League News
 Title:  Johnson dominates Dover, Eyes 4th title
 Author:  Senator Will Riney
 Dated:  October 1, 2009
Jimmie Johnson led 271 laps Sunday en route to winning the AAA 400 at Dover International Speedway. His fourth win of the season propelled him up into second place in the Chase standings only 10 points behind race runner-up Mark Martin. At the age of 50 years old, Mark Martin not only leads the points, but is also the sentimental favorite to win the championship. Matt Kenseth rebounded for a 3rd place finish in a season that saw him win the first 2 races of the season only to drop off the radar and miss the Chase. Surprising Juan Pablo Montoya finished 4th and not sits in third in the Chase standings, 65 points out of the lead. Kurt Busch took the 5th spot Sunday and sits 10 points behind Montoya in the standings, holding down the 4th spot. If I was Jimmie Johnson, I would clear out a spot in the trophy case for my 4th straight championship trophy.....

In Victory Lane, non-Chaser Hall of Fame Racing (Nate B) stole the show with a big win. Ginn Racing (Mark W) took 2nd place and jumped up into the 3rd spot in the standings behind Penske (Andy B) and BAM (Daniel S). Joe Gibbs Racing (Ray P) finished in third spot and sits 8th in the standings. Rudd Performance (Todd B) and points leader Penske (Andy B) rounded out the top 5 finishers. With only 3 races left (Kansas, California and Lowes), the top 5 in points are separated by 50 points and the top 10 by less than 100 points. It seems way too early for anyone to claim an inside track to the championship, but those in the top 5 right now have a decent cushion that could prove to be the difference down the final stretch.

 League News
 Title:  Martin holds off Taco to win 5th race of the year!
 Author:  Daniel Schmittou
 Dated:  September 21, 2009
Sentimental favorite Mark Martin won his fifth race of the year at New Hampshire Motor Speedway Sunday taking a 35 point lead over Denny Hamlin and Jimmy Johnson. Martin somewhat of a surprise winner held off a hard charging Juan (Taco) Pablo Montoya who accused Martin of slowing him up in turn two with 2 laps to go. Taco stated after the race that next time he would hit him but not wreck him because of respect for Mark. We'll see how that works out down the road. Taco seemed to have the fastest car all day, but when it counted the wiley veteran in Martin held on for the win. It was Montoya's 100th Nascar start.

Meanwhile Tony Stewart is still slipping as he has for the last seven races or so. I wonder whats up with that team? Could it be his luck has been too good so far and now its catching up to him? We'll see. Kyle Busch who has stated he will do anything he can to help team mate Denny Hamlin win the championship seemed to be true to his word. He passed brother Kurt on the last lap pushing Kurt 4 more points back. We'll see if this sticks because Kyle's car failed a post race inspection. He could get some penalty that could give these points back to Kurt. We'll see how that works out as well.

 League News
 Title:  VL Playoffs 2009
 Author:  Commissioner John Krygier
 Dated:  September 13, 2009
Cardinal Motorsports and Faith Motorsports were the first 2 teams that were just out of the Chase heading into Week 15. It turns out that those same teams finished in the bottom two spots at the Rock & Roll 400 ruining any chance that they had. Meanwhile, our top team heading into Week 15, Dale Earnhardt Inc, forfeited this week. That will mean little since they are in the Chase and the points are realigned by the number of victories each team earned.

So it turns out that the top teams entering this weekend, ended up making the Chase. On the standings page, I will keep the regular season points and total points earned by the playoff players. While there is a huge difference between first and twelfth during the regular season, the separation of these teams are now just 30 points- thanks to the new Chase rules that value victories.

