Let's do a 2008 fantasy NASCAR league!

[jackelope]

Yahoo! has opened up registration for this year's fantasy NASCAR season. Last year's league, started by Uncommon Sense, was a lot of fun; shall we do another?

I'd start a league myself, but I can't quite seem to figure out how. Uncommon Sense, want to step up again this year?

[El_Kabong]

I love this game, and have played in SDMB leagues for three years straight. Last year's competition was the best yet, with five players all within a few dozen points of each other at season's end.

As no one else has responded, therefore, I've gone ahead and created a group (SDMB 2008) for the Board. Interested persons can join at any time, but to have the best chance of winning, you should sign up no later than Feb. 17th, when driver selection for Daytona closes.

To join:

1. Go to Yahoo Fantasy Auto Racing

2. Click on the button labeled "Sign up now"

3. You will be taken to a sign-in page; if you already have a Yahoo! ID you can sign in with that; if not you will need to register (free)

4. When you have signed in and are returned to the Fantasy Auto Racing home page, select the item "Create a Team"; you will be prompted to select a team name; you can then select drivers for the first race, or wait until later to do so

5. When you have finished creating your team, return to the Fantasy Auto Racing Home Page, and select the item "Join a Group"

6. On the page titled "Join Group Type", select "Join a Private Group"; when prompted enter the following information:

Group ID#: 19342
Password: straightdope

7. You're in!

All are welcome; you don't have to be a member of the Board to join in.

If you have need assistance, post to this thread or on the group's message board and I'll get back to you as soon as I can.

Good luck.

[jackelope]

Thanks, El_Kabong! I'll sign up now.

Anyone else?

[Cyberhwk]

Could anyone explain how this works? I know a little NASCAR (always root for the yeller car, go fast, turn left, etc.) but have no idea how a fantasy league might work.

[Cluricaun]

Alright I'm in. I don't like or understand why my favorite driver isn't available in the "A" list, but my second favorite is so we're good to go. Watch me kick some serious arse with my Truex/Bowyer combonation. Let's go racing!

[El_Kabong]

Originally Posted by Cyberhwk

Could anyone explain how this works? I know a little NASCAR (always root for the yeller car, go fast, turn left, etc.) but have no idea how a fantasy league might work.

The Yahoo fantasy game allows players to select drivers for each race of the NASCAR season. Points are awarded proportionally for the finishing positions of each driver selected, starting at 100 points for the winner, and dropping to 2 points or so for 43rd. Bonus points are awarded for the top five qualifiers in each race, for leading a lap during the race, and for leading the most laps in the race. Highest points at the end of the season wins the league.

Drivers are selected from an 'A', 'B', and 'C' list, based on previous performance: the 'A' drivers are are the top ten in NASCAR points for 2007, 'B' the next twenty or so, and 'C' the back markers, rookies and part-timers.

You can choose up to 8 drivers pers race (2 'A', 4 'B', 2 'C') but only four can be active for a given race (1 'A', 2 "B', 1 'C'). In addition, you can only choose a given driver 9 times in a season, so there is some strategy involved in selecting drivers. You can't, for example, simply choose Jimmie Johnson and let him ride for every race.

You generally have to set your eight-driver team no later than the day before qualifying, and you can select the four active drivers up to five minutes before race time. Hope all this makes sense.

Speaking for myself, I only spend about 10-15 minutes each week selecting my team for the next race, and I've scored in the 90th percentile every season I've played.

Let me know if anything's not clear.

[Cluricaun]

That's right. Truex finished 11th in points last season, the scheduling of the drivers makes sense then. Do the lists reset after Daytona to reflect current standings, or does it stay with the 2007 points all season?

[El_Kabong]

Originally Posted by Cluricaun

That's right. Truex finished 11th in points last season, the scheduling of the drivers makes sense then. Do the lists reset after Daytona to reflect current standings, or does it stay with the 2007 points all season?

No, the driver lists are fixed now and will remain the same all season. The only exception I know of is that if a new driver who is not already on the lists happens to enter a race, he or she will be added to the 'C' list.

[Trunk]

I'm in.

I was already in another group so I just joined this. I'm the Baltimore Mark Club of Maryland.

[El_Kabong]

Oh yeah, one more thing, as it may not be clear in my earlier post: the nine-race limit applies to drivers actually activated for a race. If a driver is on your team but is not active, the race doesn't count for him.

[jackelope]

Cyberhwk, if it sounds intimidating, don't worry; you'll figure it out pretty quickly. I was the world's most casual NASCAR fan before we did this last year, and I had a ball. Like El-Kabong, I spent only about 15-20 minutes choosing my drivers each week, and I did pretty well.

Yahoo gives "expert" picks before each race (though I think I actually did better than some of the experts last year), plus a weekly in-depth race preview you can read in PDF format. That was about all the research I did last year.

One other thing to understand: This differs from other fantasy sports in that multiple fantasy players can pick the same driver in the same race.

By the way, I've got a few non-Doper friends who, after listening to me talk about it last year, expressed interest in trying it this season. I'm going to invite them to join as well.

[as_u_wish]

I just signed up Pit Bunny Racing for another season. This was great fun last year. Let's try to chatter a little more this time around--I get lonely for intelligent NASCAR conversation.

Drive Fast! Turn Left! Keep the Shiney Side Up!

[Cyberhwk]

OK, sounds like I can't say no. Now for my witty team name...

