Johnson Wins His Sixth Title Blah, Blah, Blah

Jimmie Johnson won his 6th Sprint Cup Championship which places him one behind Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt. Johnson and Knaus are truly the greatest CHEATERS ever. You got to give them credit for that. I am not gonna talk any more about it. It just pisses me off.

I am thinking about implementing a few rule changes for next season. I am considering putting our league online with Yahoo Fantasy Racing or some such similar site. I do want to be able to customize the scoring and rules to fit what we want. I am thinking about doing away with the rule that says you can use a driver 5 times per segment, and changing it to 12 times per year. That is what many leagues do. As it stands now in our league you can potentially use a driver 20 times per year. Doing that, makes it harder for a team to catch up if they fall behind. Limiting it to 12 times per year would help people to be able to perhaps make a come back. Also the driver groups would be set by me at the beginning of the season and they would not change after each segment. I am still thinking about that one though. We would keep the wildcard rule the same. Let me know what you think. (not that I will pay any attention to what you think)

The downside to setting up the league online is that the deadline for submitting your picks would be a fixed time. Absolutely no late picks would be allowed. The upside is that we may pick up more league members so the pot could be bigger.

We did not have a league party this past season. We will definitely be having a party for the Daytona 500 to start the season next year. I am not sure where, but it will be somewhere.

Here are the results for race and the final standings for the segment and the season.

Week-Norb 210, Toby 201, Terry 195, Dennis 181, Brent 178, Joe 176, Michael 159, Neil 158, PT 156, Chuck 156, Freddy 151, Jim 145

Segment-Toby 1862, Dennis 1836, PT 1815, Michael 1810, Neil 1737, Norb 1717, Brent 1711, Freddy 1702, Terry 1696, Chuck 1665, Joe 1621, Jim 1598

Overall-PT 6212, Michael 6146, Chuck 6065, Dennis 6045, Freddy 6015, Toby 5898, Joe 5835, Brent 5811, Neil 5740, Jim 5690, Terry 5581, Norb 5562

Our league fees were $75.00 and with 12 members that comes to $900.00 which will be all paid out. The winner of each segment will get $75.00 and the 2nd place finisher of each segment receives $25.00. We will pay out three places for the final standings. First pays $250.00, second pays $150.00, and third pays $100.00.

Segment One-Jim $75, Chuck $25
Segment Two-Michael $75, Dennis $25
Segment Three-PT $75, Freddy $25
Segment Four-Toby $75, Dennis $25

Champion PT $250, second Michael $150, third Chuck $100

Here is the total amounts you have coming; PT $325, Michael $225, Chuck $125, Toby $75, Jim $75, Dennis $50 and Freddy $25.

Let me know what you think about the possible changes for next season. There will be some driver changes next year and I will keep you up to date on that and any other interesting news that may come out of NASCAR during the off season.

Okay boys that's a wrap. Enjoy my final video of the year. It is a celebration of the trashy NASCAR women that we all love and wish our wives would be.

Matt Masters Miami

Matt Kenseth will start from the pole at Miami/Homestead Raceway. He needs all the help he can get as he trails Jimmie Johnson by 28 points in the Chase. Johnson starts seventh. Kevin Harvick still has a shot but will need lots of help to win the Chase. The good news for Kenseth and Harvick is that Johnson has finished 30th or worse in the last two races at Miami/Homestead. Here are the qualifying results.

Toby-20, 56, 55, 18=34
Norb-24, 56, 11, 29=29
Brent-20, 5, 14, 48=27
Dennis-20, 56, 14, 24=23
Joe-18, 5, 14, 20=23
Terry-48, 5, 11, 24=23
Jim-48, 5, 7, 29=22
Freddy-29, 5, 47, 56=21
Michael-24, 5, 14, 2=15
Neil-99, 2, 14, 5=15
PT-24, 5, 14, 56=11
Chuck-24, 5, 14, 56=11

I put together a little music video for you to enjoy. It celebrates all that is Miami.

Harvick Hanging On

Kevin Harvick takes the checkered flag to win the Advocare 500 at Phoenix International Raceway. Harvick was running second with two laps to go when first place Carl Edwards ran out of fuel. Harvick drove around Edwards and easily cruised to the win. Edwards ended up finishing 21st.

Matt Kenseth struggled with the handling on his car all day and finished 23rd while Johnson finished 3rd. Johnson now has a 27 point lead in the Chase with one race remaining. Barring something unexpected, Johnson will win his 6th Sprint Cup Championship. That ties him with Dale Earnhardt Sr. and leaves him only one behind Richard Petty for most all time. The only positive thing that Kenseth has going for him is the fact that the 48 has never ran particularly well at Homestead. Of course, the 48 has never really had to run well at Homestead. He usually has the points lead when he gets to Homestaed and all he wants to do is have a decent finish.

I was out of town this weekend and was unable to post the qualifying results so here they are.

Terry-24, 5, 11, 48=49
Dennis-48, 2, 11, 22=46
Brent-48, 2, 11, 20=35
Michael-88, 5, 11, 56=34
Freddy-48, 2, 11, 39=33
PT-48, 2, 14, 29=26
Chuck-48, 2, 14, 29=26
Toby-48, 56, 14, 88=26
Neil-20, 5, 14, 48=26
Jim-48, 5, 10, 99=24
Norb-20, 56, 14, 88=13
Joe-99, 5, 14, 20=11

Here are the race results and the current standings with one week remaining in the race season.

Week-Terry 208, PT 205, Chuck 205, Dennis 191, Toby 190, Michael 187, Freddy 177, Neil 177, Brent 165, Jim 160, Norb 156, Joe 144

Segment-Toby 1661, PT 1659, Dennis 1655, Michael 1651, Neil 1579, Freddy 1551, Brent 1533, Chuck 1509, Norb 1507, Terry 1501, Jim 1453, Joe 1445

Overall-PT 6056, Michael 5987, Chuck 5909, Dennis 5864, Freddy 5864, Toby 5697, Joe 5659, Brent 5633, Neil 5582, Jim 5545, Terry 5386, Norb 5352

Our 4th segment is still up in the air. Only four points separates first through fourth place. I will your picks by 5 P.M. on Friday.