 League News
 Title:  Quick Notes
 Author:  Commissioner John Krygier
 Dated:  August 12, 2009
Just a few things, for those who are interested:
* Our Chase will be similar to NASCAR's. The Top 12 qualify. Points are adjusted based on the same format-with priority given to victories. Those who don't qualify will continue to race. The only thing different is that the Chase will last five races, not ten.
* Make sure you receive and CHECK your confirmation email after submitting picks. If you don't receive one, check your SPAM folder. If problems persist, resubmit your picks, or contact me.
 League News
 Title:  Hamlin end skid, gets emotional win!
 Author:  Daniel Schmittou
 Dated:  August 4, 2009
Denny Hamlin's grandmother died just three days ago and Hamlin really didn't want to be at Pocono at all. reaching deep down inside for courage Denny out lasted Juan Montoya in one of the most exciting and unpredictable races at Pocono in recent memory. Denny choked up with tears dedicated the win to his grandmother and said" obviously angels were riding with us today." It was Denny's third win in eight career starts at Pocono.
Taco Montoya rebounded nicely from last weeks lost opportunity at the Brickyard after being penalised for speeding on pit row costing him a shot at the win with a second place run. Taco moved up two spots to eight in the points putting himself in good shape to make his first Chase.
Clint Bowyer needed and got a good finish coming in third place, moving to fifteenth in the points to give himself some hope of making the Chase. Sam Hornish Jr. surprised everyone with a fourth place finish, his best of all his Cup starts. Kasey Kahne came home fifth continuing some nice runs as of late. Kasey sits seventh in the points and is looking good. Jimmy Johnson had a rough day but somehow managed at thirteenth place finish despite being three laps down at one point. He did lose a few more points to Tony Stewart how finished tenth.
 League News
 Title:  All in all, its just another brick in the wall
 Author:  Daniel Schmittou
 Dated:  July 27, 2009
Jimmie Johnson continued his record setting ways, becoming the first back to back winner at the brickyard! He held off mark Martin to take his third win at the famed Indy track. Rick Hendrick claimed his seventh trophy thanks to Jeff Gordon's four previous wins. Jimmie held off teammate Mark Martins furious run to claim the win. Taco montoya was the class of the field but was undine by a late speeding penalty on pit row, sending Taco the mid pack and costing him a shot at a win he surely had in the bag. Nascars censors didn't show Juan speeding on pit row and became yet another black eye for Nascars week to week fopas. You will get yours Taco!!
 League News
 Title:  Burger King is king of Daytona!
 Author:  Daniel Schmittou
 Dated:  July 6, 2009
First off I'd like to congratulate Kurt Busch and Taco Montoya! Both had beat up cars and had others troubles but at the end these two racers put on quite a show of their own. Despite battered cars they were very fast and finished in the top ten avoiding the big story of Kyle Busch and Tony Stewart's meeting of the minds that has over shadowed these two's hard fought runs at Daytona. Speedy gives you guys two thumbs up.
That being said Tony Stewart was the big winner at Daytona, setting off his own fireworks display. Denny Hamlin,Jimmy Johnson, Kyle Busch and Tony Stewart were the class of the field at this years summer Daytona race. They were stuck together all night as if magnets were keeping them together. Tony and Denny leading this group for the loins share of the evening. Jimmy Johnson never led a single lap and Kyle only led one I believe right at the end.
With two laps to go somehow Kyle by himself blew by Tony to take his first lead of the night setting up what we've all come to expect from plate racing...a huge wreck! Kyle was making his car very wide on the last lap and seemed ready to win this event for the second straight year. Tony with Jimmy pushing him had victory on his mind as well. What happened from my eyes Kyle went to block Tony low and was successful in doing so, past turn 4 kyle went to block Tony high nearing the finish line. This block didn't work as Tony already had a fender past Kyle. In a nutshell Kyle wrecked himself! He didn't see it that way at the time, but has probably since seen the video and "maybe" changed his mind if his eyes work! A remorseful Stewart said he was sorry in victory lane and truly seemed sorry stating" Kyle helped me all night". On to Chicago.
Read Rest of Article      VL News Archives
 League News
 Title:  Joey Lagano Wins First Cup Race
 Author:  Daniel Schmittou
 Dated:  June 29, 2009
Joe Gibbs was quietly questioned about replacing two time Nascar champion Tony Stewart, with Joey Logano. Sure the kid had talent but he was very young and unproven mainly because of his age. Heck the NationWide series wouldn't even allow him to pilot a car till he turned 18 last May. Joey is silencing those critics in the NationWide series with three victories this year. He is also raising eyebrows in the Cup series now as well!
At 19 years 1 month and 4 days old, Joey Logano won his first Cup race. He also made history becoming the youngest Cup driver to ever win! Kyle Busch was 20 years four months and two days old when he won his first Cup race, so Joey shattered that record. Joey didn't have the fastest car by any means and isn't the first to get his first Cup win via rain shorten racing this year, but it counts!! Nice job Joey, at least you didn't start crying like Jeff Gordon. He seemed very humble and composed.
 League News
 Title:  King of the Road
 Author:  Daniel Schmittou
 Dated:  June 22, 2009
Yes you read that right, Kasey Kahne whos best previous finish was 21st on a road course, ran a great race to win the Toyota/SaveMart 350 Sunday. Kahne who survived several late cautions held off road course ace Tony Stewart and a hard charging Marcos Ambrose to collect his 10th career win, and first on a road course. What made the final restarts so exciting was the new double file restarts that only took Nascar about 50 years to put in place. Everyone kept waiting for Tony Stewart to nudge his way by Kasey but it never happened. Kahnes Dodge was to stout coupled with his excellent restarts and Smoke never could get the jump he needed to accomplish to pass. Aussie Marcos Ambrose ran perhaps his best Cup race to date coming home third, but couldn't get by Tony to challenge for the win.
Other road course favorites Jeff Gordon, Boris Said and Ron Fellows were never really factors. Robbie Gordon flirted with the lead briefly but also faded late. Kyle Busch led some laps but had an otherwise forgettable race as well. Denny Hamlin and Boris Said seemed to hit more cars than corners. Taco Montoya did however get a nice finish and has for the time being placed his team in the Chase. They said they would "points race" and I guess they did. Congrats to them. Jimmy Johnson also managed a great finish and seems to be getting this road course stuff down. Just what the other drivers wanted to hear,..right?
 League News
 Title:  What a gas at Michigan
 Author:  Senator Will Riney
 Dated:  June 15, 2009
Jimmie Johnson thought he had enough gas, he didn't. Greg Biffle thought he was 2 laps short on gas, he ended up being 1/2 a lap short. Mark Martin, the wiley old veteran, saved and saved and reached into his old bag of tricks to pull out the win, his third of the season. Meanwhile, in Victory Lane, Ron and the K Automotive Team rolled the dice themselves, taking Bowyer and J. Gordon for $4 a piece, while almost everyone else went with Earnhardt and Edwards in those spots. Four $5 winners and race winner Mark Martin at $4 gave Ron the win. With the win, Ron takes over the season points lead. John M. powered his Bill Elliott Racing team to a 2nd place finish just ahead of Galaxy Motorsports and John K. Rounding out the top 5 were All Star Racing (Greg), and Penske Racing South (Andy). Next we head out west to Infineon Raceway (Sears Point to us old timers), where we will turn left AND right. Will one of the road course ringers steal the win or will one of the series regulars come home with the trophy?
 League News
 Title:  Miles can't eat Jimmys tires!
 Author:  Daniel Schmittou
 Dated:  June 1, 2009
Dovers mascot "Miles" took a bite of of several drivers tires Sunday but couldn't stop Hendrick Motorsports driver Jimmy Johnson. Jimmy suffered a tough pitstop with 36 laps left, after dominating the field for most the day. Big bubbles, no troubles as Chad Knaus calmly told his driver he could catch up to win. Mr. Johnson did just that running down the fast cars of Greg Biffle,Matt Kennseth and Tony Stewart to collect the 42nd victory of his career. Jimmy led 298 total laps and was the class of the field all day, but it took a mad dash at the end to secure the win. Tony Stewart looking for his first points win held Jimmy off till the final couple laps and later said " The fastest car won today and Jimmy was coming like a freight train". On a happier note for Tony he did take over the points lead from Jeff Gordon with his second place finish. He was awarded Foxes trophy for leading the points at the half way point of the chase to make the Chase! We as fans can take some relief as well from Digger and Darrell Waltrips corny "Boogity,boogity,boogity" calls for the rest of the year! Thank god. I don't know which one sucks more.

