Everybody pick a driver each week. Nobody picks the same guy, picking is first come first served. The thread will be posted weekly AFTER QUALIFYING. Then, starting with the first Chase race at New Hampshire, the posters shall be assigned to the driver corresponding in the NEXTEL CUP standings. They keep this driver for the duration of the Chase. The players will also get to pick a driver out of the Chase to make things more interesting. And rack up the points for the championship.

For the second driver picked each week, you cannot pick one of the leftover chase drivers. The chase drivers not picked are effectively dead to us. Until they wreck out your guy and then you'll wish they were someplace else.

Standings

Pts.
Qual.

914-SHARK
12th_CARL EDWARDS
28th_Jamie McMurray

902-Darren-Tinley Park
20th_JIMMIE JOHNSON
16th_David Ragan

821-Baby McNown
26th_JEFF GORDON
10th_Martin Truex Jr.

775-redneckmommy
22nd_GREG BIFFLE
38th_Kasey Kahne

733-RFDC
15th_DALE EARNHARDT JR.
33rd_Kurt Busch

677-donspiracy
35th_CLINT BOWYER
14th_Kenny Wallace

641-City Of Fools
36th_DENNY HAMLIN
2nd_Casey Mears

570-spanky
37th_KYLE BUSCH
9th_Brian Vickers

475-Dr. Kenneth Noisewater
34th_TONY STEWART
1st_Travis Kvapil

Chase drivers NO LONGER available:
JEFF BURTON,
KEVIN HARVICK,
MATT KENSETH.



RACE LINEUP
Amp Energy 500 | Talladega Superspeedway
October 5, 2008 | Race 30 of 36


POS CAR DRIVER MAKE SPONSOR__________________________SPEED TIME BEHIND
1 28 Travis Kvapil Ford Academy Sports + Outdoors__________187.364 51.109 Leader
2 5 Casey Mears Chevrolet Pop-Tarts / CARQUEST___________187.295 51.128 -0.019
3 8 Aric Almirola Chevrolet U.S. Army_______________________187.265 51.136 -0.027
4 01 Regan Smith* Chevrolet DEI / Principal Financial Group____187.181 51.159 -0.050
5 15 Paul Menard Chevrolet Johns Manville / Menards_________187.141 51.170 -0.061
6 33 Mike Wallace Chevrolet Realtree "Driven to the Outdoors"__186.984 51.213 -0.104
7 78 Joe Nemechek Chevrolet Furniture Row/DenverMattress.com_186.969 51.217 -0.108
8 70 Tony Raines Chevrolet iQ Drive_________________________186.740 51.280 -0.171
9 83 Brian Vickers Toyota Red Bull__________________________186.707 51.289 -0.180
10 1 Martin Truex Jr. Chevrolet Bass Pro Shops / Tracker_______186.674 51.298 -0.189
11 66 Scott Riggs Chevrolet Hunt Brothers Pizza______________186.645 51.306 -0.197
12 99 Carl Edwards Ford Office Depot_______________________186.507 51.344 -0.235
13 42 Juan Montoya Dodge Texaco / Havoline________________186.430 51.365 -0.256
14 00 Kenny Wallace Toyota Champion Mortgage______________186.430 51.365 -0.256
15 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet AMP Energy"Ride With Dale Jr"_186.423 51.367 -0.258
16 6 David Ragan Ford AAA Travel__________________________186.351 51.387 -0.278
17 31 Jeff Burton Chevrolet AT&T Mobility____________________186.318 51.396 -0.287
18 109 Sterling Marlin Chevrolet Miccosukee Resort & Gaming____186.267 51.410 -0.301
19 44 David Reutimann Toyota UPS_________________________186.231 51.420 -0.311
20 48 Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet Lowe's / Kobalt Tools__________186.224 51.422 -0.313
21 84 Mike Skinner Toyota Red Bull__________________________186.065 51.466 -0.357
22 16 Greg Biffle Ford 3M__________________________________186.061 51.467 -0.358
23 45 Terry Labonte Dodge Marathon American Spirit Motor Oil___186.057 51.468 -0.359
24 12 Ryan Newman Dodge Samsung HDTV / Alltel_____________185.945 51.499 -0.390
25 55 Michael Waltrip Toyota NAPA AUTO PARTS______________185.805 51.538 -0.429
26 24 Jeff Gordon Chevrolet DuPont_________________________185.783 51.544 -0.435
27 21 Jon Wood Ford Motorcraft____________________________185.783 51.544 -0.435
28 26 Jamie McMurray Ford BernzOmatic Fat Boy______________185.772 51.547 -0.438
29 22 Dave Blaney Toyota Caterpillar________________________185.740 51.556 -0.447
30 41 Reed Sorenson Dodge Memorex________________________185.722 51.561 -0.452
31 17 Matt Kenseth Ford DEWALT___________________________185.689 51.570 -0.461
32 43 Bobby Labonte Dodge Cheerios / Betty Crocker___________185.643 51.583 -0.474
33 2 Kurt Busch Dodge Miller Lite___________________________185.535 51.613 -0.504
34 20 Tony Stewart Toyota Subway / Home Depot____________185.481 51.628 -0.519
35 07 Clint Bowyer Chevrolet Jack Daniel's____________________185.423 51.644 -0.535
36 11 Denny Hamlin Toyota FedEx Express____________________185.373 51.658 -0.549
37 18 Kyle Busch Toyota Pedigree___________________________185.204 51.705 -0.596
38 9 Kasey Kahne Dodge Budweiser__________________________185.015 51.758 -0.649
39 29 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet Shell / Pennzoil_________________185.008 51.760 -0.651
40 19 Elliott Sadler+ Dodge MONOPOLY at McDonald's__________184.954 51.775 -0.666
41 38 David Gilliland+ Ford Ford. Drive one.___________________184.954 51.775 -0.666
42 7 Robby Gordon+ Dodge MAPEI / Menards__________________184.374 51.938 -0.829
43 96 Ken Schrader Toyota DLP HDTV_______________________185.736 51.557 -0.448