I am thinking about a few rule changes for next season to give everyone a better chance to win. I am also thinking about putting our league on Yahoo Sports. It is free and you would be able to enter your picks on line. Then you could keep track of everyones picks and scores with the click of a mouse. We also might be able to pick up a few more league members if we go online. Let me know what you think.

48 with 45's

Jimmie Johnson dominated the race and went on to win the Advocare 500 at Texas Motor Speedway. Johnson had a maximum points day by leading the most laps on the way to his victory. He now has a seven point lead over Matt Kenseth and a 40 point lead over Kevin Harvick with two races remaining, Phoenix this Sunday and Homestead the following Sunday. It looks like the championship will once again come down to the final race at Homestead. Johnson should be favored over Kenseth on the 1 mile track at Phoenix but Homestead is one of the few tracks that the 48 team struggles with. It is a mile and a half track with progressive banking. Kenseth has the highest average finish on mile and a half tracks this year.

Here are the results for the week and the current standings.

Week-Neil 215, Dennis 208, Toby 207, Michael 202, PT 200, Brent 180, Freddy 173, Joe 166, Terry 161,  Jim 160, Norb 150, Chuck 140

Segment-Toby 1471, Michael 1464, Dennis 1464, PT 1454, Neil 1402, Freddy 1374, Brent 1368, Norb 1351, Chuck 1304, Joe 1301, Jim 1293, Terry 1293

Overall-PT 5851, Michael 5800, Chuck 5704, Freddy 5687, Dennis 5673, Joe 5515, Toby 5507, Brent 5468, Neil 5405, Jim 5385, Norb 5196, Terry 5178

I am sure that you all have been keeping track of the wildcard picks on the forms I sent you at the start of the season, but just in case you haven't I will list the cars that you have used up as a wildcard.

PT-15, 18, 20, 24, 48, 88
Dennis-18, 20, 29, 48, 99
Toby-14, 16, 20, 24, 29, 48, 78
Jim-5, 18, 20, 24, 29, 48, 99
Chuck-2, 5, 15, 18, 20, 24, 48, 88, 99
Neil-15, 16, 20, 24, 29, 99
Norb-5, 15, 18, 20, 24, 48
Freddy-2, 5, 15, 16, 18, 20, 29, 48, 99
Brent-15, 18, 24, 29, 78
Terry-14, 16, 20, 29, 88, 99
Michael-15, 18, 20, 24, 29, 48, 78, 88, 99
Joe-2, 5, 18, 24, 29, 48, 99

This weeks race at Phoenix starts at 2 P.M. on Sunday. I need your picks by 4:30 P.M. on Friday.

This week's song is a tribute to those fans, drivers, or crews who don't care for Texas Speedway.

Edwards Edges Keselowski Off Pole

Carl Edwards was the next to last driver to go out in qualifying on Friday at Texas. Even though he came out of turn four sideways,  he somehow was able to keep it together to edge Keselowski by 4 one thousands of a second.

Now I have definitive proof that Carl Edwards and Woody from Toy Story are one and the same, much like Michael and Latoya Jackson were actually one and the same. Think about it. Have you seen Latoya since Michael died? Anyway, the proof is in the pictures.

 



I have also uncovered some photos of Edwards celebrating his pole win at a Halloween party. 

 

 

 

This was Carl's costume for the party. Justin Timberlake's "dick in a box."

 

 

 



Okay here are your picks and points.

Michael-18, 2, 11, 20=37

Toby-20, 2, 21, 48=37

Freddy-20, 5, 11, 99=32

Terry-99, 2, 14, 29=29

PT-18, 56, 11, 48=27

Neil-48, 5, 14, 88=27

Dennis-20, 56, 11, 48=26

Brent-20, 56, 11, 18=24

Norb-20, 5, 55, 24=23

Jim-39, 2, 11, 1=19

Chuck-24, 17, 11, 29=17

Joe=20, 5, 55, 56=15

 

The top 15 in qualifying were; 99, 2, 48, 27, 18, 20, 88, 24, 17, 9, 5, 22, 39, 11, 56

Gordon Great at Martinsville

Jeff Gordon has put himself back into contention for the 2013 Sprint Cup Championship with his victory at Martinsville. It moved him into third place in the Chase with three races to go. Gordon is one of the best short track racers in the business but surprisingly, it is his first short track win since 2005. Here are the results and standings.

Week-Michael, Toby and Norb 232, PT, Joe and Neil 221, Terry 208, Dennis 204, Brent 187, Freddy 183, Jim 166, Chuck 148

Segment-Toby 1264, Michael 1262, Dennis 1256, PT 1254, Freddy 1201, Norb 1201, Brent 1188, Neil 1187, Chuck 1164, Joe 1135, Jim 1133, Terry 1132

Overall-PT 5651, Michael 5598, Chuck 5564, Freddy 5514, Dennis 5465, Joe 5349, Toby 5300, Brent 5288, Jim 5225, Neil 5190, Norb 5046, Terry 5017

This week's race is at the high banked, high speed Texas Motor Speedway. The race is Sunday at 1:15. I need your picks by 3:30 P.M. on Friday. There are three races left in the season.

Denny Hamlin finally had something good happen to him this season. Not only did he start from the pole, he had a top 10 finish. So in his honor I have a new song. Now this song is from a female perspective but of course I am singing it. Just pretend that it is Katie Perry singing.

Denny The Dominator

Okay, somehow I screwed up when I texted the picks to you. I had Brent's and Joe's picks switched and I didn't have Neil's picks correct. Sorry about that. Here are the picks and quailfying results.