Top drivers Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch, Jeff Gordon and Taco Montoya weren't as fortunate as Jimmy which their tire wear, as all found the wall with blown tires as well as many other drivers. Goodyear still can't seem to figure out the tires as tire wear was a factor in all three Series at the monster mile as top drivers and top equipment was destroyed all weekend at Dover. Yes it rained making the track green for all the races, but come on! Build a tire that will work guys or let another manufacturer in if Goodyear continues this practice. Competition breeds a better product and I believe its time for more companies to get involved in Nascar. Can't wait for Indy that being said. Hopefully the guys will be able to run more than 12 laps of green flag racing this year before tires start blowing. Congratulations to Jimmy Johnson and Hendrick Motorsports on their win at Dover.

 League News
 Title:  2009 Season
 Author:  Senator Will Riney
 Dated:  May 1, 2009
After two successful seasons, Total Sports Challenge’s Victory Lane racing game went through a major overhaul during the off-season. These changes and an expansion of the field from 16 VL players and 9 VL2 players to a total of 30 players is set to make this the best season of VL yet.
Gone is the Head to Head format, which had two players racing each other for a win (similar to TSC’s highly popular PFL game). In its place, the new Victory Lane format will have all 30 players competing for the weekly win and for season points.
Also being revised will be the driver selection process. Instead of simply selecting driver A or driver B, for 1-7 points, players will now be able to place a wager ranging from $1-$5 on each of the 10 match-ups they select for each race. The total amount of money wagered and won or lost each week will determine the finishing order for that week’s race. Betting heavy may pay off handsomely, but could also leave you looking for a ride home from the track.
Another change this season is the condensing of the schedule. Previously the season started with the Daytona 500 and skipped weeks here and there throughout the season to end up with the championship race at Homestead. This year the first race of the season will be held Memorial day weekend at Lowe’s Motorspeedway. The Chase for the Championship (or playoffs for you ball and stick guys) will start at New Hampshire and end with the Championship race at Lowe’s Motorspeedway.
Make sure and check out the Rules page (find the link in the yellow stripe right under Kasey Kahne's #9 car). Remember the first race of the season is just over 3 weeks away, so make sure your pencil's are sharpened and your picks are ready!! See you on the track!
 League News
 Title:  Season Wrap Up
 Author:  Senator Will Riney
 Dated:  November 26, 2008
The 2008 Checkered Flag Championship ending up being a fight to the finish between rookie Slice One Racing, wheeled by Matt Davis and defending champion Toyota Racing Development (TRD), led by Cindy Riney. Both teams lost their 7 point matchup, as Kasey Kahne topped David Ragan 6th to 20th. Martin Truex and Kevin Harvick scored for both teams with Carl Edwards and Elliott Sadler adding points to the Slice One side of the track. Kurt Busch's early race problems and Jimmie Johnson's late race heroics, topping Greg Biffle by 3 spots, ending TRD's hopes for a 2nd straight title as Slice One took the win and the 2008 Championship by a score of 14-10. Congratulations to Matt!

Meanwhile, in the VL2 Championship, #1 Seed Ray Perrotta was able to outrun #3 Seed John Magee 22-15. Congratulations to Ray and to all of the VL2 teams moving up to compete in the updated Victory Lane Series in 2009.

Whats new for 2009 you ask? Gone are the head to head match-ups, the spread out schedule and the confidence points. Replacing them are field based results (competing against the entire VL field rather than just one other player), a condensed schedule running from Charlotte's Spring race to Charlotte's fall race and betting from $1-5 for each of the 10 racing matchups.

Be sure and check out the VL page and the Total Sports Forum during the off season for more updates on the 2009 season of Victory Lane!!!

 League News
 Title:  Championship Preview
 Author:  Senator Will Riney
 Dated:  November 8, 2008
This coming weekend has been named “Ford Championship Weekend” as all three major NASCAR Series take the track to decide their championships. Meanwhile, here at Victory Lane, we are ready to crown champions in both of our divisions: VL and VL2.

In Victory Lane, it’s down to an unlikely pair. Toyota Racing Development (TRD), led by Cindy Riney, is making a run at back to back championships, while Slice One Racing, wheeled by Matt Davis is hoping to run the table in his rookie year. In the Circuit Finals at Texas Motor speedway, TRD beat division rival Full Throttle Enterprises in a squeaker, 25-24. Meanwhile, Slice One topped perennial championship contender Outlaw Motorsports 24-19. The 2008 Checkered Flag Championship race will be the first meeting between these teams and the last head to head matchup for Victory Lane.

