FINAL SEASON RESULTS

Well, it looks like Jaxson won't have to just pee willy nilly all over the house.  Erik is going to be able to buy that kid diapers after all.  :)

Seriously though -- big congrats, Erik!  Way to keep it close, man!  I think this is the closest season we have ever had!  GREAT come from behind victory!!

Season-end results:

Erik - 11.5676  (*Wins $300!)
JC - 11.67  (*Wins $200!)
John - 12.4595  (*Wins $100!)
Melody - 12.7892
Ali - 13.0973
Chip - 14.5784

So 3 people pay in - Ali, Melody and Chip. 
Erik gets $200 ($100 of his winnings is his own $100 that he does not have to pay in). 
JC gets $100 ($100 of my winnings is my own $100 that I does not have to pay in)
John breaks even - no pay out, no gain
Ali already paid $100 to me.
Melody and Chip - please send your $100 directly to Erik.
Erik, please post your address.
Thanks should take care of it all!!  (Erik, we will figure out something about how to get you your victory dinner or equivalent, don't worry!)

And for sucking so bad, Chip is hosting the Daytona 500 party!!

Thanks all for a great season.  I hope everyone enjoyed the blog format.  It was fun for me!!

HOMESTEAD results

Blah blah blah Jimmie Johnson blah....
BORING!
Sam Hornish, I am putting it upon you to take the holidays and figure out a way to make sure this does not happen again next season.  Do whatever it takes, man.  I don't dislike Jimmie, I am just SICK of him, and he bores me!  At least if Mark Martin had won I would have gotten to talk about Viagra and arthritis meds.  Ugh.

Anyway -- I second all the sentiments thanking Ali for hosting the party.  Good times!  Thanks for doing that.  I'll host one next year, when I have a full-time job.  :)  Oh, and I believe CHIP will be hosting the Daytona party.  So mark your calendars for that.  (Sam Hornish, I will have my eye on you!!)

Results from the Homestead race:

Ali - 7.6
Erik - 8.2
Melody - 10.6
JC - 12
John - 12.5
Chip - 16.2  (Way to keep it real for the last race)

HOMESTEAD - Last chance to shine!

PICK!

Results to date -- you are not going to believe this!!:

JC: 11.661
Erik: 11.6611
John: 12.46
Melody: 12.85
Ali: 13.25
Chip: 14.53

Yes, only .0001 separates me and Erik going into the final race!!!  Oh, this will be GOOD!!

PHOENIX RESULTS

NOTE:  There will be a final race viewing party at Ali's house in Encino this Sunday, Nov. 22.  All are invited to attend!!  Please respond to the email I sent saying results are up to let Ali know if you are coming, and he will respond with his address, and what time to be there.  YAY!

WOW!  What a very close week!  Congrats to Erik for winning the week, but great job to all for the good picks!  Results:

Erik: 6.4
John: 7.8
Ali: 8.2

Melody: 8.4
JC: 8.8
Chip: 8.8

PHOENIX - Why is every city in AZ hard to spell?!

Phoenix, Tucson, WTF?!

Anyway - pick, and pick well*.

(*unless your name is Erik)

Funny how the 2 unemployed people are the 2 seriously duking it out for the big cash!!  Cumulative results:


JC - 11.74

Erik - 11.81
John - 12.59
Melody - 12.98
Ali - 13.39
Chip - 14.7

TEXAS RESULTS

Well, well, well.  Last week was a good week for Erik.  He had his first child, son Jaxson (whose name I picked out, by the way!).  :)  And....yes...he beat me in our uber-tight chase to the finish.  So big congrats to Erik.

I was FURIOUS when Johnson crashed on like lap 3 because I seriously considered being the only person not to choose him.  Which would have pretty much sealed the season for me.   ARGH.  Oh well, hopefully he will continue to have bad weekends for 2 more weeks.  Off topic, but my favorite Johnson, Levi, is shooting his playgirl spread next week.  So at least there is that.

Melody wins the week however, with some AWESOME picks in a week where it was hard to pick well.  Good job, girl!

Results:
Melody - 12.4
Chip - 18
Ali - 19.2
Erik - 19.6
JC - 21.8
John - 25.4

Only TWO races left!  On to Phoenix, then Miami!! 

TEXAS - Where everything is bigger and dumber!

Make your picks!!

Cumulative results to date -- I retake the lead.  Erik probably won't even care since he is HAVING A BABY RIGHT NOW!!!  (Well, not actually birthing it himself, but waiting for it to pop out at least!)  Congrats Erik!  We all love you and wish you, Melissa and baby all the best!  I hope you name him Tony!  Or Kasey!
xoxo

JC - 11.45
Erik - 11.58
John - 12.21
Melody - 12.99
Ali -  13.22
Chip - 14.6

TALLADEGA RESULTS

Wow.  That was some crappy picking we all did this week.  Not that it was our fault.  Talladega is LAME.  I mean, why not just throw 40 cars in a bag, dump it out, and however they land...that is how they finish.

Did anyone even know Jamie McMurray was still racing?  I thought he got busted for cocaine (oh, that was Mayfield), or quit to be a hair model for Frederic Fekkai or something. 

The best part was Newman finally showing some personality for the first time in about 10 years.  If you didn't see his comments after they cut him out of the car...find them and check them out.  Priceless.  He is sure to be slapped with some fines for that outburst!

