View Poll Results: What should we do about absentee?
Give regulars their picks from the previous weeks race with a penalty
1
12.50%
Just give the people a 50 point "ante in"
0
0%
Fifty points or the previous weeks picks with a penalty, whichever is fewer points
1
12.50%
Nothing! You snooze, you lose! Call it racing luck!
6
75.00%
Voters: 8. You may not vote on this poll
Picks/Darlington, Sat. Night/Absentee Vote Rule
#1
05-02-2011, 11:16 AM
Picks/Darlington, Sat. Night/Absentee Vote Rule
So a lot of things to cover.... First off, for those of you in a hurry, I'll make this easier to read with some bold print sections. If you're just concerned with the race this week, scroll down to this weekend's race.
I'ts finals week here at Campbell.. guess I'm just in long paper writing mode. I know there's a lot of stuff here, but I tried to get to my points as quickly as I could.
Absentee
So two people have missed a race by either forgetting it was Saturday night or just not getting here on time. Now, the first thing, I don't want to punish the 7 guys who haven't missed a race yet. At the same time, the guy makes an honest mistake doesn't want to get penalized either... here's my thoughts, and I've put up a poll: If you are an established regular, you will get either 50 points as an "ante", or take your last weeks picks and give it say, a 25-50 point penalty. I could also set up something where we make a thread and you just make 3 generic picks... 3 guys you want for any race, and if you miss, I use those picks with like a 25 point penalty. Or, I could just let you get knocked out of contention, you snooze you lose, etc.
Darlington History, Just for Fun
A lot of history at this track... it really was one of the first "superspeedways." However, when you hear this, keep in mind that up until the mid 70's or 80's, any track over 1 mile was counted as a Superspeedway... even a place like Dover. Today, we define superspeedways as over 2 miles. It was one of the first paved tracks too....
Also, this track has been repaved a few times, and each time widened the track. It was originally banked at the top intending to catch cars that spun out before they hit the wall. Then some guys figured out you could actually drive faster by just running on that patch that was banked, which at the time was literally wide enough for one car. Today, they say that... but you can run 2 cars... then, it was literally about an 8' wide patch. It was repaved once in the early 60's or so and that made turns 1-2 wide enough for two cars (the turns that are now 3-4 actually), and then in 1969, they repaved 3-4 to make it wide enough for 2 cars, and those turns are actually now turns 1-2.
Torino's and Darlington
Torino's dominated in 1968-9 in Darlington. David Pearson broke a 7 year superspeedway drought (refer back to my definition of superspeedways) in the spring Rebel 400. Pearson and Holman-Moody also figured out that the bigger 427 engine was not necessarily better to run on the big track with tight corners, thinking that perhaps the 396 engine, being lighter, woudl be better for handling. And no, that 396 was not a Chevrolet engine... it took me a bit of reserach one day years ago when I first saw 396 on the hood of a Ford to learn about Ford's 396 race engine... it was basically just the way teh cam and the stroke was set on a FE block engine, which is actually waht is in my Torino....
So anywho, when they went back to Darlington in the fall of '68, the Wood Brothers and other Ford teams caught on to what Holman-Moody and Pearson did in the 400 miler and ran Ford 396 engine for the Southern 500.... here was the result.. You can see in turns 3-4 how the track was just wide enough for 1 car, and wide enought to almost pass in 1-2. Enjoy!
[1968 Southern 500 Finish]
YouTube - 1968 SOUTHERN 500 Part 2
For those without enough time to watch.... Cale Yarborough holds off David Pearson, beating him by a couple of car lengths.
I happen to have these videos called "Guts and Glory: 1962-1969 NASCAR" and have watched the ABC Wide World of Sports sections for these races. 1969 saw Lee Roy Yarbrough and Junior Johnson sweep Darlington with the #98 Ford Torino Talladega.
By the way.... the spring Darlington race, and even the one run on this weekend, was always run on the weekend closest to Confederate Memorial Day, held on May 10 of each year in North & South Carolina.... the winner of the races always carried a confederate flag in the passenger window. The race normally referred to as the "Southern 500" was run on Labor Day.
Historic Finishes
The place has had a lot of great finishes... and some winners who never went on to really accomplish anything else too. File Ward Burton, the 2000 winner, into this category... also, Ricky Craven beat Kurt Busch in '03, but now he is nothing more than a commentator. But there have been some other great finishes....
For instance, the 1997 Southern 500 between Jeff Gordon and Jeff Burton
YouTube - Last Lap of 1997 Southern 500
That win gave Jeff Gordon 3 of the 4 major races, and he won the Winston Million with race.... people still ask Jeff Burton to this day why he didn't wreck Jeff Gordon that day. Watch the video to see why.