The other championship to be determined at Homestead is the Victory Lane 2 Championship. This big race pits third seed John Magee against number one seed Ray Perrotta. Magee has had to advance to the VL2 Cup the hard way, beating Ludwig Hormann Jr in the Quarterfinals and then Terry Frederickson in the Semifinals. Perrotta had a week 1 bye thanks to a number one seed heading into the playoffs and beat Chance Lawrence in the semifinals at Texas. Both teams are looking forward to moving up to VL next year with a VL2 Cup in tow.

Good luck to all four of the teams in these two title matches. Be sure and check back here and on the Total Sports Challenge forum for updates on the 2009 Victory Lane season.

 League News
 Title:  Dickies Preview
 Author:  Senator Will Riney
 Dated:  October 28, 2008
The Dickies 500 looms large for the Final Four players in Victory Lane. Will Carl Edwards rule supreme and be an 8 point payoff pick or have engine trouble like at Lowe’s race2 and Atlanta race1? Will Jimmie Johnson continue his Chase magic as a high point pick or burn the players with an unexpected Lone Star stumble? While Jimmie Johnson was trying to chase down Carl Edwards at Atlanta, the four Victory Lane teams still alive in the playoffs poured over their picks for the upcoming race at Texas.

In match-up One for the Pennzoil Circuit Championship, we have one certainty – a Riney will be in the Finals again this year. It’s Cindy Riney and the Toyota Racing Development team (7-7-2) against Will Riney and Full Throttle Enterprises (8-5-3). In the regular season the teams tied in Week #1 22-22 and again in Week #9 25-25. In Week #3 Full Throttle won 29-26 and again in Week #15 24-20.

In Match-up Two, for the Havoline Circuit Championship, we have Slice One Racing (9-6-1), a VL rookie team lead by Matt Davis going against Shawn Jackson, a Total Sports Vet, and his Outlaw Motorsports (9-6-1). These two teams met only once during the season, Week #12 with Outlaw Motorsports winning 18 to 15.

After the Circuit Championship races this week, we move to the Prestigious Checkered Flag Championship II race at Homestead-Miami Speedway coinciding with the Nascar finale. Which team will hoist the Championship Trophy in the last Victory Lane race under the current format? Check back to see. Also, check the Total Sports forum for more news on changes for the 2009 Victory Lane Season.

 League News
 Title:  Kansas Wrap-Up
 Author:  Daniel Schmittou
 Dated:  September 29, 2008
It certainly wasn't a boring race at Kansas Motor Speedway this past weekend. Matt Kenseth was fast early leading for awhile before he had trouble. Matt was able to recover for a top five though. Truex was fast before trouble put him out. Casey Mears had a hotrod all day as well to have a good finish. Tony Stewart was in pure Stewart form putting a couple of Brian Vickers crewmen on his hood in the pits. Soon after that Vickers helped Tony do a little grass surfing thru the infield.
In the end it was Jimmy Johnson, the 2 time defending champion, holding off Carl Edwards by the smallest of margins. The last 40 laps or so had these two guys fighting it out with Carl passing Jimmy in turn four of the last lap, only to find the wall slowing him down just enough to allow Johnson to re-take the lead in a great finish at Kansas.

 League News
 Title:  Dover Wrap-Up
 Author:  Daniel Schmittou
 Dated:  September 22, 2008
Greg Biffle survived numerous caution flags to take home his 2nd win in a row! The concrete monster was very kind to Biffle and most his Roush/Fenway teammates with the exception of JMac. Jamie was running great all day when the infamous Robbie Gordon introduced himself to Mr. MacMurry. Vintage Robbie in my mind. Edwards was tough and JJ hung around for yet another good chase finish. Congratulations to Greg Biffle on a great run at Dover.

 League News
 Title:  Q + A With Will
 Author:  Senator Will Riney
 Dated:  August 22, 2008
Question: Nascar just released their 2009 schedule, and I see that they moved around some fall races (Atlanta, California and Talladega). Why did they do this?
Answer: The first change is Atlanta’s second 2009 race moving to Sunday, Sept. 6, taking the Labor Day weekend slot now held by California Speedway. California took over this slot from Darlington a few years ago and has not done well in this slot. Boring racing along with empty seats prompted this change. With the Labor Day race back in the south; Nascar is looking to get some of the old Darlington fans to drive to Atlanta that weekend.

The next change is Auto Club Speedway’s second race moving to Sunday, Oct. 11 – the fourth week of the “Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup,” a slot formerly held by Talladega. This move puts California Speedway in the Chase, thereby hopefully getting people more excited about the race and filling more seats in the stands. This is not a shock as ISC (Nascar) owns this track.

The final swap involves Talladega’s second event moving to Sunday, Nov. 1, making it the seventh Chase event – the slot formerly held by Atlanta. Talladega has always been the “Wild Card” race for drivers in the Chase and moving it to the 7th of those 10 races will create a new level of intensity and make it an even bigger factor in deciding the championship.


 League News
 Title:  Week 9 In Review
 Author:  John Krygier
 Dated:  July 13, 2008
After nine weeks of play, and only 7 to go until the playoffs, here is how Victory Lane is shaping up:
Chevy Division-The bottom two teams, Stars & Stripes and Wild Cherry were able to defeat the upper two teams this week. Its a highly competitive division as every team is .500 or above.
Toyota Division-Last year's runner up, Oakley Racing, is on a roll after starting 2008 with a 0-5-1 record. Mike has reeled off 3 straight wins and only trails first place TRD by 1.5 games. Meanwhile, Will must be playing 3's in the lottery this week. Full Throttle is 3-3-3. He will need to win his last 7 matchups in order to match last year's record of 10-3-3.
Ford Division-Slice One is slowly taking control of this group. Matt has won four in a row. FDR has lost ground after forfeiting last week and losing to last place Verizon this week.
Dodge Division-What a turnaround! Last year, Dell Racing was 4-11-1 and is now 6-3. Ron seems poised for the postseason. His main competition may be Outlaw Motorsports, owned by Shawn. They have had a roller coaster year after starting off with an impressive 3-1 record.