PT-48, 2, 11, 15=45
Brent-48, 2, 11, 15=45
Neil-48, 2, 11, 15=45
Freddy-48, 5, 11, 18=42
Terry-48, 56, 11, 20=42
Michael-48, 2, 11, 24=41
Toby-24, 2, 11, 48=41
Norb-48, 2, 11, 24=41
Dennis-48, 5, 11, 24=36
Jim-48, 2, 14, 18=32
Joe-48, 2, 14, 24=26
Chuck-24, 5, 14, 18=20

The top fifteen in qualifying were: 11, 48, 18, 20, 15, 22, 1, 34, 24, 29, 2, 88, 42, 99, 56

Oh, Whoa, Whoa, Jamie's Cryin'

Jamie McMurray was emotional after his win at Talladega. He is seen here embracing his little boy in Victory Lane on Sunday. Did you like my Van Halen reference in the headline? Pretty clever if I do say so myself. The win for McMurray may have been a surprise to some but it shouldn't have been. McMurray has always been a good restrictor plate racer. This was the second race in a row that a non-chaser has won. After McMurray's son left Victory Lane, the celebration really began.

I am not sure what that is exploding into McMurray's throat, but I sure hope it is champagne. You know if you think about it though, McMurray does have some of the whitest teeth you'll ever come across.

Well, all the Chase drivers who have a shot to win the Chase were able to survive Talladega, however Johnson was able to take the points lead away from Matt Kenseth. I barely survived Talladega. My points lead over Chuck has shrunk considerably. Therefore, I will be copying Chuck's picks for the final four races of the season.

Here are the results for the week and the updated standings for the segment and the year.

Week-Toby 169, Chuck 151, Michael 143, Brent 131, Jim 131, Freddy 126, Neil 120, Norb 117, Terry 116, Dennis 114, PT 106, Joe 73

Segment-Dennis 1052, PT 1033, Toby 1032, Michael 1030, Freddy 1018, Chuck 1016, Brent 1001, Norb 969, Jim 967, Neil 966, Terry 924, Joe 914

Overall-PT 5430, Chuck 5416, Michael 5366, Freddy 5331, Dennis 5261, Joe 5128, Brent 5101, Toby 5068, Jim 5059, Neil 4969, Norb 4814, Terry 4809

As you can see, the outcome of our fantasy season is still very much up in the air. Seven of us still have a legitmate shot to win the segment and four of us still have a shot to win the championship.

This week the NASCAR circuit moves from the largest track to the smallest. This weeks race is in Martinsville. Martinsville is a flat, paper clip shaped track. To win at Martinville, it is crucial that the teams get the setup right. Unlike Talladega and Daytona, qualifying does matter at Martinsville. Track position is priceless. If a driver has a bad qualifying run and has to start near the back of the field, there is a good possibility that they will go a lap down within the first 20 or 30 laps of the race. That is a hole that is nearly impossible to climb out of. There are a handful of drivers who seem to have Martinsville down pat. They include Johnson, Gordon, the Busch brothers, Bowyer and until this year, Denny Hamlin. Some drivers have had moderate success at Martinsville over the years, This includes Keselowski, Kahne, Kenseth and Edwards. Brian Vickers has had some recent success at Martinsville, unfortunately he is out for the rest of the season. The race is on Sunday at 1 P.M. I need your picks by 2:30 P.M. on Friday.

As was noted by a fan, the 2014 NASCAR schedule is out. The major changes that were rumored to happen did not. The biggest change was that the spring race at Kansas will now be a night race.

As soon as Jamie McMurray crossed the start/finish, I had three songs immediately pop into my head. As stated previously, "Jamie's Cryin" by Van Halen, "Janie's Got A Gun" by Aerosmith, and "Aimie" by Pure Prairie League. I tried to sing "Jamie's Cryin" and "Janie's Got A Gun" but my former 25 year smoking habit and 30 years of booze have taken their toll. "Aimie" would of worked but the lyrics didn't inspire me. So instead, I made a slide show to celebrate the party that is Talladega. I also learned how to do something new. I can put captions on the photos as the slide show plays. I little bit of computer knowledge by a guy like me can be a dangerous thing. Hell if I could figure out Photoshop I would have a hay day. Once again I had to do hours of research but I was able to keep the sore wrist and hand cramps to a minimum. I discovered that I am ambidextrous.

Oh by the way, I was kidding about copying Chuck's picks.

Rain Rain Go Away

Qualifying for the Camping World 500 at Talladega was rained out on Saturday. As per NASCAR rule, when qualifying is rained out the starting lineup is determined by the speeds in the first practice. so here are your picks and points from qualifying.

Chuck 99, 43, 11, 88=35
Michael 88, 31, 11, 24=23
Toby 88, 1, 5, 20=19
Terry-15, 9, 14, 20=17
Brent-20, 56, 11, 24=17
Neil-48, 5, 14, 99=16
Freddy-20, 2, 55, 88=15
Jim-88, 2, 10, 39=11
Dennis-15, 2, 11, 48=9
PT-24, 2, 55, 20=7
Joe-48, 5, 11, 42=6
Norb-24, 2, 55, 18=3

Obviously Chuck played the rainout card by taking the 43. That looks like a smart move now but it won't look so smart when the 43 car has a DNF today. And for those who took the 88, good luck because you gonna need it.

Here were the top 15 qualifiers; 43, 31, 9, 56, 99, 16, 34, 88, 1, 13, 48, 20, 2, 35, 11

Horse Face Wins

Defending Srint Cup Champion Brad Keselowski finally has a win this season. It was the first time in years that a non Chase driver has won a race during the Chase. Unfortunately it is too little too late.

Here are your picks and results from qualifying as well as the result from the week, and standings.

