta Motor Speedway. That race is Sunday night, and the qualifying session is on a Saturday. That means the polls will close Friday night. You know the drill.
The two polls on the top are for the Internet's favorite fantasy football team, the People's Pigskin. You have already told us to target Adrian Peterson at running back and (in a neck-related revote) Aaron Rodgers at quarterback. Now we need you to tell us which wide receiver and tight end should be in our sights. Those polls will close on Saturday night. Please vote now.
Saturday, August 27, 2011
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 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.
Friday, August 26, 2011
The People's Choice - Bristol
A certain portion of our fans are battening down the hatches, while others are (trying to) get the heck out of Dodge as Irene makes its way up the Atlantic Coast. But skies are sunny at Thunder Valley, aka Bristol Motor Speedway, where NASCAR has set up shop for the second time this season. And you, the Internet, picked a heck of a roster for the People's Pitstop as it tries to stay atop the 9beersfantasysportstavern league. Here are the selections.
A List: Clearly, you paid attention to what happened the last time we were at this track. The winner of this poll was Kyle Busch, followed by a whisker by Carl Edwards. But when the qualifying session came, it wasn't that close. Edwards qualified 2nd (versus 23rd for Busch) and earned himself a starting spot, along with a 5-point bonus for the People's Pitstop.
B List: The voting was close in this poll. Dale Earnhardt Jr. earned the win, followed by Brad Keselowski, Mark Martin and Clint Bowyer. The qualifying session separated the contenders from the pretenders. Martin (5th) and Keselowski (8th) earned starts, while Bowyer (16th) and Earnhardt (22nd) will watch from the bench.
C List: Life is full of surprises, and this poll provided one of them. The winner here was Regan Smith, followed by Bobby Labonte. That was the order in qualifying, too. Smith (12th) will start. Labonte (30th) will sit.
We'll be back with the predictions with this race. In the meantime, remember that the fantasy football polls are still open. Get those votes in while you can.
A List: Clearly, you paid attention to what happened the last time we were at this track. The winner of this poll was Kyle Busch, followed by a whisker by Carl Edwards. But when the qualifying session came, it wasn't that close. Edwards qualified 2nd (versus 23rd for Busch) and earned himself a starting spot, along with a 5-point bonus for the People's Pitstop.
B List: The voting was close in this poll. Dale Earnhardt Jr. earned the win, followed by Brad Keselowski, Mark Martin and Clint Bowyer. The qualifying session separated the contenders from the pretenders. Martin (5th) and Keselowski (8th) earned starts, while Bowyer (16th) and Earnhardt (22nd) will watch from the bench.
C List: Life is full of surprises, and this poll provided one of them. The winner here was Regan Smith, followed by Bobby Labonte. That was the order in qualifying, too. Smith (12th) will start. Labonte (30th) will sit.
We'll be back with the predictions with this race. In the meantime, remember that the fantasy football polls are still open. Get those votes in while you can.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
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.
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.
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
OK, Maybe We Need to Try This Again
Do you know why serious fantasy football players have busier Labor Day weekends than Jerry Lewis used to have? It's because serious players hold their drafts as close as possible to Opening Day. They want to have all the preseason games (physical and mental) done and over with before they make their selections.
We're all used to players getting banged up during the preseason. But we may never have had a situation like the one we have this season.
When Peyton Manning announced that he was having a second surgery on his neck, most observers brushed it off. After all, he missed absolutely no regular season playing time as a result of his first surgery. But then a few things happened. First, Manning's backups, Curtis Painter and Dan Orlovsky (remember him?) demonstrated once and for all why they were backups. Then, the Indianapolis Colts signed Kerry Collins. Those two events, when taken together, suggest that someone in Indianapolis suspects Manning may not be ready for the opening Sunday, after all, and they needed a better back up plan than "Start Painter and hope the opponents get lost on the way to the field."
For the NFL fan, of course, Manning's health issues are a lot more pleasant than the issues in the New York Giants defensive backfield, where players are dropping like flies. After all, we know those defensive backs are done for the season, and Manning could very well start all his team's games again. For the fantasy football fan, however, Manning's health issues are far worse. After all, you already know what happened to the Giants, and you can reassess their defense/special teams accordingly. In the worst-case scenario, Manning may not be scratched until right before kickoff.
