Sunday, November 16, 2008

Like Jimmie, Van's Bums cruises

Gory details are here. Thanks for a great season.
OVERALL
Van's Bums held on for the title with a 5.4 average in our eight competitions. Van's lowest finish was 26th in the Head to Head, followed by fifth in the World Cup. Van's added third-place finishes in the Yahoo first- and second-half standings, second place in the Chase and Single Elimination, and individual titles in the Yahoo overall and Double Elimination.
Team Lester was second at 6.5. Lester was 17th in the Single Elimination and 12th in the Yahoo second half; it won the Yahoo first half and Head to Head titles.
Rev-A-Lusions was the only other team with an average under 10 - Rev finished at 9.9 and no titles. It's best finish was third in the Single Elimination.
YAHOO
Van's won by 14 points over Cooter and by 43 over Lester.
Here's a look at how the teams shuffled from the end of the first half to Miami:
+22: need4speed
+17: 3WIDE
+16: RAZN
+15: hardbody
+14: FORDFUCUS
+13: Team Wyoming, RugRatRacers
+11: RacingAngel
+10: Barrie Lang, AFTER BURNER
+9: No right turns, yduck
+7: Cooter
+6: Rolling Thunder, Gordon #1
+5: FC Newman, Smokin Aces
+4: RoadRage
+2: Beer Belly, Van's Bums
+1: gonzo, Dirt Runners
0: Hendrick Express, Canyon County, Junior, Rev-A-Lusions, DWI
-1: Team Lester, Rubbin's Racin'
-2: asian assassins, AERO PUSH
-3: KLA Sadler, speedracer, BLOWINSMOKE
-4: Team Parski, Longs Gap, photo finish
-5: reckhard
-6: TURBO, Chevy's Redneck
-7: testcar, Sarge's Squad, KitchenPass
-11: gordon hater
-12: Black Bear
-15: CHK
-17: Crash & Burn
-19: nstag8rs
-23: Kntcky
-39: Yabos
THIS AND THAT
* Average score for the season: 234
* Average high score for the week: 350
* Average low score for the week: 130
* 300-plus point scores: 374
* 200-less point scores: 432
* Most 300-plus point weeks: KLA Sadler, No right turns, RAZN, AFTER BURNER 13 apiece (NOTE: Van's finished with 11)
* Most 200-less point weeks: Canyon County 22
* Biggest average score from first half to second half: hardbody 41 points per week
* Highest score of the season: Dirt Runners, 397 at Atlanta in March; BLOWINSMOKE, 397 at Pocono in June
* Best week of the season, points: 282 average at Dover in June
* Worst week of the season, points: 167 average at Talladega in October
* Best week of the season, 300 club: 27 at Fontana in August
* Worst week of the season, 200 club: 28 at Talladega in October

CHASE
BLOWINSMOKE's win at Martinsville in October proved to be the difference in a 48-point win over Van's. 50 points were awarded for the top score at a track. The two also finished the season with the most wins - four apiece.
FYI: Yabos, which qualified for the Chase and then dropped out after Dover, finished 31st despite having a 2000-point cushion over the non-Chase qualifiers.
SINGLE ELIMINATION
No drama here. Rolling Thunder rolled past Van's Bums by 223 points for first place, and Rev-A0Lusions lit TURBO up by 250 for third place.

DOUBLE ELIMINATION
Van's defeated testcar after week 33 and didn't lose a game in the tournament.


WORLD CUP
This was my favorite competition for its many levels, and I hope you enjoyed it, as well.

Barrie Lang defeated Cooter by 112 for the title; RacingAngel zipped past Team Lester by 73 for third place.
Barrie Lang entered the bracket phase as the fifth seed. It won both of its groups in the qualification phase.
HEAD TO HEAD
Team Lester wrapped up the title at Phoenix. Note TURBO's final record - four more points at key weeks (four ties) would have put it one game back of Lester and another handful of points another week would have given TURBO the title.
A note for those coming back in 2009 - I am building a spreadsheet that will have each week's schedule from the outset and will automatically enter scores and records week-to-week. This will be a lot easier for you to follow the competition and a lot easier for me to track everything. The schedule will be set by overall seeds (more on that below).
Final Standings
1. Team Lester 73-25-0
No right turns 71-27-0
Rolling Thunder 70-27-1
TURBO 68-26-4
BLOWINSMOKE 69-29-0
Rubbins Racin 67-28-3
yduck 67-30-1
3WIDE 66-31-1
Rev-A-Lusions 65-30-3
need4speed 64-34-0, 25834 points
11. Team Parski 64-34-0, 25534 points
Cooter 63-32-3
KLA Sadler 63-33-2
Barrie Lang 62-34-2, 26298 points
FC Newman 62-34-2, 24894 points
FORDFUCUS 61-33-4
speedracer 60-36-2
reckhard 60-37-1
RAZN 60-38-0
RacingAngel 59-37-2, 25376 points
21. hardbody 59-37-2, 24332 points
testcar 59-38-1
Sarges Squad 58-39-1
Black Bear 58-40-0
Team Wyoming 57-39-2
Vans Bums 57-40-1
AERO PUSH 57-41-0
AFTER BURNER 56-39-3
CHK 55-43-0
Smokin Aces 53-43-2
31. gonzo 53-45-0, 23230 points
RoadRage 53-45-0, 21690 points
RugRatRacers 52-44-2
Dirt Runners 51-47-0
KitchenPass 50-47-1 24166 points
Gordon #1 50-47-1 20837 points
Crash & Burn 49-48-1
Longs Gap 47-48-3
Chevys Redneck 44-49-5
40. Junior, Canyon County, Yabos, nstag8rs, asian assassins, photo finish, Hendrick Express, gordon hater, DWI, Beer Belly, Kntcky 0-78-20
2009
If you want in and haven't let me know, you're certainly welcome back. Drop me a line and I'll email you when I get the group number and password from Yahoo in January.
I plan on seeding teams two ways: by 2008 finish and by an overall Yahoo rating. The later will be done by weighting finishes from seasons prior to 2008 (e.g. pct finish in 2007 will be multiplied by 0.9, 2006 by 0.8, 2005 by 0.7, 2004 by 0.6, 2003 by 0.5, 2002 by 0.4 and 2001 by 0.3.

Head to Head: As mentioned before, I'll have the entire season's schedule in the spreadsheet. I'll also have a grid that will outline each team's performance against the rest of the field. The schedule is already set; teams will be assigned slots by their overall Yahoo rating.

World Cup: It's back and better. We'll seed teams by overall Yahoo rating.
Single Elimination Bracket: We'll seed teams by 2008 Yahoo finish; newcomers will be seeded in order of signups.
Double Elimination Bracket: We'll seed by overall Yahoo rating.
Single Elimination Heat: Head to the ol' dirt track ... Instead of head-to-head/bracket set ups, we'll eliminate a set number of teams after each round. No need to feel bummed about scoring better that some winners and being eliminated. Beat a little more than half of those in that round and you'll advance. We'll seed this one by 2008 Yahoo finish.
Double Elimination Heat: Same as the Single Elimination Heat, only we'll seed it based on overall Yahoo rating.
Chase: It's back with the same format. As of now, we'll let the top 12 in and any others within 400 points of the leader. That, like this season, is subject to change.
Overall: We'll add the Heat competitions to the mix and average the 10 competitions for an overall winner.
If you have ideas for additional competitions, feel free to drop me a line. I've seen some others done but none that cry out for inclusion here.
Again, thanks for a great season and check back here every now and then for updates and comments.

Take care.

Saturday, November 15, 2008

2009 RMFN

If you're not on the list below and want an email notification of the league's password in January or February, post here or email me. Here's who I have requesting notification for the 2009 RMFN league:



need4speed
Van's Bums
Rubbin's Racin
Black Bear
Rev-A-Lusions
Team Lester

gonzo racing
Rolling Thunder
Cooter


Thanks.

Sunday, November 9, 2008

Rising Phoenix

Gory details are here.


Bullet points (pre-qualifying):



* Yahoo: Van's lead is down to 21 points over Cooter; Team Lester slipped to third and is 37 back.


* Chase: Van's leads BLOWINSMOKE by 18 and Cooter by 84.


* Single Elimination: Rolling Thunder leads Van's by 181 in the championship; Rev-A-Lusions leads TURBO by 157 for third.


* World Cup: Barrie Lang leads Cooter by 39 in the championship; RacingAngel leads Team Lester by 60 for third.


* 2009: If you want back here and an early invitation, email me or post a comment.


* Miami: I'll post a complete update as soon as possible on Nov. 16. Good luck.




* Head to Head: Team Lester dropped two of its three matchups but the other four contenders didn't win enough to keep pace, and as a result - Team Lester secured the title with one race to go. Lester has one matchup/game left and 73 wins; Rolling Thunder has two left and 68 wins; No right turns four left and 68 wins; TURBO and yduck three left and 67 wins. ... Miami schedule and complete standings later this week.