[El_Kabong]

OK, great, that makes six players so far. Anyone else?

[flickster]

Checkered Demon is back once again. Looking forward to the green flag....

[Trunk]

Originally Posted by jackelope

By the way, I've got a few non-Doper friends who, after listening to me talk about it last year, expressed interest in trying it this season. I'm going to invite them to join as well.

Not that I care if they're in the SDMB league, but you can make and join multiple groups. I'm in one with the work buddies. We get side bets and trash talk going.

[as_u_wish]

My husband just signed on to the SDMB leage as "Pooh Bear." I'm not exactly sure how this relates to Pit Bunny Racing...

[El_Kabong]

Originally Posted by as_u_wish

My husband just signed on to the SDMB leage as "Pooh Bear." I'm not exactly sure how this relates to Pit Bunny Racing...

Just checked the SDMB listing and his team hasn't shown up yet. Did he join the league?

Meanwhile, we're up to eight teams now. Plenty of room for more...

[RogueRacer]

Count me in. Just try not to let me beat you all by 500 points again.

[jackelope]

A friend of mine joined up as "Zeno."

And I'm trying to convince another one as well; he's got a gigantic projection TV and watching Talladega on it is awe-inspiring. If he's got a rooting interest in the races, he'll be more likely to let me come over and watch them.

[milquetoast]

I'm in again this year as Robot Chicken Racing, hoping to do better than last year's 12th out of 12. (I'm the 11th to join, so if no one else joins I'm guarenteed to do beter than 12th.)

[Boggette]

I'm in. Didn't do too well last year, though. Hopefully I now understand the rules a bit better.

[El_Kabong]

Outstanding. Welcome aboard!

[Suse]

I'm in; I'm trying to learn to like Nascar and maybe this will help.

[Tazmanian Devil]

Tazmanian Devil's Pit Crew ready for action!

[tsm]

I'm in, as a relatively new NASCAR fan.

[El_Kabong]

That gets the league up to 16 participants, which I believe is the largest number of players in all the SDMB NASCAR leagues so far.

It would seem a 'woo hoo' is in order.

[flickster]

the more the merrier

[Uncommon Sense]

OK, I'm in. I started a group and I'll put that on hold for now.
I took too long and didn't see this thread till after I started a group.

I think I'll try to delete that group and join this one.

[El_Kabong]

Good to see ya again, Uncommon.

[jackelope]

OK, apparently I made so much noise about the league last year that my (Inernet-savvy) father now wants to join, and I can't really think of a plausible reason not to invite him. He wants to have something for him and me to talk about when there's no football, and I can't deny him that.

However...

Having posted some uncomfortable things on the Dope about my family and personal life (but not about him) in the past, I'd appreciate it if folks would keep talk of the Dope to a minimum on the Yahoo! board.

(If anyone has a suggestion of a better way to deal with this, I'm all ears. It will be tomorrow (Wednesday) afternoon before I answer his e-mail.)

[El_Kabong]

No prob. I promise not to mention goats, squid or sheep, and certainly not in the same sentence.

Anyway, most of the teams don't clearly indicate who's who on the Dope.

Seriously, though, I've also invited my brother in, and I plan to be a bit discreet for the same reasons.

[Uncommon Sense]

Yeah, and my team (Da StraightDopers) will be a reference to the performance enhancing drug phenomena making the circles in sports these days.

[Uncommon Sense]

I also went ahead and changed my Team name to Slowleak, Inc.

[jackelope]

Thanks, Uncommon Sense. Loks like Dad's already joined, with a team called "Take No Prisoners." This is odd; feels like I'm "crossing the streams."

[Cluricaun]

So when does the weekly deadline pass so we can see who everyone picked for drivers?

[El_Kabong]

Originally Posted by Cluricaun

So when does the weekly deadline pass so we can see who everyone picked for drivers?

Normally, you can see the other teams' drivers on the day of qualifying, once the deadline for driver selection has passed. For the Daytona 500, however, I believe the eight drivers on one's team can be selected right up to five minutes before race time, so presumably you won't be able to see the other teams' drivers until then.

[Cluricaun]

Originally Posted by El_Kabong

Normally, you can see the other teams' drivers on the day of qualifying, once the deadline for driver selection has passed. For the Daytona 500, however, I believe the eight drivers on one's team can be selected right up to five minutes before race time, so presumably you won't be able to see the other teams' drivers until then.

Excellent. Thanks for the answer. Can't wait to smoke you all on Sunday!

[Spit]

The Hardened Arteries are ready to go.

[El_Kabong]

Nineteen players in the league with about 15 hours to race time. Good luck, everyone who'll be fighting for second after me...

[RogueRacer]

Talk is cheap. I have a quite a bit of scoreboard to back me up! It's a new season though, so all I can really say is... just bring it!

[flickster]

Enuff of the sucketh network stuff already - Let's Git to the Start Your Engines

[Cluricaun]

Ryan Newman?!?!?!

[El_Kabong]

Well, that's Daytona. A crap shoot, as ever.

Those new cars are tough, though. Johnson and Martin, to name just two, finished on the lead lap after accidents that likely would have put them behind the wall in the old car.

Looks like two teams in our league came pretty close to nailing the finish. The rest, including me, chose...poorly.

Onward to Fontana!

[Spit]

[RogueRacer]

Typical Daytona start for me. I pick cars that run good at various times, but don't see the finish. I should have known better than to waste a Johnson pick here though.