That's why the People's Pigskin, for the first time in its brief history, is reopening a poll. We asked last week which quarterback we should target first, and you chose Manning by a healthy margin. Now that you know Kerry Collins is an option for Indianapolis, do you want to change your vote? Here's your chance.
The quarterback and running back polls will close Saturday night. The NASCAR polls beneath them about picking a lineup for the People's Pitstop will close Thursday night. Please get your votes in for all of them. Thanks.
We'll be back with a look at this week's race.
We're all used to players getting banged up during the preseason. But we may never have had a situation like the one we have this season.
When Peyton Manning announced that he was having a second surgery on his neck, most observers brushed it off. After all, he missed absolutely no regular season playing time as a result of his first surgery. But then a few things happened. First, Manning's backups, Curtis Painter and Dan Orlovsky (remember him?) demonstrated once and for all why they were backups. Then, the Indianapolis Colts signed Kerry Collins. Those two events, when taken together, suggest that someone in Indianapolis suspects Manning may not be ready for the opening Sunday, after all, and they needed a better back up plan than "Start Painter and hope the opponents get lost on the way to the field."
For the NFL fan, of course, Manning's health issues are a lot more pleasant than the issues in the New York Giants defensive backfield, where players are dropping like flies. After all, we know those defensive backs are done for the season, and Manning could very well start all his team's games again. For the fantasy football fan, however, Manning's health issues are far worse. After all, you already know what happened to the Giants, and you can reassess their defense/special teams accordingly. In the worst-case scenario, Manning may not be scratched until right before kickoff.
That's why the People's Pigskin, for the first time in its brief history, is reopening a poll. We asked last week which quarterback we should target first, and you chose Manning by a healthy margin. Now that you know Kerry Collins is an option for Indianapolis, do you want to change your vote? Here's your chance.
The quarterback and running back polls will close Saturday night. The NASCAR polls beneath them about picking a lineup for the People's Pitstop will close Thursday night. Please get your votes in for all of them. Thanks.
We'll be back with a look at this week's race.
Monday, August 22, 2011
Back Where We Belong
Kyle Busch had a big weekend. So did the People's Pitstop.
With your insight and assistance, the Internet's favorite fantasy NASCAR team racked up 292 points during Sunday's race at Michigan International Speedway, even though none of our drivers led a single lap. Our season total of 6,281 is good enough to put us back into first place in the 9beersfantasysportstavern league. But we lead Jeff Gordon Dupont 24 by only 16 points, so we'll need to keep on our toes.
Here's how we got to the top.
Tony Stewart: Started 18th, finished 9th and 74 fantasy points. Despite his strong finish, Stewart told an interviewer after the race that his team was "wasting" a Chase spot. Still, you get the feeling he isn't go to offer that spot to Clint Bowyer out of the goodness of his heart.
Brad Keselowski: Started 6th, finished 3rd and 86 fantasy points. This was Keselowski's fourth straight top 10 finish. Between Keselowski's broken ankle this season and Denny Hamlin's knee surgery last season, NASCAR drivers are going to start wondering if they need to hurt themselves every season.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Started 8th, finished 14th and 64 fantasy points. In Earnhardt's young career -- remember, he's still only 36 years old -- he has gone through more than his share of crew chiefs. With the latest disagreement about that last pit stop before the green-white-checkered finish, could he be wearing out his welcome with another one?
David Ragan: Started 7th, finished 12th and 68 fantasy points. This was Ragan's ninth and final start for the People's Pitstop. This season, the soon-to-be-B-lister scored 626 points for us, or 69.6 points per start. His average finish was 14.6. His best performance for us is a tie between the Texas race (started on the pole and finished 7th) and the 600-mile race in Charlotte (finished 2nd); he scored 98 points in each race. His worst performance for us was at Watkins Glen this month, when he scored 36 and had a heck of a wreck. And I'll bet you, the Internet, can't wait for a chance to vote for him again.