STANDINGS
1. Team Lester 73-24-0
No right turns 68-26-0
Rolling Thunder 68-27-1
TURBO 67-25-3
yduck 67-27-1
BLOWINSMOKE 65-29-0
3WIDE 64-29-1
Rubbins Racin 63-28-3
Rev-A-Lusions 63-29-3
KLA Sadler 63-30-2
11. need4speed 63-33-0
Cooter 62-30-3
Team Parski 62-33-0
Barrie Lang 61-32-2
FC Newman 61-33-2
speedracer 60-35-2
FORDFUCUS 59-33-4
RacingAngel 59-35-2
reckhard 59-34-1
testcar 58-36-1
21. Black Bear 57-38-0
Vans Bums, Sarges Squad 56-37-1
RAZN 56-38-0
hardbody 55-37-2
AFTER BURNER 55-38-2
Team Wyoming 55-39-2
CHK 55-40-0
AERO PUSH 54-41-0
RoadRage 53-43-0
31. Smokin Aces 52-41-2
gonzo 52-45-0
Dirt Runners 51-44-0
KitchenPass 50-43-1
RugRatRacers 49-44-2
Crash & Burn 48-46-1
Gordon #1 48-47-1
Longs Gap 45-46-3
Chevys Redneck 44-46-5
40. Junior, Canyon County, Yabos, nstag8rs, asian assassins, DWI, photo finish, Hendrick Express, gordon hater, Beer Belly, Kntcky 0-78-20

MIAMI SCHEDULE
Longs Gap v. Cooter
No right turns v. yduck
RAZN v. Vans Bums
Rev-A-Lusions v. Black Bear
BLOWINSMOKE v. 3WIDE
Dirt Runners v. Rubbins Racin
Sarges Squad v. Barrie Lang
CHK def Beer Belly
speedracer def nstag8rs
KLA Sadler def gordon hater
Rolling Thunder v. Team Parski
Team Wyoming def Hendrick Express
FC Newman def Yabos
FORDFUCUS v. KitchenPass
Team Lester def photo finish
Gordon #1 def DWI
gonzo def Kntcky
RugRatRacers v. Chevys Redneck
RoadRage v. Crash & Burn
testcar v. Smokin Aces
TURBO v. AFTER BURNER
need4speed def Canyon County
AERO PUSH def asian assassins
hardbody v. RacingAngel
reckhard v. Cooter
yduck def Junior
Longs Gap v. Vans Bums
No right turns v. Black Bear
RAZN v. 3WIDE
Rev-A-Lusions v. Rubbins Racin
BLOWINSMOKE v. Barrie Lang
Dirt Runners def Beer Belly
Sarges Squad v. CHK
Rolling Thunder def nstag8rs
Team Parski def Yabos
gordon hater tied Hendrick Express
FC Newman v. KLA Sadler
Team Wyoming v. KitchenPass
speedracer def photo finish
FORDFUCUS def DWI
Team Lester def Kntcky
Gordon #1 v. Chevys Redneck
gonzo v. Crash & Burn
RugRatRacers v. Smokin Aces
RoadRage v. AFTER BURNER
testcar v. need4speed
TURBO v. AERO PUSH
RacingAngel def Canyon County
Cooter def asian assassins
hardbody v. yduck
reckhard v. Vans Bums
Black Bear def Junior
Longs Gap v. 3WIDE
No right turns v. Rubbins Racin
RAZN v. Barrie Lang
Rev-A-Lusions def Beer Belly
BLOWINSMOKE v. CHK
Dirt Runners v. Sarges Squad
gonzo def nstag8rs
Team Wyoming def gordon hater
speedracer def Yabos
FORDFUCUS v. KLA Sadler
Team Lester v. Team Parski
Gordon #1 def Hendrick Express
Rolling Thunder v. FC Newman
RugRatRacers v. KitchenPass
RoadRage def photo finish
testcar def DWI
TURBO def Kntcky
Chevys Redneck def Canyon County
Crash & Burn def asian assassins
hardbody v. Smokin Aces
reckhard v. AFTER BURNER
need4speed v. Junior
Longs Gap v. AERO PUSH
No right turns v. RacingAngel
RAZN v. Cooter
Rev-A-Lusions v. yduck
BLOWINSMOKE v. Vans Bums
Dirt Runners v. Black Bear
Sarges Squad v. 3WIDE
CHK v. Rubbins Racin
Barrie Lang def Beer Belly
Team Lester def nstag8rs
Rolling Thunder def Yabos
Team Wyoming v. KLA Sadler
speedracer v. Team Parski
FORDFUCUS def Hendrick Express
FC Newman def gordon hater
Gordon #1 v. KitchenPass
gonzo def photo finish
RugRatRacers def DWI
RoadRage def Kntcky
testcar v. Chevys Redneck
TURBO v. Crash & Burn
Smokin Aces def Canyon County
AFTER BURNER def asian assassins
hardbody v. need4speed
reckhard v. AERO PUSH
RacingAngel def Junior

Sunday, November 2, 2008

Texas bounce

Good work, crew. Gory details are here.

Bullet points this week:
* 18 300-plus-point scores this week, the most since Dover.
* 214 average was the highest since Kansas.
* Yahoo and Chase standings tightened up a bit, as a result and somewhat thanks to a sub-300 score by Van's Bums.
* New poll available to the right; vote now.
* Rolling Thunder's 380 points was tops this week and the highest score since Van's 382 at Chicago. If you're wondering about the season's best, Dirt Runners and BLOWINSMOKE posted 397-point weeks prior to that.
* Rolling's score gives it a 191-point lead over Van's in the Single Elimination finals; Rev-A-Lusions leads TURBO by 62 for third place.
* In case you missed it, Van's won the Double Elimination title last week.
* In the World Cup finals/third-place, Barrie Lang leads Cooter by 54 and RacingAngel leads Team Lester by 10.


Head to Head
* Team Lester's magic number is 4.
* Only four more teams remain in contention: TURBO, Rolling Thunder, No right turns and yduck. yduck and No right turns have the advantage with seven games/matchups to play; Rolling Thunder has six; and TURBO just four.
* The key matchup this week features No. 3 Rolling Thunder vs. No. 1 Team Lester. Three more to keep an eye one: No. 2 TURBO v. No. 10 Team Parski; No. 4 No right turns v. No. 9 need4speed; and No. 5 yduck v. No. 6 3WIDE.

Standings
1. Team Lester 71-23-0
2. TURBO 67-24-3
3. Rolling Thunder 67-24-1
4. No right turns 67-24-0
5. yduck 66-24-0

6. 3WIDE 63-27-1
7. BLOWINSMOKE 62-28-0
8. KLA Sadler 61-29-2
9. need4speed, Team Parski 61-31-0
Rev-A-Lusions 60-28-3
Cooter 60-29-3
speedracer 60-31-2
Rubbins Racin 59-28-4
Barrie Lang 58-31-2
FC Newman 58-32-2
reckhard 58-34-1
FORDFUCUS 56-33-4
RacingAngel 56-34-2
testcar 56-36-1
AFTER BURNER
55-34-2
Vans Bums 55-35-1
Sarges Squad 54-35-1
Black Bear 54-37-0
AERO PUSH 54-38-0
hardbody, Team Wyoming 53-37-2
RAZN, CHK 53-38-0
Dirt Runners 51-40-0
Smokin Aces 50-40-2
RoadRage 51-43-0
KitchenPass 50-41-1
RugRatRacers 49-42-2
gonzo 49-45-0
Crash & Burn 48-42-1
Gordon #1 48-44-1
Chevys Redneck 44-43-5
Longs Gap 43-46-3
Junior, Yabos, Canyon County, nstag8rs, Beer Belly, photo finish, gordon hater, Hendrick Express, DWI, asian assassins, Kntcky 0-78-20
Phoenix schedule (games involving top 5 teams in bold)
BLOWINSMOKE v. AFTER BURNER
Dirt Runners v. need4speed
Sarges Squad v. AERO PUSH
CHK v. RacingAngel
Cooter def Beer Belly
No. 15 Barrie Lang v. No. 5 yduck
Rubbins Racin v. Vans Bums
3WIDE v. Black Bear
No. 2 TURBO def nstag8rs
FORDFUCUS v. Team Wyoming
No. 1 Team Lester v. No. 3 Rolling Thunder
Gordon #1 def gordon hater
gonzo def Yabos
RugRatRacers v. KLA Sadler
RoadRage v. Team Parski
testcar def Hendrick Express
speedracer v. FC Newman
KitchenPass def Canyon County
asian assassins tied photo finish
hardbody def DWI
reckhard def Kntcky
Chevys Redneck def Junior
Longs Gap v. Crash & Burn
No. 4 No right turns v. No. 31 Smokin Aces
RAZN v. AFTER BURNER
Rev-A-Lusions v. need4speed
BLOWINSMOKE v. AERO PUSH
Dirt Runners v. RacingAngel
Sarges Squad v. Cooter
No. 29 CHK v. No. 5 yduck
Vans Bums def Beer Belly
Barrie Lang v. Black Bear
Rubbins Racin v. 3WIDE
RoadRage def nstag8rs
No. 13 speedracer v. No. 3 Rolling Thunder
FORDFUCUS def gordon hater
No. 1 Team Lester def Yabos
Gordon #1 v. KLA Sadler
gonzo v. Team Parski
RugRatRacers def Hendrick Express
FC Newman v. Team Wyoming
testcar v. KitchenPass
No. 2 TURBO def photo finish
Canyon County tied DWI
asian assassins tied Kntcky
hardbody v. Chevys Redneck
reckhard v. Crash & Burn
Smokin Aces def Junior
Longs Gap v. AFTER BURNER
No. 4 No right turns v. No. 9 need4speed
RAZN v. AERO PUSH
Rev-A-Lusions v. RacingAngel
BLOWINSMOKE v. Cooter
No. 30 Dirt Runners v No. 5 yduck
Sarges Squad v. Vans Bums
CHK v. Black Bear
3WIDE def Beer Belly
Barrie Lang v. Rubbins Racin
reckhard def nstag8rs
Gordon #1 v. FORDFUCUS
gonzo v. speedracer
RugRatRacers v. Team Wyoming
No. 32 RoadRage v. No. 3 Rolling Thunder
testcar def gordon hater
No. 2 TURBO def Yabos
KLA Sadler def Canyon County
Team Parski def asian assassins
hardbody def Hendrick Express
No. 1 Team Lester v. No. 16 FC Newman
KitchenPass def Junior
Longs Gap def photo finish
No. 4 No right turns def DWI
RAZN def Kntcky
Rev-A-Lusions v. Chevys Redneck
BLOWINSMOKE v. Crash & Burn
Dirt Runners v. Smokin Aces
Sarges Squad v. AFTER BURNER
CHK v. need4speed
AERO PUSH def Beer Belly
Barrie Lang v. RacingAngel
Rubbins Racin v. Cooter
No. 6 3WIDE v. No. 5 yduck
Black Bear v. Vans Bums
asian assassins tied nstag8rs
No. 1 Team Lester v. No. 13 speedracer
Gordon #1 v. Team Wyoming
No. 35 gonzo v. No. 3 Rolling Thunder
RugRatRacers def gordon hater
RoadRage def Yabos
testcar v. KLA Sadler
No. 2 TURBO v. No. 10 Team Parski
Canyon County tied Hendrick Express
FC Newman v. FORDFUCUS
hardbody v. KitchenPass
reckhard def photo finish
Junior tied DWI
Longs Gap def Kntcky
No. 4 No right turns v. No. 38 Chevys Redneck
RAZN v. Crash & Burn
Rev-A-Lusions v. Smokin Aces

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Three to go, two let go

Gory details here.
photo finish and nstag8rs were cut the from the league for nonparticipation; the same fate looms on the horizon for CHK and Chevy's Redneck without quick attention.
DOUBLE ELIMINATION
Van's Bums outscored testcar 244-216 last week at Atlanta to defeat testcar 754-732 in the championship. Van's takes the title and goes undefeated in the competition. testcar, coming from the losers' bracket, needed to defeat Van's here to force a winner-take-all final over the last three races. Van's also defeated testcar, 820-721, in Round Seven.




