Nascar Fantassy League Final Results - Congrats to Our 2017 Champion Shepard!!!!!

Well my amigos and amigas, we have come to the end of another great season and it is time to crown our 2017 Champion Shepard!  I have to say that the dominant team won it again this year.  Shepard started out slow in the 1st 3 weeks but quickly made a home in the Elite 8 and ran at the top from there on... including 15 consecutive weeks in the number 1 spot to close out the season!  Wow!  I hope Jeff is hungry because he has 1920 chips coming his way just in time for the holiday season.

Congrats also to Let's Go and Skidmarks!  

Lets go definitely made it interesting in Homestead with her Larson pick, but came up a little short in the end.  An impressive debut for this rookie for sure.  800 chips coming your way!  

Skidmarks seems to always be in the mix and I am sure this 3 time champion will be back in the mix next year.  480 Chips coming your way!  

Thanks again for a great season!  I wish you all a safe and enjoyable holiday season!

Cheers!

Fat Penguin

Phoenix Results - Race 1 of the Nut Buster Round is in the Books! Shepard Increases His Lead... 1 Race to GOOOOOOOOO!

Hey Kids!  Race 1 of the Nut Buster is complete and the season comes down to Homestead.  Shepard has a nice 17 point lead thanks to his Kyle Busch pick... wow!  He still had Kyle Busch left and ran at or near the top for most of the season.  He still has Truex Jr. as well BTW.  Pretty impressive stuff from Shepard, but we are not done yet.  Skidmarks and rookie Lets Go have been worthy opponents all season and definitely for the entire Chase.  

 Looking at who each team has left to start, the final race strategy seems pretty clear for these teams... but things always have a way of surprising us in this League.  My advice to the 3 of you is to strap yourself in and hang on to your arse!  

Congratulations again for making it to this point... you are all winners.  But there will only be 1 Champion*!

*Maybe

CHIPS ANYONE???:

2017 Payout
Place		Total Chips	3200
1st	1920
2nd	800
3rd	480
Total	3200

Good luck to the 3 of you!

Cheers!

Fat Penguin

Texas Results - And Then There Were 3 - Bring on the Finisher Round!!!!!

The final race of the Fluffer is in the books!  Honestly, I thought we would have had some shake up in this round, but the Top 3 held their ground and are moving on to the Finisher!

We lose Dust and Ideal... Sorry guys.  You had great drivers left for the round, but issues with both cars cost you in this very short round.  Congrats on a great season!

But we're not done yet!  Shepard, Skidmarks and Lets Go will battle it out over the next 2 races to decide this thing!  Who will be the 2017 Champ???

Remember the points reset to 2000 for each team, and since only Shepard got a stage win in the Fluffer Round he will start with 2001 points.  Any Wins or Stage Wins during the final 2 races will be added on to your point total after the round.

So..... Here's how we look to start the Finisher:

Good luck the rest of the way to you 3 lucky mofos!

Cheers!

Fat Penguin

The Finisher Round - Rules Refresher:

• Fourth round - (races 35 & 36) - “The Finisher”

          * The three teams entering the Finisher Round will have their points reset to 2000

              § Three bonus points for each win in the previous Fluffer round will be awarded as will segment bonus points

          * Wins in the Finisher round are worth three bonus points which will be added to their final total at the end of the round

          * Segment wins in the Finisher round are worth one point which will be added to their final total at the end of the round

          * The team with the most points after races 35 and 36 is the NFCL winner

             § Same format for tiebreakers applies

             § Please note that the MENCS modifies their points system for their final race; our NFCL will award whatever points that are posted in the official race results on NASCAR.com

Martinsville Results - 4 out of 5 Choose Logano - Meaning nothing Much Changed This Week - On to Texas for the Last Fluffer Race!!!!

Sorry for the late post guys, but I've been drunk for... about a month.  Yay Stros!

Martinsville was pretty uneventful, but that is eventful if you think about it.  With only 1 Fluffer Race left Ideal and Dust will need to make something happen.  While Lets Go, Shepard, and Skid will try to hang on.

Texas this week!

Good Luck!

Cheers, 

Fat Penguin

Kansas Results - Teaser Round Complete! On to the Fluffer!!!

TEASER ROUND COMPLETE:

Another race, another Truex win... and man could Rusty and Chonk have used a win in Kansas.  Rusty almost caught Skidmarks by choosing Jimmie Johnson while Skid's McMurray pick ended with a huge wreck.  In the end, Rusty fell short just 3 points from moving on.  Chonk also took McMurray who needed to win to get him to the Fluffer.  Congratulations to Rusty and Chonk on another impressive season!  So we say goodbye to Rusty and Chonk and we say welcome to the Fulffer Round to Shepard, Skidmarks, Lets Go, Dust, and Ideal!

On To The Fluffer!:  Rules Refresher...

Third round (races 33 & 34) - “The Fluffer”

* The top three teams based on points accumulated during races 27-34 will advance to the final round

* Wins automatically advance teams; same format for balance of filling in the teams and tiebreakers applies

FLUFFER ROUND LEADERBOARD:

You will see that your point total will reflect 3 Bonus Points for your Teaser Round Wins and/or 1 Bonus Point for each of your stage wins.  Points are still accumulating.

Just 2 races in the Fluffer Round and only 3 teams will make the Finisher Round... meaning that we will be saying goodbye to 2 more teams this round!  Shepard is looking like our version of Truex Jr. and has a nice 76 point lead.  However, I do not think Skid, Lets Go, Dust and Ideal are going to lay down and let him take this thing home without a fight.  Plus we will be resetting points at the end of this round and adding any race win or stage win Bonus Points to the 2000 point total of each team to start the Finisher. 

But we aren't there yet!  2 more huge races still need to be run to get there.

Congrats on making it to this point guys and gal!  I wish you all the best in the Fluffer Round!

Go Stros!

Cheers!

Fat Penguin

Dega Results - Race 2 of Teaser Round Complete - Keselowski Gets a Huge Win for 3 Teams - 1 To Go Before the Fluffer!!!!!!

Congrats to Lets Go, Dust and Ideal for taking Keselowski this week who brought home the checkered flag!  This basically guarantees them a spot in the Fluffer and gives them Bonus Points for the Win and the Stage 1 win Bonus Point to boot.  Shepard took Blaney who won Stage 2 so he will get a Bonus Point should he move on the the Fluffer. 

3 teams are basically locked in and they run 3, 4 & 5th.  This causes issues for Rusty and Chonk as they now are chasing 2nd place if they are to advance on points.  They are 22 and 40 points behind Skidmarks after race 2 of the Teaser. 

This also causes a little stress to Skidmarks and maybe even Shepard... If Rusty or Chonk get a win in Kansas this week and Skidmarks does not... he could find himself on the outside looking in.  If both Rusty and Chonk pick the same driver who manages to win the race and Skid and Shepard do not... well you get the picture.  The last scenario is unlikely given the driver selections left, but strange sh*t happens in this League all the time.