You also can't wait for the Saturday night race at Bristol Motor Speedway. Well, you don't have to wait to vote in the lineup polls, which are available right now and will close Thursday night.
For those of you who prefer fantasy football, you can vote in the running back poll that will help the People's Pigskin determine its draft strategy. That poll will stay open through Saturday night. Please vote now.
With your insight and assistance, the Internet's favorite fantasy NASCAR team racked up 292 points during Sunday's race at Michigan International Speedway, even though none of our drivers led a single lap. Our season total of 6,281 is good enough to put us back into first place in the 9beersfantasysportstavern league. But we lead Jeff Gordon Dupont 24 by only 16 points, so we'll need to keep on our toes.
Here's how we got to the top.
Tony Stewart: Started 18th, finished 9th and 74 fantasy points. Despite his strong finish, Stewart told an interviewer after the race that his team was "wasting" a Chase spot. Still, you get the feeling he isn't go to offer that spot to Clint Bowyer out of the goodness of his heart.
Brad Keselowski: Started 6th, finished 3rd and 86 fantasy points. This was Keselowski's fourth straight top 10 finish. Between Keselowski's broken ankle this season and Denny Hamlin's knee surgery last season, NASCAR drivers are going to start wondering if they need to hurt themselves every season.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Started 8th, finished 14th and 64 fantasy points. In Earnhardt's young career -- remember, he's still only 36 years old -- he has gone through more than his share of crew chiefs. With the latest disagreement about that last pit stop before the green-white-checkered finish, could he be wearing out his welcome with another one?
David Ragan: Started 7th, finished 12th and 68 fantasy points. This was Ragan's ninth and final start for the People's Pitstop. This season, the soon-to-be-B-lister scored 626 points for us, or 69.6 points per start. His average finish was 14.6. His best performance for us is a tie between the Texas race (started on the pole and finished 7th) and the 600-mile race in Charlotte (finished 2nd); he scored 98 points in each race. His worst performance for us was at Watkins Glen this month, when he scored 36 and had a heck of a wreck. And I'll bet you, the Internet, can't wait for a chance to vote for him again.
You also can't wait for the Saturday night race at Bristol Motor Speedway. Well, you don't have to wait to vote in the lineup polls, which are available right now and will close Thursday night.
For those of you who prefer fantasy football, you can vote in the running back poll that will help the People's Pigskin determine its draft strategy. That poll will stay open through Saturday night. Please vote now.
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Fearless Predictions - Michigan
As we creep closer to another fantasy football season, we have results from our first football poll of the season. We asked you, the Internet, which quarterback the People's Pigskin should target first in our upcoming draft. You overwhelmingly chose Peyton Manning, so we'll have to hope his most recent neck surgery causes him to miss as many games as his previous neck surgery (none). We'll also have to hope he's available when our team drafts.
In the meantime, we have some races to consider. The NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers take on Michigan International Speedway on Sunday, and it's time to offer some predictions for top 10 finishers. Last week's forecasts went 1-3, lowering our season record to 25-55. That's a batting average of .312, which is good if you're Shane Victorino but not so good if you're a fantasy NASCAR site. Time to raise the average.
One from the front: Ryan Newman is ineligible for the People's Pitstop, having used up his nine starts, but he's still eligible for our predictions. This week, he's starting in third place, and he's seeking his third victory at Michigan.
One from the back: Clint Bowyer didn't do himself any favors by qualifying 35th, but he did us a huge favor by giving us someone to pick to come out of the back 10. He's one of several drivers on the bubble as the Chase for the Sprint Cup (NASCAR's version of the playoffs) approaches. He currently sits 11th in driver points, and since he has no wins so far this season, he's going to need to work his way into the top 10 to ensure a playoff berth.
Two from the middle: It's safe to say Kurt Busch didn't have a good time at last week at Watkins Glen, where he finished 38th and dropped two spots in driver points. Fortunately, he should have a better time at Michigan, where he's already won twice and finished eight times in the top 10. He starts 13th.