PT-24, 5, 11, 29=40
Terry-29, 5, 11, 48=37
Norb-24, 42, 55, 5=34
Jim-48, 5, 11, 39=32
Michael-48, 5, 55, 18=30
Chuck-24, 5, 11, 99=27
Dennis-20, 5, 11, 29=25
Brent-20, 5, 11, 29=25
Neil-20, 5, 11, 29=25
Freddy-20, 5, 11, 48=23
Joe-48, 5, 11, 20=23
Toby-18, 5, 11, 20=18

Week-PT 211, Terry 211, Jim 205, Freddy 201, Joe 201, Dennis 200, Brent 200, Neil 200, Chuck 195, Toby 195, Michael 190, Norb 183

Segment-Dennis 938, PT 927, Freddy 892, Michael 887, Brent 870, Chuck 865, Toby 863, Norb 852, Neil 846, Joe 841, Jim 836, Terry 808

Overall-PT 5324, Chuck 5265, Michael 5223, Freddy 5205, Dennis 5147, Joe 5055, Brent 4970, Jim 4928, Toby 4899, Neil 4849, Norb 4697, Terry 4693

This week's race is in Talladega baby.This race is the real "wildcard" race in the Chase. I think it is the one race that could derail Matt Kenseth's quest for a second title and Jimmie Johnson's quest for a sixth title. It could also derail my quest for a third straight title. As long as I survive Talladega, I should be able to defeat you losers. I mean friends. I will need your picks by 11 AM on Saturday.

Now back to old horse face, Brad Keselowski. Brad is from Michigan and he really misses Michigan girls. Here is a little video to show you why he misses living in Michigan. Some of these Michiganders are famous and some should be.

Now here is a video to show you why he doesn't care for North Carolina girls, and as this video shows, who could blame him. Some of these North Carolinians are famous and thank God the rest of them are unknown. I must let you know that I searched long and hard for these photos. In fact, by the time I was finished I had a sore wrist and my hand was cramped.

Harvick Handles Half Mile

Kevin Harvick started from the pole and won the race at Kansas. I don't have time this week for my usual witty banter or my inspirational song. Here are the results and standings.

Week-Dennis 191, Jim 179, Chuck 173, Toby 171, Norb 168, Freddy 165, PT 164, Michael 164, Neil 161, Brent 158, Terry 151, Joe 141

Segment-Dennis 738, PT 716, Michael 697, Freddy 691, Chuck 670, Brent 670, Norb 669, Toby 668, Neil 646, Joe 640, Jim 631, Terry 597

Overall-PT 5113, Chuck 5070, Michael 5033, Freddy 5004, Dennis 4947, Joe 4854, Brent 4770, Jim 4723, Toby 4704, Neil 4649, Norb 4514, Terry 4482

This week's race is at Charlotte on Saturday night. I will need your picks by 6:30 PM on THURSDAY. REPEATING, 6:30 PM ON THURSDAY. Qualifying is at 7 PM on Thursday.

Kevin Cruises at Kansas

Kevin Harvick turned the fastest lap in qualifying to win the pole for the race at Kansas on Sunday. It was his first pole in over 4 years. Here are your picks and qualifying results.

Freddy-48, 2, 11, 5=32
Dennis-48, 56, 14, 29=31
Jim-20, 5, 55, 29=30
Norb-20, 5, 11, 48=29
Brent-48, 5, 55, 20=28
Toby-20, 31, 11, 48=28
Chuck-48, 2, 14, 24=27
Joe-18, 2, 14, 48=25
Neil-48, 56, 14, 20=25
PT-48, 56, 14, 99=23
Michael-48, 56, 14, 99=23
Terry-20, 5, 14, 2=22

The top 15 in qualifying were-29, 17, 48, 2, 22, 88, 20, 27, 99, 11, 55, 42, 56, 24, 5

Just Jimmie Johnson

Jimmie Johnson won for the record setting eighth time at the Monster Mile in Dover, DE on Sunday. He can be seen here celebrating with Miles the Monster after his victory. I hope that is the champaigne that is exploding.

 

In a surprising turn of events, Dale Earnhard Jr. started from the pole. It was his first ever pole win at Dover. Junior had perhaps the car to beat but a couple of mistakes entering pit row may have cost him the win. Here are the picks and qualifying results:

Chuck-20, 2, 14, 48=32
Brent-20, 2, 14, 48=32
Dennis-20, 2, 55, 18=26
Neil-20, 2, 11, 18=26
Norb-20, 56, 55, 22=25
Freddy-18, 2, 55, 48=20
Joe-48, 2, 14, 18=20
Terry-48, 5, 14, 99=20
PT-48, 56, 55, 18=16
Michael-18, 56, 55, 48=16
Toby-20, 5, 11, 18=16
Jim-24, 5, 10, 18=2

Now I know I give Dale Jr. a hard time but there is something he should be commended on. Dale Earnhardt Jr. has granted well over 200 wishes for the Make a Wish Foundation making him the fourth highest wish granter among all athletes. That is pretty cool. From everything I have read and seen about it, Junior really enjoys it and goes out of his way to spend time with these kids. In fact in one instance, a kid got too sick to travel to have his wish granted, so Dale Jr. went to the kid. That's pretty awesome.

 

 

With all that being said, I have once again chosen to pick on Dale Jr. I really do not have anything against Dale Jr. It is his fans that I like to get riled up. They act as if Junior walks on water. I can tell you who Dale Jr. is. He is a moderately successful driver who is a nice guy and has a famous last name. That's it! I do need to offer a disclaimer to this video. I want this video to offend Junior's fans but not be offensive. In truth, I do not believe that Junior is gay. Even if he were a homosexual, I really wouldn't care. Everybody needs somebody to love. So if Billy wants to marry Bob or Sally wants to marry Sue, I don't care. More power to them.When it comes to fiscal responsibility and national defense I am somewhat conservative, but when it comes to social issues I have more of a Libertarian point of view. This is why we are the Somewhat Rednecks league. Because a true redneck would never admit to that. Hope you enjoy it!!!