Kansas this week on Sunday where we will lose 2 more teams when the smoke clears and the dust settles.  Good luck to all!

Go Stros!!!!!!!!!!

Cheers!

Fat Penguin

Charlotte Results - Teaser Round Race 1 Complete! Lets Go Gets the Win!

Congrats to Lets Go for the Win!!!  2 more to go in this round and it is pretty tight.  Lets Go is locked in unless 5 more teams get wins and finish higher in points... so I think she's locked in right?  Just like Truex Jr. was saying... it's nice to get that win before going into 'Dega...

Keep digging boys and girls!  2 More to go in the Teaser!!!!

Race 3 of the Flirter Round is in the Books!! Who Got Bent Over in Dover??? 7 Teams Moving on to the Teaser Round!!!!

Man!  Sorry for giving you the don't get bent over in Dover warning, but Dover is usually brutal for some teams... and Sunday was no different.  But for 7 it was a springboard into the Teaser Round.

First, let's say goodbye to 4 teams who had outstanding years:

Spinning had the TOP PICK in New Hampshire, but BSOTW'd Chicago and Dover and fell from 3rd to 7th during the 1st Round.  This puts her out of the Chase by 2 points as Ideal who is actually running 8th gets to advance by virtue of his win in Chicago.  

Beef was strong in Chicago and had the TOP PICK in Dover, but a 2 point Harvick day in New Hampshire did him in.

Pursuit was a virtual lock to move on but DQ'd on Sunday with a no pick... with Jimmie Johnson still available... He's sick about it, and sees his solid year come to an end with that mistake.

Fast was solid all year long, but had some tough luck in all three races of the Flirter Round and find themselves out of it.  Still a very impressive rookie year!

Congratulations on a solid year guys!

Welcome to the TEASER ROUND!

A couple of things to point out on the standings above:

• RUSTY, DUST, IDEAL have been awarded 3 Bonus Points for their 1st round wins.
• Points IN/OUT of Next Round are now pointed at 5th place for the 7 teams still in it as 5th or better is what you need to move on to the Fluffer Round.

The 7 teams moving on are:

Shepard - 40 points ahead of 5th.

Skidmarks - 37 points ahead of 5th

Rusty - 26 points ahead of 5th

Chonk - 3 points ahead of 5th

Dust - 5th

Lets Go - 4 points behind 5th

Ideal - 9 points behind 5th

Congratulations to you all!

TEASER ROUND RULES REFRESHER:

• Second round (races 30-32) - “The Teaser”

          * The top five teams based on points accumulated during races 27-32 will advance to the 3rd round

          * Wins automatically advance teams; same format for filling in the balance of teams and tiebreakers applies

OTHER RAMBLINGS:

Charlotte this weekend on Sunday

Points accumulate until the Finisher Round so everyone keep digging!

Cheers!

Fat Penguin

New Hampshire Results - Standings Updated

Hola Amigos!  I wanted to post a quick update on the current round standings after Race 2 of the Flirter Round.  A whole lot of shakin' going on.  Take a look at Chonk on the outside looking in based on tie breakers... Pursuit gets the edge based on regular season point totals...

1 to go for Round 1!  Don't get bent over in Dover!

Chicagoland Results - Truex Wins and 3 Teams get a Pass to Round 2*!!!! 1 Down 2 to Go in Round 1!!!!

Race 1 of the Flirter Round is in the books and we had a lot of action.  

THE TOP 7:

TOP PICK:  Rusty (2nd), Dust (3rd), and Ideal (8th) took race winner Truex and are pretty much guaranteed a spot in Round 2.  The only way they can be eliminated is if 5 other teams also get wins and have a higher point total at the end of the race in Dover.  

Shepard has a strong points day and remains in 1st.  Same with Lets Go who stays in 4th.

The DOOTW goes to Fast who earned 29 points out of their Johnson pick.  Tough start for these rookies as they drop 3 spots to 5th, but they are still in the TOP 7.

Skidmarks has a solid points day, but still drops down a spot to 6th.  

OUTSIDE LOOKING IN:

Commissioner Note -  The teams on the outside looking in will be chasing 6th Skidmarks as it stands right now because he is the lowest point total of the TOP 7 without a win.  Ideal runs 8th but the win in race 1 will most likely get him through to the Teaser Round.  

Although Pursuit is running 7th (actually moving up a spot this week), he finds himself 4 points away from a Teaser Round spot.  

Spinning took the BSOTW award getting only 21 points out of her Dillon pick.  She drops 6 spots to 9th and is now 16 points out of a Teaser Round spot after race 1 of the Flirter.

Beef had a solid points day but drops a spot to 10th and 18 points away from Skidmarks. 

Chonk took Elliott who had the best point day until a post race penalty cost him 15 valuable points.  He sits in 11th and 22 points out at the moment. 

Good thing the Teaser Round doesn't start this week!

OTHER RAMBLINGS:

New Hampshire this week on Sunday.

In 2 races we will eliminate 4 teams for Round 1; then 2 more in Round 2; then 2 more in Round 3.

Remember that Chase points accumulate from Chicago to Texas... or until the last 2 races.

Reminder: Pursuit had a DQ in Kentucky and unfortunately had to burn his 2nd Truex pick.

I like how those eliminated are still picking drivers... I wish I would have as well last week.

Good Luck on Sunday!

Cheers!

Fat Penguin 

As the Richmond Dust Settles, Bring on the Chase!

Bring on the CHASE!!!

There was plenty of drama and some shuffling in the Elite 8 during Richmond, but no new teams punched their ticket into the Chase.  We say goodbye to Penguin, Kiss, Graz, Rudd, Piston, and Sexy, but we are also saying hello to 11 teams that made the Chase this season!  Good luck and may the best team win!

• Shepard finishes 1st and grabs the 1020 points + 16 Bonus Points and is our top seed.
• Fast finished 3rd to get 1013 points but with 20 Bonus points earned during the season they will be our 2nd seed.
• Spinning finished 2nd and gets 1016 + 7 Bonus points for the 3rd spot.
• Lets go was 4th.  1010 +11 Bonus points for 4th.
• Skidmarks finished 6th but is our 5th seed when you add his Bonus Points.  1006 + 12.
• Rusty was 7th but will be our 6th seed.  1004 + 13.
• Dust finished 5th but had low bonus points and will be our 7th seed.  1008 + 7.
• Pursuit is our 8th seed.  1002 + 12.
• Chonk, Ideal and Beef are our Wild Cards and will start with 1000 points.