For those interested in more recent history, you can look to Paul Menard, who starts 11th this week and finished in fourth place at the last Michigan race in June.
Enjoy the race. We'll be back with the results.
In the meantime, we have some races to consider. The NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers take on Michigan International Speedway on Sunday, and it's time to offer some predictions for top 10 finishers. Last week's forecasts went 1-3, lowering our season record to 25-55. That's a batting average of .312, which is good if you're Shane Victorino but not so good if you're a fantasy NASCAR site. Time to raise the average.
One from the front: Ryan Newman is ineligible for the People's Pitstop, having used up his nine starts, but he's still eligible for our predictions. This week, he's starting in third place, and he's seeking his third victory at Michigan.
One from the back: Clint Bowyer didn't do himself any favors by qualifying 35th, but he did us a huge favor by giving us someone to pick to come out of the back 10. He's one of several drivers on the bubble as the Chase for the Sprint Cup (NASCAR's version of the playoffs) approaches. He currently sits 11th in driver points, and since he has no wins so far this season, he's going to need to work his way into the top 10 to ensure a playoff berth.
Two from the middle: It's safe to say Kurt Busch didn't have a good time at last week at Watkins Glen, where he finished 38th and dropped two spots in driver points. Fortunately, he should have a better time at Michigan, where he's already won twice and finished eight times in the top 10. He starts 13th.
For those interested in more recent history, you can look to Paul Menard, who starts 11th this week and finished in fourth place at the last Michigan race in June.
Enjoy the race. We'll be back with the results.
Saturday, August 20, 2011
The People's Choice - Michigan
We have reached the end of another week (cause enough for anyone to celebrate), and you, the Internet, have spoken again. You were asked to help the People's Pitstop select a lineup for Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Michigan International Speedway. Here, as promised, are the results.
A List: Welcome to the party, Tony Stewart. This fantasy NASCAR season just hasn't been the same without your milk-stained mug. You finished second to Carl Edwards in this week's voting, but you edged him in qualifying by starting 18th (versus 22nd for Edwards).
B List: No need to ask where the Dale Earnhardt Jr. fans are. Enough of them read this blog to help him win this week's poll. The suddenly popular Brad Keselowski was the runner-up, followed by Joey Logano and A.J. Allmendinger. And that's how they finished in the qualifying session. Earnhardt (6th) and Keselowski (8th) earn starting spots over Logano (23rd) and Allmendinger (29th).
C List: We knew we were probably going to lose a C List racer (who's probably heading for next year's B List) this weekend. It should come as a shock to absolutely no one that David Ragan and Paul Menard tied for the top spot in this week's survey. It also shouldn't be shocking that one of them is starting in the top 10. That would be Ragan, who qualified 7th and will start for the final time this season for the People's Pitstop. Menard qualified 11th and will live to earn fantasy points another day.
Thanks again for voting, and don't forget about our fantasy quarterback poll, which is still open. We'll be back with some predictions for this week's race.
A List: Welcome to the party, Tony Stewart. This fantasy NASCAR season just hasn't been the same without your milk-stained mug. You finished second to Carl Edwards in this week's voting, but you edged him in qualifying by starting 18th (versus 22nd for Edwards).
B List: No need to ask where the Dale Earnhardt Jr. fans are. Enough of them read this blog to help him win this week's poll. The suddenly popular Brad Keselowski was the runner-up, followed by Joey Logano and A.J. Allmendinger. And that's how they finished in the qualifying session. Earnhardt (6th) and Keselowski (8th) earn starting spots over Logano (23rd) and Allmendinger (29th).
C List: We knew we were probably going to lose a C List racer (who's probably heading for next year's B List) this weekend. It should come as a shock to absolutely no one that David Ragan and Paul Menard tied for the top spot in this week's survey. It also shouldn't be shocking that one of them is starting in the top 10. That would be Ragan, who qualified 7th and will start for the final time this season for the People's Pitstop. Menard qualified 11th and will live to earn fantasy points another day.
Thanks again for voting, and don't forget about our fantasy quarterback poll, which is still open. We'll be back with some predictions for this week's race.
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