Anyway....I was the winner this week, saved by Greg Biffle:

JC - 16.8
John - 19
Ali - 23.8
Melody - 24.8
Erik - 25.2
Chip - 27

So was it enough to regain the lead?  Cumulative results to follow!

Only 3 more races!!

TALLADEGA - Let's Shake Up The Chase!!

Cumulative results to date:

Erik - 11.17
JC - 11.28
John - 12.01
Melody - 12.64
Ali - 12.90

Chip - 14.22

Well, well, well.  Because of Mr. Kasey Kahne, Erik has taken over the top spot!!  Our chase to the championship is even closer and more exciting than the ACTUAL chase to the championship! 

Make your picks!!

MARTINSVILLE RESULTS

Best move of the week:



Um, Juan Pablo is not even Mexican!  LOL!

Anyway, great picks this week!  We have a TIE for first place!  Congrats to both Erik and Melody!  Very impressive:

Erik - 4
Melody - 4
Ali - 6.2
John - 7
JC - 11.4
Chip -- 11.6

Stupid Kasey and his car that looked like a stupid accordian.  And Chip - you jinxed Junior!  :)  Good pick with Harvick though.  Ali - you pick Denny Hamlin every week for 2 years, decide to take a week off, and he WINS.  That's gotta hurt.

Next week -- CRASH FEST at Talladega!!

MARTINSVILLE - The Only Short Track In The Chase

Pick, suckas!

Cumulative Results To Date:


JC - 11.28

Erik - 11.39
John - 12.163
Melody - 12.91
Ali - 13.11
Chip - 14.31

CHARLOTTE RESULTS

So my favorite thing about this year's chase is that during each and every race, I receive a text message from Chip saying something like, "Damn, Hamlin really screwed me this week," or "Man, I hate Kyle Busch, he really screwed me today."  I always answer with something like, "Yah, I know, one of my picks crashed too," or something similarly nice.  But what I really want to say is, "Chip -- Have you SEEN the standings for our league?! Hamlin 'screwed you?'  Like you could advance yourself out of last place if only Hamlin had finished better this week?"  LOL!  Oh, sweet, delusional Chip.  How you bring joy to my Sundays.

Anyway, John wins this week, by picking drivers 1, 2, 3, and avoiding the pitfalls of Hamlin, Montoya and Carl Edwards.  Congrats John!

Ali AGAIN scores his favorite finishing average - 19.8 - for the THIRD time this year!

Results:
John - 6.2
JC - 7.2
Erik - 7.6
Chip - 14.4
Melody - 14.8
Ali - 19.8

Next up, Martinsville!

CHARLOTTE -- How Lowe's Can You Go?

Picking window is open! 

FONTANA RESULTS

Well, this week, Mark Martin lost his points lead and now trails Jimmie Johnson by only 12 points.  Looks like it is going to be a very exciting chase to the championship!!

Mark Martin

Erik pulls off the win this week by picking the 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6th place finishers.  Congrats Erik!!  We all had decent picks, but every one else got screwed by either Hamlin or Biffle.  That is except for John, who pretty much just blew it.  :)  Results:

Erik - 3.2

Melody - 7.2

Ali - 10.2

Chip - 12

JC -12.6

John - 19.2

Cumulative results:

JC - 11.4

Erik - 11.52

John - 12.35

Melody - 12.85

Ali - 12.9

Chip - 14.30

Next week...Charlotte!

CUMULATIVE RESULTS

As of 10/7/2009:

JC - 11.373
Erik - 11.7933
John - 12.1267
Ali - 12.98667

Melody - 13.0333
Chip - 14.38

FONTUCKY, CA - it's like Appalachia right in our own back yard!

Is anyone going to the race?

PICK!

KANSAS - Winner Winner Chicken Dinner!

                       
Add Glitter to Pictures

Nice tight results this week.  Congrats to Melody!!:

Melody - 4.4
Ali - 5.4
John - 5.6
Erik - 8.4
JC - 11
Chip - 12


             

KANSAS - There's no place like home, There's no place like home...

Will Old Father Time retain the points lead?  Or will Juan Pablo knock him off his rocker?  Will Joey Logano try to roll 17 times to beat his previous record?  Will Chip pick the right dickish Busch bro?  Ooooh....the suspense.  PICK!

DOVER RESULTS

Chip would have run away with this had he not picked the wrong Busch brother.  And oddly, almost everyone picked Greg Biffle this week -- out of nowhere!  Erik is one of the Biffle pickers, but makes 4 other awesome picks and wins the week.  John is not one of the Biffle pickers, and also wins the week.  That's right folks, we have a TIE!!  Interestingly, we also have a tie for last place.  :(

Congrats to both of our winners:

Erik - 6.2
John - 6.2
Chip - 9.2
Melody - 11.2

JC - 11.4

Ali -11.4

Next up, Kansas.  Oh goodie.  That sounds fun*. 
(*note sarcasm)

DOVER - Shortest race name ever

It's the AAA 400!  Will Kasey recover?  Will Montoya take over the lead and become the first English-As-A-Second-Language driver to win the championship?  Will Reutimann continue to crash every 5 laps?  Will Vickers show up?  OH THE DRAMA!  Pick....