Then, of course, the '03 finish... we've all heard the Fox broadcast.. heres the video with MRN calling it though..
YouTube - Last Lap of 1997 Southern 500
This Weekend's Race
I think you want the guys who've run Darlington a few times and know there way around... I dont' think this is the week to go out on the Joey Logano limb, KidSpace
He may make a liar of me, but I'm not counting on it. You want those "seasoned" veterans with a lot of Darlington laps under there belt.
Hendrick Motorsports:
4 drivers who could all win this thing... Jeff Gordon has a few Darlington wins, most recently in '07... but he hasn't finished outside the Top 5 at Darlington since 2004! Jimmie Johnson has won this thing... Mark Martin won it in '09 I believe. I think Gordon has a little of hte magic back... Johnson is just kind of creeping out there this year... not really making a lot of noise til the end of the races... which can pay off for those veterans too at this track. I would worry about Mark Martin with Lance McGrew though... I just think another crew chief change is in order out there at Hendrick... just no a believe in McGrew with nearly anyone. Martin was 16th last year, and aside from a win in '09, the last couple of years have been so-so for Martin. Junior I just odn't know about... he was good here until he went to Hendrick, with a good run his first time in '08, but not so much since then. With Steve Letarte and his new team, I think he might make a good run at Darlington.
Roush Racing:
I've been watching Carl Edwards... seems like he always finds a Darlington stripe here... I remember a nationwide race one time where the guy took off into turn 1 on the first lap and messed his car up to the point of having to go to the garage with it. HE has a 2nd and a 5th here, but the last copule of years haven't been that nice to him, not since the new car. I'm probably not going to be picking my man Edwards to win this week. Biffle won here twice though, with mediocre results since, and Kenseth might not be a bad pick, he's been consistent here in recent years... and with the Ford's having their act together, I think either of these two drivers might be a good pick.. don't bet on David Ragan to carry that Richmond top 5 very far though. So if you want a Ford, just watch them in practice... Edwards is hot this year, but I'm thinking Kenseth may be the Ford to watch this weekend.
Petty Enterprise:
Not worried about either of those guys this week. Ambrose might surprise someone though. I just dont think either driver has competed at Darlington quite long enough to not nail the wall. Allmendinger's throttle stuck last year and wrekced Johnson though.
JGR:
Hamlin is the defending champion, and after running 2nd last week, maybe getting a little momentum going, this could be just what Hamlin needs to really get 2011 back on track. In his 5 starts, only in 2009 did he not finish in the top 10... and that was a 13th. Kyle Busch has won this thing before, and he may just be the right type of aggressive to win it again. However, he is feast and famine at this place... eitehr a win or top 10, or in the 30's for him.
Penske:
Kurt Busch hasn't made much noise here since that near win with Ricky Craven that I know of. Second that year, then 3rd last year... not that much in between. Brad Wreckalotski falls under the experience category I mentioned. However, he has two finishes... 7th and 12th.
Michael Waltrip Racing:
Haven't seen much out of them this year, not looking for much more this week.
Childress:
I don't know about Bowyer and this track. He might be good, might not... He had a top 10 in '07, he's been junk since then, finishing in the 30's the last 2 years. Harvick might be a good pick for this week though. He was 6th last year, but he was mostly junk before that. I think Harvick is championship caliber again this year, and RCR admitted at Texas that they were figuring some things out. Don't count out that ECR engine... I know they make a lot of the Ford FR9, but this ECR is one to look out for too. Watch out for the 29 this week. Burton might be a good guy to watch out for too. The guy has a lot of experience, has turned a lot of laps at Darlington, has won at Darlington, and even though he is just ridden with bad luck, he might be able to turn out a good finish at Darlington this week.
Stewart-Haas
As long as Montoya and Newman stay away from one another, Newman might be okay. Stewart may be a solid pick for this track too... he's been good on the mile and a halfs this year, and even though Darlintgon is close to a mile and a half, I do'nt know that you can apply much of hte other tracks to this place. I do think Stewart should be due for a Darlington win though. Stewarts results have been kind of so so at Darlington though... he does good some years, bad others.... kind of like his whole career.
Earnhardt Ganassi
I don't know what to say about McMurray. He was second last year, but he's had lots of mediocre-bad runs too. But Montoya is far too aggressive to not nail the wall at some point at this track... the Lady in Black will bite the 42, so stay away. He was 5th last year, but he was in the 20's every year before that.