 League News
 Title:  Q + A With Will
 Author:  Senator Will Riney
 Dated:  May 27, 2008
Question: Has the playoff setup instituted a few years back been good or bad for NASCAR overall?
Answer: The institution of "The Chase for the Cup" (or better known as the Chase) to the Cup Series a few season's ago has been both bad and good for NASCAR. The excitement of 12 cars racing 10 races for a championship certainly has it's merits, however, it still leads to people racing for "points". A few minor tweaks by NASCAR has improved the situation. They went from 10-12 cars/drivers being eligible and awarded 10 bonus points to the drivers chase point total for each win in the first 26 races. However, drivers are still coasting into the chase by knowing they only have to be in the top 12 of the point standings by the end of the 26th race of the season. Many people still feel that "Non-Chase" drivers are given way too little TV time during the final 10 races, even if they are running up front or happen to win the race. Overall, the gained exposure and the close Points Championship finishes the Chase have produced would have to get a B+ so far.

 League News
 Title:  VL2 Racing
 Author:  John Krygier
 Dated:  May 26, 2008
At the beginning of this year, we had hoped to have a separate racing league called VL2, which would incorporate team racing. It never came to fruition. Instead, VL2 was changed into a rookie league, very much like PFL2. It did not take long to get interested players to join. 12 racers will compete against each other, in a golf-style (man vs field) alignment. These rookies will compete for total points, weekly wins, and picking percentage. A playoff system is considered but not yet determined. Some of these players will be invited to join the senior league upon the completion of the 2008 season.

 League News
 Title:  5th Week Wrapup
 Author:  John Krygier
 Dated:  April 27, 2008
Week 5 represents the worst week ever in Victory Lane. Some players were seriously close to posting goose eggs as scores. The average score this week was 7.1 points. No player picked more than 3 winners with 3 players picking just 1 winner. If Jimmie Johnson had not won his matchup, TRD, Full Throttle, and Adidas Motorsports would of scored 0.

Looking at the standings, it looks like the power has shifted from last year. It was expected that the Chevy and Dodge Divisions would struggle in 2008. However, 6 of those 8 teams have at least a .500 record. Toyota Division was considered the "Group of Death." Their combined record is a mediocre 6-9-5.

We are off for a few weeks in the meantime. The schedule will start picking up in late spring.


 League News
 Title:  First Quarter Mark
 Author:  Will Riney
 Dated:  April 8, 2008
We are 4 races into the 2008 Victory Lane season, the 1/4 mark. So far, it looks like 2 teams in each Division have stepped forward.

In Chevy Division, Mt Dew and Marlboro are both 3-1 have over 90 points. In the Toyota Division, Full Throttle and Sprite are 2-1-1 and have 90 or more points. The Ford Division is strange with FDR and Adidas leading even though both teams have around 60 points and have each forfeited a race. The Dodge Division is shaping up to be a tough one this year. Outlaw and Hobie are both 3-1, with Outlaw holding 96-88 lead in the points.

After 4 races in the season's first 7 events, we take the week off before hitting the track again next week at Talladega. Last year's Talladega fall race wreaked some havoc in VL and created some of the season's lowest final scores. Lets hope this year will be different.


 League News
 Title:  Early Season Report
 Author:  John Krygier
 Dated:  March 9, 2008
3 weeks into the Victory Lane season, and we have exactly 0 teams that are a perfect 3-0 and exactly 0 teams that are 0-3. Parity you say? Possibly. It could be the fact that the divisions consist of teams that are at similar levels. After all, all 4 Toyota Division teams made it to the postseason last year while the Dodge Division returns teams that were a combined 21-39-4.

There has been some eye-openers so far, regarding the individual teams. The two teams that qualified for the Checkered Flag Championship in 2007, Oakley Racing and Toyota Racing Development, have non-winning record. The three worst teams currently, were 29-15-1 last year. Things should get more interesting as we leave intra-divisional play and start having the divisions face off against each other.


 League News
 Title:  2008 Preview
 Author:  Will Riney
 Dated:  February 13, 2008
The 2008 Daytona 500 starts the 2nd season of Total Sports Challenge’s Victory Lane. 16 teams will hit the track at Daytona in search of a berth in the Checkered Flag Championship Race.

There were some minor changes in the off-season. The Divisions were re-shuffled a bit and a 4th division (Dodge Division) was created. The Toyota and Chevy Divisions were placed in the Pennzoil Circuit, with the Ford and Dodge Divisions going in the Havoline Circuit. Two teams, Bud Lite Motorsports and Brut Racing, folded their operations after less than successful 2007 campaigns.

Recent tornado damage to the house of Shark Lounge Crew’s lead driver, Mark Walraven, has caused him to park his car for the near future. Matt Davis and his Slice One Team will replace the Shark’s Lounge on a week to week basis.

Looking forward to 2008, the Toyota Division still looks strong, with all 4 teams making the playoffs last year, including Toyota Racing Development, who won the championship. Full-Throttle and Oakley (both 10 race winners in 2007) look to have strong seasons. The Ford division is just a slight step behind Toyota. Verizon leads that group and looks to back up an 11 win 2007. The Chevy division sits near .500 and has two teams with the talent to break out: Mountain Dew Crew and Stars and Stripes. Finally, the Dodge division has the most room for improvement, with only 1 team that was over .500 last year. Playoff semi-finalist Outlaw Motorsports looks to be the only team with a Hemi in this group.