1st Round "The Flirter" Rules Refresher:

• First round (races 27-29) - “The Flirter”

          * The top seven teams based on points accumulated during races 27-29 will advance to the 2nd round

          * Wins automatically advance a team (in theory) and add three extra points to that team’s total to start the next round

             § If every team has a win(s), teams will be eliminated according to the tiebreaker rule below

          * The balance of teams will be filled in according to points accumulated in the three-race Flirter Round

             § The first tiebreaker is number of wins in the current round

             § Second tiebreaker is number of wins during the entire Chase

             § Third tiebreaker is number of wins during the regular season

             § Fourth tiebreaker is number of points during the regular season

             § Fifth tiebreaker is whoever got their first win first

             § Sixth tiebreaker is whoever did better in MENCS regular season race #1, then #2, and so on

Complete CHASE Rules Refresher:

THE NFCL CHASE

8) Eligibility for the NFCL Chase and the Chase format will be as follows:

• The top eight teams in points after the NFCL/MENCS regular season will qualify for the NFCL Chase
• Any team with three or more wins during the first 26 races will automatically qualify for the NFCL Chase
• If a team is outside of the top eight in points after 26 races but has three or more wins, they will be added to the Chase as a Wild Card
• Points for the eligible teams entering the NFCL Chase will be reset to start the ten race playoff as follows:

                1st place team - 1020 points

                2nd place team - 1016 points

                3rd place team - 1013 points

                4th place team - 1010 points

                5th place team - 1008 points

                6th place team - 1006 points

                7th place team - 1004 points

                8th place team - 1002 points

• Each NFCL Chase team in the top eight will receive three bonus points for each win accumulated during the 26 race regular season to start the Chase

          * E.g., if a team finishes 6th in points and has 2 wins during the regular season, that team will start the Chase with 1012 points (1006 + 3 + 3)

• Each NFCL Chase team in the top eight will receive one bonus point for each segment win accumulated during the regular season

         * E.g., if a team finishes 6th in points, and has 2 wins during the regular season, and has 5 segment wins, that team will start the Chase with 1017 points (1006 + 3 + 3 + 5)

• Wild Card teams are not eligible for bonus points and will each start the Chase with 1000 points
• The NFCL Chase is a four round format starting at Chicagoland (race 27) and continuing through Homestead (race 36)

          * A win in any round automatically advances that team to the next round (in theory)

             § Wins result in three bonus points added to that team’s total to start the next round during the Chase (if that team qualifies for the next round)

             § Segment wins result in bonus points added to that team’s total to start the next round during the Chase (if that team qualifies for the next round)

          * Only seven teams will advance after the first round

          * Two teams will be eliminated after the second round

          * Two teams will be eliminated after the third round

          * Only three teams will enter the fourth and final round for the NASCAR Fantassy Cup

• First round (races 27-29) - “The Flirter”

          * The top seven teams based on points accumulated during races 27-29 will advance to the 2nd round

          * Wins automatically advance a team (in theory) and add three extra points to that team’s total to start the next round

             § If every team has a win(s), teams will be eliminated according to the tiebreaker rule below

          * The balance of teams will be filled in according to points accumulated in the three-race Flirter Round

             § The first tiebreaker is number of wins in the current round

             § Second tiebreaker is number of wins during the entire Chase

             § Third tiebreaker is number of wins during the regular season

             § Fourth tiebreaker is number of points during the regular season

             § Fifth tiebreaker is whoever got their first win first

             § Sixth tiebreaker is whoever did better in MENCS regular season race #1, then #2, and so on

• Second round (races 30-32) - “The Teaser”

          * The top five teams based on points accumulated during races 27-32 will advance to the 3rd round

          * Wins automatically advance teams; same format for filling in the balance of teams and tiebreakers applies

• Third round (races 33 & 34) - “The Fluffer”

          * The top three teams based on points accumulated during races 27-34 will advance to the final round

          * Wins automatically advance teams; same format for balance of filling in the teams and tiebreakers applies

• Fourth round - (races 35 & 36) - “The Finisher”

          * The three teams entering the Finisher Round will have their points reset to 2000

              § Three bonus points for each win in the previous Fluffer round will be awarded as will segment bonus points

          * Wins in the Finisher round are worth three bonus points which will be added to their final total at the end of the round

          * Segment wins in the Finisher round are worth one point which will be added to their final total at the end of the round

          * The team with the most points after races 35 and 36 is the NFCL winner

             § Same format for tiebreakers applies

             § Please note that the MENCS modifies their points system for their final race; our NFCL will award whatever points that are posted in the official race results on NASCAR.com

This is the final tally for the regular season.

Darlington Results - Ruling on Hamlin's Encumbered Win - 3 More Get Locked IN!!!!

We have a little controversy in our 2nd to last race until the Chase, but NASCAR has presented a new scenario to us that isn't clearly covered in our rules with this whole encumbered win thing.

After a lengthy discussion on Doc Beef's Birthday, the Rules Committee has come back with a ruling on the Hamlin Encumbered win.

The 3 that chose Hamlin WILL get credit for the win, so congratulation to Dust, Skid and Chonk for all locking into the Chase this year!  However, they will get the 25 point deduction and will not be eligible for the 3 Bonus Points that usually come with earning a race win.  We will have a variance on the points standings on the site and reality so I hope you have all been paying attention.

You can bet that an encumbered win will not count next year, but this ruling in my opinion is fair and the right call for our League this year.  Thank you Rules Committee and Happy Birthday Beef!

Where does that leave us going into the last race before the Chase???

LOCKED IN:  CHASE HEALTH

Shepard Racing - 3 Wins, Tied for 1st, and 16+ Bonus Points.  Shepard is a Front Runner for sure!
Spinning Wheels - 1 win, tied for 1st, 7+ Bonus Points, locked in the week and looking like a top contender!
Fast Wheels - 4 wins, Running 4th, and 20+ Bonus Points, these rookies are definitely in the mix and have to also be favorites to take this thing home!
Eat My Dust Enterprises - 3 wins, running 5th, 7+ Bonus Points, locked in this week and has plenty of top drivers left!
Skidmarks - 2 wins, running 6th, 12+ Bonus Points, 27 points ahead of 9th and locked in this week!
High Speed Pursuit - 3 wins, in 8th place by 18 points, 12+ Bonus Points, he will need to hold off some desperate teams who will no doubt be throwing everything they have to get into the Elite 8.
Chonk Motorsports - 3 wins and 36 points out of the Elite 8... locked in this week and the Hamlin penalty will make it tough for him to be eligible for Bonus points, but he is in the Chase!
Dr Beef Motorsports - 3 Wins and will be coasting into the chase with no Bonus Points but with plenty of top drivers left.
Ideal Racing - 3 wins and is also coasting into the Chase.

LOOKING LIKE A LOCK: CHASE HEALTH

Lets Go Racing Boys - 2 wins, running 3rd, 11+ Bonus Points, 54 points ahead of 9th it would take a very unfortunate but unlikely scenario to keep her out of the Chase.
Rusty Truck - 2 wins, running 7th, 13+ Bonus Points, 36 points ahead of 9th

STILL HAVE A PULSE: CHASE HEALTH

Kiss The Wall Racing - 2 wins and 23 points out of the Elite 8... 1 to go and still has 2 options on how he can get in... Needs a strong week in Richmond and some luck but it still could be worse.
Fat Penguin - 18 points out of the Elite 8... will need a strong showing in Richmond and a lot of luck.

NEED A MIRACLE: CHASE HEALTH


Graziano Motorsports - 0 wins and 56 points away from the Elite 8... he's not mathematically eliminated but he definitely needs a miracle.