Did Not Qualify
44 77 Sam Hornish Jr.* Dodge Mobil 1_______________________185.258 51.690 -0.581
45 10 Patrick Carpentier* Dodge Tow Truck in a Box___________185.215 51.702 -0.593

+ Set by Owner Points
* Denotes Rookie


Dale Jr. blew a tire and wrecked things up real good during final practice.
http://www.nascar.com/video/cup/2008/10 ... ostPopular

Earnhardt and Gilliland were checked and released from Talladega's infield medical facility. While that was going on, their crews were busy unloading backup cars from their haulers. In addition, the damage on Kahne's Dodge, Clint Bowyer's Chevy and David Reutimann's Toyota was significant enough for them to decide to pull out the backups.

The guys who had to use their backup cars will be moved to the real of the field before the green flag drops tomorrow. Those teams qualified so they can have priority for pit selection.

_________________
CSFMB: Home of the small minded

Truex.

Darren - Tinley Park picked David Ragan.

I'll take Kenny Wallace!

_________________
CSFMB: Home of the small minded

Mearssssssssss

_________________
Ба́бушка гада́ла, да на́двое сказа́ла—то ли до́ждик, то ли снег, то ли бу́дет, то ли нет.

Vickers.

_________________

Drivers Available for second pick.



POS CAR DRIVER MAKE SPONSOR__________________________SPEED TIME BEHIND
1 28 Travis Kvapil Ford Academy Sports + Outdoors__________187.364 51.109 Leader
3 8 Aric Almirola Chevrolet U.S. Army_______________________187.265 51.136 -0.027
4 01 Regan Smith* Chevrolet DEI / Principal Financial Group____187.181 51.159 -0.050
5 15 Paul Menard Chevrolet Johns Manville / Menards_________187.141 51.170 -0.061
6 33 Mike Wallace Chevrolet Realtree "Driven to the Outdoors"__186.984 51.213 -0.104
7 78 Joe Nemechek Chevrolet Furniture Row/DenverMattress.com_186.969 51.217 -0.108
8 70 Tony Raines Chevrolet iQ Drive_________________________186.740 51.280 -0.171
11 66 Scott Riggs Chevrolet Hunt Brothers Pizza______________186.645 51.306 -0.197
12 99 Carl Edwards Ford Office Depot_______________________186.507 51.344 -0.235
13 42 Juan Montoya Dodge Texaco / Havoline________________186.430 51.365 -0.256
18 109 Sterling Marlin Chevrolet Miccosukee Resort & Gaming____186.267 51.410 -0.301
19 44 David Reutimann Toyota UPS_________________________186.231 51.420 -0.311
21 84 Mike Skinner Toyota Red Bull__________________________186.065 51.466 -0.357
23 45 Terry Labonte Dodge Marathon American Spirit Motor Oil___186.057 51.468 -0.359
24 12 Ryan Newman Dodge Samsung HDTV / Alltel_____________185.945 51.499 -0.390
25 55 Michael Waltrip Toyota NAPA AUTO PARTS______________185.805 51.538 -0.429
27 21 Jon Wood Ford Motorcraft____________________________185.783 51.544 -0.435
28 26 Jamie McMurray Ford BernzOmatic Fat Boy______________185.772 51.547 -0.438