NEW HAMPSHIRE RESULTS

Interesting week.  No, CHIP, I am not embarrassed.  I still finished well.  Whatever.  The rest of you....well....poor Melody gets done in by being the only person to pick Kasey.  The rest of us get done in by picking some combination of Carl Edwards, Tony and Jeff Gordon.  You wouldn't think that 17, 14 and 15th place picks would mean doom....but they did!  Erik has great picks, but doesn't pick Martin -- for like the first time EVER!  And yes, Chip wins:

Chip - 7.4
Erik - 8.2
JC - 8.8
John - 9.2
Ali - 10.6
Melody - 14

Yet another reason not to like Mark...Herpes!

Next up.....Dover, Delaware.

NEW HAMPSHIRE -- Where Martin Loses His Lead

Okay, pick!!

CUMULATIVE RESULTS - Going into the Chase

Results to date:

JC - 11.48
Erik - 12.30
John - 12.69
Melody - 13.39
Ali - 13.41
Chip - 14.92

Very close!!

RICHMOND RESULTS

Let me just start by saying I'd like a group round of applause for Kyle Busch *NOT* making the chase. I love it! :)

Also, we had 4 people pick the winner this week! Good work! Erik did not pick Denny, and Ali, who picks Denny EVERY FREAKING WEEK and LOVES Denny, did not pick Denny.

Finally, I must admit that I didn't watch the very end of the race, because I was on channel 7, watching Ohio State lose. &*#^@%$! So I don't have much commentary, and I don't know why Montoya, who I picked, and who ran in the top 10 the whole race, ended up finishing 19. This was a horrible sports weekend! And to add to my misery....

Chip takes the victory. Congrats, Chip!!

Results:

Chip - 7.2
Erik - 8
JC - 9.2
Melody - 11
John - 13.2
Ali - 14.2

And just to review, these are the chase contenders:

	Mark Martin	5040	Leader	26	6	4	9	14
2	-1	Tony Stewart	5030	-10	26	0	3	13	18
3	--	Jimmie Johnson	5030	-10	26	1	3	9	15
4	--	Denny Hamlin	5020	-20	26	0	2	9	14
5	+1	Kasey Kahne	5020	-20	26	0	2	5	10
6	-4	Jeff Gordon	5010	-30	26	0	1	12	18
7	--	Kurt Busch	5010	-30	26	0	1	7	14
8	+5	Brian Vickers	5010	-30	26	6	1	4	13
9	-4	Carl Edwards	5000	-40	26	0	0	7	11
10	-1	Ryan Newman	5000	-40	26	1	0	5	12
11	-3	Juan Montoya	5000	-40	26	1	0	2	12
12	-1	Greg Biffle

Picking rules don't change for the chase. You can pick whoever you want, in or out of the chase.

RICHMOND - Last Race to the Chase!

Okay, John, now you can make your picks!! :)

ATLANTA RESULTS

This week, John picks the winner -- Kasey Kahne -- and also takes home the week's trophy. Congrats John!

Ali almost looks brilliant by being the only person NOT to pick the doomed Jimmie Johnson, but then gets screwed by both Carl Edwards and Kurt Busch. Melody also gets smacked by picking Edwards.

JC and Erik squeak by with decent average finishes by picking only one miserable finisher.

Chip picks Mark Martin (who does finish well), and karma does him in and finishes him off with a 36 and 37 in Jimmie and Carl. Sigh.

Most amazing move of the race -- Vickers changes and axle mid-race and still finishes 7th!

John - 12.4
JC - 14.8
Erik - 15.4
Chip - 19.6
Melody - 21
Ali - 21.2

I will do a cumulative total after next week's race, so we know where we stand going into the chase.

ATLANTA - Home of Sugarland, R.E.M., Usher, and Erik

Hey....did y'all know Ryan Seacrest is from Atlanta?! He looks an awful lot like Jamie McMurray and David Ragan! Just sayin'!

PICK!

BRISTOL RESULTS

Well I certainly won't be saying any kind words about myself this week! I'd also like to skip over the fact that I hate Chip, Erik and Ali, and get right to NASCAR's three biggest conspiracies:

1) Why must Mark Martin fake his age? That guy is NOT 50. I'm sorry, he's just not. He looks older than my dad, and my dad is 61! If he would just confess to his real age, I might have more respect for him.

2) Jamie McMurray and David Ragan are the same person. Seriously. They look identical. Short, tan, toothy, blond hair with frosted tips. And most importanty -- Nobody EVER sees them in the same place at the same time. If they are near each other, one of them is wearing a helmet. On the track, Jamie/David uses a body double to drive one of the two cars. I'm betting it is Dick Trickle underneath that helmet, but time will tell.

3) How the hell is Montoya 9th in points, and in the chase?! That guy crashes more than ANYONE. I don't get it. Either the points are fixed somehow, or something is seriously wrong with the system.

Anyway....our winner this week is Ali. Congrats Ali!:

Ali -- 7
Erik -- 8
Melody -- 14.2
John -- 15.4
JC -- 17.6
Chip -- 17.8

Chip gets what he deserves, finishing last. :)

Next up...Atlanta -- the last race before the chase!! (Erik, are you going?!)

BRISTOL - No, not Sarah Palin's pregnant daughter, the OTHER Bristol

Pick!!

