It seems like the 2016 NASCAR season just ended, but it’s already time to rev those engines for the start of the 2017 campaign. We have no points-paying races this weekend, but DraftKings has still opened up their contests for Saturday night’s Advance Auto Parts Clash at Daytona–and the payouts are actually pretty good. The $27 Victory Lane contest is awarding $15,000 to 1st place while the $3 Slingshot has a $4,000 prize for the top team. This is going to be a somewhat-typical restrictor plate race on Saturday night, so you should focus on place differential for the most part. With only 17 cars in the field, though, you’re going to have to think outside the box a bit if you plan on taking home any big prize money. Remember, the starting lineup was set via random draw for this race, and The Clash is only 75 laps in length–meaning there is only 56.25 FPTS up for grabs between laps led and fastest laps.
DraftKings Drivers to Target in The Clash
Photo Credit: Robert Laberge/Getty Images
Denny Hamlin ($8,600) – The Toyotas flexed their muscles in the second Clash practice on Friday night and they were led by none other than Denny Hamlin–who, in case you forgot, won this race last year along with the season-opening Daytona 500. On Saturday night the #11 Toyota will roll off the grid from 2nd, and while that isn’t ideal in a Fantasy NASCAR format like DraftKings, it’s actually worth the risk. If the Toyotas hook up and dominate this race on Saturday night, Hamlin is going to be in prime position to be out front for most of those laps because of his starting spot. Another positive aspect of building around Denny Hamlin this weekend is that he is moderately priced. The only negative with that is that he’s going to be pretty widely owned.
Joey Logano ($9,400) – A lot of eyes are going to be on the other Penske Ford of Brad Keselowski on Saturday night, but you really shouldn’t overlook Joey Logano. He wound up finishing 2nd in this race one year ago and followed that up with three finishes of 6th or better on restrictor plate tracks during the regular season, including his win at Talladega in October. Logano is a previous Daytona 500 champion and will start from back in 9th when Saturday night’s Clash goes green. He probably won’t make his way toward the front until mid-race, though, so hopefully there isn’t an early-race crash that collects the #22 Ford.
Photo Credit: Streeter Lecka/Getty Images
Kyle Larson ($7,000) – Larson got off to an absolutely terrible start on the restrictor plate race tracks during his rookie season but he rebounded in a big way (although quietly) last season; in the four races on the plate tracks in 2016, the #42 Chevrolet finished 7th and 6th in the two Daytona races and 29th and 6th in the Talladega events. In addition to his low salary this weekend, Larson will start in the bottom half of the field on Saturday night, and he’s aggressive enough that he should try to make his way to the front early. This #42 team ended the 2016 NASCAR season with quite a bit of momentum and will look to build on that here at Daytona over the next two weeks.
Matt Kenseth ($7,200) – With the way the salaries are set up for this weekend, you really shouldn’t run into cap issues. Still, it has to be noted how underpriced Matt Kenseth is. As stated before, the Toyotas once again look like the cars to beat here at Daytona, and while Kenseth has turned into a somewhat disappointing fantasy pick at these restrictor plate tracks, all he needs is to have a little good luck on race day and the #20 Toyota could very easily wind up in victory lane. Kenseth is an aggressive plate racer that loves to get out front and lead, and that’s the type of driver you want on your DraftKings team at Daytona. Add in the fact that he drew the 15th-place starting spot (out of 17 cars) and it’s a no-brainer: Matt Kenseth should be in your lineup on Saturday night. Expect his ownership percentage to be pretty high, though, so keep in mind that that opens the door to a fade opportunity.
Photo Credit: Brian Lawdermilk/NASCAR via Getty Images
The NASCAR season is a long one: spanning from February to November and encompassing 36 total points-paying races (with a few others along the way). And while a couple of those races races can tend to end up on the boring side, there’s a very easy way to make them more entertaining: Fantasy NASCAR.