SECOND HALF
FORDFUCUS had our only 300-plus-point score from Texas. Our average score of 191 was the second lowest of the season, only behind Talladega a month ago.
Cooter and Team Lester are within 78 points of Van's Bums for the overall lead, and KLA Sadler has pulled within 135 points of Van's.

CHASE
Van's Bums continues to hold a comfortable lead. BLOWINSMOKE, Cooter and No right turns are trying to make it interesting, but their prospects are worse here than in the Yahoo competition.
SINGLE ELIMINATION
Rolling Thunder leads Van's by 96 points in the championship, and Rev-A-Lusions holds a 60-point lead over TURBO in the third-place finale.
WORLD CUP
After the first race in the final round, Barrie Lang leads Cooter by 4 points in the championship, and RacingAngel leads Team Lester by 58 in the third-place matchup.
HEAD TO HEAD
After Atlanta, teams need 59 wins to stay alive for the title, leaving the top 10 teams in contention. Everyone else has been mathematically eliminated and is playing for second or worse.
Team Lester's lead is still four games, but TURBO and No right turns now share the No. 2 spot. Rolling Thunder is less than one game back, and after that the top 10 spreads out.
I found an easy equation to calculate Lester's magic number (often used in baseball to determine wins needed to secure the title): No. of games in a season +1, minus wins by leading team, minus losses by second-place team. So ... 99 (98 games plus 1)-69 (Leter's win total)-24 (No right turns' loss total)= 6. Lester needs six wins to clinch the title.
There are six matchups featuring two top-10 teams that will have big implications on who's eliminated and what the cutoff will be after Texas: Team Lester-TURBO, TURBO-Rolling Thunder, No right turns-KLA Sadler, Cooter-need4speed, yduck-Cooter, and 3WIDE-need4speed.
Team Lester has two other matchups this week, against RoadRage and gonzo.

An added bonus - two top-10 teams have matchups against the Yahoo leader (and the leader for most of our other competitions), Van's Bums: need4speed and yduck.
It looks like CHK and Chevy's updated their teams and avoided eviction, so we (hopefully) have our final field set for the rest of the season.

Standings
1. Team Lester 69-22-0
No right turns 65-24-0
TURBO 64-23-3
Rolling Thunder 64-24-1
yduck 62-24-1
KLA Sadler 61-26-2
BLOWINSMOKE 61-28-0
3WIDE 60-27-0
Cooter 59-26-3
need4speed 59-29-0
11. Rubbins Racin 58-26-3
Rev-A-Lusions 58-28-3
speedracer 58-20-3
reckhard 58-31-1
Team Parski 58-30-0
FORDFUCUS 55-31-4
Barrie Lang 55-31-2
Vans Bums 55-31-1
FC Newman 54-32-2
Sarges Squad 54-34-1
AFTER BURNER, RacingAngel 53-33-2
testcar 53-35-1
Black Bear 53-34-0
RAZN 53-37-0
Team Wyoming 52-36-2
AERO PUSH 52-36-0
CHK 51-37-0
hardbody 50-37-2
Dirt Runners 50-39-0
RoadRage 50-40-0
KitchenPass 49-38-1
gonzo 49-41-0
Smokin Aces 48-39-1
RugRatRacers 48-39-2
Gordon #1 48-41-1
Crash & Burn 47-40-1
Chevys Redneck 44-39-5
Longs Gap 43-44-3
Junior, Yabos, Canyon County, nstag8rs, DWI, asian assassins, photo finish, Hendrick Express, gordon hater, Beer Belly, Kntcky 0-78-20
Texas schedule (matchups involving top 10 teams in bold)
Beer Belly tied Kntcky
Barrie Lang v. Chevys Redneck
No. 8 3WIDE v. Smokin Aces
Black Bear v. AFTER BURNER
Vans Bums v. No. 10 need4speed
No. 5 yduck v. AERO PUSH
No. 9 Cooter v. RacingAngel
RAZN v. nstag8rs
RugRatRacers v. Gordon #1
RoadRage v. No. 1 Team Lester
testcar v. FORDFUCUS
No. 3 TURBO v. speedracer
Team Wyoming def Canyon County
Rolling Thunder def asian assassins
hardbody def gordon hater
reckhard def Yabos
KLA Sadler def Junior
Longs Gap v. Team Parski
No right turns def Hendrick Express
gonzo v. FC Newman
Rev-A-Lusions v. KitchenPass
BLOWINSMOKE def photo finish
Dirt Runners def DWI
Sarges Squad def Kntcky
CHK v. Chevys Redneck
Crash & Burn def Beer Belly
Barrie Lang v. Smokin Aces
Rubbins Racin v. AFTER BURNER
No. 8 3WIDE v. No. 10 need4speed
Black Bear v. AERO PUSH
Vans Bums v. RacingAngel
No. 5 yduck v. No. 9 Cooter
Longs Gap def nstag8rs
gonzo v. No. 1 Team Lester
RugRatRacers v. FORDFUCUS
RoadRage v. speedracer
testcar v. Team Wyoming
No. 3 TURBO v. No. 4 Rolling Thunder
Canyon County tied gordon hater
asian assassins tied Yabos
hardbody v. No. 6 KLA Sadler
reckhard v. Team Parski
Junior tied Hendrick Express
FC Newman v. Gordon #1
No. 2 No right turns v. KitchenPass
RAZN def photo finish
Rev-A-Lusions def DWI
BLOWINSMOKE def Kntcky
Dirt Runners v. Chevys Redneck
Sarges Squad v. Crash & Burn
CHK v. Smokin Aces
AFTER BURNER def Beer Belly
Barrie Lang v. No. 10 need4speed
RubbinsRacin v. AERO PUSH
No. 8 3WIDE v. RacingAngel
Black Bear v. No. 9 Cooter
Vans Bums v. No. 5 yduck
Sarges Squad def nstag8rs
testcar v. RugRatRacers
No. 3 TURBO v. gonzo
Gordon #1 def Canyon County
Team Lester def asian assassins
hardbody v. FORDFUCUS
reckhard v. speedracer
Team Wyoming def Junior
Longs Gap v. No. 4 Rolling Thunder
No right turns def gordon hater
RAZN def Yabos
Rev-A-Lusions v. No. 6 KLA Sadler
No. 7 BLOWINSMOKE v. Team Parski
Dirt Runners def Hendrick Express
RoadRage v. FC Newman
CHK v. KitchenPass
Beer Belly tied photo finish
Barrie Lang def DWI
Rubbins Racin def Kntcky
No. 8 3WIDE v. Chevys Redneck
Black Bear def Crash & Burn
Vans Bums v. Smokin Aces
No. 5 yduck v. AFTER BURNER
No. 9 Cooter v. No. 10 need4speed
RacingAngel v. AERO PUSH
BLOWINSMOKE def nstag8rs
RoadRage v. gonzo
testcar v. Gordon #1
No. 3 TURBO v. No. 1 Team Lester
FORDFUCUS def Canyon County
speedracer def asian assassins
hardbody v. Team Wyoming
reckhard v. No. 4 Rolling Thunder
Junior tied gordon hater
Longs Gap def Yabos
No. 2 No right turns v. No. 6 KLA Sadler
RAZN v. Team Parski
Rev-A-Lusions def Hendrick Express
FC Newman v. RugRatRacers
Dirt Runners v. KitchenPass
Sarges Squad def photo finish
CHK def DWI

Sunday, October 19, 2008

Martinsville - right, front tires suck

Gory details here.

There are just a handful of days left in the poll - look to the right and vote now!! Check back after next week's race in Texas for a new scientifically deflated look at our fun.
Congrats to Cooter and Barrie Lang for advancing to the World Cup final.
Van's Bums' lead in the Yahoo! standings grew a little; Team Lester and Cooter need strong weeks to reach the top.
CHASE
Van's still holds a sizeable lead, with BLOWINSMOKE, Cooter and No right turns needing big weeks - some wins wouldn't hurt either - to jump up. Just two teams in the Chase - including BLOWINSMOKE's top score at M'ville - scored more than 300 points.



SINGLE ELIMINATION
We're halfway through the final round and the 50s reign. Rolling Thunder leads Van's by 50 in the championship, and Rev-A-Lusions leads TURBO by 52.



DOUBLE ELIMINATION
Top-seeded testcar leads Van's by 6 points heading into the final race of the round. testcar, coming from the losers' bracket, needs to win this round to force a winner-take-all run to the finish. If Van's rebounds at Atlanta, it wins the title and the Double Elimination competition is over.




WORLD CUP
The final matchups are set - Cooter v. Barrie Lang in the final, and Team Lester v. Racing Angel for third place. Cooter edged by 1 point and Barrie clipped Angel by 15.