 



 

 



 

 

 

Okay finally here are the race results and the standings:

 

Week-PT 191, Michael 191, Norb 181, Chuck 176, Brent 176, Freddy 173, Joe 166, Toby 165, Dennis 159, Terry 159, Neil 151, Jim 145

 

 

Segment-PT 552, Dennis 547, Michael 533, Freddy 526, Brent 512, Norb 501, Joe 499, Chuck 497, Toby 497, Neil 485, Jim 452, Terry 446

 

Overall-PT 4949, Chuck 4897, Michael 4869, Freddy 4839, Dennis 4756, Joe 4713, Brent 4612, Jim 4544, Toby 4533, Neil 4488, Norb 4346, Terry 4331

 

This week's race is at Kansas City on Sunday at 1 P.M. Our very own Norbert will be in attendance as well as former league member, Al. The track at Kansas is a boring old 1.5 mile track. Its configuration is similar to Chicagoland Speedway and Kentucky Motor Speedway. I need you picks a little early on Friday because I will be busy later in the afternoon. So I need them by 2 P.M. on Friday. 

Matt and Kyle Master Miracle Mile

Matt Kenesth held off his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Kyle Busch, to win the Sylvania 300 at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway. So far Matt Kenseth and Kyle Busch have dominated the Chase by placing first and second in the first two races of the Chase. I think the championship will come down to three drivers, Kenseth, Kyle Busch, or Jimmie Johnson. For winning the race, Matt received this 22 pound lobster as his trophy. That's great for Matt but really sucks for the lobster.

 
This week the Chase moves down the road a bit to another 1 mile track, the Monster Mile at Dover, Delaware on Sunday at 1 P.M. When considering your picks for Dover, remember that Bristol is sometimes referred to as a "mini Dover" due to the fact that both tracks are steeply banked. While not always the case, usually good at one means good at the other. I will need your picks by 2 P.M. on Friday.

Here are the results from the week and the updated standings.

Week-Dennis 182, Freddy 176, Neil 174, PT 171, Jim 166, Joe 165, Terry 162, Chuck 161, Michael 161, Brent 161, Norb 159, Toby 147

Segment-Dennis 388, PT 361, Freddy 353, Michael 342, Brent 336, Neil 334, Joe 333, Toby 332, Chuck 321, Norb 320, Jim 307, Terry 287

Overall-PT 4758, Chuck 4721, Michael 4678, Freddy 4666, Dennis 4597, Joe 4547, Brent 4436, Jim 4399, Toby 4368, Neil 4337, Terry 4172, Norb 4165

Their are rumors starting to surface that NASCAR may tweak the schedule for next year. They are considering taking the Chase race away from Dover and moving it to the road course at Sonoma. They may move the season ending race from Homestead to Phoenix. Basically just flip flopping those two Chase races. The Southern 500 at Darlington may be moved to Mother's Day weekend. NASCAR is also considering adding a new track to the circuit. They are thinking of going to the road course in Wisconsin. The Truck and the Nationwide series' already race there. That would mean that their would be three road course races next year. None of this is official but the announcement could come as early as this weekend at Dover.

Now for the song of the week This song was rather challenging because it has several verses but never fear, I was up to the challenge.

Rocket Man

Ryan Newman turned the fast lap at Loudon to take the pole for the Sylvania 300. It was Newman's 7th pole win at Loudon and 51st overall in his career. The 51 pole wins, rank Newman 8th in NASCAR history. The best thing about Newman starting P-1 is that I picked him this weekend.
Here are the qualifying results and points.

Toby-29, 5, 11, 78=36
Chuck-48, 5, 11, 24=34
Michael-48, 5, 11, 24=34
PT-24, 2, 11, 39=30
Norb-18, 5, 11, 22=30
Jim-24, 42, 11, 16=22
Neil-18, 2, 11, 39=21
Freddy-48, 2, 55, 24=18
Terry-24, 2, 11, 99=15
Dennis-48, 2, 14, 20=12
Joe-48, 2, 11, 99=7
Brent-48, 2, 55, 15=5

The top 15 in qualifying were: 39, 5, 24, 78, 56, 22, 27, 29, 20, 16, 48, 18, 43, 11, 42

Chicago's Shitty Showers

This is how the radar looked in Joliet from about 10 AM until around 6:30 P.M. NASCAR did manage to finally get the race in under the lights. I didn't have time to send out the picks and qualifying results so we will take care of that first.

Jim-99, 42, 55, 2=35
Joe99, 2, 11, 48=29
Chuck-48, 5, 11, 99=27
PT-20, 2, 11, 48=27
Dennis-48, 2, 14, 20=27
Neil-48, 5, 11, 99=27
Michael-48, 5, 55, 20=25
Freddy-48, 5, 55, 20=25
Norb-99, 2, 11, 78=22
Terry-18, 56, 11, 22=21
Toby-20, 2, 11, 29=20
Brent-78, 5, 11, 20=18

The top 15 in qualifying were: 22, 2, 42, 5, 17, 24, 16, 99, 48, 20, 27, 18, 47, 56, 43

Now on to the race report. IT WAS MISERABLE THERE!!! It was cold and rainy the entire day. It started to rain around 9 A.M. and rained off and on until 6:30 or 7 P.M. The race finally ended at 11 P.M. Needless to say we did not stay for the end of the race. We tried but it was just too cold and damp. Besides, my daughter was already catching a cold so we left. We did enjoy some dry time in the morning and were able to make biscuits and gravy and bacon on the grill. It was delicious. Oh by the way, Matt Kenseth won the race and increased his points lead.

 

The first 110 laps were fairly boring. The only cautions were for rain. Once the race got restarted it was a little more exciting. The teams had set the cars up to race during the day so teams struggled to get the cars right for night racing. All in all it was a crappy weekend but the facility at Chicago was nice. The parking was conveniently located and it was easy to get in and out of the lots. But I think that we are going to go to Bristol next year.

Here are the points for the week and the overall standings.
Week: Dennis 206, PT 190, Toby 185, Michael 177, Freddy 177, Brent 175, Joe 168, Norb 161, Chuck 160, Neil 160, Jim 141, Terry 125

Overall: PT 4587, Chuck 4560, Michael 4517, Freddy 4490, Dennis 4415, Joe 4382, Brent 4275, Jim 4233, Toby 4221, Neil 4163, Terry 4010, Norb 4006. You may notice that I have taken my rightful place as the leader in fantasy points.