So I think that covers a lot of people for this week.... hopefully that covers who is and isn't on my radar screen for Darlington. Happy picking, and happy voting. And remember, this race is Saturday night. Hopefully you guys made it ot the bottom of this post to read that.
Cheers!
I'ts finals week here at Campbell.. guess I'm just in long paper writing mode. I know there's a lot of stuff here, but I tried to get to my points as quickly as I could.
Absentee
So two people have missed a race by either forgetting it was Saturday night or just not getting here on time. Now, the first thing, I don't want to punish the 7 guys who haven't missed a race yet. At the same time, the guy makes an honest mistake doesn't want to get penalized either... here's my thoughts, and I've put up a poll: If you are an established regular, you will get either 50 points as an "ante", or take your last weeks picks and give it say, a 25-50 point penalty. I could also set up something where we make a thread and you just make 3 generic picks... 3 guys you want for any race, and if you miss, I use those picks with like a 25 point penalty. Or, I could just let you get knocked out of contention, you snooze you lose, etc.
Darlington History, Just for Fun
A lot of history at this track... it really was one of the first "superspeedways." However, when you hear this, keep in mind that up until the mid 70's or 80's, any track over 1 mile was counted as a Superspeedway... even a place like Dover. Today, we define superspeedways as over 2 miles. It was one of the first paved tracks too....
Also, this track has been repaved a few times, and each time widened the track. It was originally banked at the top intending to catch cars that spun out before they hit the wall. Then some guys figured out you could actually drive faster by just running on that patch that was banked, which at the time was literally wide enough for one car. Today, they say that... but you can run 2 cars... then, it was literally about an 8' wide patch. It was repaved once in the early 60's or so and that made turns 1-2 wide enough for two cars (the turns that are now 3-4 actually), and then in 1969, they repaved 3-4 to make it wide enough for 2 cars, and those turns are actually now turns 1-2.
Torino's and Darlington
Torino's dominated in 1968-9 in Darlington. David Pearson broke a 7 year superspeedway drought (refer back to my definition of superspeedways) in the spring Rebel 400. Pearson and Holman-Moody also figured out that the bigger 427 engine was not necessarily better to run on the big track with tight corners, thinking that perhaps the 396 engine, being lighter, woudl be better for handling. And no, that 396 was not a Chevrolet engine... it took me a bit of reserach one day years ago when I first saw 396 on the hood of a Ford to learn about Ford's 396 race engine... it was basically just the way teh cam and the stroke was set on a FE block engine, which is actually waht is in my Torino....
So anywho, when they went back to Darlington in the fall of '68, the Wood Brothers and other Ford teams caught on to what Holman-Moody and Pearson did in the 400 miler and ran Ford 396 engine for the Southern 500.... here was the result.. You can see in turns 3-4 how the track was just wide enough for 1 car, and wide enought to almost pass in 1-2. Enjoy!
[1968 Southern 500 Finish]
YouTube - 1968 SOUTHERN 500 Part 2
For those without enough time to watch.... Cale Yarborough holds off David Pearson, beating him by a couple of car lengths.
I happen to have these videos called "Guts and Glory: 1962-1969 NASCAR" and have watched the ABC Wide World of Sports sections for these races. 1969 saw Lee Roy Yarbrough and Junior Johnson sweep Darlington with the #98 Ford Torino Talladega.
By the way.... the spring Darlington race, and even the one run on this weekend, was always run on the weekend closest to Confederate Memorial Day, held on May 10 of each year in North & South Carolina.... the winner of the races always carried a confederate flag in the passenger window. The race normally referred to as the "Southern 500" was run on Labor Day.
Historic Finishes
The place has had a lot of great finishes... and some winners who never went on to really accomplish anything else too. File Ward Burton, the 2000 winner, into this category... also, Ricky Craven beat Kurt Busch in '03, but now he is nothing more than a commentator. But there have been some other great finishes....
For instance, the 1997 Southern 500 between Jeff Gordon and Jeff Burton
YouTube - Last Lap of 1997 Southern 500
That win gave Jeff Gordon 3 of the 4 major races, and he won the Winston Million with race.... people still ask Jeff Burton to this day why he didn't wreck Jeff Gordon that day. Watch the video to see why.
Then, of course, the '03 finish... we've all heard the Fox broadcast.. heres the video with MRN calling it though..
