Brad (Cheating Cheaters)
1-Jimmie Johnson (48)
12-Matt Kenseth (17)
18-Jeff Burton (31)
19-Joey Logano (20)
30-Scott Speed (82)
Commish analysis: Casual fan Brad would root against this collection as if it were wearing a #18 Colts jersey. Instead, fantasy fan Brad gets to rejoice every time Jimmie corruptly makes his way into victory lane. Best pick: Logano at 19 could give the Cheaters four legit Chase contenders. Worst pick: Speed at 30 is our version of Mr. Irrelevant.
Joe (Paper Chasers)
2-Kyle Busch (18)
11-Kevin Harvick (29)
17-Brian Vickers (83)
20-David Reutimann (00)
29-Regan Smith (78)
Commish analysis: Shrewd strategy saw Joe take my favorite driver (Kyle) and Brad's (Harvick) in the first two rounds, right before each of us picked. Should be excellent at Vickers' specialty of 1.5- to 2-mile tracks. Best pick: Smith at 29 could be a hidden gem with his safe driving record, a full-time ride and the RCR tie-in. Worst pick: Harvick at 11 with Kahne, Newman and Kenseth still on the board.
Chad (Redneck Tribe Motorsports)
3-Jeff Gordon (24)
10-Juan Pablo Montoya (42)
16-Dale Earnhardt Jr. (88)
21-Martin Truex Jr. (56)
28-David Ragan (6)
Commish analysis: The good news is the Tribe has two Hendrick drivers and one Roush guy. The bad news is they are the worst of their stables. The entire team had a combined one race win in 2009. Best pick: The 10 spot had no real slam dunk but Montoya should be a consistent top-15 driver, which is critical when we're scoring five every week. Worst pick: Perhaps the biggest reach of the draft was taking Dale Jr. at 16 after the fledgling driver finished 25th in points a year ago and looked terrible in the Gatorade Duels.
Matt (Smoke Bombs)
4-Tony Stewart (14)
9-Carl Edwards (99)
15-Ryan Newman (39)
22-Jamie McMurray (1)
27-Sam Hornish Jr. (77)
Commish analysis: Like last year, Foges compiled a terrific top three in Chase drivers Stewart, Edwards and Newman. An exciting strategy to take both members of the Tony Stewart Racing team. Best pick: Newman at 15 was a steal after a strong 2009 season. He lasted way too long. Worst pick: Hornish at 27 could single-handedly ruin the team chances with his propensity for DNFs.
Todd (Shake and Bake)
5-Kurt Busch (2)
8-Greg Biffle (16)
14-Clint Bowyer (33)
23-Marcos Ambrose (47)
26-Elliott Sadler (19)
Commish analysis: As noted by more than one person, Todd's roster is 80% identical to that of his identical twin brother in 2009 (Bowyer is the exception). Of course, Brad's team edged Matt's for the money title last year so Todd knows what he's doing. Poised to make a strong introduction to the league. Best pick: Ambrose at 23 was the right call; the Tasmanian driver has the potential to provide a few top-10s a month, a huge catapult coming from a late fourth-rounder. Worst pick: While Kurt Busch is clearly a top-10 driver, it could be second-guessed to leave Martin and Hamlin on the table at 5.
Quang (Racin' Kahne)
6-Denny Hamlin (11)
7-Mark Martin (5)
13-Kasey Kahne (9)
24-Brad Keselowski (12)
25-A.J. Allmendinger (43)
Commish analysis: A truly solid draft from top to bottom with three returning Chase drivers and a roster that combined for 12 wins in 2009. Quang already is showing that breaking free from the Joe Fleming shackles is paying off. Best pick: A tie at 6-7 with Hamlin-Martin. Both are top-five drivers and could be the catalysts for a huge season. Worst pick: Keselowski at 24 is an exciting choice with upside but his reckless reputation could result in a lot of team-score-damaging DNFs.
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Not really too much to cover but here are the ground rules (we can revise to fill in gaps):
1) Scoring.
Each week the owner of the race winner wins money, as does the owner with the best team score -- which is defined as the sum total of all five drivers in your stable. In case of a tie, we'll split the money (no tiebreaker). If nobody owns the individual winner, the individual prize will carry over to the next week.
2) Money.
Lots of ways to make money. We each agree to put up $4 a race and, if desired, an extra $1 for the All-Star Race in May. Money is not due until after the season, at which point the Commissioner will coordinate the "settling up" process. How the funds break down:
$20 - Owner of Cup champion
$5 - For each driver that makes the Chase
$7 ind./$14 team - For all races unless noted
$9 ind./$18 team - Mid-major (defined below)
$10 ind./$21 team - Daytona 500
$6 - All-Star Race winner (individual only) - optional (I vote yes)
Mid-majors:
* Coca-Cola 600 (Lowe's), May 30
* Irwin Tools Night Race (Bristol), Aug. 21
* Amp Energy 500 (Talladega), Oct. 31
3) Waivers, lineups.
Each week you will want to make sure you have a five-driver stable. If you do not have five drivers in a race, you will be ineligible for the team prize (but eligible for an individual win). There are two ways to acquire a free agent driver:
a) E-mail the Commissioner privately (leskanic02@yahoo.com or cleistik@usatoday.com) by 11:59 p.m. ET each Tuesday of race weeks with your desired move. If more than one owner has a claim on that driver by 11:59 p.m. ET Tuesday, the owner lowest in the money standings shall be awarded the driver. If there is a tie in the money standings, the owner with the most last-place finishes, most fifth-place finishes, and so on will be awarded the driver.
*OR*
b) After 11:59 p.m. ET each Tuesday, you may make a drop/add of a driver, but ONLY BY REPLYING TO THE ENTIRE LEAGUE, all the way up until the green flag drops on race day. Once a driver is dropped, he is unavailable until the following week's waiver period. The only exception: If the driver has been owned for less than a week, then he is instantly available as a free agent. In other words, if Matt acquires Mike Bliss on Wednesday then drops him on Saturday, somebody else could pick up Bliss in time for Sunday's race.
4) Injuries.
If your driver starts a race but does not finish, you still get credit for wherever the car finishes (the Denny Hamlin Rule?). Additionally, since we are all required to start five drivers, there will be special exceptions made for injured drivers. Let's say Jimmie Johnson is going to miss 2 weeks with a back-of-throat injury from giving Chad Knaus head in their trailer. Instead of being forced to waive Johnson or go with four drivers, the #48's owner would get to place Johnson on a temporary IR and replace him with a free agent, with that owner getting the first crack at the #48 replacement driver (if not previously owned by somebody in the league).
5) Other loose ends.
The Commissioner has authority to rule on all matters not specifically covered in these rules.