29 22 Dave Blaney Toyota Caterpillar________________________185.740 51.556 -0.447
30 41 Reed Sorenson Dodge Memorex________________________185.722 51.561 -0.452
32 43 Bobby Labonte Dodge Cheerios / Betty Crocker___________185.643 51.583 -0.474
33 2 Kurt Busch Dodge Miller Lite___________________________185.535 51.613 -0.504
38 9 Kasey Kahne Dodge Budweiser__________________________185.015 51.758 -0.649
40 19 Elliott Sadler+ Dodge MONOPOLY at McDonald's__________184.954 51.775 -0.666
41 38 David Gilliland+ Ford Ford. Drive one.___________________184.954 51.775 -0.666
42 7 Robby Gordon+ Dodge MAPEI / Menards__________________184.374 51.938 -0.829
43 96 Ken Schrader Toyota DLP HDTV_______________________185.736 51.557 -0.448

_________________
CSFMB: Home of the small minded

You've got my guy, Carl Edwards & the #99 Office Depot Ford Fusion, among the available drivers for tomorrow at Talladega... As much as I'd like to see Carl in victory lane tomorrow, if he's available, I'll stay in the Roush/Fenway staple with the #26 Fat Boy Ford of Jamie McMurray.

Kvapil

_________________
You know me like that.

Dr. Noisewater, I think Travis Kvapil needs a full-time sponsor next year. That #28 Ford always seems naked without a corporate sponsor unlike other cars in NASCAR. He's actually on the pole tomorrow. Did you notice a certain #99 who is supposed to be off limits in this "Chase for the Cup" thread among the other available drivers for tomorrow at Talladega?

i'll take kahne

_________________

Kurt Busch

_________________
"He is a loathsome, offensive brute
--yet I can't look away."

Tony Stewart was awarded the checkered flag yesterday in a controversial finish at Talladega. His #20 Subway TOYOTA was ruled the winner after NASCAR officials ruled Regan Smith's #01 Principal Financial Group Chevy was out of bounds & illegally tried to pass Tony on the final lap of the AMP Energy 500. The NASCAR rookie pleaded his case to no avail, and finished 18th as a result of the disqualification involving the yellow line at the bottom of the track. The rest of the top 10 reads like this:
2. #15 Paul Menard-Menards Chevy
3. #6 David Ragan-AAA Ford
4. #31 Jeff Burton-AT&T Chevy
5. #07 Clint Bowyer-Jack Daniels Chevy
6. #43 Bobby Labonte-Marathon Dodge
7. #66 Scott Riggs-Hunt Bros. Pizza Chevy
8. #7 Robby Gordon-MAPEI Dodge
9. #48 Jimmie Johnson-Lowe's Chevy*
10. #19 Elliott Sadler-McDonald's Dodge
* Points Leader
Next up, NASCAR's Sprint Cup Series heads back to Lowe's Motor Speedway for the Bank of America 500 in Concord, NC Saturday night. Kasey Kahne's #9 Budweiser Dodge won the first Lowe's race of the year, the Coca-Cola 600 on Memorial Day Weekend.

Standings

Pts.
Fin.-Pts.
TotalPts.