In the Fantasy NASCAR world, there are plenty of games offered by some of the “big name” companies; Yahoo! Fantasy Auto Racing is one of the most popular on the internet, as well as FOX’s Fantasy Auto contest. NASCAR.com also offers their Fantasy Live game, although the popularity and competitiveness of that contest has dwindled since they took away the ‘pay to play’ aspect–and thus big cash prizes.
And that’s the problem. Many of the ‘big games’ are very fun and competitive, but what a lot of fantasy racers are looking for is to compete for cash prizes. There are many cash Fantasy NASCAR leagues available all over the internet, but which ones can you trust? Luckily for you, I have compiled a list of the best pay-to-play Fantasy NASCAR cash leagues, most of which I personally play in each season.
The Best 2017 Fantasy NASCAR Games with Cash Prizes
Leagues that allow you to pick a new team each week
The Showcase at Fantasy Racing Online – This year is the 7th running of The Showcase with over $6,000 in guaranteed cash prizes. Top prize is $1,000 with the weekly high score winning $75. For a signup fee of less than $2 per race, you select a team of 5 drivers each week and earn points based on their performance. Points are given many statistics, including laps led, +/- place differential, and finish in the stages as well as the overall race. Additionally, drivers are given handicap points each week depending on their recent performance and history at the track. Just $60 to play all year and a chance at some big money. Click here for more information.
Fantasy NASCAR Racin by Chris Townley – This is a small league (limited to 60 teams) but with some great competition. You have a 1 in 5 chance of winning money each race, and there is also prizes awarded for the top teams at the end of the season. With this contest, each week you select a certain number of drivers from four different groups to make up your team. Add in a whole bunch of NASCAR history on the website and a commish who loves the sport and it’s a whole lot of fun for just $86 for the entire season. Click here for more information.
FOX Fantasy Auto Cash Game – Annie & Michael Wright run a great game using the FOX Fantasy Auto game where it’s all about making the Chase. There is some great competition in their private league and it’s only $20 for the entire season. The private group name is The FRO Group and the password is friends . You can email Annie & Michael for more information at the17carwins@gmail.com
Pick Six Fantasy Racing – Do you remember the old salary cap game at NASCAR.com, where each team’s salary cap would increase or decrease each week depending on how their team did? This was and still is my absolute favorite Fantasy NASCAR format, and the guys at Pick Six have recreated it perfectly. This game requires, in my opinion, more skill and strategy than other games, but it is one of the best. Please contact Robert Boldrini or Robert Griese via email at picksixcommish@gmail.com
Pork Cup by Mark Silva – Most Fantasy NASCAR games allow you to make your weekly pick selections up until the green flag, but the Pork Cup takes that away and you have to enter your team before practice and qualifying. This definitely adds a nice twist and makes you read up on the upcoming race a little earlier. You pick five drivers per race and they can be any driver. It’s $75 for the entire season of Pork Cup action and either the top 5 or top 10 finishers get paid cash depending on total number of entries. If you’re interested, contact Mark Silva for more information at porkcupracing@hotmail.com
Legends of Nascar – This fantasy league piggybacks off of the NASCAR.com Fantasy Live game and is limited to the first 30 teams who sign up. The top 9 finishing teams get paid cash prizes with $350 going to the winner. The Legends of Nascar league is ran by Michael Branch, and you can get more information on the league by clicking here. To contact Michael and reserve your spot, click here.
Same roster or minimal trades all season
Salary Cap Challenge at Fantasy Racing Online – With a record 249 teams last season, our Salary Cap Challenge paid out over $6,000 prizes–and we hope to at least hit that many teams once again this year. This is a somewhat standard Fantasy NASCAR pool, where each team puts together an 8-car roster to use all season (although you are allowed 2 trades in the first 18 weeks). There’s one big thing that makes this game different, though: each team designates one of their cars as the “All Star Car,” which costs double the salary but earns double the points each week. Can you put together the best team? It’s only $30 per team to join, and the top 20 at the end of the season receive cash prizes. Click here for more information.