This week's race is at Loudon, NH on Sunday at 1 P.M. Loudon is a one mile flat track, similar to Richmond, Phoenix and Martinsville. Car set ups are crucial on flat tracks. Usually if a driver and team are good at one, they are usually good at all. I will need your picks by 2:30 P.M. on Friday. This will be the second race of our last segment and the second race of the chase.

Speaking of the chase, how about NASCAR. They take Truex out and put Newman in. As far as I know, Truex is the one driver at MWR who did nothing wrong, yet they punish him. If NASCAR believes that Bowyer spun out on purpose at Richmond, then shouldn't they have punished him? They did dock him 50 points but it was before they reset the points. The penalty had no ill affects on Bowyer. Then they add Jeff Gordon as the 13th chase driver because Gilliland let Logano pass him at the end of the Richmond race to gain a extra point. NASCAR had gone mad. They really screwed the pooch on this one. It looks like NASCAR is picking and choosing who they want in he chase. NASCAR would never kick Bowyer out because he is one of the more popular drivers. However, Truex's popularity is a notch below. If NASCAR is going to start picking and choosing, then they should let 43 drivers in the chase. NASCAR did clarify the rules a bit this weekend. They said all teams and drivers have to try their best and try to get the best finish they can in a race. If that is the case, shouldn't NASCAR do away with the start and park teams?

I did not write a new song this week but never fear. I have made a slide show of the sights I took in at the track. I hope you enjoy watching it as much as I did making it.

 

Richmond Wrecking Ruckus

Carl Edwards takes checkered flag at Richmond

 

Carl Edward's pit crew made the most of a late race caution. Of those drivers that took four tires, Edwards came off pit lane first and passed Paul Menard, who elected to take only two tires. The 99 then was able to hang on to win the race.

This race was hyped to be one of the best races of the season because of The Chase qualifying scenarios, but it turned out to be rather uneventful...that is until after the race had ended. That is when the real excitement began. The controversy actually began with seven laps remaining in the race. Ryan Newman practically had the race won. The win would have locked Newman in as the final wildcard and pushed Truex out of The Chase. Lo' and behold, Truex's teammate Clint Bowyer, mysteriously spun out which brought out the caution. Newman went to his pit stop with the race lead but was beaten off of pit row and restarted fifth and ended up finishing third. By not winning, Newman was out and Truex was in. In the post race coverage the possibility that Bowyer spun on purpose was discussed. Bowyer was interviewed after the race and denied the accusation. However a portion of the team communications that were released, indicated that perhaps the spin was not an accident. Bowyer's crew chief asked Bowyer if his arms were getting tired. He then told Bowyer that if his arm had an itch to let go of the wheel and scratch it. Of course that raised red flags and NASCAR said that they would investigate. In the meantime while all of this was going on, the 55 car of Brian Vickers, another Michael Waltrip Racing  teammate, mysteriously pulled onto pit row. Needless to say, Truex was thrilled.

 

Trues celebrates with the other Chase qualifiers

 

Ryan Newman was distraught at the sudden turn of events.
                                                                                 

 In the post race interview he basically threw his team under the bus by blaming his pit crew for the slow stop. I hope that after he had calmed down that he did apologize to his pit crew for lashing out at them. However, he was correct in blaming them. They did fail to get him back out first.

Now the other big controversy. Did Carl Edwards jump the restart?                                                   

 

Race analyst, Dale Jarrett who is the best in the business, was the first to point it out in real time as it happened. After the race, Jarrett was very critical of NASCAR for not penalizing Edwards. Jarrett's exact quote was, "it's wrong." The replays clearly show that Edwards did indeed jump the restart. Jarrett also brought up the fact that Jimmie Johnson did the same thing at Dover and had to serve a drive through penalty. NASCAR's excuse for not penalizing the 99 was that Menard "couldn't get going for some reason." Let me be the first to call "BULLSHIT."

 

Okay fast forward to Monday. Early on Monday NASCAR said that there was no indication that Bowyer spun on purpose. Okay now fast froward to Monday night. It is announced by NASCAR that they believe that Bowyer's spin was intentional and that his actions and the actions of the entire Michael Waltrip Race team were determental to the sport of stock car racing. Bowyer, Truex and Vickers were each docked 50 driver championship points and the team was docked owner's points. The team was also fined $300,000 dollars. The 50 point penalty knocked Truex out of the chase and put Newman in. Michael Waltrip fell on his sword for the team and took all the blame.

 

 

My in depth reporting on the issue brings me to this point. I emailed and snail mailed you the new driver groups for the final segment. Because of the penalties, my groupings have a small mistake. Truex is now in the second group and Newman is in the first. So make a note of that on the sheets I mailed to you. You will also notice that the 24 is in the first group and the 5 is in the second group, even though the 5 is in The Chase and the 24 is not. This is because we went to driver point standings instead of owner point standings. Gordon finished the regular season driver standings in eleventh place but failed to make The Chase as a wildcard because he had no wins this season. Kahne finished 14th in driver points but made The Chase as a wildcard because of his two wins.

Now to my opinion of the events over the race weekend. NASCAR brought all of this controversy on themselves. The business model that NASCAR has developed and The Chase set up caused this. NASCAR is all about sponsorship and multi car teams. It is difficult for a single car team to compete in this era, Furniture Row not withstanding. So NASCAR has made it necessary for teams to run more than one car. Multi car teams have to work together to try to get as many of their drivers as they can into the playoffs. Teammates helping eachother out is as old as the advent of the multi car team. How many times have you seen a team member let another team member pass them for the lead so that the teammate can gain a bonus point? How many times have you seen a driver throw a block for one of his teammates? Remember Dale Earnhardt blocking at the Daytona 500 so his teammate, Michael Waltrip could win? I think the Race for the Chase should be decided on the track, not in the board room. If you look up the word "hypocrit" in the Webster Dictionary, there should be a picture of the NASCAR logo.  I felt bad for Newman when the caution came out, but I also feel bad for Truex. As far as I know, Truex didn't ask Bowyer to spin out nor did he ask Vickers to simply pull into the pits. For all intents and purposes, NASCAR admitted that Newman won the race. Then why did they give Edwards the win and the extra bonus points for The Chase? If they are gonna say that Newman would have won and made The Chase, then Edwards should be stripped of the victory. Then they need to change The Chase Standings. My point is when NASCAR starts to manipulate who makes The Chase, it has a ripple effect and they loose all credibility.