OFFICIALLY ELIMINATED: CHASE HEALTH

Retired Rudd Fan - Tough season for one of this year's Rookies.  She just never got it going this year, but we hope she'll be back again for another try.
Piston Pumpin' Racing -  Team Piston had a good start this year but quickly fell behind and never regained their form.
Sexy Chicken - This rookie had it going on early but a back to back 1 point finish and DQ kicked him off track and he never recovered.  Better luck next year you Sexy Chicken!

OTHER RAMBLINGS:

Richmond tomorrow night and our last race before the Chase!

We currently have 9 teams locked in and 2 not-locked-in teams occupying spots in the Elite 8.  So it looks like we could have between 11 and 13 teams battling it out for all the marbles.

I personally will be hoping for a miracle to get myself in, but in reality even if I get it I won't have any top drivers to choose in order to move on.  It will be fun to see what strategies everyone chooses at Richmond and how it will all play out in the final regular season race.  There is still plenty to play for in Richmond, so strap yourselves in and drive until you hear glass and smell sh*t amigos!

Cheers!

Fat Penguin

Bristol Results - Kyle Busch Wins Again Dammit! Kenseth was TOP PICK - CHASE HEALTH UPDATE with 2 to GOOOOO!!!!!

Bristol was our 3rd to last race before the Chase begins and Fast and Graziano had the TOP PICK of Kenseth.  Kenseth won stage 2 and grabs Fast another nice Bonus Point for the Chase.  Graziano most likely will not be in the running for Bonus Points this year.  So no huge news there, but with just 2 races to go the CHASE HEALTH picture is a lot more clear after Bristol.

LOCKED IN:  CHASE HEALTH

Shepard Racing - 3 Wins, Tied for #1, and 16+ Bonus Points.  Shepard is a Front Runner for sure!
Fast Wheels - 4 wins, Running 3rd, and 20+ Bonus Points, these rookies are definitely in the mix and have to also be favorites to take this thing home!
High Speed Pursuit - 3 wins, in 8th place by 29 points, 12+ Bonus Points, he will need to hold off some desperate teams who will no doubt be throwing everything they have to get into the Elite 8.
Dr Beef Motorsports - 3 Wins, Bonus points aren't completely out of the question, but most likely are... 66 points away from the Elite 8.
Ideal Racing - 3 wins, He started Dibenetto last week so his strategy is clear... hell I can't even spell it right... Dibenedetto.

LOOKING LIKE A LOCK: CHASE HEALTH

Spinning Wheels - 1 win, tied for 1st, 7+ Bonus Points, 80 points ahead of the 9th place team
Lets Go Racing Boys - 2 wins, running 4th, 11+ Bonus Points, 56 points ahead of 9th
Eat My Dust Enterprises - 2 wins, running 5th, 7+ Bonus Points, 44 points ahead of 9th
Skidmarks - 2 wins, running 6th, 12+ Bonus Points, 38 points ahead of 9th
Rusty Truck - 2 wins, running 7th, 13+ Bonus Points, 36 points ahead of 9th

STILL HAVE A PULSE: CHASE HEALTH

Kiss The Wall Racing - 2 wins and 30 points out of the Elite 8... 2 to go and has 2 options on how he can get in... it could be worse.
Chonk Motorsports - 2 wins and 36 points out of the Elite 8... same situation as Kiss.
Fat Penguin - 1 win and 29 points out of the Elite 8... I wonder if Pursuit will take bribes and start Jeffrey Earnhardt for us.

NEED A MIRACLE: CHASE HEALTH

Retired Rudd Fan - 0 wins and 67 points away from the Elite 8... she needs a miracle.
Graziano Motorsports - 0 wins and 73 points away from the Elite 8... he needs a miracle.
Piston Pumpin' Racing -  1 win and 99 points out... they need 2 wins which would be a miracle.
Sexy Chicken - 1 win and 105 points out - he needs 2 wins which would also be a miracle.

OTHER RAMBLINGS:

Looks like we have Hurricane Harvey weekend off and Darlington will be 2 Sundays from now.

I always hope for all teams to make the Chase, but this is the time of year where reality sets in... While nobody has been officially eliminated, I think some teams including your own commish, Fkt Penguin, are ready to use up all their stuff and throw that last Hail Mary to try to get into the Chase.  We all know those plans seldom work and we will start to see some eliminations next week.

I'm still hoping for a miracle as I am sure you all are as well...

On the flip side and on the side that really matters, we will see more teams get locked in and the playoff picture will start to appear.  Congrats to those locked in and to those who are still looking strong.  Getting in is one thing, but how do you move on to each round will be the focus once you get are in.

Who do you think will take it all this year?  I'm interested to hear from you mofos.

Good luck in Darlington 10 days from now!

Cheers!

Fat Penguin

Michigan Results - Lots of Shuffling - 3 To Go!

Same situation as last week, but 11 teams in reach of the Elite 8 this week.  Look at all that GREEN on the BONUS Points... but only 2 of those teams sit in the Elite 8.

3 races to go... do you save, push hard, pray, or just curl up in a ball and cry yourself to sleep with a Fat Penguin?

Bristol tomorrow night.

Good luck everyone!

Cheers!

Fat Penguin

Watkins Glen Results - Suarez was Top Pick - 4 to Go!

Congrats to Shepard, Pursuit and Rudd for the Stage 2 win!  Still just 5 teams locked in and 11 to 12 teams battling for the Elite 8!  6 Teams have 2 wins and are looking to lock in ASAP... sadly if you don't have Kyle Busch or Truex Jr. left it doesn't look good to get another win...

Good luck in Michigan!

Cheers!

Fat Penguin

Pocono Results - We are Bunching Up!

Quick update to day everyone... look at all those teams within striking distance of the Elite 8 and those Bonus Points for the Chase!  I think you all know what your Chase Health is and what you need to do to get in playoffs this year... The year of the Penguin maybe 2018...

Indy Results - Shepard Takes Race Winner Kahne and Locks Himself In!!!!!! Spinning Takes the Lead!

The Brickyard 400 was dominated by Kyle Busch during Stages 1 & 2, but early on in Stage 3 Truex ended any hope of the 18 getting his 1st win of the year by wrecking both of the strongest cars out of the race.  Kahne took advantage and took home the checkered flag and got Shepard his 3rd win of the season to lock his arse in!  He also moves up a spot to 2nd just 4 points out of the top spot.  Plus 3 bonus points for the Chase.  Simple game.  Congratulations Shepard!!!

Kyle Busch grabbed Rusty, Lets Go, Pursuit and Chicken 2 Bonus Points for winning Stage 1 & 2, but only Rusty and Lets Go are currently in the Elite 8.  Kyle earned 23 points for his strong early performance so it could have been much worse.

Spinning took McMurray who earned 27 points and Fast took Johnson who earned only 12 points... meaning that we have a new leader ladies and gentlemen.  Spinning moves up a spot to the top while Fast drops 3 to 4th.  Congrats Spinning!  I know Fast will rebound this week in the Poconos.