YouTube - Last Lap of 1997 Southern 500
This Weekend's Race
I think you want the guys who've run Darlington a few times and know there way around... I dont' think this is the week to go out on the Joey Logano limb, KidSpace
He may make a liar of me, but I'm not counting on it. You want those "seasoned" veterans with a lot of Darlington laps under there belt. Hendrick Motorsports:
4 drivers who could all win this thing... Jeff Gordon has a few Darlington wins, most recently in '07... but he hasn't finished outside the Top 5 at Darlington since 2004! Jimmie Johnson has won this thing... Mark Martin won it in '09 I believe. I think Gordon has a little of hte magic back... Johnson is just kind of creeping out there this year... not really making a lot of noise til the end of the races... which can pay off for those veterans too at this track. I would worry about Mark Martin with Lance McGrew though... I just think another crew chief change is in order out there at Hendrick... just no a believe in McGrew with nearly anyone. Martin was 16th last year, and aside from a win in '09, the last couple of years have been so-so for Martin. Junior I just odn't know about... he was good here until he went to Hendrick, with a good run his first time in '08, but not so much since then. With Steve Letarte and his new team, I think he might make a good run at Darlington.
Roush Racing:
I've been watching Carl Edwards... seems like he always finds a Darlington stripe here... I remember a nationwide race one time where the guy took off into turn 1 on the first lap and messed his car up to the point of having to go to the garage with it. HE has a 2nd and a 5th here, but the last copule of years haven't been that nice to him, not since the new car. I'm probably not going to be picking my man Edwards to win this week. Biffle won here twice though, with mediocre results since, and Kenseth might not be a bad pick, he's been consistent here in recent years... and with the Ford's having their act together, I think either of these two drivers might be a good pick.. don't bet on David Ragan to carry that Richmond top 5 very far though. So if you want a Ford, just watch them in practice... Edwards is hot this year, but I'm thinking Kenseth may be the Ford to watch this weekend.
Petty Enterprise:
Not worried about either of those guys this week. Ambrose might surprise someone though. I just dont think either driver has competed at Darlington quite long enough to not nail the wall. Allmendinger's throttle stuck last year and wrekced Johnson though.
JGR:
Hamlin is the defending champion, and after running 2nd last week, maybe getting a little momentum going, this could be just what Hamlin needs to really get 2011 back on track. In his 5 starts, only in 2009 did he not finish in the top 10... and that was a 13th. Kyle Busch has won this thing before, and he may just be the right type of aggressive to win it again. However, he is feast and famine at this place... eitehr a win or top 10, or in the 30's for him.
Penske:
Kurt Busch hasn't made much noise here since that near win with Ricky Craven that I know of. Second that year, then 3rd last year... not that much in between. Brad Wreckalotski falls under the experience category I mentioned. However, he has two finishes... 7th and 12th.
Michael Waltrip Racing:
Haven't seen much out of them this year, not looking for much more this week.
Childress:
I don't know about Bowyer and this track. He might be good, might not... He had a top 10 in '07, he's been junk since then, finishing in the 30's the last 2 years. Harvick might be a good pick for this week though. He was 6th last year, but he was mostly junk before that. I think Harvick is championship caliber again this year, and RCR admitted at Texas that they were figuring some things out. Don't count out that ECR engine... I know they make a lot of the Ford FR9, but this ECR is one to look out for too. Watch out for the 29 this week. Burton might be a good guy to watch out for too. The guy has a lot of experience, has turned a lot of laps at Darlington, has won at Darlington, and even though he is just ridden with bad luck, he might be able to turn out a good finish at Darlington this week.
Stewart-Haas
As long as Montoya and Newman stay away from one another, Newman might be okay. Stewart may be a solid pick for this track too... he's been good on the mile and a halfs this year, and even though Darlintgon is close to a mile and a half, I do'nt know that you can apply much of hte other tracks to this place. I do think Stewart should be due for a Darlington win though. Stewarts results have been kind of so so at Darlington though... he does good some years, bad others.... kind of like his whole career.
Earnhardt Ganassi
I don't know what to say about McMurray. He was second last year, but he's had lots of mediocre-bad runs too. But Montoya is far too aggressive to not nail the wall at some point at this track... the Lady in Black will bite the 42, so stay away. He was 5th last year, but he was in the 20's every year before that.
So I think that covers a lot of people for this week.... hopefully that covers who is and isn't on my radar screen for Darlington. Happy picking, and happy voting. And remember, this race is Saturday night. Hopefully you guys made it ot the bottom of this post to read that.
Cheers!
Last edited by Cowboy6622; 05-02-2011 at 12:56 PM.