MICHIGAN RESULTS

Also known as... JC IS AMAZING!!! I mean, there should be a bonus for picking the winner, when the winner is Brian Freakin' Vickers...and nobody EVER picks Vickers!! Round of applause please!

That said, I didn't win. LOL! Like almost all of us, I got screwed by Jimmie Johnson. The rest of you got screwed by Mark Martin. Again........WHY does anyone pick him?! Ok, granted, I hate old people. And I really hate people who lie about their age. But that aside, he is SO inconsistent! Anyway, back to me, and my AWESOME pick, and oh yah, Ali, who won this week. Whatever.

Results:

Ali - 13.2
JC - 13.6
Melody - 14.8
John - 16.2
Erik - 19.8
Chip - 21.2

Chip, did you forget to pick again this week?! ;)

Driver Crush of the Week: Tony, for clinching his spot in the chase. Good job, Smoke!

Next up.....Bristol!

Meeech-i-gan - Carfax 400

Picking window is open!

WATKINS GLEN RESULTS

Good pickin' this week!!! John picked #1, 2, 4, 5, 6, to bring home the victory. Melody also picked very well, but was done in by her lowest pick, Jimmie Johnson, with a 12th place finish. Interesting, Erik managed to pick the winner, AND the 37th place finisher. LOL!

John - 3.6
Melody - 5.6
Ali - 7.4
JC - 8
Chip - 9
Erik - 11.6

See y'all in Michigan!

WATKINS GLEN - Do Some Heluva Good Pickin'!

Picking window is open for the Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at The Glen!

POCONO 2 - RESULTS

What a close week!! Ali breaks his streak of consecutive 19.8 finishes and WINS! Chip and Erik are fighting an epic battle, tying this week at 8.6 -- less than half a point behind the winner. I, well, I just suck.

I'm still wiping away the tears from that emotional Victory Lane speech, so that's all I've got for yous (as they say in Yonkers). :)

Ali -- 8.2
Chip -- 8.6
Erik -- 8.6
John -- 9.4
Melody -- 11.2
JC -- 12.6

Next up, Watkins Glen.

CUMULATIVE RESULTS - Mid-Summer

One more thing about Indy -- really, Robby Gordon? Crashing on the FIRST LAP?! I mean, I know you crash every race anyway, so I guess it's good to get it over with. But next week try to hold on for more than one lap, man! Or join the Saturday night demolition derby instead. It might suit you better!

Anyway, cumulative results to date:

JC -- 6.95
Erik -- 8.80
John -- 8.84
Melody -- 9.23
Ali -- 10.15
Chip -- 10.495

Nice second place battle going on there!

POCONO - Champagne Glass Shaped Hot Tubs and NASCAR Racin'

Picking window is OPEN!

INDY RESULTS

Hi people-
Discussion Topic: Did Montoya really speed down the pit road? Was NASCAR controlling the race outcome by dinging him on that? What can Montoya do? He can't request to review the footage -- NASCAR owns it. He swore (read in a Spanish accent!) on his mother, his wife and his cheeeeeeldren that he was not speeding! Had he not been penalized, Chip would have won handily this week, picking 1, 2, 3, 4 and 10. But, alas, he ends up picking 1,2,3, 10 and 11 instead....AND STILL WINS. Thank god. I would hate for Chip to have to go hop on a plane in Burbank, break into Mike Helton's office in Daytona Beach, throttle him, and end up in jail. Because last time I was in Daytona, I didn't even get to see the beach (ahem, CHIP), so if I have to fly to Daytona to bail him out -- I am going to the beach first!

You know who really benefited from the penalty? Erik. He had awesome picks that did not include Montoya (picked 1, 2, 3, 9, 15). Congrats on an awesome second place score, Erik.

Anyway, results:

Chip -- 5.4
Erik -- 6
Melody -- 7.6
JC -- 9
John -- 9.4
Ali -- 19.8*

(*not a typo)

Next up -- Pocono (again!?).

CHICAGO RESULTS FOR REALS

OK, I cannot figure out how to edit my post below, so I'm just making a new one. I should have posted Chicago results earlier! I won -- picking the 2, 4, 5, 6, 8 drivers! John appeared to have awesome picks, until Kyle Busch bit him in the ass. I mean really, what is UP with Kyle Busch?! Karma?! I love it!

I have nothing to say about the race, it was as boring as predicted. Results:

JC -- 5
Chip -- 7.6
Melody -- 10.4
Erik -- 12.2
John -- 12.4
Ali -- 19.8

Melody - we want to see wedding pics! Do you have a link you can post?

My vacation pics are here: http://travel.webshots.com/album/573667372MkkxTL

INDY - who will kiss the bricks?!

Picking window is open!
Sorry for the delay.

CHICAGO RESULTS

Coming soon - today, I promise! I'm still catching up after my awesome vacation!

CHICAGO - Windy City Snooze Fest

Picking window is open!

DAYTONA RESULTS

What an awesome ending!!! It's such a shame when a "racing incident" takes out a Busch brother. Especially when that brother is Kyle and his car gets smashed on the front, drilled in the back, and then pounded on the side. Oh well. :)

My personal policy of never picking Mark Martin or Dale Jr. pays off again this week, aided by my picks of the 1, 2, and 3 driver:

JC -- 8.4
John -- 8.6
Ali -- 10
Erik -- 14.8
Melody -- 17.4
Chip -- 21.6

Chip, ever since you started offing celebrities, you have had some BAAAD Karma, man.