902-Darren-Tinley Park
9th-143_JIMMIE JOHNSON
3rd-170_David Ragan
1,215________

914-SHARK
29th-81_CARL EDWARDS
32nd-72_Jamie McMurray
1,067_______

677-donspiracy
5th-155_CLINT BOWYER
12th-132_Kenny Wallace
964___________

775-redneckmommy
24th-96_GREG BIFFLE
36th-60_Kasey Kahne
931_________

733-RFDC
28th-84_DALE EARNHARDT JR.
21st-105_Kurt Busch
922_________

821-Baby McNown
38th-54_JEFF GORDON
41st-45_Martin Truex Jr.
920_________

641-City Of Fools
39th-51_DENNY HAMLIN
14th-126_Casey Mears
818_________

570-spanky
15th-123_KYLE BUSCH
35th-65_Brian Vickers
758_________

475-Dr. Kenneth Noisewater
1st-195_TONY STEWART
27th-87_Travis Kvapil
757_________



NASCAR statement on 01's pass below the yellow line
By Official Release
October 6, 2008
04:26 PM EDT

At Sunday's drivers' meeting, NASCAR reiterated the rule about passing under the yellow line and provided the same information to all drivers and crew chiefs in a hand out, as it has done in past Daytona and Talladega races.

The verbatim language is ...

This is your warning: race above the yellow line. If, in NASCAR's judgment, you go below the yellow line to improve your position, you will be black-flagged. If in NASCAR's judgment you force someone below the yellow line (in an effort to stop him from passing you), you may be black-flagged.

"During the last lap of [Sunday's] race at Talladega Superspeedway the driver of the No. 01 violated NASCAR policy by driving under the yellow line to improve his position," NASCAR president Mike Helton said. "In NASCAR's opinion he was not forced below the yellow line. NASCAR correctly took immediate action to enforce the policy by penalizing the No. 01 and scoring the No. 20 as the race winner.

Helton concluded by saying ...

"Since the end of the race there has been some confusion as to what is allowable during the last lap at Daytona and Talladega. To be clear, as we go forward, there will be no passing under the yellow line at any time during NASCAR races at Daytona or Talladega, period. This includes any passing below the yellow line near the start/finish line on the final lap."

_________________
CSFMB: Home of the small minded

Based on that explanation, NASCAR made the right call in awarding Tony Stewart the win Sunday in the AMP Energy 500 at Talladega.

Somehow the rumor of "it's OK to cross the yellow line on the last lap" was gaining urban legend status.

Helton and his cabal had to get on top of that one.

_________________
CSFMB: Home of the small minded

Sport's issue is perception the rules change constantly


By Joe Menzer, NASCAR.COM
October 6, 2008
05:15 PM EDT


Controversy in NASCAR's Sprint Cup Series? Are you kidding me?

Controversy sells, and that's usually a good thing. But confusion doesn't, and when it reigns that's another sordid story altogether.

The two were intertwined at the conclusion of this past Sunday's Amp Energy 500 at Talladega Superspeedway, when Regan Smith beat Tony Stewart to the finish line but was not awarded the victory because it was ruled he had crossed the yellow "out-of-bounds" line at the bottom of the track to improve his position.

There is no question Smith was guilty of this. While he feinted briefly to the outside on his final run at Stewart and the race victory, he clearly had no strong conviction of trying to pass anywhere but on the inside -- yet to pass Stewart on the inside of that part of the track at Talladega, a more experienced driver would have known it only could be accomplished by flirting dangerously with dipping below the yellow line.

Smith thought he was allowed to go below the yellow on the final lap. He said it was his understanding that on the last lap, with the checkered flag in sight, "anything goes." He argued that his only other option would have been to wreck Stewart, and perhaps himself, while going for the lead.

Muddy waters

Other drivers said afterward they had the same understanding that "anything goes" on the last lap. But Jim Hunter, NASCAR's vice president of corporate communications, insisted in a post-race statement that the rule had been clearly spelled out for all the competitors at the pre-race drivers' meeting.

"You cannot improve your position anytime you go below the yellow line. At the drivers' meeting, we clearly state that you cannot improve your position by going below the yellow line," Hunter said.

As for Smith's contention that Stewart forced him below the line, Hunter was unsympathetic as well. And for all those fans out there who could not understand why Smith wouldn't at the very worst be credited with second, Hunter explained why Smith eventually was scored with an 18th-place finish instead.