Fantasy NASCAR 4×4 at Fantasy Racing Online – Honestly, this might be one of the most unique Fantasy NASCAR contests out there, but at the same time it’s very simple. Each team selects 4 drivers and 4 races before the season starts. Your team scores points based on the performance of those 4 drivers, but only during those 4 races. Strategy really comes into play here. It’s only $15 per team to enter, so why not try it out? Click here for more information.
SVFD Race Pool– The Shrewsbury Volunteer Fire Department Annual Race Pool always gathers a bunch of entrants and this year’s champion is taking home a cool $4,000 in cash. This is a standard Fantasy NASCAR pool that requires each team to pick 8 drivers while staying under a salary cap. The $40 entry fee is also tax deductible! Click here for more information.
FantasyGames4U– The FantasyGames4U entry list is quite large, too, as this site paid out over $50,000 in prizes in 2016. This is also a standard pool contest with no trades during the season–you are stuck with the same roster from beginning to finish. It is $25 to join in on the FantasyGames4U fun and you can get more information by clicking here.
Fantasy NASCAR Pool – This is another well-run Fantasy NASCAR pool, and last season the top team took home $3,500. The entry fee is just $17 (or $20 Canadian) for the entire season, so it’s well worth looking into this contest. I’m not sure how long this league has been around but it is well established. Click here for more information.
Sports Fantasy Leagues – With nearly $10,000 in guaranteed prizes and just $50 to enter, the NASCAR game at Sports Fantasy Leagues is one you should definitely look into. Each team selects a roster of 12 drivers from 5 predetermined groups to carry for the season. You aren’t locked into that roster, though: if you’d like to make changes, you can do so for $2 per change.
Photo Credit: Jeff Zelevansky/NASCAR via Getty Images
The defending Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Rookie of the Year is no stranger to pressure. It was just 12 months ago that the now-21-year-old jumped into the famed #24 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports, a seat that sure-to-be Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon sat in for over two decades in the sport’s highest ranks–all while amassing 93 career victories and four total championships. But heading into his second full season in NASCAR’s top series, Chase Elliott might feel more pressure this year than he did last, and for one basic reason: his performance as a rookie.
Before the 2016 season, the young talent in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series was arguably at an all-time low. Only three of the previous nine Rookies of the Year still had a full-time ride at the start of last season, and that’s not very surprising when we have had the likes of Andy Lally, Stephen Leicht, and Brett Moffitt take the rookie crown over that time (no offense to those guys). But still, you had to go back all the way to 2009 (with Joey Logano) for the last time a rookie won a race while also winning Rookie of the Year honors.
Photo Credit: Todd Warshaw/Getty Images
And while you still have to go back that far (since Chase Elliott didn’t get to victory lane last season) it’s worth noting that Elliott posted ten top 5 finishes in the 36 total races last year and ended up finishing 10th in the points standings. We haven’t seen a rookie post that many top 5s since Kasey Kahne wound up with 13 in his first Cup season back in 2004. And as far as final points position is concerned, we haven’t seen a rookie end up inside the top 10 since Denny Hamlin finished 3rd back in 2006. Chase added another seven top 10 finishes (for a total of 17) throughout his first full Cup season, which tied Kyle Larson for the most by a rookie since, once again, Denny Hamlin in 2006.
The Sophomore Slump
When the Rookie of the Year is coming off of such a strong initial season, it’s easy to be fearful of the “Sophomore Slump”–and especially at a time like now, where we have really only had one legitimate rookie in the last six years: Kyle Larson. Back in 2014, Larson posted one of the best statistical first seasons that NASCAR has seen in quite some time, with eight top 5 finishes along with seventeen top 10s. No, he never got to victory lane in his first year, but Larson made a statement that season, and all the while driving in a car that wasn’t (and still isn’t) quite in the ‘top tier’ equipment category in the Cup garage.
Photo Credit: Daniel Shirey/NASCAR via Getty Images
Still, despite all that potential, Larson followed up his impressive rookie campaign with a dud of a season in his sophomore year. His average finished dropped from 14.2 to 19.3 and he wound up with just two top 5s and ten top 10s–quite the disappointment for fantasy owners who were expecting a breakout year from the Elk Grove, California talent.