Next up....Chicago!

DAYTONA - Yippee, some excitement!

CHIP, remember to pick!!!

LOUDON, NH - RESULTS

Chip...are you alive? I know you loved MJ, but you are ok dude, right? We are worried about you since nobody has heard from you since you killed MJ. It isn't like you to forget to make picks. Everything alright?

I was in San Fran this weekend, didn't watch the race, and have NO idea what happened. So I cannot comment on any rain delay controversy. Guest bloggers are welcomed. :)

Here is what I do know -- Ali probably would have won, had he not picked Jeff Burton. Has he even been racing this year? But instead, we have a JC - Erik tie for first. Leaving me wondering why Erik was bitching about the rain delay. Hmmmm....

Results:

JC - 7.6
Erik - 7.6
John - 12.2
Melody - 12.4
Ali - 12.4
Chip - 41

Next week -- Daytona. FINALLY...some action!!

NEW HAMPSHIRE -- The track mascot is a moose?!

Picking window is open!

SONOMA RESULTS

Okay, Melody, seriously?! Marcus Ambrose?! What are you, psychic?!

Melody wins the week and scores the season's third best finish (Erik had the best with 3.6, Melody also holds the second best with 4.6):

Melody -- 4.8
John -- 10
Chip -- 11.6
JC -- 12.6
Ali -- 12.4
Erik -- 13.4

Lessons learned:

-- Mark Martin never helps anyone win. He either finishes horrible, or even when he wins, whoever picks him still loses. 80-year old drivers do not good picks make.

-- I will not pick Kyle Busch again this season. He has screwed me like 3 weeks in a row now. Argh. The drinking must be getting to him. Or was that his brother?

-- Driver crush of the week -- Marcus Ambrose. I never knew what he looked like before! He is cute -- AND has an accent!

-- John uses my strategy and picks last. And picks the race winner!! Good work, John. But not good enough. Muwahahaha.

Next week: New Hampshire. Pick early, pick often.

SONOMA - Many of the same letters as Unisom! Nap time!

Picking window is open. And...5...4...3...2...1.... John posts. :)

MICHIGAN RESULTS

News headlines of the week:

Ali wins!!

Chip and Erik tie for second!!

Erik is the only one that picks the winner - Mark Martin - but gets screwed by Jimmie Johnson when he runs out of gas, giving Martin the win. (Irony!)

Chip doesn't pick Mark Martin for the first time in history, and Martin wins the race.

JC sucks!!!

Results:

Ali - 9.4
Chip - 10.8
Erik - 10.8
Melody - 12.2
John - 12.8
JC - 14.6

Next week....Sonoma. (Pillow, check. Blankie, check. Comfy spot on sofa, check. I feel a nap coming on....)

MICHIGAN - Last person to leave, please turn out the lights!

Picking window is open...

POCONO RESULTS

Dear Kurt Busch, I hate you. Way to finish 37th, jackass.

Dear TNT, your announcers are like white noise. They put me to sleep. Can you please start serving alcoholic beverages in the booth?

Dear Chip, Brian Vickers!? Really?

Dear Tony, Congrats on your first win as a team owner! We knew it was coming!

Dear Matt Kenseth, Congrats on spawning!

And congrats to Erik, this week's winner!! Results:
Erik - 6.6
Chip - 9.6
JC - 10.8
John - 13.4
Melody - 16.4
Ali - 20.4

Next up - Michigan. (Michigan is still there?! I thought we sold it to Fiat.)

POCANO, you're a ho

Betting window is open. Happy June!

CUMULATIVE RESULTS - Halfway Point

Here is where we stand halfway through the season (the point where we typically mourn the loss of the Fox broadcast crew and are forced to deal with the more boring NBC lame-ohs):

JC -- 11.87
Ali -- 13.34
Erik -- 13.46
John -- 13.84
Melody -- 14.46
Chip -- 15.13

I know, it feels like a miracle to me too, so let me know if anyone wants to see the sheet and check the math. :)

DOVER, BEN -- results

Deep thought of the day: I wonder if Kasey will still be cute while he is driving a Fiat next year. Hmmmm.

And what will happen to Team Hendrick? Will they all run Chevy-USA cars with "Yes We Can" logos now that they are owned by Obama?

Interesting. (subtext: Go Ford!!)

Very close this week! Results:

John -- 8
Chip -- 10
Melody -- 12
JC -- 12.6
Erik -- 13.6
Ali -- 14.4

Next up, Pocono, doncha know?

DOVER - weirdest race name ever

Betting window is open for the Autism Speaks 400, presented by Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips & Cheese.

HA!

CHARLOTTE RESULTS

My thoughts during the rain delay:

1) David Reutimann looks like Ray Romano.

2) My neighbors are smoking pot again. Maybe Jeremy Mayfield is over for a memorial day picnic.

3) David Gilliland...where have they been hiding you?! You are CUTE!!! I have to admit that until this rain delay, I thought you and David Reutimann were the same person. But now I will watch you -- driver crush of the week!!

4) DW's hair is getting REALLY poofy. Jamie McMurray needs to take him to the salon.

5) WTF?! They called Daytona over for rain in like 5 minutes. This was the longest....rain...delay...make that multiple delays....EVER!