With 6 races to go before the Chase, the picture is getting clearer.   We have 5 teams locked in and only 2 are in the Elite 8.  6 more teams have 2 wins and will be looking to get locked in during the next 6 races while battling for those potential Bonus Points.  The question is will you use all of your stuff getting to the playoffs?  Lets check on your CHASE HEALTH:

 CHASE HEALTH


2nd Place Shepard       - 3 wins and is locked in!
4th Place Fast Wheels - 4 wins and are locked in!
9th Place Pursuit         - 3 wins and is locked in!
11th Place Beef           - 3 wins and is locked in!
12th Place Ideal          - 4 wins and is locked in!
1st Place Spinning     - 1 win
3rd Place Dust             - 2 wins
5th Place Skidmarks   - 2 wins
6th Place Rusty           - 2 wins
7th Place Lets Go       - 2 wins
8th Place Kiss             - 2 wins

CHASE HEALTH


CHASE HEALTH

13th Place Chonk        - 95 points out of the Elite 8 and 2 wins

CHASE HEALTH



CHASE HEALTH

10th Place Penguin    -23 points out of the Elite 8 and 1 win

CHASE HEALTH

14th Place Piston       - 96 points out of the Elite 8 1 win
15th Place Rudd        - 100 points out of the Elite 8 with 0 wins
16th Place Graziano  - 122 points out of the Elite 8 with 0 wins
17th Place Chicken   - 125 points out of the Elite 8 with 1 win


Good luck tomorrow at Pocono!

Cheers!

Fat Penguin

New Hampshire Results - Hamlin Gets a Huge Win

LARSON PENALTY UPDATE:  It looks like Rusty got hit with the Larson penalty and NASCAR granted him 8 race points for the Kentucky race... I had him 1st in the standings on the spreadsheet, but on further review the site updated his points to reflect the penalty shown on NASCAR.COM.  Sorry Rusty.

RACE RECAP:

Wow!  Hamlin was solid all day and dominated late in the race to take New Hampshire away from Larson and Truex.  Defending Champ Beef and 2007 Champ Pursuit (who DQ'd last week and lost his 2nd Truex Pick) are now the 3rd and 4th teams to lock into the Chase!!!!!  Congrats fellas!

Rusty and Penguin get a stage Bonus Point for Truex winning Stage 1 and Graziano gets a Bonus Point for Kyle Busch winning Stage 2.  They needed their drivers to come through with the win, but it beats a kick in the nads...

OTHER RAMBLINGS:

Brickyard 400 this week on Sunday... a lot of us need lots of help with 7 races to go!  Time to put the pedal to the metal boys and girls!!!

Good Luck to All!

Cheers!

Fat Penguin

CHASE HEALTH Update:

 CHASE HEALTH

1st Place Fast Wheels - 4 wins and are locked in!
11th Place Ideal          - 4 wins and is locked in!
9th Place Pursuit         - 3 wins and is locked in!
10th Place Beef           - 3 wins and is locked in!

2nd Place Spinning     - 1 win

3rd Place Dust             - 2 wins
3rd Place Skidmarks   - 2 wins
5th Place Shepard       - 2 wins
6th Place Rusty           - 2 wins
7th Place Lets Go       - 2 wins
8th Place Kiss             - 2 wins

CHASE HEALTH


CHASE HEALTH

16th Place Chonk        - 2 wins

CHASE HEALTH



CHASE HEALTH

11th Place Penguin    -37 points out of the Elite 8 and 1 win

CHASE HEALTH

13th Place Piston       - 78 points out of the Elite 8 1 win
14th Place Rudd        - 91 points out of the Elite 8 with 0 wins
16th Place Chicken   - 118 points out of the Elite 8 with 1 win

17th Place Graziano  - 126 points out of the Elite 8 with 0 wins

Kenfucky Results - Kyle Busch was Top Pick - No Bonus Points This Week

8 races to go before the Chase and there are some teams in trouble... 9 teams had a solid week and Fast, Piston, Lets Go, Skid and Dust had the TOP PICK.

Pursuit had a DQ and burns a Truex pick, while Rudd and Chicken BSOTW'd with Johnson and Penguin really BSOTW'd with Keselowski.

No Bonus Points for anyone, but those with less than 3 wins and out of the Elite 8 better get their sh*t together...

New Hampshire tomorrow!

Good Luck!

Cheers!

Fat Penguin

CHASE HEALTH Update:

 CHASE HEALTH

1st Place Fast Wheels - 4 wins and are locked in!
11th Place Ideal          - 4 wins and is locked in!
2nd Place Spinning     - 1 win
3rd Place Rusty           - 2 wins
4th Place Shepard       - 2 wins
4th Place Dust             - 2 wins
4th Place Skidmarks   - 2 wins
7th Place Kiss             - 2 wins
8th Place Lets Go       - 2 wins

CHASE HEALTH

9th Place Pursuit         - 2 wins DQ this week burns a Truex pick only 18 points out of the Elite 8
10th Place Beef           - 34 points out of the Elite 8 with 2 wins

CHASE HEALTH

16th Place Chonk        - 2 wins

CHASE HEALTH

12th Place Piston        - 41 points out of the Elite 8 1 win

CHASE HEALTH

13th Place Penguin    -48 points out of the Elite 8 and 1 win

CHASE HEALTH

14th Place Rudd        - 99 points out of the Elite 8 with 0 wins
15th Place Chicken   - 113 points out of the Elite 8 with 1 win
17th Place Graziano  - 129 points out of the Elite 8 with 0 wins

Daytona Results - Stenhouse Wins for Rusty and Ideal!!!!

Congrats to Rusty and Ideal for picking Stenhouse who navigated through the carnage to grab win #2 for Rusty who jumps up 3 spots to 3rd... just 7 points out of the top spot!  Ideal grabs win #4, jumps up 2 spots to 12th and is just 48 points away from the Elite 8.  Will he go for the Bonus Points or save his stuff for the Chase???  They pick up 3 potential Bonus Points to boot.  Congrats on a solid week fellas!

For the rest of us, I have to say that Dust did the best as he jumps up 2 spots to 6th.  Kahne got him 23 points on a day where most of the League earned 17 points or worse.  Graziano gained 10 points on the Elite 8 with his 27 point McMurray pick, but he is still in last and 122 points back with 0 wins.
The rest of us sucked, but we didn't lose any ground on the leaders.