Still, it’s actually quite rare for a driver to get into a NASCAR Cup car and immediately become a contender in his or her first couple of seasons. Let’s not forget that Joey Logano–who was heralded as “the best thing since sliced bread” when he arrived on the scene–really didn’t emerge as an ‘elite’ driver until the 2014 season, a full five years after he first started driving in NASCAR’s top series.
For a sport that’s all about going fast, it takes time for young talent to establish themselves.
In Chase Elliott’s first season in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, he showed the poise and driving ability to immediately make an impact in this sport. He had the best car in two or three races, but the #24 team could never quite get everything to fall into place to get to victory lane in 2016. The outlook for the 2017 season, however, is very bright. And part of the reason it is so bright is because Chase drivers for arguably the strongest organization in NASCAR.
Photo Credit: Sean Gardner/NASCAR via Getty Images
Chevrolet and Hendrick Motorsports are always at or near the top of the list whenever you are discussing the strength of their race cars. And that strength was more apparent than ever last season, when Jimmie Johnson took home his seventh Cup Series championship. However, when you look at it on paper, his season really wasn’t that great: for the first time in his career, Johnson finished outside of the top 10 more often than inside. Still, he performed when it mattered the most and still wound up in victory lane on five separate occasions.
Chase Elliott’s 2017 Fantasy NASCAR Outlook
The million-dollar question for many Fantasy NASCAR players is simple: in 2017, will Chase Elliott be able to come close (or even better) the results from his 2016 campaign? This is especially true for those that enjoy “pool-style” fantasy contests, where you establish a roster at the beginning of the year and keep that same team for the whole season (with maybe a couple of trades). I know people are struggling with this answer right here on our site, too, as one of our two big Fantasy NASCAR contests is the Salary Cap Challenge–a “pool-style” contest that had over $6,000 in prizes last season (if you’d like more information on that, click here).
Photo Credit: Jeff Gross/Getty Images
Overall, it looks as though Elliott is going to be able to have another solid season in 2017. Yes, the “sophomore slump” has affected quite a few drivers over the years, and it’s not common to hear such a young driver at the forefront of conversations in regards to top fantasy potential. However, it’s been a very long time since the Cup Series has had a driver with not only this much talent, but also poise behind the steering wheel. Chase Elliott acts and drives like he has been racing against the ‘big boys’ for ten years, and that only makes his peers respect him even more. It’s not uncommon to see a veteran bump a overzealous rookie out of the way late in the race, but they might think twice about doing that with Chase Elliott–and that could very easily get the #24 Chevrolet into victory lane this season.
One reservation and concern that you do have to think of when it comes to Hendrick Motorsports and Chase Elliott in 2017, however, is just how well they are going to cope with the loss of Stewart-Haas Racing in their wheelhouse. That mutually beneficial racing relationship had many good outcomes for both teams, albeit in a behind-the-scenes type of way. Now the Hendrick organization’s closest ‘ally’ will be Chip Ganassi Racing, for which Kyle Larson and Jamie McMurray drive for. Those two operations extended their deal last November, as Hendrick provides Ganassi with engines for their two cars. As far as those two teams working together, though, the benefit for Hendrick is minimal, and we’ve already seen the increase in performance out of the Ganassi drivers: two wins since switching over in 2013, and both Larson and McMurray made the playoffs in 2016.
Editor’s Note: These off the cuff reactions have not been entirely well thought-out, and are essentially immediate reactions to the news that NASCAR shared today.
It really is out with the old and in with the new.
As NASCAR sees a wave of promising, fresh talent entering the ranks of its top series, the organization dropped a major bombshell today in announcing an entirely new racing format for the 2017 Monster Energy Cup season.