And with that, our results....

Me - 8.4
Ali - 9.6
John -14.6
Melody - 15.6
Erik - 17.2
Chip - 17.6

Chip - Junior screwed you, man. And who made me victorious? None other than my hottie Kasey Kahne and he-of-little-neck Ryan Newman! I guess it pays to pick the weird drivers sometimes.

Next up....Dover, Delaware.

CHARLOTTE -- THE LONGEST DAY...

Happy Memorial Day weekend! Betting window is open...

ALL STAR RACE - RESULTS

Ladies and Gentlemen -- we have a tie!!

John -- 8.2
Melody -- 8.2
JC -- 8.6
Erik -- 9.6
Chip -- 10.2
Ali -- 11

Congrats to John & Melody!

ALL STAR RACE - DW should say Twinkle Twinkle instead of Boogity Boogity!

Picking window is open...

CUMULATIVE RESULTS

Well isn't this just a Mother's Day miracle?!:

JC -- 12.42
Erik -- 13.45
Ali -- 13.8
John -- 14.82
Melody -- 15.15
Chip -- 15.82

Close race!!

DARLINGTON RESULTS

Well, Johnny, picking the old man didn't help you at all, so you can still hit Chip. Go for it. Kyle Busch pretty much screwed everyone this week. And sadly, my three week winning streak has come to an end. I love night races though because DW gets drunk as the evening wears on. By the end of the race, I'm always all, "What did he just say?!" LOL! Anyway....Congrats Ali!!

Results, followed by discussion of the week's big news:

Ali -- 9.4
JC -- 12.6
Chip -- 13.2
John -- 15.4
Erik -- 17.2
Melody -- 18.4

In case anyone missed it, Jeremy Mayfield has been indefinitely suspended for drug use:
http://www.nascar.com/2009/news/headlines/cup/05/09/jmayfield.violates.drug.policy/index.html

To take a page from Perez Hilton:

He says it was prescription drugs, but they have to be able to eliminate those, right? I mean, why even test for those? Does anyone know what they test for? It has to just be street drugs, right? Cocaine, heroin, meth.... Interesting. I never would have guessed Jeremy Mayfield would be busted!! I mean, the Busch brothers, definitely. Truex Jr -- totally. Montoya -- drives like he's drugged every week. But Mayfield seemed squeeky clean! Feel free to discuss...

Driver Crush Of The Week: Ryan Newman for putting both of Tony's teams in the top 5!

Next up...All Star Race!!

DARLINGTON - The Lady In Black

Picking window is open. Chip - I recommend not re-picking. LOL! :)

RICHMOND RESULTS

In which Jimmie Johnson screws pretty much everyone...

JC -- 5.6
Melody -- 11.2
Erik -- 11.8
John -- 15.6
Ali -- 17
Chip -- 17.8

Melody and JC were the only two who didn't pick Jimmie, and look where it got us! Also, interestingly, only three people picked Jeff Gordon this week, and he did well.

Picking Jr. for the first time hurts Ali more than helps. And Chip proves that his hate for Kyle does not mean he shouldn't pick him.

Driver crush of the week: Tony Stewart for finishing second and looking adorable doing it.

Next up: Darlington

RICHMOND Riches?

The picking window is open!

TALLADEGA RESULTS

What, NOBODY picked Brad Keselowski?!?! Isn't anyone at least a fan of his primary sponsor, the Miccosukee Resort?! LOL!

AWESOME race. SUCH an exciting finish. Last week we had an 84-year-old win the race, this week we have a 14-year old winner! Quite a swing! And, I mean, I never want fans to get hurt -- that stinks. But the injuries were minor. And let's face it, there have been many a day when Chip wished he could break my jaw. Maybe she deserved it.

Other thoughts:
1) Quote of the week -- "This place sucks" - Jimmie Johnson.
2) Best attitude of the week -- Carl Edwards for walking across the finish line and proclaiming "hey, I'd never been upside down in a car before, so now I have!"
3) Just for that, and in honor of Melody's adorable picture with Carl (below), I will name Carl Edwards the driver crush of the week. :)

(our very own ByeBye$100 with Mr. Edwards)

Results:
(This is the WORST set of results in the history of our league. You would think we were trying to pick the worst finishing drivers instead of the best! But I pulled it out, only by not picking Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson, and having 2 drivers finish in the top 10 - so my thanks to Jeff Burton and Greg Biffle!)

JC -- 16.4
Chip -- 24.2
Melody -- 25.4
John -- 26.2
Erik -- 26.2
Ali -- 30

See ya in Richmond!

TALLADEGA - Party Hardy!!

Time to pick drivers for the only track that has its own jail. Good luck!

PHOENIX RESULTS

I was seriously afraid Chip's head was going to explode as Mark Martin crossed the finish line. Even though I won the week (finally), I feel like I should be congratulating Chip for his years of loyalty to Mr. Martin. It's not every day you see an 84-year old win a race!! So congrats to me, and congrats to Chip too. Results:

JC -- 5
Chip -- 9.4
Erik -- 10.6
John -- 11.6
Melody -- 12.4
Ali -- 12.8

Driver crush of the week: Brian Vickers. Just because. Next up: Talladega. Yay!