CHASE HEALTH Update:

 CHASE HEALTH

1st Place Fast Wheels - 4 wins and are locked in!
12th Place Ideal          - 4 wins and is locked in!
2nd Place Spinning     - 1 win
3rd Place Rusty           - 2 wins
4th Place Shepard       - 2 wins
4th Place Pursuit         - 2 wins                  
6th Place Dust             - 2 wins
6th Place Skidmarks    - 2 wins
8th Place Kiss              - 2 wins

CHASE HEALTH

10th Place Lets Go      - Only 16 points out of the Elite 8 with 2 wins
11th Place Beef           - 33 points out of the Elite 8 with 2 wins

CHASE HEALTH

Chonk                         - 2 wins

CHASE HEALTH

Penguin                      - only 15 points out of the Elite 8 and 1 win
Piston                         - 57 points out of the Elite 8 1 win

CHASE HEALTH

Rudd                          - 68 points out of the Elite 8 with 0 wins

CHASE HEALTH

Sexy Chicken            - 82 points out of the Elite 8 with 1 win
Graziano                    - 122 points out of the Elite 8 with 0 wins


OTHER RAMBLINGS:

Congrats to Rusty for improving his CHASE HEALTH with a huge win this week.

Kentucky on Saturday night.

With all of those 2 win teams out there, we are going to have more teams lock in this week right?

Good luck to all!

Cheers!

Fat Penguin

Sonoma Results - No Bonus Points for Anybody This Week - Hamlin is Top Pick for Sexy Chicken!!! It's CHASE HEALTH Time!!!

Sonoma seems to always be an interesting race for our little League and last week was no different.  We also are down to 10 races to go before the Chase begins in Chicago on September 17th.  How do you feel about your chances to win it all this year???

Nobody earned Bonus points this week, but Sexy Chicken took Hamlin for the TOP PICK and grabbed 46 points.  Sexy Chicken remains in 15th and gains 22 points on 8th but is still 80 points away from the Elite 8 pack.  With only 1 win and a DQ week where he had to burn his 2nd Larson pick, Sexy will need to go on a run to get into the Chase.  I am rooting for you rookie.  Congrats on a good week!  CHASE HEALTH

OTHER TOP PICKS:

Spinning has a nice points day from Blaney who earned 39 points.  Spinning remains in 2nd and is now only 2 points away from 1st.  Spinning has 1 win, but has only been out of the Elite 8 for 1 race this season... and that was race 2.  Look out for this Sophomore... she is definitely a contender!  CHASE HEALTH

Skidmarks took Bowyer who earned 36 points and jumps Skidmarks up 4 spots to 5th.  Skid ran up front early this year, but then a tough Bristol race knocked him down to 10th where he spent 7 races.  He moved up to 9th in Michigan and bounded into the Elite 8 after the Sonoma dust cleared.  He has 2 wins and now is back up front.  We have seen this before haven't we?  CHASE HEALTH

Shepard took Dale Jr who also got him 36 points and moves up 2 spots to 4th with 2 wins.  Shepard has only been out of the Elite 8 for 3 races this season and they were the 1st 3 races of the season.  Shepard is looking strong this year!  CHASE HEALTH

Fast got 32 points from Kyle Busch.  These rookies have spent 11 of the 16 races thus far in the top spot and they are locked in!  They are the top contender in their 1st year in the League...  CHASE HEALTH

Rudd and Chonk got 30 points from Kurt Busch.
Rudd moves up a spot to 13th and is 63 points away from the Elite 8 with no wins.  Rudd has not been in the Elite 8 so far this year.  CHASE HEALTH
Chonk stays in 16th, 110 points out of the Elite 8 but has 2 wins.  Chonk has not been higher than 16th so far this year.  CHASE HEALTH

EH...:

Pursuit, Dust and Piston earned 27 points from McMurray.
Pursuit jumps up a spot to 3rd with 2 wins and is only 18 points off the lead.  Pursuit has run in the Elite 8 for 10 of the 16 races and 3rd is his highest spot so far this year.  Pursuit is looking very strong!  CHASE HEALTH
Dust jumps up a spot to 8th and also has 2 wins.  Dust has been in and out of the Elite 8 this year and has been as high as 5th.  Those 2 wins in a row have him looking like a major contender this year.  CHASE HEALTH
Piston stays in 12th and 54 points away form the Elite 8 with 1 win.  Team Piston spent the 1st 3 races in the Elite 8 but fell out in Phoenix and has run in the back ever since.  They are just a long run away from getting back into this thing, so we'll have to see how they navigate the races to come.  CHASE HEALTH

Graziano took Suarez and received 21 points.  Graziano is in last with no wins and 132 points out of the Elite 8.  Graziano has never been in the Elite 8 this year and seems to be saving his stuff for a strong run to the finish...  I'm very interested in seeing when he will kick it into high gear and make a run for the Chase.  CHASE HEALTH

DOOTW/BSOTW:

Rusty, Kiss, Penguin, Lets Go, Beef, and Ideal took the sucker pick Allmendinger who stank up the sheets with 11 points.
Rusty drops 3 spots to 6th and has 1 win.  He has spent 12 races in the Elite 8 and has been as high as 3rd.  Rusty is looking strong again this year, but so does the competition... CHASE HEALTH
Kiss also drops 3 spots and is now in 7th with 2 wins.  Another strong contender, Kiss has spent 13 of the 16 races in the Elite 8 and has been as high as 3rd.  CHASE HEALTH
Penguin drops 2 spots to 9th with 1 win.  Penguin had spent 13 of 16 races in the Elite 8 (Including 2 races in 1st place) and now has to figure out how to get back in.  Just goes to show you how things can turn in this league.   CHASE HEALTH
Lets Go drops 2 spots to 10th with 2 wins.  Spending 10 of 16 races in the Elite 8, Lets go is in a similar spot as Penguin... but those 2 wins make his Chase probability a little higher.  We'll see what this rookie has left in the tank in the upcoming push to the Chase.   CHASE HEALTH
Beef stays in 11th just 30 points away from the Elite 8 with 2 wins.  Our defending Champ has not been in the Elite 8 all year but is steadily making his way through the pack.  I have a feeling we will be seeing him in the Chase again this year.   CHASE HEALTH
Ideal drops 2 spots to 14th and is locked in.  Ideal spent the 1st 5 races in the Elite 8 but fell out and has not been back in since.  He did manage to get 3 wins though and should have some fun determining how to play the remaining races while getting ready for the Chase.  CHASE HEALTH

OTHER RAMBLINGS:

Daytona Coca-Cola 400 this Saturday.

This will be Dale Jr.'s last race at Daytona and he's usually a popular pick at this track... and he has had a great career at this track.  He's a legend and the track is legendary.  Let's see if he will try to lock himself into the Chase this weekend and go out in style.

Happy 4th of July and good luck on Saturday!

Cheers!

Fat Penguin

Michigan Results - Larson Grabs the Win - Chonk, Pursuit, and Piston Do the Happy Dance!!!!

The commish has been sucking on the updates, but I live in a lake house in Sofa King Hot, Texas and this year it seems that everyone wants to come visit and go out on the boat.  #commishsux #notahotelpeople #youdonthavetogohomebutyoucantstayhere

Here's the Bonus Points update though... Larson gets the win and look at Pursuit jumping into the Elite 8 and now has 2 wins... in a row!!  Piston gets their 1st win and climbing up a little, and will you take a fng look at Chonk?  Chonk gets off the bottom and is in 16th but now has 2 wins... winning 2 of the last 3 races!!!  Awesome!