All races will now consist of three stages (25%, 25%, and 50% in length, respectively, of the total race distance) with specific points being awarded at the conclusion of each. The winners of the first two segments will receive one playoff point as well as ten championship points, while the drivers finishing between 2nd through 10th will receive nine, eight, seven, etc. championship points.
In the final (and longest) stage, drivers will compete for the title of race winner with five playoff points and forty championship points on the line for getting to victory lane–as well as, essentially, a guaranteed spot in the playoffs. The driver who finishes 2nd will receive thirty-five championship points, and so on and so forth until you get down to the 36th through 40th finishers, who will all receive one championship point.
Photo Credit: Robert Laberge/Getty Images
Drivers will now be encouraged and rewarded for racing hard during all points of a race, as well as the entire regular season. Possibly the most noteworthy in all of this, however, is the fact that the playoff points earned during the regular season will now be carry forward through the first three rounds of the playoffs.
For example, under this new format, Brad Keselowski, who won four times in the regular season last year, would have had at least twenty playoff points to use a cushion in the first three rounds to try and secure his spot at Homestead in 2016. It will probably now take multiple bad races in one playoff round for a driver in that position to not make the Championship Race at Homestead instead of just one bad outing.
The end of in-season testing?
The previous format of NASCAR’s Chase (which, by the way, is no longer the title, as it is now just considered the playoffs) allowed a driver who won early in the year–and locked themselves into the Chase–to experiment at some of the tracks during the regular season, and why not? After all, it’d be better to have an advantage when it mattered: in the final ten races.
Under NASCAR’s new format, however, drivers and teams are now more than ever discouraged from possibly using races as a “throwaway” to try and find some kind of advantage for later with an experimental set in their race cars.
Photo Credit: Sean Gardner/NASCAR via Getty Images
Last year we saw Jimmie Johnson and the #48 team have one of the worst stretches of finishes we’ve seen from them; in the fifteen races from mid-April to mid-August, Johnson had just three top 10 finishes while posting ten results outside of the top 15 completely. Once things started to really matter, though (the start of the Chase), the #48 team was back to its normal self and, as you probably remember, ended up taking home the championship in November.
In 2017, the drivers that consistently run (and finish) up front will be in the best position at the end of the season to possibly take home the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup trophy. But not only that, it should increase the competition for every single race this season, and bring back some of the excitement that this sport has been missing for quite a while now.
NASCAR may have finally got something right.
It’s easy to harp on NASCAR for the shortcomings and flawed plans we have seen over the past decade. However, when you look at this entire new format they have introduced, you can tell that the organization has put a lot of time into trying to really better the sport. And for the first time in a while, it looks like they may have finally hit a home run–after, sadly, having quite a few swing and misses lately.
The new “stage” format of Cup races should decrease the amount of drivers simply “waiting it out” and/or logging laps until the second half of the race. While it is impossible to completely eradicate that strategy of some drivers, the awarding of playoff points now gives the top ten to fifteen drivers of each segment a reason to race harder in the earlier parts of the race while also throwing in the possibility of more strategy and gamble calls to try and take a stage win.
Photo Credit: Daniel Shirey/Getty Images
Additionally, and as mentioned before, the fact that playoff points are carried through the first three rounds of the playoffs puts an even higher emphasis on winning. The awarding of a single playoff point for winning a race stage is quite a small reward, but at the same time, it is absolutely necessary. One of the worst things about previous NASCAR point systems was the fact that a car could be absolutely dominant for 95% of the race and then blow a tire on the final lap and only have a bad finish (and minimal points) to show for it. Those days aren’t entirely gone, but it’s a step in the right direction.
With all that being said, NASCAR’s decision today really shifted even more championship potential to the top teams in the series. They are awarding drivers even more for not only being consistent but also running up front, and with the playoff points carrying through the first nine races of the postseason, it will be incredibly difficult for someone like Kevin Harvick or Jimmie Johnson to not make it to Homestead. Yes, all it takes is a win to automatically advance to the next round of the playoffs, but it’s still going to be harder for a driver like Kyle Larson to get hot at the right time and end up being crowned the Monster Energy Cup champion. But that’s what a true champion is all about, right? One who performs well over the course of the whole year, not just a few races.