 League News
 Title:  Q + A With Will
 Author:  Senator Will Riney
 Dated:  January 23, 2008
Question: How do the COT cars affect the drivers?
Answer: The COT cars handle much different than the COY (Cars Of Yesterday). Drivers have said that the COT's move around a little more on the track and don't feel as "stuck to the race track" as the old car. When they come off the corner the car slides a little more and wiggles. In the center of the corner, the car is tough to get to turn. A lot of the issues are due to the car being taller and wider, and having a higher center of gravity. All those items make it tough to find the right balance.

Question: Does it favor any particular drivers?
Answer: Open wheel type drivers just coming into the sport may have an easier time adjusting to the COT for 2 reasons. The first reason is that the cars they drove before all had a wing similar to what the COT has, so the feel of the rear of the car should be similar. The second reason is that since the veteran Cup drivers only have a handful of races in the COT, the new comers are only a few races behind.
The idea behind the COT was to make a safer car and to help level the playing field between the bigger (richer) and the smaller (poorer) teams. NASCAR is able to keep a tighter lid on some of the things that teams can do to a car, and that will benefit the teams that don’t have the depth of resources that some of the bigger teams have.


 League News
 Title:  2008 Divisional Alignment
 Author:  John Krygier
 Dated:  November 25, 2007
A few teams have been shuffled from one division to another to accomodate the following: a new division named Dodge, going from a 3 division set-up to a 4 division set-up, the retiring of 2 drivers from 2007, placing VL2 teammates in the same division to promote rivalries. Any new drivers will be placed into the one of the four divisions randomly. If the current set-up remains, each player will play their division mates twice and 10 of the 12 non-divisional mates once.

 League News
 Title:  2007 Season in Review
 Author:  John Krygier
 Dated:  November 19, 2007
Toyota Racing Development is our league's first champion. Despite a solid season, Cindy was only able to obtain the #4 seed because she was in the toughest division. The Toyota Division sent 4 of the 8 playoff participants. So its only fitting that our champion has Toyota in its name.
Against another Toyota Division rival, Oakley Racing, TRD was able to dominate because the two finalists picked 3 opposing drivers. TRD won all three: including Kenseth over Stewart for a 7 point swing, Burton over Harvick for a 3 point swing, and Kurt Busch over Kyle Busch for a 6 point difference. Had Oakley Racind won 2 of those 3 matchups, it would have been Mike Shepard hoisting the trophy.
2007 was a terrific season for a fledging league that had many doubters. However, its innovative format helped bring VL plenty of excitement to a sport that Total Sports never envisioned having. It was a league that brought many new players over to the confederation, and certainly more for 2008. With a team-concept league-VL2 branching off from VL, next year should be even more fun for everyone.

 League News
 Title:  2007 Checkered Flag Championship
 Author:  Will Riney
 Dated:  November 12, 2007
At long last the Victory Lane field has been trimmed down to the last teams. Toyota Racing Development (10-5-1) and Oakley Racing (10-6-0) are set to fight it out at the Homestead-Miami Speedway for the Inaugural Total Sports Challenge Victory Lane Championship, dubbed the “Checkered Flag Championship Race”. Both teams hail from the super-strong Toyota Division. Toyota Racing Development (TRD) is run by veteran Nascar fan and enthusiast Cindy Riney. Oakley Racing is owned and operated by Mike Shepard. Mike is a true-blue baseball fan who became a big time Nascar fan when he began dating the woman who is now his wife Molly (formerly Molly Riney). TRD and Oakley met twice this season. In race 1 at Daytona, Oakley was able to take the win in a low scoring 12-10 match-up. They met again in race 12 at Michigan. This time TRD was ready and took the checkers at a score of 21-20. Oakley has been hot in the playoffs, scoring an average of 25.5 points per race. However, two perfect weeks by TRD (28 points) have primed them for the championship race. With both teams running at the top of their game, expect an old-fashioned, high-scoring shoot-out.