Skidmarks looked like he would lock in with his Truex pick.  He gets 2 Bonus Points for the Stage 1 & 2 wins, but that win would have been nicer.

Check out the leaderboard to see all of the movement... Spinning jumps up 4 spots to 2nd, Fast has yet another week in the lead, Pappa Rusty is not far behind, Penguin, Lets Go, and Dust drop the most spots... good times.

On to Sonoma today... how many Allmendingers are we going to have today?  Truex is looking strong and Bowyer may surprise... Larson is on the pole and looking like a contender this year.  

Good luck everyone!

Cheers!

Fat Penguin

Pocono Results - Blaney gets 3 Teams a Win!!!!

Sorry guys, I've been trying to find time to blog all week... tonight is no different so I'm going to post the Bonus Points and our Leaderboard.  Fast gets their 4th win!  Pursuit gets on the board with his 1st 3 bonus points and 1st win!  Beef gets win #2!

Everyone had a solid points day with not much movement in the standings going on.  Penguin and Piston earn a stage 1 win bonus Point!

Good luck in Michigan on Sunday!

Cheers!

Fat Penguin

Dover Results - Johnson Steals the Win from Larson - 3 Teams Picked Him - Ideal is Locked In!!!!!

Not sure if you remember but I predicted someone would lock in this week, and I was right.  I admit that I didn't have to stick my neck out far to make that prediction, but on a week where I couldn't have been more wrong with my race pick... I will take this small victory.  We are at the midway point of the regular season and this race had plenty of action.  Let's get to it.

The TOP PICK was Jimmy Johnson who stole the race from Larson who battled Truex all day for this win.  They always say champions win at Dover and guess what?  They were right.  So was Ideal who gets his 3rd win and is in the Chase!  Ideal stays in 12th and now has options on how he will play the rest of the season.  Dust also picked him and he moves up 3 spots to 6th and now has 2 wins.  Chonk picked him as well.  He stays in 17th but gets that important 1st win.  Let's see what he does the rest of the way.  55 points and 3 Potential Bonus Points and a win!  Congratulations Guys!

Truex and Larson were the other TOP PICKS.  Fast and Rudd took Truex who earned 54 race points and grabbed 2 potential Bonus Points.  Fast retakes the lead and has a 21 point lead while Rudd jumps up 2 spots to 13th.  Rudd is 68 points out of the Elite 8, but we have all seen how the points can change hands in this League.  Rusty, Skidmarks, and Beef took Larson who raced his arse off and almost got the win, but it wasn't meant to be.  50 points though is an awesome day.  Rusty jumps up 4 spots to 4th, and Skid and Beef stay in 10th and 11th respectively.  Skid is only 13 points out of the Elite 8 and Beef is only 23 points out.   Great week Boys and Girls!

EH...:

Kenseth earned a solid 39 points for Lets Go and Piston.  Lets Go jumps up 3 spots to 2nd (Nice job rookie!) and Piston stays in 14th.

Suarez brought home 32 points for Spinning and Sexy.  Spinning moves up 1 to 5th and Sexy moves up 1 to 15th.

Kiss was expecting big things from Kyle Busch but some early pit/missing tire issues set him back.  He still rallied back but had nothing for the top 3 guys when it was all said and done.  30 points was enough to move Kiss up a spot to 3rd... just 27 points away from the leaders.

Pursuit got 27 points from Erik Jones.  Pursuit drops a spot to 8th, but it could be worse...

DOOTW/BSOTW:

Penguin and Shepard free fall out of 1st and 2nd... 6 spots to 7th and 8th respectively.  They picked a strong pre-race driver in Kurt Busch, but tire issues gave them the stinky sheets.

Graziano took Stenhouse Jr. who took a risk staying out during a caution and needless to say, it didn't pay off.

Both drivers earn us poor bastards 1 measly point.  FML.

OTHER RAMBLINGS:

Pocono this week on Sunday.

I thought I would hear more from some of you fools on the message board

Good luck everyone!

Cheers!

Fat Penguin

Charlotte Results - Dillon Gets His 1st Win, but Nobody Picked Him - Beef and Pursuit Have a Huge Points Day Nonetheless!

As we near the midway point of the non-Chase races, we do not have many questions answered.  Okay... Fast Wheels is in and there are a couple of other teams that are just a win away.  There are a couple of teams that will need to have a huge turnaround or a winning streak to factor into this thing.  A few teams off to a nice start... a few teams struggling... some with some nice potential Bonus Points accumulating... others with very little.  But when I see a 59 point differential between the TOP PICK and the BSOTW, the feeling I get is that anything can happen this year.  I'm sure we will be singing a different tune next week, but for now not much has been decided.

Beef took TOP PICK Truex who earned him 60 huge points and a Bonus Point for winning stage 2.  Beef jumps up a spot to 11th, but that is only part of the story.  Before Charlotte, he had just jumped up 3 spots to 12th with his win in Kansas.  He was still 51 points out of the Elite 8 and 126 points away from 1st.  After Charlotte he is 41 points away from the Elite 8 and now 85 points out of 1st!  41 points gained on the leader is not too shabby and News Flash!  Our 2016 Champ is on the move!

Pursuit earned 55 points with his Kenseth pick he moves up a spot to 7th and is now 39 points away from the leader.  Kiss and Graziano took Hamlin who got them 43 points and a nice Bonus Point for his Stage 3 win.  Kiss moves up 1 to 4th just 21 points off the lead and Graz jumps up 2 to 13th.

Great week guys!

EH...:

Harvick was solid but still finished 19 points behind Truex with 41 and no stage wins, so we'll give him an Eh+ this week.... thank you.  Spinning stays put in 6th, Dust drops a spot to 9th, and Piston moves up 2 spots to 14th.

Shepard had a nice day from Erik Jones!  He loses 21 points to Truex, but Shepard still moves up a spot to 2nd.

Penguin, Rusty, and Skidmarks took Johnson who gambled and ran out of fuel on the final lap.  They get 36 points but Penguin jumps back into 1st for the 2nd time this year, Rusty falls 1 to 8th, and Skid remains in 10th just 31 points out of the Elite 8.

Lets Go got 31 points out of McMurray and drops 1 spot to 5th and still in really good shape.

DOOTW:

Ideal (-1 to 12th) took Blaney who looked very strong early but in a freaky accident he breaks an axle on a pit stop... really bad luck, but he showed some pretty good determination and came in 25th.  He still loses 43 points to our top pick this week.

Larson started from the back and moved quickly to the front finishing in the top 10 in stage 1 & 2.  He crashed out of the race during stage 3... Retired Rudd (-3 to 15th) and Chonk (17th) get held under the covers this week.

BSOTW:

I think Kahne and Elliott went out during that fluid on the track incident.  Elliott caught on fire and Kahne hits the wall... ending their day and giving Sexy Chicken and Fast Wheels the stinky sheets.  They each fall 2 spots... Fast to 3rd and Sexy to 16th.  Tough week, but this thing is far from over.

OTHER RAMBLINGS:

Dover this week on Sunday.