How Will This Affect Fantasy NASCAR?
It will be interesting to see how the rest of the Fantasy NASCAR world reacts to today’s news. As far as the leagues that are offered here on Fantasy Racing Online, I will say that I am leaning toward definitely implementing additional fantasy points based off of the stage concept. I’m not quite as sure with the other games, and I welcome your feedback in the comment section below in regards to all of that.
When it comes to handicapping and actually picking drivers on a week-by-week basis, I personally love this new format by NASCAR. One of the hardest things that I personally struggled with over the last couple of years was whether or not a driver was actually going out there to run hard in the regular season after already being locked into the Chase. These wholesale changes by NASCAR should give us a clearer glimpse into what to expect on race day, and I couldn’t be more excited about that.
Photo Credit: Sean Gardner/NASCAR via Getty Images
First and foremost, thank you to everyone who played at Fantasy Racing Online this season. 2016 was the biggest year for this site on many fronts: we had our highest number of teams playing in our 7 (yes, 7) different Fantasy NASCAR contests, and with the addition of my weekly fantasy advice articles, we also gained some new faces that regularly checked the website there. My goals with spending the time writing those articles were simple: 1.) provide fantasy guidance for those who needed it the most, and 2.) to hopefully get those new people to try out our games next season.
If this was your first year at Fantasy Racing Online, there’s one thing I’m dedicated to: making the Fantasy NASCAR contests here the best they can possibly be. This website and group of members has grown exponentially since I started it back in 2012, and that couldn’t be done without the help of you. Below I have a small write-up for each different game here along with my vision for the future with it. I’d love to hear your ideas, though, and you can send those in via this survey I put together (click here), or by simply leaving a comment in the dedicated section at the bottom of this post. You can always email me, too, if you’d like to keep the conversation private.
So, once again, thank you very much, and I hope to see you back for the 2017 season. For anyone that is owed prize money, you will be hearing from me soon. Thank you for your patience, there is quite a bit to go through.
The Showcase
Despite having an awesome Segment 6 that they won by nearly 100 points, Balls to the Wall was not able to catch Danicas Pole Position on the Overall Leaderboard and will now relinquish the Showcase crown. If you remember back to last season, Balls to the Wall was the 2015 Showcase Champion. I believe this is the third time that the Showcase Champion has went on to finish 2nd the following year. rmiller did it after winning our inaugural game back in 2012, and then Rocky Top did it after winning the 2013 Showcase. Danicas Pole Position is also our inaugural Showcase Chase champion, so they’re getting a nice little return on their initial investment.
MY THOUGHTS ON THE STATUS OF THE SHOWCASE: This is still our flagship game, and the number of people playing this season saw a nice jump from last year (as did the prizes). As far as the scoring, I’m always looking for ways to improve the games here. I think the handicap system in The Showcase works, but only to a mid-level extent. I do like the idea of adding in place differential points as a part of The Showcase, and maybe even points for laps led. Awarding points for laps led would provide a “safeguard” in the event that a driver dominates a race but wrecks in the closing laps. I’m very open to any any new suggestions as well. How would you like to see The Showcase change next year? Let me know in the Comments below or fill out my survey (the link is near the bottom of this page).
2nd Half Showcase
We had a pretty decent turnout in the 2nd Half Showcase this season (58 teams) and it was Balls to the Wall who took home the championship. Congratulations to that team on a great season all the way around.
MY THOUGHTS ON THE STATUS OF THE 2nd HALF SHOWCASE: The 2nd Half Showcase is a bit different than our original Showcase game, as this one ditches the handicap values for each driver and introduces a salary cap into the mix. I really like this format personally, but the manual work I have to do with each week does make for a long 2nd half of the season. That reason is why I am hesitant on implementing the salary cap aspect into The Showcase. Overall I think the format for the 2nd half game works pretty well and I don’t see a huge need to change much here.