#3
05-03-2011, 07:22 PM
What does the NASCAR fantasy league do???? Snooze = lose. This is a league. If it was baseball and you snoozed, it's a forfeit. Or any other sport. You don't show up for a bowling league, same thing. Just cuz this is the internet, it's still a league, and we all knew this going in. We also knew that there ARE Saturday night races. It's up to us to know when the races are.
I have a crap 3G connection, and if I wait until the last minute, I might not get my votes in. LadyT has bailed me out a couple of times now with her smart phone, which has a WAY better connection than this stupid 5 spot. Forget coming in the last minute in the NASCAR league.
I haven't been on here a lot lately, but I still joined the MCF NASCAR league. If I miss a week, I'm probably done. BUT, someone else could forget to make a pick later, also.
If you miss, too bad, so sad. Fair is fair, and it's fair to everyone. You snooze, you lose. My 2 cents.
I have a crap 3G connection, and if I wait until the last minute, I might not get my votes in. LadyT has bailed me out a couple of times now with her smart phone, which has a WAY better connection than this stupid 5 spot. Forget coming in the last minute in the NASCAR league.
I haven't been on here a lot lately, but I still joined the MCF NASCAR league. If I miss a week, I'm probably done. BUT, someone else could forget to make a pick later, also.
If you miss, too bad, so sad. Fair is fair, and it's fair to everyone. You snooze, you lose. My 2 cents.
#5
05-03-2011, 08:18 PM
Alright, just wanted to get some some opinions! But I notice you're the guys hwo haven't missed a race too I wanted to throw it out there and see what you guys think.... not quite like Brian France who just does ****.
So anywho, if you guys want some help setting your team, aside from my long winded post, try this 5:36 video from NASCAR.com
Fantasy Showdown: Darlington - May 03, 2011 - NASCAR.COM Video
The studs they go with are Jeff Gordon and Denny Hamlin. Providing hte Toyota's get some reliability going, I think Hamlin is a good pick. Speaking of reliability, kind of funny how the race cars went to crap at the same time all the recalls came down?
Their duds: They picked Harvick and Bowyer as the duds. Inconsistent finishes in the past... but RCR is a little different this year, I think the RCR guys are even better this year than they were last year! I think that could cahnge.
Their ones to watch: Martin Truex Jr. and Brad Keselowski. Truex has had a bad pit crew in the alst few weeks, but this jsut in: 4 of them have been fired. So a new pit crew, they may work well, they may not. Keselowski worries me being in a Dodge... NASCAR.com had a Head2Head about if Penske is at a disadvantage since there aren't any other Dodge teams to share information with.
Have fun picking guys.... and please, keep up the input. If something else is going wrong, or something that may need some improvement, I'm willing to entertain the idea. May not do anything about it, but I'll think about it anyway.
I wanted to throw it out there and see what you guys think.... not quite like Brian France who just does ****. So anywho, if you guys want some help setting your team, aside from my long winded post, try this 5:36 video from NASCAR.com
Fantasy Showdown: Darlington - May 03, 2011 - NASCAR.COM Video
The studs they go with are Jeff Gordon and Denny Hamlin. Providing hte Toyota's get some reliability going, I think Hamlin is a good pick. Speaking of reliability, kind of funny how the race cars went to crap at the same time all the recalls came down?
Their duds: They picked Harvick and Bowyer as the duds. Inconsistent finishes in the past... but RCR is a little different this year, I think the RCR guys are even better this year than they were last year! I think that could cahnge.
Their ones to watch: Martin Truex Jr. and Brad Keselowski. Truex has had a bad pit crew in the alst few weeks, but this jsut in: 4 of them have been fired. So a new pit crew, they may work well, they may not. Keselowski worries me being in a Dodge... NASCAR.com had a Head2Head about if Penske is at a disadvantage since there aren't any other Dodge teams to share information with.
Have fun picking guys.... and please, keep up the input. If something else is going wrong, or something that may need some improvement, I'm willing to entertain the idea. May not do anything about it, but I'll think about it anyway.
#7
05-03-2011, 10:01 PM
I don't know.... I'm doing some thinking. Everytime I pick Jeff Gordon this year, he flops on me. It's funny how when I didn't make picks in my first post, no one else has either. Apparently, everyone needs me to go out on the limb first. Hahaha.
#8
05-03-2011, 10:23 PM
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
Posts: 11,978
Duane, I love the Harvick in your sig! My suggestion on the picks would have been just use the members lastweeks picks with no panalty but the members have spoken "you snooze you lose"! I like how when you post the next weeks race you put the day of the week the race takes place in, maybe also put the time in, could be more helpful, thanks dude