HEAD TO HEAD
Team Lester's lead held at 5 games over No right turns. M'ville was the last 50-game race of the season. We'll finish with 100-race weekends the rest of the way; there are 16 games/matchups left for each team the rest of the way (not counting guaranteed victories over the defectors).
Anyone in 18th place or worse (FC Newman included) has been eliminated and can't catch Lester for the title (i.e. 51 wins or less). This week's projected cutoff: 55 wins.
Standings through Martinsville
1. Team Lester 66-19-0
No right turns 61-24-0
TURBO 59-23-3
KLA Sadler 59-24-2

yduck 57-25-2
Rolling Thunder 57-27-1
BLOWINSMOKE 57-27-0
Rubbin's Racin 56-25-3

Rev-A-Lusions 55-28-3
need4speed 56-29-0
11. 3WIDE 55-30-0

Cooter 54-28-3
reckhard 53-30-1
Team Parski 53-32-0
speedracer 52-30-2
Sarges Squad 52-31-1
Vans Bums 52-32-1

FC Newman, Barrie Lang 51-33-2
testcar 51-34-2

21. FORDFUCUS 50-33-4
Black Bear 51-33-0
RacingAngel 50-33-2
AFTER BURNER 49-33-2
RAZN 49-35-0
CHK 49-37-0
KitchenPass 48-35-1
Team Wyoming 48-36-0
nstag8rs 47-34-3

Smokin Aces 47-36-1
31. RugRatRacers 47-38-2
Gordon #1 47-39-1
AERO PUSH 47-38-0
Crash & Burn 46-37-1

RoadRage 46-39-0
Dirt Runners 46-40-0
Chevys Redneck 43-36-5

hardbody 44-40-2
gonzo 44-41-0
photo finish 40-44-0

41. Longs Gap 48-44-2
Junior, Yabos, Canyon County, asian assassins, DWI, Beer Belly, gordon hater, Hendrick Express, Kntcky 0-82-16
Atlanta schedule (key matchups in bold)
FC Newman def Canyon County
Vans Bums v. KitchenPass
yduck v. photo finish
Cooter def DWI
RacingAngel def Kntcky
AERO PUSH v. Chevys Redneck
need4speed v. Crash & Burn
AFTER BURNER v. Smokin Aces
Rubbins Racin v. nstag8rs
testcar def Canyon County

RoadRage def asian assassins
hardbody v. RugRatRacers
reckhard v. gonzo
Gordon #1 def Junior
Longs Gap v. No. 1 Team Lester

No right turns v. FORDFUCUS
RAZN v. speedracer
Rev-A-Lusions v. Team Wyoming

No. 7 BLOWINSMOKE v. No. 6 Rolling Thunder
Dirt Runners def gordon hater
Sarges Squad def Yabos
CHK v. KLA Sadler
Team Parski def Beer Belly
Barrie Lang def Hendrick Express

TURBO v. FC Newman
3WIDE v. KitchenPass

Black Bear v. photo finish
Vans Bums def DWI
yduck def Kntcky
Cooter v. Chevys Redneck
RacingAngel v. Crash & Burn
AERO PUSH v. Smokin Aces

need4speed v. AFTER BURNER
nstag8rs def Beer Belly
TURBO v. RoadRage
RugRatRacers def Canyon County

hardbody v. Gordon #1
No. 13 reckhard v. No. 1 Team Lester
FORDFUCUS def Junior
Longs Gap v. speedracer
No right turns v. Team Wyoming
RAZN v. Rolling Thunder
Rev-A-Lusions def gordon hater
BLOWINSMOKE def Yabos
Dirt Runners v. KLA Sadler
No. 16 Sarges Squad v. No. 14 Team Parski
CHK def Hendrick Express

FC Newman v. testcar
Barrie Lang v. KitchenPass
Rubbins Racin v. photo finish
3WIDE def DWI
Black Bear def Kntcky
Vans Bums v. Chevys Redneck
yduck v. Crash & Burn
Cooter v. Smokin Aces

RacingAngel v. AFTER BURNER
AERO PUSH v. need4speed
yduck v. nstag8rs
hardbody def Canyon County
No. 13 reckhard v. No. 3 TURBO
testcar def Junior
Longs Gap v. RoadRage
No right turns v. RugRatRacers
RAZN v. gonzo
Rev-A-Lusions v. Gordon #1

No. 7 BLOWINSMOKE v. No. 1 Team Lester
Dirt Runners v. FORDFUCUS

No. 16 Sarges Squad v. No. 15 speedracer
CHK v. Team Wyoming
Rolling Thunder def Beer Belly
Barrie Lang def gordon hater
Rubbins Racin def Yabos
No. 11 3WIDE v. No. 4 KLA Sadler
Black Bear v. Team Parski
Vans Bums def Hendrick Express
FC Newman def asian assassins
Cooter v. Kitchen Pass
RacingAngel v. photo finish
AERO PUSH def DWI
need4speed def Kntcky
AFTER BURNER v. Chevys Redneck
Smokin Aces v. Crash & Burn
Black Bear nstag8rs
TURBO def asian assassins
hardbody v. testcar
reckhard v. RoadRage
RugRatRacers def Junior
Longs Gap v. gonzo

No right turns v. Gordon #1
RAZN v. No. 1 Team Lester
Rev-A-Lusions v. FORDFUCUS
No. 7 BLOWINSMOKE v. No. 15 speedracer
Dirt Runners v. Team Wyoming
No. 16 Sarges Squad v. No. 6 Rolling Thunder

CHK def gordon hater
Beer Belly def Yabos
Barrie Lang v. KLA Sadler
No. 8 Rubbins Racin v. No. 14 Team Parski
3WIDE def Hendrick Express

Saturday, October 11, 2008

Steady hand wins at Charlotte

Gory details here.
Van's Bums gave up 62 points on its overall lead to Team Lester with five races to go. Just seven teams cleared 300 points at Charlotte and our average was just under 200 points. Team Parski and RAZN posted the top scores (348).
CHASE
Van's lead is still strong here (144 points). No right turns and Cooter are trying to keep pace; Rev-A-Lusions, Team Lester and BLOWINSMOKE need big weekends to challenge the top three.
WORLD CUP
Martinsville is the final race in the semifinal round. Team Lester leads Cooter by 19 and RacingAngel is ahead of Barrie Lang by 49. Winners meet in the championship; losers race for third.


DOUBLE ELIMINATION
testcar, coming from the losers' bracket in the championship, holds a 76-point lead over Van's. There are two races to go in this round; if testcar comes out on top, the same two teams will battle again for the title. If Van's is ahead after Atlanta, it wins the title.
SINGLE ELIMINATION
After one of six races to finish the season, Rolling Thunder opened an 82-point lead over Van's in the championship. For third, Rev holds a slim lead over TURBO.

HEAD TO HEAD
Team Lester holds a 5-game lead over second place with 18 games/matchups to go. Anyone in 25th place or worse has been eliminated. Lester has only one matchup this weekend (a guaranteed win over a defector is its other game/matchup), meaning anyone with 51 wins or less is in danger of being eliminated this week.

This week's top matchups: Van's v. KLA Sadler; Cooter v. KLA Sadler; and Sarge's Squad v. Lester.
Standings
1. Team Lester 65-19-0
No right turns 60-24-0
TURBO 59-21-3
KLA Sadler 57-24-2
Rubbins Racin 56-23-3
yduck 56-25-2
Rolling Thunder 56-26-1
BLOWINSMOKE 55-27-0
Cooter, Rev-A-Lusions 54-27-3
11. need4speed 54-29-0
3WIDE, reckhard 54-30-0
Sarges Squad 52-29-1
Van's Bums 52-31-1
Team Parski 52-31-0
speedracer 51-30-2
testcar 51-32-2
Barrie Lang 50-32-2
20. FC Newman 50-33-1
FORDFUCUS 49-32-4
Black Bear 50-33-0
AFTER BURNER, RacingAngel 49-32-2
CHK 49-35-0
(eliminated from title contention)
nstag8rs 47-32-3
KitchenPass 47-34-1
Team Wyoming 47-35-2
RAZN 47-35-0
30. Smokin Aces 46-36-1
Gordon #1 46-38-1
RoadRage 46-37-0
AERO PUSH 46-38-0
RugRatRacers 45-38-2
Crash & Burn 45-37-1
Dirt Runners 45-39-0
Chevys Redneck 45-35-5
hardbody 44-39-2
gonzo 43-40-0
40. photo finish 40-42-0
Longs Gap 37-44-2
Yabos, Junior, asian assassins, Canyon County, DWI, Beer Belly, gordon hater, Hendrick Express, Kntcky 0-82-16
Martinsville schedule
(last 50-race weekend; each of the final four races will have 100 games/matchups)
need4speed v. nstag8rs
hardbody def Junior
Longs Gap def asian assassins
No right turns def Canyon County
RAZN v. TURBO
Rev-A-Lusions v. testcar
BLOWINSMOKE v. RoadRage
Dirt Runners v. RugRatRacers
Sarges Squad v. gonzo
CHK v. Gordon #1
Team Lester def Beer Belly
Barrie Lang v. FORDFUCUS
Rubbins Racin v. speedracer
3WIDE v. Team Wyoming
Black Bear v. Rolling Thunder
Van's Bums def gordon hater
yduck def Yabos
Cooter v. KLA Sadler
RacingAngel v. Team Parski
AERO PUSH def Hendrick Express
reckhard v. FC Newman
AFTER BURNER v. KitchenPass
Smokin Aces v. photo finish
Crash & Burn def DWI
Chevys Redneck def Kntcky
RacingAngel v. nstag8rs
reckhard def asian assassins
Canyon County tied Junior
Longs Gap v. TURBO
No right turns v. testcar
RAZN v. RoadRage
Rev-A-Lusions v. RugRatRacers
BLOWINSMOKE v. gonzo
Dirt Runners v. Gordon #1
Sarges Squad v. Team Lester
CHK v. FORDFUCUS
speedracer def Beer Belly
Barrie Lang v. Team Wyoming
Rubbins Racin v. Rolling Thunder
3WIDE def gordon hater
Black Bear def Yabos
Van's Bums v. KLA Sadler
yduck v. Team Parski
Cooter def Hendrick Express
FC Newman v. hardbody
AERO PUSH v. KitchenPass
need4speed v. photo finish
AFTER BURNER def DWI
Smokin Aces def Kntcky
Crash & Burn v. Chevys Redneck

Sunday, October 5, 2008

Big Ones result in the One

Gory details are here.


Van's Bums reassurted itself as the team to beat, rebuilding a near 100-point lead over the field. So much for the blog post prior to Talladega.

Van's also posted the top score this week, its RMFN-best fourth victory of the season. Van's surge was boosted by the fact that the rest of the field stunk. Our average of 167 was the lowest of the season and the 28 sub-200-point scores (including our eight defectors) were the most at a track this season (I missed joining the club by just 1 point). Three other teams - yduck, Sarge's Squad and No right turns - scored more than 300.


OVERALL
Van's score also vaulted it to No. 1 in the Yahoo Second Half standings and a spot in the Single Elimination championship. Last week's post about folks catching Van's got a lot less pointless after Talladega.


CHASE
Van's opened a 172-point lead over BLOWINSMOKE, helped by the 50-point bonus for this week's top score. Much like the real Chase, this is looking like a three-team race; fourth-place No right turns is more than 200 points back.

SINGLE ELIMINATION
Rolling Thunder's 200 points at Talladega were enough to beat TURBO by 10 points in the semifinals; Van's big score helped it knock off Rev-A-Lusions by 37. The championship and third-place matches run through the final race at Homestead.

Rolling Thunder went through RacingAngel, Longs Gap, Beer Belly, Black Bear and TURBO to reach the final. Rolling averaged 201.8-point victories, but its closest was the last one against TURBO.