I think we will see a team or 2 lock in this week.

Cheers!

Kans-Assss Results!!! Truex Comes Up Big for 4 Teams!! - Others Have Strong Days as Well!!

Hola amigos and amigas!  As crappy a place as Kansas sounds*... it sure produces some interesting results for our little League.  What a crazy crash with Logano, Danica, and Almirola.  Almirola getting the worst of it and thankfully he is kind of okay.  We had winners, some very solid picks, some pretty good eh... picks, some pretty bad eh... picks a rough Dutch Oven pick, and Logano got 1 team the Bed Pooper Award.  Hell, I may be wrong about Kansas... it may have it all!

*no offense

TOP PICK:
If you chose Truex Jr. you are basking in the glory for the next 2 weeks.  I always like it when I have a great pick during an off weekend... but does it kill the momentum?  Who knows...  All I know is Lets Go moves up 2 spots to 4th, Dust (8th) moves up 1 spot and into the Elite 8, Ideal moves up 2 spots to 11th, and Beef jumps up 3 spots to 12th!  Lets Go and Ideal grab their 2nd wins while Dust and Beef get their 1st win of the season.  57 points as well as Truex finished 2nd and 3rd in the stages.  Congratulations guys!

STAGE WINNERS:
Blaney also had a strong day with 51 points and was our most popular pick.  He came in 4th, finished 3rd in stage 1 and won stage 2 picking up a nice Bonus Point for Shepard (+2 to 3rd), Rusty (stays in 7th), Skidmarks (stays in 10th), Rudd (+2 to 12th) and Graziano (+1 to 15th).

Kyle Busch had a strong car and won stage 1 and finished 5th in the race and stage 2 for Chonk who remains in 17th.  Chonk grabs 48 points this week and needs to continue to perform like this in order to get back in this thing.

Booyah!!!!

EH...:
If you chose Harvick, you finished 3rd in the race, 7th in stage 1, and 14th in stage 2 and grabbed 38 points.  But that gives you an 11th place finish in our League and you were 19 points behind the Truex pickers... crazy.  This was a strong Eh... pick though and Kiss drops 1 spot to 5th and Pursuit stays in 8th.

Penguin took Stenhouse for the 2nd race in a row with 2 very different results.  26 points is okay but it is 31 points away from the top pick.  Stenhouse rallied for a decent finish, but did nothing in the stages.  Penguin stays in 2nd but a lot more teams are within reach than there were last week.

Fast had a similar experience with their Hamlin pick except that Hamlin finished poorly, but had decent stage finishes... still 35 points less than the top pick allows for more teams to be in striking distance.  Fast stays in 1st place for the 4th week in a row and has owned the top spot now for 7 out of 11 races.  Their Dad Rusty had a similar experience in 2016 and brought it home in 3rd... but he wasn't a rookie so I think this is more impressive.

Sexy Chicken got a 19 point effort from Kurt Busch and drops 3 spots down to 14th.  Sexy's bounce back from the DQ in Texas is delayed a bit, but he is only 53 points away from the Elite 8.  ...and we have seen some huge point swings under the new system.

DOOTW:
Spinning took Elliott who had early trouble in a pit road accident during stage 1 that basically ruined his and her day.  Spinning only earned 8 points for the race and drops 3 spots to 6th.  She is still solidly in the Elite 8 and can still see the leaders.  I expect a nice rebound in Charlotte for Spinning.

BSOTW:
Given Logano's winning history in Kansas, I was surprised more of us didn't pick him last week.  Unfortunately, Piston did and that nasty wreck also caused the Piston boys to soil their sheets in Kansas.  Logano earned 2 points and loses 55... 55?!?! 55 points to this week's leaders.  holy moly... Piston drops 4 places down to 16th.  They have no wins and are 79 points out of the Elite 8.  Nobody is out of this thing yet, but these guys will need to right the ship very soon to have a chance to get back in the mix.

OTHER RAMBLINGS:
Charlotte next Saturday so enjoy your week off and the All-Star Race.
 
We now have 5 teams with 2 wins... will we see more teams locked into the Chase after the checkered flag waves next week?

Those Stage and Race Win Bonus Points are starting to pile up for some of you... I think it will be a huge advantage to help get through Round 1 of the Chase this year... and they may be significant enough to propel you through the other rounds as well.  How far will they take you?  1st you have to finish the regular season in the Elite 8.  This will be yet another interesting thing to watch this year as the story unfolds.

Cheers everyone!

Fat Penguin

Talladega Results - Stenhouse Gets a Win and Locks 1 Team in!!!!

Hola Amigos... I'm just sitting her watching my Astros put another beat down on the Yankees... not sure why that is important to the NASCAR League, but it just has a nice ring to it.  Let's get to it.

In the crap shoot that is Talladega we had 4 teams choose TOP PICK Stenhouse and saw him get his 1st win... 3 of our teams Penguin, Spinning, and Sexy get their 1st win this year and Fast gets their 3rd win and is already locked and loaded for this year's Chase!  Pretty impressive rookies!  Congrats to the other 3 as well.  Fast, Penguin, and Spinning run 1,2,3 at the moment and Sexy jumps up 3 spots to 11th.  Look at all that green on the board... 3 bonus points are earned to boot!

OTHER TOP PICKS:

Shepard grabs a bonus point by picking stage 1 winner Keselowski who earned 40 race points and keeps Shepard in 5th place.  Hamlin gets Beef a Bonus Point for his Stage 2 win.  Beef moves up 1 to 15th and has some work to do, but we have plenty of races to go before any of this is settled.  Nice job on the stage wins Boys!

Pursuit took Kurt Busch who brought it home in 6th place.  Pursuit jumps up a spot and into the Elite 8!  Lets Go took Menard who had a solid top ten finish.  Lets Go remains in 6th and seems to be poised to hang around the Elite 8 from the looks of it so far.

EH...:

Harvick and Bowyer each earned Kiss and Rusty 23 points.  Kiss drops a spot to 4th and Rusty hangs on to 7th, so not all that bad considering.

DOOTW:

Talladega and Dale Jr. go hand and hand, but the most popular pick and Vegas favorite had a disappointing 19th place finish.  Dust, Skid, Ideal, Rudd, and Graziano get held under the covers and dusted this week.  Dust (no pun intended) drops out of the Elite 8 to 9th... just 1 spot.  Skid stays in 10th while Ideal (13th), Rudd (14th), and Graziano (16th) each drop 1 spot this week.

BSOTW:

Piston and Chonk get the stinky sheets this week by taking 39th place finisher Blaney who at least earned some nice stage 1 and 2 points... I know this is no consolation for these 2 struggling out of the gate teams.  Piston drops a spot to 12th, but is only 43 points out of the Elite 8... Chonk however has seemed to have lost the draft.  History will tell you not to count Chonk out of this thing just yet.

OTHER RAMBLINGS:

Kansas tomorrow night!

The track looks pretty slick... even though it is Kansass, this may get interesting with conditions like this.

Cheers!

Fat Penguin