Here are the race results, the overall standings and the final standings for the third segment. Congratulations to me for winning the segment and to Freddy for finishing second.


Race: Neil 173, Joe 171, PT 170, Michael 166, Toby 164, Jim 163, Chuck 162, Brent 162, Freddy 161, Norb 161, Dennis 157, Terry 149

Segment: PT 1410, Freddy 1356, Chuck 1339, Joe 1305, Jim 1293, Toby 1286, Norb 1257, Dennis 1251, Michael 1248, Brent 1248, Neil 1196, Terry 1192

Overall: Chuck 4400, PT 4397, Michael 4340, Freddy 4313, Joe 4214, Dennis 4209, Brent 4100, Jim 4092, Neil 4063, Toby 4036, Terry 3885, Norb 3845

The beginning of our 4th segment coincides with the start of The Chase. The first race is at Chicagoland Speedway this Sunday at 1 P.M. I will need your picks by 4 P.M. on Friday afternoon. I will be attending the race this weekend. I hope to be able to post some pics from the track. For all you local Somewhatrednecks, don't work too hard at the Wheat Festival. I will be thinking about you working while I am tailgating and having a good time.

I had some technical difficulties with the song of the week. I could not find a karaeoke version of this particular song. So just bear with it. It was the best that I could do.

Gordon Gains Ground

Once again a driver was inspired by one of my songs. After I dissed Jeff Gordon he goes out and takes the pole for the night race at Richmond. That's a good thing because he really needs to win.

Congratulations to Jimmie and Chandra Johnson on the birth of their new baby. I have obtained exclusive photos of the new baby girl.

This was the baby's reaction when she realized who her father was.

 



Baby's first picture after leaving hospital.

 

Nothing more beautiful or natural than a mother breast feeding her newborn. Unfortunately Chandra has let herself go.

 

Here are your picks and the qualifying results:

Joe-18, 2, 11, 24=41

Freddy-18, 24, 11, 15=40

Norb-18, 24, 11, 15=40

PT-20, 24, 55, 15=38

Brent-15, 24, 55, 56=32

Dennis-15, 24, 47, 18=30

Michael-18, 24, 55, 20=29

Jim-88, 22, 42, 24=29

Chuck-18, 24, 11, 29=28

Neil-20, 24, 55, 14=26

Terry-18, 22, 11, 56=26

Toby-5, 24, 11, 29=25

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 



Busch Gets Hot In Atlanta

Kyle Busch wasn't much of a factor in the Advocare 500. That is until the end of the race. On a late race caution, the 18 was the first off pit row and Busch was able to hold off Joey Logano. Logano clearly had the car to beat and if the race had been the Advocare 503 instead of the Advocare 500, Logano would have won.

This week the NASCAR circuit moves to the 3/4 mile flat track at Richmond. This is the final race before The Chase and this race could prove to be dramatic. Jeff Gordon and Kurt Busch are battling to get into the top 10 in the standings. Truex and Kahne are trying to hold on to the wildcard spots while Ryan Newman is desparate to get another win to move into the wildcard spot. Defending champ Brad Keselowski, needs a win and he needs the 24, 78, 5, 56 and 39 to have a disaster. That is about his only hope to make The Chase. Bowyer is securely in the chase but would like a win to pick up the bonus points for The Chase. Johnson and Kenseth are battling for the most bonus points for The Chase. So there are all sorts of mini soap operas going on within the race.

This will be a tough race to pick drivers with all of The Chase scenarios to be played out. I don't think any drivers will be "points racing." All of the drivers will be racing for the win this week. I think it will be "no holds barred", short track Saturday night racing. Jeff Gordon is always good at Richmond and really needs to win, or at least finish in the top 3. Bowyer, Johnson, Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards have all won at this track. Over the last five seasons, no driver has been better at Richmond than Denny Hamlin. Hamlin makes me nervous though. That team has been snake bit all season. I think it has gotten to the point that Denny just doesn't care anymore. I believe he just wants the season to hurry up and end so he can start fresh next year.

Anyway, the race is Saturday night. I will need your picks by 4:30 P.M. on Friday. This is the last race of Segment 3. Following the race, I will reset the driver groups for the fourth and final segment of our fantasy NASCAR season. Good luck with your picks!!! Here are the results and standings.

Week-Michael 182, PT 175, Jim 174, Joe 158, Chuck 156, Norb 154, Terry 136, Dennis 134, Freddy 132, Brent 132, Toby 132, Neil 118

Segment-PT 1240, Freddy 1195, Chuck 1177, Joe 1134, Jim 1130, Toby 1122, Norb 1096, Dennis 1094, Brent 1086, Michael 1082, Terry 1043, Neil 1023

Overall-Chuck 4238, PT 4227, Michael 4174, Freddy 4152, Dennis 4052, Joe 4043, Brent 3938, Jim 3929, Neil 3890, Toby 3872, Terry 3736, Norb 3684


Now the night race at Richmond has been voted as the most "redneck" crowd in NASCAR. Here are a couple photos from last year's Richmond night race. I think they prove that Richmond does have the biggest "redneck" fans.

I am sure his mother is so proud

  

 

I am sure her father is so proud

 



 

Jeff Gordon realizes that his Chase hopes are fading. I am sure that if he had though of it, he would have written this exact song.