Salary Cap Challenge
We had a record number of teams play in the Salary Cap Challenge this season, so I picked a pretty bad time to make the blunder that I did. Due to the pricing structure of the drivers this season, we wound up with a lot of duplicate rosters among the 249 teams. I do have a plan to avoid that next season, though. As far as 2016 goes, congratulations are in order for our co-champions, Cain Racing #2 and rmiller. There was a lot of movement among teams in the top 10 in the final week but those two stayed strong on top.
MY THOUGHTS ON THE STATUS OF THE SALARY CAP CHALLENGE: With this year’s 2nd Half Salary Cap Challenge, we had the “All Star Car” (which scores double points and costs double the salary). This only made sense, as that is kind of the differentiating factor of Fantasy Racing Online, and there’s a 99% chance that it will be introduced with the 2017 full-season Salary Cap Challenge. This will make the likelihood of duplicate rosters extremely low, and will also make it easier for teams to make up points from week to week. Another idea I’m thinking of is paying out a prize for each weekly winner. I’ll have to think more about that over the offseason, but I’d love to hear your thoughts.
2nd Half Salary Cap Challenge
Congratulations to American Muscle, the champion of the first annual 2nd Half Salary Cap Challenge. I wish the prizes were a little bit higher for this game, but unfortunately the signups for this game were a little lower than expected. Part of that could be attributed to the new format and the All Star Driver, though, as that aspect can sometimes be confusing–especially for those that have never played a game with one before.
MY THOUGHTS ON THE STATUS OF THE 2nd HALF SALARY CAP CHALLENGE: I don’t really see the need to change much in this game next season, although I am open to any ideas you may have. I thought this format worked quite well.
Fantasy NASCAR 4×4
The inaugural champion of the Fantasy NASCAR 4×4 is Earnhart3fan, who edged out Fantasy NASCAR expert @FantasyRace by 4 points and F&B by 9 points to take home the crown. Those are the three teams that will take home cash from this game, and it’s interesting to note that none of them used the “Restrictor Plate Bonus.” The teams that finished 4th and 5th both did, though. So it seems like those 30 bonus points weren’t quite worth it this season, but it was close.
MY THOUGHTS ON THE STATUS OF THE FANTASY NASCAR 4×4: I think this new game and format confused people this season, but we still got a very nice turnout. This game will definitely be returning in 2017. The one change that might be made is a salary cap structure to select your four drivers simply so we have a more wide range of picks for the scoring. Also, it might be wise to have on designated driver be the “All Star Driver” and score double–that’s kind of the thing that makes Fantasy Racing Online different than the rest. What do you think? Take our survey (link at the top of this post) or leave a comment at the bottom of this page!
Auction Series
I have updated the results page with a profit/loss column, and as you can see, four drivers actually turned a profit this season. From a pure wins perspective, Martin Truex, Jr. was the biggest bargain this season, as he won myrtlemagic $283.28 after a $161.00 preseason investment. The biggest winner this season was taylor1, though, as they owned the champion Jimmie Johnson.
MY THOUGHTS ON THE STATUS OF THE AUCTION SERIES: The Auction Series still remains one of my favorite “original idea” games here at Fantasy Racing Online. With the technical glitches resolved this year, the bidding went very smooth, and the format is straightforward enough that everyone gets it. The only potential change I could see making here next season is a tweak of the payouts (awarding more for wins and less for the championship).
Pick Six Contest
The Pick Six Contest was a free game offered to any team that signed up for The Showcase this season and had a $100 prize for the overall winner. And…drumroll please…the 2016 Pick Six Contest Champion is Waterslager2with a total score of 169 points. Congratulations!
MY THOUGHTS ON THE STATUS OF THE PICK SIX CONTEST: The format for the Pick Six Contest is very easy and straightforward, and I feel like those who play this game have a good time doing so. I’d like to hear comments from those of you who played every week on what you think of it as well as any possible changes.
Practice and qualifying for this year's Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway are scheduled to take place on Saturday evening, but the weather forecast...