A WEEK OFF, THEN PHOENIX

There is no race this week, due to Easter. But if you want to pick now for the 18th, go for it. Remember you can only duplicate THREE picks of any other picker. Two of your picks must be different from any one else.

Happy Easter!!

TEXAS RESULTS

Wow! Everyone picked really well this week. The lowest score we had was 10.4 (Chip)! So I'd like to congratulate our winner of the week -- Ali!! His worst pick finished 12th! But more importantly, let's all congratulate Erik as well for impregnating his wife! GREAT WORK papa Erik!! I am going to start shopping for little tiny Kasey Kahne outfits right away!!

Results:

Ali -- 4.8
John -- 7.2
Erik -- 7.4
JC -- 8.8
Melody -- 9
Chip -- 10.4

And per Ali's request, Cumulative Results to Date:

Erik -- 11.7429
Ali -- 11.8
John -- 13.46
JC -- 13.86
Melody -- 14.11
Chip -- 15.63

Couldn't be much closer!!

Everything is bigger in TEXAS

And the picking window is open!.....

MARTINSVILLE RESULTS

Congrats to Erik for having our best finishing average ALL season so far! Great picks, Erik!!

Erik -- 3.6
Melody -- 8.4
Chip -- 9.2
Ali -- 11.2
John -- 14
JC -- 14.8

I fell asleep during the race, so I really have no commentary. Sorry!! (Or maybe I'm just rendered speechless by Erik's amazing picks!)

MARTINSVILLE smartinsville...

This race is on Sunday. No idea why I was confused last week. Leave your picks here:

BRISTOL RESULTS

Poor Chip. Should have believed a little harder.

Results:

Ali -- 5.4
Melody -- 12.4
John -- 13
JC -- 13.2
Erik -- 16.6
Chip -- 22.4

Congrats to Ali who picked finishers 1,2,3, and 4!! (and 17) Amazing!

I don't have any commentary this weekend because I was so busy with Madelyn's birthday, I didn't watch the race. So I will just award driver crush of the week to gool ol' Kasey Kahne and call it a week.

BRISTOL - Welcome to Thunder Valley!

Go ahead and make your picks... and good luck!

CUMULATIVE RESULTS

Hi all, to date, after 4 races, here are the standings:

Erik -- 13.65
John -- 15
JC - 15.05
Ali -- 15.3
Chip -- 16.85
Melody -- 17.25

It's a very close race!! Congrats to Erik. This should make you feel better about all those super close losses!

ATLANTA RESULTS

Wow! Everyone did great this week! Results:

Chip -- 7.4
Erik -- 8
JC -- 9.8
Ali -- 14.6
Melody -- 15.2
John -- 16

Congrats to Ali! We have an off-week next week, during which I will post running results for the season so far. To hold you over until then -- thoughts on Atlanta:

1) Is there an emoticon for a yawn? ;-O ?
2) When will people learn to stop picking Mark Martin? He's like the Kasey Kahne of 2009.
3) Tony keeps finishing 8th! He has finished 8th in all races this year except Vegas. Weird.
4) Driver Crush of the Week -- Nobody floated my boat this week, so instead, I'm going to list people who will never qualify for the DCOTW. Apologies to Kyle Busch, Kurt Busch, David Reutimann, Greg Biffle, Matt Kenseth, Clint Bowyer and Jeff Gordon.
5) What is up with Mark Martin's face? Seriously! He is only 49 years old?! He has some kind of Benjamin Button disease going on or something because the dude could easily pass for 72.

xoxo

ATLANTA - Erik's Hood!

Make your picks here! Same rules apply...

VEGAS RESULTS

I have to admit, I was too depressed about my last minute driver change to post the results any earlier this week. What a bone-headed move. That is the last time I listen to the pre-race garbage, in which they were saying the Toyotas were DOOMED and Kurt Busch looked strong to repeat. Ugh. Anyway, congrats to this week's winner -- Ali! Results:

John -- 18.4
Melody -- 27.8
Chip -- 21.8
Erik -- 16
JC -- 17
Ali -- 15.8

Yes, Erik, you lost by .2 AGAIN!! Ha!

My thoughts this week:

1) Every year DW and Jeff Hammond wear the Elvis wig and glasses. Every year it makes me laugh!

2) Chris Myers = Not funny.

3) Driver crush of the week = Bobby Labonte. You have always been a good looking man, my friend. But you never qualified for DCOTW before because you have always sucked so bad. It was nice to see you running up front!

4) Ali pulls out his win by going against the crowd. Pretty much everyone picked the same 8 or so drivers. Ali was the only person to pick Denny Hamlin. Something to think about....

Next....HOTlanta!

VEGAS, BABY!

Make your picks in the comments section. Pick 5 drivers. (Two must be different from all other participants'). If you pick prior to qualifying, you cannot change your picks. If you pick after qualifying, you may change your picks up to the drop of the green flag.

Good luck!

FONTANA RESULTS...zzzzzzzzz...

Sometimes I wonder why I even like this sport anymore. It is so boring lately! I admit that I slept through much of it, but for that I blame the lack of action, not my lack of energy. That said, here are my thoughts, followed by this week’s results:

1. Enough with the Digger cartoons. It is a freakin’ CAMERA. Nobody cares about this dumb blatant attempt to sell merchandise.

2. Matt Kenseth, I am sick of you. I know you cried and everything, but you still have no personality. Please get stuck at the slots next week and be too tired and poor to race.