 League News
 Title:  Dickies Outlook
 Author:  Will Riney
 Dated:  October 28, 2007
There are some interesting match-ups for us as we head into the Semi Finals chasing the Inaugural Checkered Flag Championship! Jimmie Johnson vs Jeff Burton Johnson slipped near the end of the regular season, but has been almost untouchable in the Chase. Burton ran solid most of the season, but has been hit or miss in the Chase. Kevin Harvick vs Martin Truex Jr. Harvick started the season on a high, winning at Daytona. Since then he has only been referred to as "Clint Bowyer's Teammate". Truex stood in Dale Jr's shadow until his breakthrough win at Dover. Since making the Chase, Truex has found the gremlins that haunted Dale Jr all season. Jeff Gordon vs Kurt Busch Jeff Gordon's drive for 5 looks to be on track. He has quietly dominated this season and looks unstoppable (unless you are in the 48 car). Kurt Busch's season started horribly, but after a hot summer he made the chase. Once in the Chase, his season has cooled. Matt Kenseth vs Denny Hamlin Kenseth, usually Mr. Consistency, has struggled with finishing races in the Chase. Hamlin looked like a championship contender - until the Chase began. Both drivers have one thing in common, recent disruptions with teammates. Kenseth with Carl Edwards and Hamlin with Tony Stewart. Kyle Busch vs Carl Edwards Kyle Busch had another decent season, but has had another rough Chase. He'll need some help to win the championship, but he will be a factor at each of the remaining races. Will the real Carl Edwards please stand up? Is he the loveable backflipper or the hot tempered guy who went back at Matt Kenseth? He runs well on 1.5 mile track, so a Texas win could bring relief. Tony Stewart vs Clint Bowyer Stewart always finds a way to win some races at the right time and get back in the thick of things. He runs well at the remaining tracks and could be a factor. Bowyer was the guy everyone said didn't deserve to be in the Chase. Now with only 4 races to go, he's the only guy even close to Johnson and Gordon. Non-Chase match-ups Teammates David Ragan and Greg Biffle go head to head. Rookie Ragan has improved as the season progressed, while Biffle is still looking for the magic he had in 2005. David Stremme vs Casey Mears were teammates last year at Ganassi. Oh how things have changed. Mears is improving weekly while at Hendrick, while the Stremme project has been canceled at Ganassi and he is out of a ride. Elliott Sadler vs Ryan Newman Sadler has struggled this season along with his teammates. They are improving, but aren't there yet. Newman stayed in the top 10 all night at Charlotte, before a blown tire, while leading, took him out. Kasey Kahne vs Reed Sorenson Kahne, who won 6 times in 2006, has struggled in 2007, mostly due to engineering issues with his 9 car. Sorenson has stayed steady in the high teens to low 20's all season and needs to show improvement for 2008. Texas should be an interesting race, as Jeff Gordon has never won there and drivers like Kenseth, Stewart, Burton, Kahne, Biffle, Edwards and Sadler have all run well there.

 League News
 Title:  Playoffs
 Author:  Will Riney
 Dated:  October 10, 2007
Playoffs? Playoffs? Don’t talk to me about Playoffs.

After 16 grueling races, the inaugural Total Sports Challenge Victory Lane Playoffs are about to start! 8 teams qualified for the playoffs, with 6 of them being the top two teams in each division. There were also 2 free pass teams who qualified. One was based on the best record and the other for the most points scored, out of the teams not in the top 2 in each division. In the Chevy Division, the Shark Lounge Crew (9-6-1) and Outlaw Motorsports (8-7-1) advanced to the playoffs by finishing 1-2 in the division. In the Ford Division, Verizon Motorsports (11-5-0) and tie happy Mountain Dew Crew (8-4-4) moved on by being the top 2 Fords. In the exceptionally strong Toyota Division, 4 teams moved on to the playoffs. Full Throttle Enterprises (10-3-3) won the division, followed by Toyota Racing Development (10-5-1). Oakley Racing (10-6-0) and Sprite Speed (9-6-1) earned the 2 free passes. The playoffs start October 21st at Martinsville Speedway. Number 1 seed Full Throttle has the choice between Oakley and Sprite as opponents and selected Sprite. Number 2 seed Verizon will race against the other free pass team, Oakley Racing. The middle tier match-ups look just as interesting; with divisional foes Number 3 seed Sharks Lounge going against Number 6 seed Outlaw Motorsports and Number 4 seed Toyota Racing Development taking on Number 5 seed Mountain Dew Crew. An important rule for the playoffs to keep in mind is that the lower of the two seeds gets the home track advantage of being able to select their drivers after qualifying. Rusty Lugnuts and the entire Total Sports Challenge team would like to congratulate those who made the playoffs.


 League News
 Title:  Sharpie Outlook
 Author:  Will Riney
 Dated:  August 19, 2007
Here is a little preview of some of the Sharpie 500 match-ups we have in store for you:

Edwards vs Kenseth - teammates, both headed for the chase, battle it out
Truex Jr vs Biffle - 11th in points vs 15th, a career year for Truex vs a down year for Biffle
McMurray vs Burton - Both drivers have won in 2007, ending long winless streaks
Stewart vs Ragan - Rookie Ragan made Stewart so mad at Martinsville last year that he had to buy a ride-along with Stewart from a charity to clear the air.
Earnhardt Jr. vs Newman - Two of the three drivers fighting it out for the last Chase Spot.
Sadler vs Stremme - Two nice guys who get overlooked due to big name teammates.
Harvick vs Kyle Busch - A couple even tempered guys. Mad, all the time. Both are headed towards the chase and need some momentum.
Johnson vs Montoya - This battle was due to come sooner or later. Johnson won everything in 2006, while Montoya has won in just about every type of race car.
Kurt Busch vs Mears - Kurt has scratched and clawed his way back into the Chase after a rough first half. Mears has come back from 34th in points earlier this year to 16th now.
J Gordon vs Yeley - Both ex-openwheelers on mega-teams with mega-teammates. The difference is Gordon is leading the points and Yeley is 21st and out of a job at the end of the season.


 League News
 Title:  Toyota is King
 Author:  John Krygier
 Dated:  July 29, 2007
Toyota is king...well at least in Victory Lane Racing. During the past 6 VL-sanctioned races, all of our drivers have been competing against members outside their respective divisions. The Toyota Division has dominated by being 11 games over .500. The other divisions have a losing record: Ford Division is 4 games under .500 while the Chevy Division is glad divisional games are returning after sporting an 8 games below .500 record. Despite dominating the league and having 5 teams with .500 or above record, the Toyota Division is not guaranteed to have the 2 wild card (Free Passes) teams. One of the Free Passes goes to a non-top 2 team with the most points. At this point, that would go to the Mountain Dew Crew with 217 points. With 5 races to go, it is time to start thinking playoffs. The current seeding would be: #1 Verizon Motorsports, #2 Oakley Racing, #3 Shark Lounge Crew, #4 Full Throttle Enterprises, #5 Adidas Motorsports, #6 Wild Cherry Racing, FP- Toyota Racing Development, FP- Mountain Dew Crew

 League News
 Title:  Teaming in 08
 Author:  Greg Miller, Shawn Jackson & John Krygier
 Dated:  July 13, 2007
When Victory Lane was first created, it was known at the time that there would be major changes after the inaugural season was finished. During the course of the year, some if its leaders have mulled over ways to make our league more fun for its players. Pay attention to your email and the boards for the next week or two, and we will let you know exactly what to expect when we retool for 2008.