Van's Bums eliminated Hendrick Express, hardbody, Dirt Runners, Barrie Lang and Rev-A-Lusions to reach the final. Van's averaged 142.6-point victories, and in addition to the close win over Rev, it defeated Barrie Lang by 22 in the quarterfinals.

DOUBLE ELIMINATION
Top-seeded testcar (209 points at Talladega) advanced to the championship against Van's with an 85-point win over Longs Gap. Van's defeated testcar by 99 in the last Winners' Bracket matchup in Round Seven, which covered three races. This round also covers three races, and testcar will need to win to force a winner-take-all final over the last three races.

Van's and testcar were seeded and had first-round byes.

Van's defeated RoadRage, gordon hater, No right turns, Team Parski and testcar en route to the finals. It was largely an easy road with an average win over 184.6, and the closest matchup against testcar.

testcar defeated Crash & Burn, need4speed, Team Lester, Yabos (twice) and Longs Gap to reach the finals; it also lost to Van's. Five of its matches were decided by less than 100 pionts, including a 21-point win over Lester, and 15- and 18-point wins over Yabos. It's average win: 38.1 points.


WORLD CUP
Halfway through the semifinals, Cooter leads Team Lester by 27 points and RacingAngel holds a 71-point cushion over Barrie Lang. This round runs through race 32 (Martinsville); the championship and third-place matchups run to the final race at Homestead.


HEAD TO HEAD
Team Lester held its four-game lead over No right turns and five-game lead over TURBO. After that there are 14 teams within five games of each other.
Eliminated: The defectors (8), Longs Gap, photo finish, Chevy's Redneck and gonzo; large group is on the bubble.
Standings
1. Team Lester 63-19-0
No right turns 59-24-0
TURBO 57-21-3
Rubbins Racin, 55-22-3
yduck, KLA Sadler 55-24-2
BLOWINSMOKE 55-26-0
Cooter 54-26-3
Rolling Thunder 54-26-1
10. need4speed 54-28-0
Rev-A-Lusions 53-27-3
Sarges Squad 52-27-1
reckhard 52-39-0
3WIDE, Van's Bums 52-30-0
speedracer 51-28-2
Team Parski 50-31-0
FC Newman 50-32-1
20. AFTER BURNER, RacingAngel 49-31-2
FORDFUCUS 49-31-3
testcar 49-32-2
Barrie Lang 49-32-1
Black Bear 49-32-0
CHK 49-33-0
nstag8rs 47-30-3
KitchenPass 46-34-1
Gordon #1 46-36-1
RAZN 46-35-0
30. AERO PUSH 46-37-0
Team Wyoming 45-35-2
Smokin Aces 45-35-1
Crash & Burn 45-36-1
RoadRage 45-37-0
Dirt Runners 45-38-0
hardbody 44-37-2
RugRatRacers 44-38-1
gonzo 43-39-0
Chevys Redneck 41-35-5
40. photo finish 40-41-0
Longs Gap 36-43-2
Yabos, Junior, asian assassins, Canyon County, Beer Belly, DWI, gordon hater, Hendrick Express, Kntky 0-82-16
Charlotte schedule
Chevys Redneck v. nstag8rs
No right turns def Junior
RAZN v. reckhard
Rev-A-Lusions v. hardbody
BLOWINSMOKE def asian assassins
Dirt Runners def Canyon County
Sarges Squad v. TURBO
CHK v. testcar
RoadRage def Beer Belly
Barrie Lang v. RugRatRacers
Rubbins Racin v. gonzo
3WIDE v. Gordon #1
Black Bear v. Team Lester
Vans Bums v. FORDFUCUS
yduck v. speedracer
Cooter v. Team Wyoming
RacingAngel v. Rolling Thunder
AERO PUSH def gordon hater
need4speed def Yabos
AFTER BURNER v. KLA Sadler
Smokin Aces v. Team Parski
Crash & Burn def Hendrick Express
Longs Gap v. FC Newman
KitchenPass def Kntcky
photo finish def DWI
Smokin Aces v. nstag8rs
Longs Gap v. reckhard
No right turns v. hardbody
RAZN def asian assassins
Rev-A-Lusions def Canyon County
BLOWINSMOKE v. TURBO
Dirt Runners v. testcar
Sarges Squad v. RoadRage
CHK v. RugRatRacers
gonzo def Beer Belly
Barrie Lang v. Gordon #1
Rubbins Racin v. Team Lester
3WIDE v. FORDFUCUS
Black Bear v. speedracer
Vans Bums v. Team Wyoming
yduck v. Rolling Thunder
Cooter def gordon hater
RacingAngel def Yabos
AERO PUSH v. KLA Sadler
need4speed v. Team Parski
AFTER BURNER def Hendrick Express
FC Newman def Junior
Crash & Burn v. KitchenPass
Chevys Redneck v. photo finish
Kntcky tied DWI

Sunday, September 28, 2008

Watch that wall there, Carl

Gory details are here.

HEAD TO HEAD
The champion hasn't been decided yet, but Team Lester is close. With 20 games to play, Lester has a five-game lead. The only thing leaving hope for the rest of the field is the schedule - it's backended with mostly 100-matchup races (five of the last seven), including this week's in Talladega. In addition to our defectors, photo finish and Longs Gap have been eliminated from championship contention.
Standings
Team Lester 61-17-0
Rubbins Racin 54-20-3
TURBO 55-20-3
No right turns 55-24-0
KLA Sadler 53-23-2
Rolling Thunder 52-25-1
yduck, speedracer 51-24-2
Rev-A-Lusions 51-26-3
BLOWINSMOKE 51-26-0
reckhard 51-27-0
Cooter 50-26-3
need4speed 50-28-0
FORDFUCUS 49-27-3
Sarges Squad 49-27-1
FC Newman 49-29-1
Barrie Lang 49-30-1
3WIDE, Vans Bums, Team Parski 49-30-0
testcar 48-39-2
Black Bear 48-30-0
CHK 48-32-0
AFTER BURNER 47-30-2
RacingAngel 46-30-2
nstag8rs 45-30-3
Gordon #1 45-33-1
RAZN 45-32-0
RoadRage 45-33-0
Dirt Runners 45-35-0
Smokin Aces, KitchenPass 44-33-1
Crash & Burn, RugRatRacers 44-34-1
AERO PUSH 44-35-0
hardbody, Team Wyoming 42-35-2
gonzo, 42-36-0
Chevys Redneck 40-33-5
photo finish 40-39-0
Longs Gap 36-40-2
Talladega schedule
Smokin Aces v. speedracer
Crash & Burn v. Team Wyoming
Chevys Redneck v. Rolling Thunder
Kntcky tied gordon hater
DWI tied Yabos
photo finish v. KLA Sadler
KitchenPass v. Team Parski
nstag8rs def Hendrick Express
KitchenPass v. nstag8rs
Rev-A-Lusions v. No right turns
BLOWINSMOKE v. Longs Gap
Dirt Runners def Junior
Sarges Squad v. reckhard
CHK v. hardbody
Beer Belly tied asian assassins
Barrie Lang def Canyon County
Rubbins Racin v. TURBO
3WIDE v. testcar
Black Bear v. RoadRage
Vans Bums v. RugRatRacers
yduck v. gonzo
Cooter v. Gordon #1
RacingAngel v. Team Lester
AERO PUSH v. FORDFUCUS
need4speed v. speedracer
AFTER BURNER v. Team Wyoming
Smokin Aces v. Rolling Thunder
Crash & Burn def gordon hater
Chevys Redneck def Yabos
KLA Sadler def Kntcky
Team Parski def DWI
photo finish def Hendrick Express
RAZN v. FC Newman
nstag8rs def DWI
RAZN v. Longs Gap
Rev-A-Lusions def Junior
BLOWINSMOKE v. reckhard
Dirt Runners v. hardbody
Sarges Squad def asian assassins
CHK def Canyon County
TURBO def Beer Belly
Barrie Lang v. testcar
Rubbins Racin v. RoadRage
3WIDE v. RugRatRacers
Black Bear v. gonzo
Vans Bums v. Gordon #1
yduck v. Team Lester
Cooter v. FORDFUCUS
RacingAngel v. speedracer
AERO PUSH v. Team Wyoming
need4speed v. Rolling Thunder
AFTER BURNER def gordon hater
Smokin Aces def Yabos
Crash & Burn v. KLA Sadler
Chevys Redneck v. Team Parski
Kntcky tied Hendrick Express
FC Newman v. No right turns
photo finish v. KitchenPass
Dirt Runners v. Rev-A-Lusions
BLOWINSMOKE v. FC Newman
Sarges Squad v. RAZN
CHK v. No right turns
Longs Gap def Beer Belly
Barrie Lang def Junior
Rubbins Racin v. reckhard
3WIDE v. hardbody
Black Bear def asian assassins
Vans Bums v. Canyon County
yduck v. TURBO
Cooter v. testcar
RacingAngel v. RoadRage
AERO PUSH v. RugRatRacers
need4speed v. gonzo
AFTER BURNER v. Gordon #1
Smokin Aces v. Team Lester
Crash & Burn v. FORDFUCUS
Chevys Redneck v. speedracer
Team Wyoming def Kntcky
Rolling Thunder def DWI
photo finish def gordon hater
KitchenPass def Yabos
nstag8rs v. KLA Sadler
Team Parski def Hendrick Express
FC Newman v. Rev-A-Lusions
BLOWINSMOKE v. RAZN
Dirt Runners v. No right turns
Sarges Squad v. Longs Gap
CHK def Junior
reckhard def Beer Belly
Barrie Lang v. hardbody
Rubbins Racin def asian assassins
3WIDE def Canyon County
Black Bear v. TURBO
Vans Bums v. testcar
yduck v. RoadRage
Cooter v. RugRatRacers
RacingAngel v. gonzo
AERO PUSH v. Gordon #1
need4speed v. Team Lester
AFTER BURNER v. FORDFUCUS
OVERALL
It's going to be tough for anyone to catch Van's Bums. If Van's place holds in the Head to Head, there's an outside shot if the team struggles in the Chase and also drops some in the Yahoo standings. Van's can finish no worse than fourth in the Single Elimination and second in the Double Elimination.
So who has the best shot? First calculating the current standings for Yahoo Overall and Second Half, and the Head to Head standings, we get a little bit of a look if we then plug in the worst possible finishes for Van's and the best possible finishes for everyone else. If Van's finishes fourth in the Single Elimination, second in the Double Elimination and 14th in the Chase (and somehow keeping its top-five spots in the two remaining Yahoo standings and 18th in the Head to Head), Van's would have an average finish of 6.83.
The best possible finishes for everyone else, if they keep their places in the two Yahoo standings and the Head to Head (i.e. first-place finishes in any remaining competitions):
Team Lester 4.63
TURBO 8.0
KLA Sadler 8.63
Barrie Lang 10.0
Cooter 10.3
Rev-A-Lusions 10.9
No right turns 11.9
Team Parski 12.0
Rubbins Racin 13.8
BLOWINSMOKE 14.1
Rolling Thunder 14.8
AFTER BURNER 15.8
yduck 16.3
testcar 18.4
RacingAngel 18.6
Longs Gap 19.1
So ... Team Lester has the best shot at catching Van's, considering Van's continues to post strong scores and Lester wins most of the remaining individual competition titles.
Everyone else still has a shot, but a couple things need to happen: Big, BIg, BIG scores from here on out and some untimely choices/wrecks for Van's.
Quick note for Rubbin's Racin: the team was eliminated in the first round of the Single Elimination (by 65 points over six races) and in the second round of the Double Elimination (by just 18 points over four races in the first round). Without those two finishes (scored at 50th and 33rd, respectively), Rubbin's would be challenging for the title. It's the only team besides Van's with top-10 finishes or current standings in each of our other competitions.
CHASE
I didn't expect a Chase participant to bail after Richmond, but with Yabos' departure, we could have at least one of the non-Chase qualifiers pass Yabos in the Chase standings. You'd think a 2,000-point cushion would be enough to prevent that. Sucks for Yabos.