 



 



 

 

 

The 17 Stenhouse Stuns and Surprises

Ricky Stehouse Jr. surprised everyone by turning the fast lap during the Coors Light Qualifying at Atlanta Motor Speedway to win the pole for the Advocare 500. Usually the Coors Light girls are there to celebrate with the Coors Light Pole winner. Unfortunately or fortunately depending on your point of view, the Coors Light girl's flight was delayed so this is who Stenhouse was forced to celebrate with. Good thing for Rickey that Danica did not catch him reaching into her box. I wonder what photo I could have posted if it were called the Bush Light Pole? Sorry, I mean Busch Light pole. 

 

                                                     
Apparently Stenhouse's girlfriend, Danica Patrick was also surprised by his pole.

 

Okay here are your picks and your qualifying points.

PT-56, 22, 11, 20=36
Dennis-15, 22, 11, 99=35
Chuck-18, 24, 11, 5=30
Joe-18, 2, 11, 24=30
Michael-20, 22, 55, 99=29
Jim-5, 24, 42, 22=29
Toby-5, 24, 11, 78=23
Terry-48, 39, 11, 78=18
Freddy-48, 24, 55, 2=17
Brent-48, 2, 55, 24=17
Norb-48, 39, 5, 20=16
Neil-5, 24, 55, 2=11

The top fifteen in qualifying were 17, 99, 42, 11, 24, 20, 56, 88, 18, 48, 22, 15, 47, 34, 1

DG Best Buy At Bristol

Matt Kenseth, driving the Dollar General number 20 Toyota, was able to hold off Kasey Kahne in the closing laps to win the Irwin Tools Night Race at Bristol. Kahne did everything he could to pass him, short of knocking him out of the way, but to no avail. It was Kenseth's series leading fifth victory of the 2013 NASCAR season.

It was a pretty good race to watch on T.V. Hamlin's and Harvick's tempers flared a bit after the race.

 

Apparently Harvick was not happy with Hamlin and after the finish of the race, Harvick parked his car in Hamlin's pit stall. Kevin just wanted to have a little talk about the race. Hamlin didn't take this too lightly. He simply used his car to push the 29 out of the way. After a bit of shouting and pushing with the pit crew, Harvick made his way to window of the 11. I thought "oh here we go" but the drivers seemd to work it out and none was the worse for wear. It's a good thing. Harvick is a skinny little shit and Hamlin would have killed him. The only problem I had with the race is that the timing of the ABC coverage seemed to be a bit off. Every time that there was a commercial during a caution, ABC missed the beginning of the restarts. Hopefully they will fix that problem or find a new director.

This week's race moves to Hotlanta on Sunday night. This is a 1.54 mile quad oval, boring kind of track. This track proves that bigger is not always better. Now the Fords are usually good at Michigan but not so in Atlanta. In last year's race, Greg Biffle was the only Ford to finish in the top 15. The tracks at Charlotte and Texas are damn near identical to Atlanta and in the races held there this season, the 99 of Carl Edwards and the 22 of Joey Logano were the only two Fords that showed anything. This race was expanded from 400 to 500 miles this year and the engine manufacturers will be sweating bullets. This track was already hard on the engines, and the extended length and hot weather will take a toll. The 48 lost an engine at Michigan a couple of weeks ago and the Toyotas have had troubles off and on all year. So your guess as to who will win is good as mine.

Coors Light Qualifying is Friday evening and I will need your picks by 5:30 P.M. on Friday. There are two races left in the third segment.

I am sure these two Coors Light girls could give any man a pole.

Here are the race results and current standings.

Week-Jim 194, Toby 170, PT 156, Dennis 156, Freddy 150, Joe 136, Neil 136, Chuck 134, Terry 131, Michael 124, Norb 116, Brent 111

Segment-PT 1065, Freddy 1063, Chuck 1021, Toby 990, Joe 976, Dennis 960, Jim 956, Brent 954, Norb 942, Terry 907, Neil 905, Michael 900

Overall-Chuck 4082, PT 4052, Freddy 4020, Michael 3992, Dennis 3918, Joe 3885, Brent 3806, Neil 3772, Jim 3755, Toby 3740, Terry 3600, Norb 3530

As you know, Juan Pablo Montoya finished third at Bristol on Saturday, and I am sure you are aware that Montoya will be released from his contract with Earnhardt/Ganassi racing following the end of the season. So hear is a tribute to one crazy Columbian, Juan Pablo Montoya. Did you know that "Montoya" is Spanish for crash and burn?

Hamlin's High Hopes

Denny Hamlin finally has something else to celebrate this year besides the birth of his first child.



Hamlin turned the fast lap to wins the Coors Light Pole award at Bristol. It is his first pole this year.



 



 





Everybody better beware of Kyle Busch. He will be on a mission. He is going for the weekend sweep at Bristol, but after a problem in qualifying, he is starting last. He got out of the groove and spun.

 

Hey do any of you remember this Jeff Gordon? You know, the young guy who won all the biggest races and championships.

 

 

I can't believe I am gonna say this but I believe the time has come for Jeff Gordon to think about retiring. He was the reason I got into NASCAR and he was the driving force behind the increased popularity of NASCAR. He has not won a race this year and it will be nearly impossible for him to make The Chase. Gordon used to be the king of the short tracks but hasn't won a short track race in years. He seems to have lost that competitive edge. Maybe it is the smoking hot wife or adorable kids. I don't know but in the words of Dandy Don Meridith. "Turn out the lights. The party's over."

 Here are the qualifying results:

 

Michael-48, 24, 11, 78=32

Norb-99, 2, 11, 15=32

Toby-16, 2, 11, 20=30

Brent-29, 2, 11, 18=20

Chuck-48, 24, 55, 2=19

Joe-18, 2, 11, 24=19

Neil-18, 24, 11, 2=19

Jim-5, 24, 42, 22=19

Terry-18, 2, 55, 29=17

PT-18, 2, 55, 24=16

Freddy-18, 2, 55, 15=16

Dennis-18, 24, 55, 2=16

 

The top 15 in qualifying were-11, 78, 99, 55, 20, 22, 5, 39, 56, 43, 14, 2, 48, 9, 29