"We do not feel he was forced below the yellow line. In our judgment, he improved his position and the penalty for that is a pass-through, so he was moved back to the tail end of the longest line [of the cars on the lead lap] or the 18th position," Hunter said.

"Anytime you get into a situation like this, there are going to be two different opinions. We respect Regan's view, but we made the call, we think it's the right call and the finish is final. NASCAR has to maintain some kind of control -- and that's the reason we say you cannot advance your position by going below the yellow line. If he had not improved his position, he probably would have been awarded second place."

All of which sounds perfectly logical, even if the part where he said "NASCAR has to maintain some kind of control" drew more than a chuckle or two. The bottom line in this part of the argument is that Smith had plenty of room to attempt passing Stewart on the high side and chose not to do so, thus opening up this squirmy can of worms.

But there is more to the story, which breeds the unwanted confusion.


The precedent

In February of 2007, after a Truck Series race in Daytona, another prominent NASCAR spokesman, Ramsey Poston, went on a Sirius radio show and was asked by hosts Marty Snider and David Poole about a three-wide finish in which Johnny Benson went below the yellow line and passed Travis Kvapil for second in the event won by Jack Sprague. Poston's response appears to be, at least in large part, what fueled the belief of some drivers that "anything goes" on the final lap of events sponsored by NASCAR.

NASCAR says ...
Mike Helton, president of NASCAR, released a statement clarifying the rules regarding Talladega's controversial finish.


"When the drivers can see the checkered flag, you can get all you can get," Poston told Snider and Poole that day.

Poston is managing director of corporate communications for NASCAR. To their credit, he and Hunter frequently make themselves available to answer questions about controversial calls NASCAR may make.

But in the case of a controversial race victory being decided and explained to the public, therein probably lies the first problem. The first guy NASCAR needs to have making on-the-record statements about the rules when controversy arises is Robin Pemberton, vice president of competition. This would be no different than in the National Football League, when a pool reporter at each game is permitted to submit post-game questions to the lead official for clarification of rulings on controversial plays.

For if what Poston said in February 2007 was true then, why didn't it apply to the Sprint Cup race in Talladega on Sunday? If it wasn't true in February 2007, why was Benson's pass allowed to stand?

And if the rule had changed somewhere in between, how about letting everyone else in the home office know so the word could be spread before it gets to the ridiculous point Sunday where Hunter gave an explanation that appeared to conflict sharply with the one offered previously by Poston, leaving many fans bewildered and in an uproar?

What if ... ?

One off-the-record explanation making the rounds was that NASCAR officials informally had given drivers indication that "they can go below the yellow line on the last lap along the straightaway -- if they can see the checkers waving in the flagstand." This is a more convoluted and confusing version of the rule first espoused by Poston -- the implication being that Benson must have seen the checkers and therefore was legal to go below the yellow line for his pass at Daytona, while Smith made his move too early and therefore was illegal at Talladega.

But why would the yellow line be out of bounds for the first 186 laps of a Talladega race -- or anywhere else -- and not on the last lap? Why would officials plant this kind of "gray area" interpretation into drivers' heads and permit it to fester? And if they did, who can say with certainty exactly when any driver sees the checkered flag? He knows he's on the last lap and when he comes out of the final turn, to be sure, but this is the kind of murky and ambiguous rules interpretation that labels NASCAR as a joke in the eyes of many mainstream sports fans.

There are plenty of hard-core NASCAR fans who are expressing outrage and wondering what would have happened if it had been Stewart or Dale Earnhardt Jr. pulling off the same last-lap move on Regan Smith.

First off, it's doubtful a more experienced driver such as Stewart or Earnhardt would attempt to pass where they knew they might get themselves in serious trouble. They would have gone high, or at least forced the lead car to move higher up the track to block before diving low.

But if it had gone down in similar but reverse manner (meaning the bigger name going below the yellow line to pass the little-known rookie), you'd like to believe NASCAR would have done the right thing and called it the same way.

The only reason intelligent minds wonder about that is because NASCAR too often seems to encounter difficulty in understanding the difference between promoting controversy versus confusion, and which is good for the sport.

I reckon you'll take this bouquet as a sign of my gratitude, Mr. Stewart.

_________________
CSFMB: Home of the small minded