SINGLE ELIMINATION
This is the last race of the semifinals. Rolling Thunder leads TURBO by 28 points and Rev-A-Lusions fronts Van's by 43. Winners advance to the championship; losers battle for third.
DOUBLE ELIMINATION
This is also the last race of Round Nine, the final Losers' Bracket matchup and essentially the third-place matchup. testcar, which was seeded first in the 50-team bracket based on past Yahoo! Fantasy NASCAR finishes since 1999, leads Longs Gap by 1 (ONE!!!) point. The winner advances to the Championship against undefeated Van's. The testcar-Longs winner would need to defeat Van's over races 31-33 to force a winner-take-all shootout in races 34-36. If Van's wins over races 31-33, it wins.
WORLD CUP
After one race in the four-race semifinals, Team Lester leads Cooter by 10 points and Barrie Lang holds a 30-point lead over RacingAngel.

Sunday, September 21, 2008

Big scores at Dover

Raise your hand if you're happy that you saved Kyle Busch for a strong run at the end of the season!! .... Gory details here.

Congrats to Team Lester for moving up to No. 1; we have five teams within 100 points of the top spot for the first time in a long time.
We had 22 teams score 300 or more points - just the fifth time this season we've accomplished that. Our average of 243 was also impressive, given that it includes eight 0s from the teams that aren't playing anymore.
CHASE
Van's continues to hold the top spot with a 20-point lead over BLOWINSMOKE and a 52-point lead over Cooter. AFTER BURNER and No right turns (with our top score from Dover, 355 points) are each within 100 points of the lead. Remember, top scores/wins result in an additional 50 points.


SINGLE ELIMINATION
Two races to go in the semifinals. Rev leads Van's by 61 and TURBO leads Rolling by 33. The race at Talladega completes that round ... watch out for the 'Big One.'


DOUBLE ELIMINATION

After the first week of the third-place matchup (loser places third, winner advances to the final), Longs Gap holds a 47-point lead over testcar. This round also ends in Alabama.


WORLD CUP
Congrats to Cooter, Team Lester, Barrie Lang and RacingAngel, who advanced to the semifinals. Cooter takes on Lester and Barrie plays Angel; the round runs through the race at Martinsville.
Angel made the the most surprising run to the Final Four. Angel won three of its last four in the Champion Qualifying group to edge and eliminate AFTER BURNER. In the bracket section, Angel was seeded 15th out of 16 teams and knocked out the No. 2 and No. 7 teams to advance to the semifinals.
HEAD TO HEAD
UPDATE: Yabos left us after Dover; didn't boot 'em, team just packed up and left. Sucks for that team, good for us. Yabos was in the top five in the Head to Head with 50-plus victories after finishing the first half in the Yahoo standings in second place. Yabos was also in the Chase and stood 15th in the overall Yahoo standings; the team had been eliminated from our other competitions already. We're down to 41 teams.
Standings
1. Team Lester 60-17-0
TURBO 55-18-3
Rubbins Racin 52-20-3
No right turns 53-24-0
KLA Sadler 52-23-2
Rolling Thunder 52-24-1
yduck, speedracer 51-23-2
Rev-A-Lusions 50-25-3
10. BLOWINSMOKE, reckhard 50-26-0
Cooter 49-26-3
Sarges Squad 49-25-1
need4speed 49-27-0
3WIDE, Team Parski 49-29-0
FORDFUCUS 48-27-3
Barrie Lang 48-29-1
Vans Bums 48-30-0
20. AFTER BURNER 47-28-2
FC Newman 47-29-1
Black Bear 47-29-0
CHK 47-31-0
testcar 46-29-2
RacingAngel 45-30-2
RAZN 45-31-0
Dirt Runners 45-33-0
nstag8rs 44-30-3
Crash & Burn 44-32-1
30. Gordon #1 44-33-1
RoadRage 44-32-0
AERO PUSH 44-34-0
Smokin Aces 43-32-1
hardbody, Team Wyoming 42-33-2
KitchenPass 42-33-1
RugRatRacers 42-34-1
Chevys Redneck 40-31-5
gonzo 40-36-0
40. photo finish 39-38-0
Longs Gap 35-39-2
50. Junior, Canyon County, Yabos, asian assassins, Beer Belly, DWI, gordon hater, Hendrick Express, Kntcky 0-82-16
Kansas Schedule
(17 of 50 matchups already decided before the green flag due to defections)
Barrie Lang v. Rev-A-Lusions
CHK v. Dirt Runners
BLOWINSMOKE def Beer Belly
Sarges Squad v. FC Newman
Rubbins Racin v. RAZN
3WIDE v. No right turns
Black Bear v. Longs Gap
Vans Bums def Junior
yduck v. reckhard
Cooter v. hardbody
RacingAngel def asian assassins
AERO PUSH def Canyon County
need4speed v. TURBO
AFTER BURNER v. testcar
Smokin Aces v. RoadRage
Crash & Burn v. RugRatRacers
Chevys Redneck v. gonzo
Gordon #1 def Kntcky
Team Lester def DWI
photo finish v. FORDFUCUS
KitchenPass v. speedracer
nstag8rs v. Team Wyoming
Rolling Thunder def Hendrick Express
Team Parski def gordon hater
KLA Sadler def Yabos
CHK v. Rev-A-Lusions
Sarges Squad v. BLOWINSMOKE
FC Newman v. Dirt Runners
RAZN def Beer Belly
Barrie Lang v. No right turns
Rubbins Racin v. Longs Gap
3WIDE def Junior
Black Bear v. reckhard
Vans Bums v. hardbody
yduck def asian assassins
Cooter def Canyon County
RacingAngel v. TURBO
AERO PUSH v. testcar
need4speed v. RoadRage
AFTER BURNER v. RugRatRacers
Smokin Aces v. gonzo
Crash & Burn v. Gordon #1
Chevys Redneck v. Team Lester
FORDFUCUS def Kntcky
speedracer def DWI
photo finish v. Team Wyoming
KitchenPass v. Rolling Thunder
nstag8rs def gordon hater
Hendrick Express tied Yabos
Team Parski v. KLA Sadler

Sunday, September 14, 2008

New Hamshire update - thanks, Kyle

Gory details are here.

Early congrats to Barrie Lang by taking over the top spot.

THE CHASE
Van's Bums held its lead but the cushion from the pre-Chase win bonus is almost gone. The same can be said for BLOWINSMOKE. Dirt Runners jumped to the front in the non-Chase race with the top score from New Hampshire.

SINGLE ELIMINATION
With three races to go in the semifinals, TURBO and Rev-A-Lusions hold nice leads.

DOUBLE ELIMINATION
Two teams - Yabos and RacingAngel - were eliminated with the completion of Round Eight which covered just three races. Yabos lost to testcar by 18 points, and Racing lost to Longs Gap by 27. testcar and Longs Gap meet in Round Nine (races 28-30); Van's Bums meets the winner in the Championship.

WORLD CUP
This is the final week of the quarterfinals in the Chase bracket. Cooter and Barrie Lang hold 100-plus-point leads; RacingAngel and Team Lester lead the other matchups. The semifinals run cover races 29-32.