3. Scott Speed honey, we are going to have to break up until you have better results. You are embarrassing me.

4. Driver crush of the week: Never thought I’d say it, but Jimmie Johnson is looking pretty scruffy-hot with that little beard he has going!


Close results this week! Unfortunately, Mark Martin completely screwed Chip, John and Ali. Congrats to Melody, this week’s winner!! Girl Power!! Average finishing positions:

John: 11.8
Melody: 4.6
Chip: 22
Erik: 5
JC: 6.8
Ali: 12

Yes, Erik, you lost by .4 -- Sorry, bro.

Next up.....Viva Las Vegas!

FONTANA

Make your picks in the comments section. Pick 5 drivers. You must have two picks different from all other participants. If you pick prior to qualifying, you cannot change your picks (they are locked in). If you pick after qualifying, you may change your picks up to the drop of the green flag.

Good luck!

DAYTONA 500 RESULTS - Wait, what?

The first results of the season! John makes an amazing re-entry and takes the win with a 13.8 average finish. My season couldn't start off crappier, as I finish last. Boo.

John 13.8
Chip 16.2
Ali 18.8
Melody 21.4
Erik 25.6
JC 26.6

My thoughts on the race:

1) WTF? How did we get from "We will definitely get the end of this race in. NASCAR wants to run the full race. They are drying the track now. Showers are light and the radar shows it will clear up, so we'll go back racing" to "NASCAR called the race and Kenseth wins" -??!?! Apparently it was Jack Roush and Ford's turn to win, so they handed it to them. I have nothing against Kenseth, but that was not cool.

2) Did you see Jeff Hammond? Either he contracted some sort of weird oopma loompa disease in the offseason, or he needs to lay off the mystic tan.

3) New driver crush -- Scott Speed....yummmmmeee! (You wanted a female commish! Look forward to these comments every week!)

4) Even when doing nothing blatantly wrong, for some reason Kyle Busch continues to be a weenie

5) Yes, the Jr. hit was without doubt, on purpose. Had that been Tony or Harvick or a Busch, they would be in the big red truck getting spanked on the bare butt by Mike Helton while he counted down the points he was going to dock them.

Hopefully next week will be more exciting. Until then... keep Scott Speed in your hearts.

OFFICIAL 2009 RULES

1) Cost to participate is $100. At the end of the season, the winner gets $400, 2nd place gets $200, third place gets $100. The winner is also to be awarded a dinner to be paid for by all other participants.

2) Each participant needs to post their 5 driver selections in the comments section for each race prior to the drop of the green flag. I will open a blog topic for each week's race prior to the race. To post your selections, leave a comment for that post. Missing the green-flag deadline is an automatic loss and participant will be awarded the worst finishing positions (40-41-42) for that race.

3) You can only duplicate three of the five picks of another participant. Two picks must be different.

4) If you pick prior to the conclusion of qualifying, your picks are locked in. If you pick after qualifying is completed, you may change your picks up until the drop of the green flag.

5) Each week's winner will be determined based on best average finishing position. Winner will be posted on the blog. Money will be paid out only once, at the end of the season (based on total best average finishing position) -- not on a weekly basis.

6) JC will act as commissioner and maintain the excel document tracking results. If you wish to see the grid at any time, please let me know.

LEAGUE CONTACT INFO

Hi all and welcome to the 2009 season! We have 7 participants this year! Although all communicating will be done through this blog, I have posted email addresses in case you need to reach someone directly. Each participant can be reached via the email addresses here:

Jennifer Campana -- leadft2@yahoo.com
Chip Beaman -- wcbeaman@verizon.net or wbeaman@soundelux.com
Erik Guenther -- eguen@bellsouth.net or EGuenther@digiblue.com
Ali Bouda -- ali.bouda@thq.com
John Bires -- jbires@soundelux.com
Melody Khanbeigi -- melody@ignitionusa.com
Eddie Khanbeigi -- lakerholic@aol.com


Happy betting!...

DAYTONA 500

Make your picks in the comments section. Pick 5 drivers. You may not exactly duplicate the picks of any other participant. If you pick prior to qualifying, you cannot change your picks (they are locked in). If you pick after qualifying, you may change your picks up to the drop of the green flag.

Good luck!

BUD SHOOTOUT 2/7/09

Hey there! So I have set up a blog for us to track our weekly bets and status. Here is how this season will work:

1) Cost to participate is $100. At the end of the season, the winner gets $400, 2nd place gets $200. (Assuming 6 participants)

2) Each participant needs to post or email in their 5 driver selections for each race prior to the drop of the green flag. I will open a blog topic for each week's race prior to the race. To post your selections, leave a comment for that post. Otherwise, email them to the group. Email addresses will be posted on this site.

3) Chip will email each participant a copy of the official rules.

4) JC will act as commissioner and maintain the excel document tracking results.

That's it!! Let us know if you are in!

And with that, a few thoughts on tonight's Shootout:

1) Was that Jamie McMurray or his body double David Ragan being interviewed at the end of the race? Notice that Ragan mysteriously went out very early in the race.

2) Emerging crush to watch: Did DW just call Jimmie Johnson "handsome?!" LOL!

3) Where was Ryan Newman? Was his head finally swallowed by his neck?

One week until Daytona!!