 League News
 Title:  Q + A With Will
 Author:  Senator Will Riney
 Dated:  May 30, 2007
Question: How are NASCAR numbers handed out to the teams?
Answer: Car numbers in NASCAR are selected by the teams. Teams returning year after year keep the same number, unless they request another one. Some numbers just come out of tradition (#43/45 for the Petty’s, #21 for the Wood’s), to match existing numbers for a team (#12 to go with #2 at Penske, #16/26 to go with #6 at Roush) while others are made to match sponsor tie-in’s (#07 for Jack Daniels – called Old No.7, #01 for Army – Army of 1, #36 for 360 OTC). Teams can request a number switch and if granted by NASCAR, can take their existing championship points with them to the new number. Examples of this include the #3 Goodwrench car switching to #29 Goodwrench car, the #30 AOL car switching to the #07 Jack Daniels car and the #28 Havoline car switching to the #38 M & M’s car. The most common question with car numbers is – Where is the #3 and who controls it. Because of the circumstances surrounding the #3 car and Dale Earnhardt’s death, NASCAR has allowed Richard Childress to “hold” the number for future use, while not releasing it to others. NASCAR still “owns” the #3 and has no plans to retire it.

 League News
 Title:  Upcoming Slate
 Author:  Will Riney & John Krygier
 Dated:  May 15, 2007
Here is a little preview of some of the Coca Cola 600 match-ups we have in store for you:

Burton vs Biffle - former teammates.....

Harvick vs Green - former teammates, Green got fired from RCR when he got bumped by Harvick and upon reaching the pits, went and yelled at the 29 crew....

McMurray vs Truex - Underachievers take on one another...

Yeley vs J Gordon- Back to back weeks they face each other...

Harvick vs Green- This is the first time we have Jeff Green on our picksheet

 League News
 Title:  Q + A With Will
 Author:  Senator Will Riney
 Dated:  May 1, 2007
Question: How do the different types of tracks affect the drivers and their strategies?
Answer: On Road Courses, drivers often driver the race backwards, meaning once they are in their pit window for gas, they pit. With the road course so long in size, they won't lose a lap and can space out their pit stops to take advantage of yellow flags. On Superspeedways, drivers pit with teammates and cars they are running with to ensure they have a dancing partner when returning to the track (someone to draft with). Also, drivers try and get teammates around or behind them at the end of the race to avoid cars behind them from ganging up on them coming to the checkered flag. On Short Tracks, drivers will look at ways to make green flag pit stops quicker (taking only 2 new tires, or none at all) in order to get/stay in the front of the pack. The further up front you are, the less likely you are to be in a crash. On Intermediate size track (1mile-2mile), drivers will also try tricks in the pits to gain track position, but will also conserve gas for fuel mileage races where staying out until your gas tank is empty may allow you to eventually coast across the finish line in first place.

 League News
 Title:  Q + A With Will
 Author:  Senator Will Riney
 Dated:  March 22, 2007
Question: What kinds of things do teammates do for each other that helps each other during the course of a race?
Answer: During a race, teammates can do several things to help each other out. They can draft with each other. They can let a teammate in when the "freight train" is coming by. They can pick with each other to make sure they have a drafting partner. They can check for flat tires or fender rubs under caution. Teammates often share setup notes and tire pressures. The biggest thing teammates can do is let you lead a lap and therefore get those all important 5 points towards the championship. Thanks for the question. Keep them coming!

 League News
 Title:  Q + A With Will
 Author:  Senator Will Riney
 Dated:  February 12, 2007
Question: Why doesn't NASCAR ban full time Cup drivers from running in the Busch Series?
Answer: NASCAR has looked at several options to cure the "Buschwhacker" problem with the Busch Series. The Busch Series has always had Cup drivers moonlighting in the Series on weekends when the two Series' are at the same track. Dale Earnhardt Sr. won the first "Busch Series" race and Mark Martin is the Series all-time winner. Until 2001, no one had attempted to run both series in the same season. Since then, NASCAR has seen an improvement in Busch Series attendance and TV viewership. NASCAR is looking at ways to make the Series less attractive to drivers attempting the series double (running Cup and Busch full-time). Sadly though, NASCAR will not stop the Cup drivers from running in the Busch Series, because it is the Cup drivers who bring in the fans and the high dollar sponsorship deals.

 League News
 Title:  Q + A With Will
 Author:  Senator Will Riney
 Dated:  January 1, 2007
Question: How will the head-to-head matchup system be better than typical fantasy racing?
Answer: The head-to-head match-up system to be used in Victory Lane takes that idea from the most popular of all fantasy sports - fantasy football. In Typical fantasy racing leagues you pick from a group of driver and compete against a pool of players. An off week may earn you a poor finish, but a decent run the next week makes back up for it. Head-to-head competition means you have to keep on top of your game every week. A bad week earns you a loss. A few bad or even mediocre weeks and your shot at the playoffs may be done. A few bad weeks in a typical fantasy racing league can be made up with a few good weeks. Head-to-head matchup racing leagues are only for NASCAR fans who aren't afraid to take on a challenge, week after week. Keep the questions coming!!