HEAD TO HEAD
Beer Belly left us, and I've booted gordon hater, asian assassins, Kntcky, Hendrick Express, Canyon County, Junior and DWI. Those changes won't affect most of our side games; however, the standings for the Head to Head could and should change significantly. Through last week, the eight teams combined for more than 170 wins. Any past matchups with those teams will result in victories -- if you won the matchup, it won't change; if you lost or tied the matchup, it will now be a victory; if you're scheduled to play that team in the final weeks, it will be a victory. I'll post the update here later this week.
UPDATE: In addition to past results against the booted teams, future matchups were already counted as wins for the rest of us. As a result, some teams have "played" as many as 77 games, others as few as 73. The new, updated standings are as follows (along with this week's schedule):
1. Team Lester 58-17-0
TURBO 52-18-3
Yabos 53-22-0
Rubbins Racin 49-20-3
Rolling Thunder, No right turns 50-25-0
speedracer 49-23-2
KLA Sadler 49-24-1
Rev-A-Lusions 48-25-3
10. Cooter 48-26-3
yduck 48-23-2
reckhard 48-25-0
3WIDE 47-29-0
BLOWINSMOKE 47-26-0
Team Parski 47-28-0
AFTER BURNER 46-28-2
Sarges Squad, Barrie Lang 46-26-1
Black Bear 46-27-0
20. need4speed 46-28-0
Vans Bums 46-30-0
FORDFUCUS 45-28-3
testcar 45-29-2
FC Newman 45-29-1
CHK 45-31-0
nstag8rs 44-28-3
AERO PUSH 43-34-0
Crash & Burn 42-33-0
Dirt Runners 42-34-0
30. KitchenPass 41-31-1
RacingAngel 41-31-2
Gordon #1 41-34-1
RAZN 41-32-0
RoadRage 41-33-0
Chevys Redneck 39-29-5
Smokin Aces 40-33-1
Team Wyoming 39-34-2
RugRatRacers 39-36-1
photo finish 39-36-0
40. hardbody 38-35-2
gonzo 38-36-0
Longs Gap 33-38-2
Junior, Canyon County, asian assassins, Beer Belly, DWI, Hendrick Express, gordon hater, Kntcky 0-84-14
Dover schedule
Vans Bums v. Rev-A-Lusions
Barrie Lang v. CHK
Rubbins Racin v. Sarges Squad
3WIDE v. Dirt Runners
Black Bear v. BLOWINSMOKE
FC Newman def Beer Belly
yduck v. RAZN
Cooter v. No right turns
RacingAngel v. Longs Gap
AERO PUSH def Junior
need4speed v. reckhard
AFTER BURNER v. hardbody
Smokin Aces def asian assassins
Crash & Burn def Canyon County
Chevys Redneck v. TURBO
testcar def Kntcky
RoadRade def DWI
photo finish v. RugRatRacers
KitchenPass v. gonzo racing
nstag8rs v. Gordon #1
Team Lester def Hendrick Express
Team Parski v. FORDFUCUS
KLA Sadler v. speedracer
Yabos v. Team Wyoming
Rolling Thunder def gordon hater
3WIDE v. Rev-A-Lusions
Sarges Squad def Beer Belly
Barrie Lang v. Dirt Runners
Rubbins Racin v. BLOWINSMOKE
FC Newman v. CHK
Black Bear v. RAZN
Vans Bums v. No right turns
yduck v. Longs Gap
Cooter def Junior
RacingAngel v. reckhard
AERO PUSH v. hardbody
need4speed def asian assassins
AFTER BURNER def Canyon County
Smokin Aces v. TURBO
Crash & Burn v. testcar
Chevys Redneck v. RoadRage
RugRatRacers def Kntcky
gonzo def DWI
photo finish v. Gordon #1
KitchenPass v. Team Lester
nstag8rs v. FORDFUCUS
speedracer def Hendrick Express
Team Parski v. Team Wyoming
KLA Sadler v. Rolling Thunder
Yabos def gordon hater

Saturday, September 13, 2008

Risers & Sliders

The Yahoo! standings, for the most part, don't look much different than they did in June or July. 32 teams are in the no-change bubble - a group of risers or sliders have stayed within five positions of where they were on the Fourth of July. But we do have a couple of teams who found the groove and picked up, in some cases, more than one spot per race since the summer holiday at Daytona.

With 10 races to go, here's a look at how's rising and how's sliding since the end of the first half of the season (Daytona, July 5):
RISING
19: Team Wyoming
16: need4speed
14: AFTER BURNER
13: Barrie Lang
7: RugRatRacers, No right turns
6: FC Newman, yduck
5: Rolling Thunder, RacingAngel
4: FORDFUCUS, Gordon #1, RAZN, Smokin Aces
3: speedracer, RoadRage, TURBO, hardbody, 3WIDE, Cooter, Chevy's Redneck
2: KLA Sadler, Beer Belly, Van's Bums
1: Dirt Runners

SAME GAME
No change: Hendrick Express, Canyon County, Junior, DWI

SLIDING
2: Team Lester, asian assassins, Sarge's Squad, Rubbin's Racin
3: gonzo, BLOWINSMOKE, AERO PUSH
4: Team Parski, reckhard
5: photo finish, nstag8rs
6: Yabos, Rev-A-Lusions
8: testcar
9: Longs Gap, KitchenPass
10: gordon hater, CHK Motorsports
11: Crash & Burn
14: Black Bear
23: Kntcky

Sunday, September 7, 2008

Richmond - Chase field grows to 15

Gory details are here.



CHASE
Van's Bums had just its third sub-200-point week, and as a result, 15 teams will make the Chase instead of just 12. No right turns, yduck and AFTER BURNER joined last week's top 12. The cutoff ended up at 6,857 - sorry AERO PUSH; you missed the playoffs by just seven points.
Reminder on the Chase standings: 50 points for each 'win' during the season (top score of the week) and the places were also staggered in 5-point increments from places 1-15 and again for 16-50.
As a result, BLOWINSMOKE starts the Chase in second place despite qualifying as the No. 13 team. It pays to win.



HOT/COLD
KLA Sadler, No right turns, Barrie Lang, Cooter, need4speed, AFTER BURNER, and Chevy's Redneck have posted back-to-back 300-plus-point races.
The consecutive sub-200 club features our now regular no-shows.



SINGLE ELIMINATION
Halfway through the semifinals.
No one had a breakout week at Richmond and both matchups are close, considering there are three races left in the round.



DOUBLE ELIMINATION
With one race to go in the Eighth Round, Yabos and testcar are tied and RacingAngel holds a 34-point lead over Longs Gap. Both are loser-out matchups. As a result, New Hampshire is a little more interesting. The winners meet in the Ninth Round; Van's Bums is waiting for the last one standing in the championship.



WORLD CUP
Halfway through the quarterfinals in the Chase bracket. Cooter and Barrie Lang have opened up good leads with two races to go.



HEAD TO HEAD
Team Lester increased its lead to 3 games with a 4-0 run at Richmond. Rubbins Racin, TURBO and Yabos took over second place after speedracer went 0-4 at Richmond and dropped to fifth. One of Lester's two matchups this week is with No. 8 KLA Sadler.
Standings (through 68 of 98 games)
1. Team Lester 49-19-0
2. Rubbins Racin, TURBO 44-21-3; Yabos 45-23-0
5. speedracer 43-23-2
6. reckhard, Rolling Thunder 43-25-0
8. KLA Sadler 42-25-1
9. No right turns 41-27-0
10. yduck 40-26-2
11. Sarges Squad 40-27-1
12. Cooter 38-27-3
13. BLOWINSMOKE, Black Bear, Team Parski 38-30-0
16. Rev-A-Lusions 37-28-3
17. FC Newman, Barrie Lang 37-30-1
19. need4speed 37-31-0
20. nstag8rs 36-30-2
21. Vans Bums 36-32-0
22. testcar 35-32-1
23. AFTER BURNER 34-32-2
24. FORDFUCUS 33-31-4
25. 3WIDE 34-34-0
26. KitchenPass 33-34-1
27. RAZN, CHK, RoadRage 33-35-0
30. RacingAngel 32-34-2
31. gonzo 32-36-0
32. Chevys Redneck 30-33-5
33. Crash & Burn 31-35-2
34. Gordon #1 31-36-1
35. Team Wyoming 30-36-2
36. Smokin Aces 30-37-1
37. photo finish, AERO PUSH 30-38-0
39. asian assassins, Dirt Runners 29-39-0
41. Longs Gap 28-38-2
42. Beer Belly 28-40-0
43. gordon hater 27-38-3
44. hardbody 27-39-2
45. RugRatRacers 26-41-1
46. Kntcky 23-43-2
47. Hendrick Express 21-47-0
48. Canyon County 19-49-0
49. Junior 15-52-1
50. DWI 11-57-0
New Hampshire schedule (50-matchup race)
AERO PUSH v. Rev-A-Lusions
3WIDE v. Barrie Lang
Black Bear v. Beer Belly
Vans Bums v. CHK
yduck v. Sarges Squad
Cooter v. Dirt Runners
RacingAngel v. BLOWINSMOKE
Rubbins Racin v. FC Newman
need4speed v. RAZN
AFTER BURNER v. No right turns
Smokin Aces v. Longs Gap
Crash & Burn v. Junior
Chevys Redneck v. reckhard
Kntcky v. hardbody
DWI v. asian assassins
photo finish v. Canyon County
KitchenPass v. TURBO
nstag8rs v. testcar
Hendrick Express v. RoadRage
Team Parski v. RugRatRacers
KLA Sadler v. gonzo
Yabos v. Gordon #1
gordon hater v. Team Lester
Rolling Thunder v. FORDFUCUS
Team Wyoming v. speedracer
Cooter v. Rev-A-Lusions
Rubbins Racin v. Beer Belly
3WIDE v. CHK
Black Bear v. Sarges Squad
Vans Bums v. Dirt Runners
yduck v. BLOWINSMOKE
FC Newman v. Barrie Lang
RacingAngel v. RAZN
AERO PUSH v. No right turns
need4speed v. Longs Gap
AFTER BURNER v. Junior
Smokin Aces v. reckhard
Crash & Burn v. hardbody
Chevys Redneck v. asian assassins
Kntcky v. Canyon County
DWI v. TURBO
photo finish v. testcar
KitchenPass v. RoadRage
nstag8rs v. RugRatRacers
Hendrick Express v. gonzo
Team Parski v. Gordon #1
KLA Sadler v. Team Lester
Yabos v. FORDFUCUS
gordon hater v. speedracer
Rolling Thunder v. Team Wyoming

Monday, September 1, 2008

Through Fontana

Gory details are here.

A slow week for our side competitions doesn't leave much for commentary.

The current Chase cutoff for those outside of the top 12 is 6661; five teams outside the top 12 are within 100 points of the cutoff. We'll finalize the field after Richmond on Saturday night (or later, depending on what Hanna does over the next few days). UPDATE: Race was moved to Sunday afternoon; I'll try like heck to update the Chase standings Sunday night.

27 teams scored 300 or more points at Fontana and RMFN posted its best average (266) score since Dover (282) on June 1. Team Parski, one of our frontrunners for most of the season, wasn't part of the 300 club and now stands on the Chase bubble.

Head to Head
1. Team Lester 45-19-0
2. speedracer 43-19-2
3. Rubbins Racin, TURBO 42-19-3
5. reckhard, Yabos 41-23-0
7. Rolling Thunder 39-25-0
8. Sarges Squad, KLA Sadler 38-25-1
10. BLOWINSMOKE, Black Bear, No right turns 37-27-0
13. yduck 36-26-2
14. Vans Bums 36-28-0
15. Cooter 35-27-2
16. FC Newman 35-28-1
17. Rev-A-Lusions 34-27-3
18. testcar 34-29-1
19. Barrie Lang, Team Parski 34-30-0
21. nstag8rs 33-29-2
22. need4speed, CHK 33-31-0
24. AFTERBURNER 32-30-2
25. RoadRage 32-32-0
26. RacingAngel 31-31-2
27. FORDFUCUS 30-30-4
28. RAZN, 3WIDE, gonzo 31-33-0
31. Crash & Burn 30-32-2
32. KitchenPass 30-33-1
33. Gordon #1 29-34-1
34. AERO PUSH, photo finish 29-35-0
36. Beer Belly, asian assassins 28-36-0
38. Chevys Redneck 26-33-5
39. Team Wyoming 27-35-2
40. Smokin Aces 27-36-1
41. gordon hater 26-35-3
42. Longs Gap, hardbody 26-36-2
44. RugRatRacers 25-38-1
45. Dirt Runners 25-39-0
46. Kntcky 23-40-1
47. Hendrick Express 21-43-0
48. Canyon County 19-45-0
49. Junior 15-49-0
50. DWI 11-53-0
Richmond schedule
Reminder - Richmond is a 100-matchup weekend (four per team).
KLA Sadler v. asian assassins
Yabos v. Canyon County
gordon hater v. TURBO
Rolling Thunder v. testcar
Team Wyoming v. RoadRage
speedracer v. RugRatRacers
FORDFUCUS v. gonzo
Team Lester v. Gordon #1
Crash & Burn v. Rev-A-Lusions
Vans Bums v. 3WIDE
yduck v. Rubbins Racin
Cooter v. Barrie Lang
RacingAngel v. Beer Belly
AERO PUSH v. CHK
need4speed v. Sarges Squad
AFTER BURNER v. Dirt Runners
Smokin Aces v. BLOWINSMOKE
Black Bear v. FC Newman
Chevys Redneck v. RAZN
Kntcky v. No right turns
DWI v. Longs Gap
photo finish v. Junior
KitchenPass v. reckhard
nstag8rs v. hardbody
Hendrick Express v. asian assassins
Team Parski v. Canyon County
KLA Sadler v. TURBO
Yabos v. testcar
gordon hater v. RoadRage
Rolling Thunder v. RugRatRacers
Team Wyoming v. gonzo racing
speedracer v. Gordon #1
FORDFUCUS v. Team Lester
AFTER BURNER v. Rev-A-Lusions
Black Bear v. Rubbins Racin
Vans Bums v. Barrie Lang
yduck v. Beer Belly
Cooter v. CHK
RacingAngel v. Sarges Squad
AERO PUSH v. Dirt Runners
need4speed v. BLOWINSMOKE
FC Newman v. 3WIDE
Smokin Aces v. RAZN
Crash & Burn v. No right turns
Chevys Redneck v. Longs Gap
Kntcky v. Junior
DWI v. reckhard
photo finish v. hardbody
KitchenPass v. asian assassins
nstag8rs v. Canyon County
Hendrick Express v. TURBO
Team Parski v. testcar
KLA Sadler v. RoadRage
Yabos v. RugRatRacers
gordon hater v. gonzo
Rolling Thunder v. Gordon #1
Team Wyoming v. Team Lester
speedracer v. FORDFUCUS
photo finish v. Rev-A-Lusions
Cooter v. Vans Bums
RacingAngel v. Black Bear
AERO PUSH v. 3WIDE
need4speed v. RubbinsRacin
AFTER BURNER v. Barrie Lang
Smokin Aces v. Beer Belly
Crash & Burn v. CHK
Chevys Redneck v. Sarges Squad
Kntcky v. Dirt Runners
DWI v. BLOWINSMOKE
yduck v. FC Newman
KitchenPass v. RAZN
nstag8rs v. No right turns
Hendrick Express v. Longs Gap
Team Parski v. Junior
KLA Sadler v. reckhard
Yabos v. hardbody
gordon hater v. asian assassins
Rolling Thunder v. Canyon County
Team Wyoming v. TURBO
speedracer v. testcar
FORDFUCUS v. RoadRage
Team Lester v. RugRatRacers
Gordon #1 v. gonzo
Kntcky v. Rev-A-Lusions
yduck v. Black Bear
Cooter v. 3WIDE
RacingAngel v. Rubbins Racin
AERO PUSH v. Barrie Lang
need4speed v. Beer Belly
AFTER BURNER v. CHK
Smokin Aces v. Sarges Squad
Crash & Burn v. Dirt Runners
Chevys Redneck v. BLOWINSMOKE
FC Newman v. Vans Bums
DWI v. RAZN
photo finish v. No right turns
KitchenPass v. Longs Gap
nstag8rs v. Junior
Hendrick Express v. reckhard
Team Parski v. hardbody

Sunday, August 24, 2008

Rivalry born

More trouble for Kahne and Junior kept several scores down, and I couldn't find anyone who had Edwards and KyBusch - that would have blown away the field this week. The details are here.
A fishing trip prevented me from updating the Head to Head standings and schedule, so please accept my apologies (new standings and a Fontana schedule are below).
OVERALL
Short of a momumental collapse in the Yahoo overall, Yahoo second half, Chase and Head-to-Head competitions, Van's Bums likely wrapped up the overall title at Bristol. Van's clipped Barrie Lang by 22 to advance to the semifinals in the Single Elimination, drove past testcar for a spot in the Double Elimination championship, and cruised past KLA Sadler to advance to the quarterfinals in the World Cup.
BRISTOL
The RMN average for the short track was a low 207, the lowest since June's race at New Hampshire and not helped by at least six teams not paying attention to their lineups. Just three teams scored 300 or more points.
CHASE
Our cutoff is 6,309 points, leaving 13 teams in the field after Bristol; another five are within 100 points of the cutoff with two races to go.
SINGLE ELIMINATION
In addition to Van's, TURBO, Rev-A-Lusions and Rolling Thunder advance to the semifinals. Van's matchup was the closest, followed by TURBO's 105-point win over reckhard. The semi matchups (which run from races 25-30, Fontana-Talladega): TURBO v. Rolling Thunder, Rev-A0Lusions v. Van's.
DOUBLE ELIMINATION
Van's 99-point win over testcar was the largest margin and it was the only matchup in the winners' bracket. RacingAngel eliminated Team Lester (by 34 points), Yabos knocked out Team Parski (9 points) and Longs Gap nipped AFTER BURNER (1 point). Four teams remain in the losers' bracket, and the last one standing will face Van's for the title. Round Eight is just three races, Fontana through New Hampshire.

WORLD CUP
Cooter, Team Lester, Sarge's, Rubbins', Barrie Lang, Team Parski and RacingAngel joined Van's in the quarterfinals. Parski posted a 5-point victory over TURBO in the closest matchup. The quarters cover four races, Fontana through Dover.
HEAD to HEAD
Each team has 36 games remaining, including a string of 4-game weekends at Richmond, Talladega, Atlanta, Texas, Phoenix and Miami. Team Lester leads speedracer by a little more than one game and Rubbins and TURBO by almost three. For those wondering: Van's is tied for 14th, nine games behind Lester.
Note to 2009 RMN players: I will be able to adjust past scores for vacant players and adjust the standings accordingly; this year, it's just not possible with a clumsy program. So, if we have the same issue of six teams going AWOL midway through the season, for 2009 RMN I will be able to adjust those scores to 0 for the races earlier in the season and give us a better representation of the standings. We're stuck with what we got this year; my apologies again.
Head to Head - through Bristol:
1. 44-18-0: Team Lester
42-18-2: speedracer
40-19-3: Rubbins Racin, TURBO
40-22-0: Yabos
39-23-1: reckhard
38-23-1: KLA Sadler
38-24-0: Rolling Thunder
36-26-0: BLOWINSMOKE
10. 36-25-1: Sarges Squad
36-26-0: Black Bear
35-26-1: FC Newman
34-26-2: yduck
35-27-0: Vans Bums, No right turns
34-28-0: Team Parski
33-27-2: nstag8rs, Cooter
32-37-3: Rev-A-Lusions
20. 32-29-1: testcar
32-30-0: need4speed, Barrie Lang, CHK (formerly known as Craker)
31-31-0: gonzo
29-29-4: FORDFUCUS
30-30-2: RacingAngel, Crash & Burn, AFTER BURNER
30-32-0: 3WIDE, RoadRage
31. 29-32-1: KitchenPass, Gordon #1
29-33-0: RAZN, AERO PUSH
28-34-0: asian assassins
27-34-1: Smokin Aces
27-35-0: Beer Belly, photo finish
26-33-3: gordon hater
40. 25-32-5: Chevys Redneck
26-34-2: Team Wyoming
24-36-2: Longs Gap, hardbody
24-37-1: RugRatRacers
24-38-0: Dirt Runners
23-38-1: Kntcky
21-41-0: Hendrick Express
19-43-0: Canyon County
15-47-0: Junior
11-51-0: DWI
Head to Head: Fontana schedule
Team Parski v. Rev-A-Lusions
AERO PUSH v. Cooter
need4speed v. yduck
AFTER BURNER v. Vans Bums
Smokin Aces v. Black Bear
Crash & Burn v. 3WIDE
Chevys Redneck v. Rubbins Racin
Kntcky v. Barrie Lang
DWI v. Beer Belly
photo finish v. CHK
KitchenPass v. Sarges Squad
nstag8rs v. Dirt Runners
Hendrick Express v. BLOWINSMOKE
RacingAngel v. FC Newman
KLA Sadler v. RAZN
Yabos v. No right turns
gordon hater v. Longs Gap
Rolling Thunder v. Junior
Team Wyoming v. reckhard
speedracer v. hardbody
FORDFUCUS v. asian assassins
Team Lester v. Canyon County
Gordon #1 v. TURBO
gonzo v. testcar
RugRatRacers v. RoadRage
nstag8rs v. Rev-A-Lusions
RacingAngel v. yduck
AERO PUSH v. Vans Bums
need4speed v. Black Bear
AFTER BURNER v. 3WIDE
Smokin Aces v. Rubbins Racin
Crash & Burn v. Barrie Lang
Chevys Redneck v. Beer Belly
Kntcky v. CHK
DWI v. Sarges Squad
photo finish v. Dirt Runners
KitchenPass v. BLOWINSMOKE
FC Newman v. Cooter
Hendrick Express v. RAZN
Team Parski v. No right turns
KLA Sadler v. Longs Gap
Yabos v. Junior
gordon hater v. reckhard
Rolling Thunder v. hardbody
Team Wyoming v. asian assassins
speedracer v. Canyon County
FORDFUCUS v. TURBO
Team Lester v. testcar
Gordon #1 v. RoadRage
gonzo v. RugRatRacers