Fantasy Recap: Ford Ecoboost 400 (Homestead)

And there we have it. Jimmy wraps up another title and the 'A' wins the inaugural DALE! Guys Fantasy Pick 'Em. With the unconventional Truex pick, the 'A' nips the 'L' at the line and consistency wins out over picking winners. The 'A's picks finished in the top 10 in every race that we picked. This week's results and the final overall standings are listed below. Come back next year for a full season of Dale Guys Fantasy picks. Daytona is right around the (lefthand) corner.

	Pick	Place	DALE! Guys Pts.	Cup Points	Laps Led
D	Harvick	10	1	35	8
A	Truex	4	3	40	0
L	Logano	8	1	36	0
E	Jimmy	9	1	35	0
!	Dale	3	4	42	28

Full Updated Stats:

	D	A	L	E	!
Points	240	279	244	254	247
Wins	1	0	2	1	0
Top 5	2	5	3	1	4
Top 10	4	7	4	5	5
Laps Led	332	39	341	154	164
DALE! Guys Points	11	20	18	11	17

and...

The FINAL OVERALL STANDINGS
--	1	A	20
v	2	L	18
--	3	!	17
--	4	E	11
--	4	D	11

Fantasy Picks: Ford Ecoboost 400 (Homestead)

Order of picks, based on reverse overall standings, is: D, E, !, L, A

D: I'm pickin' the guy that wants this race the most and has the least to lose: Kevin Harvick. I'm not in a position to win the DALE! Guys Fantasy, so I just want to pick the winner. I don't care about points and Harvick is racing for nothing less than a win. Maybe he can CLOSE the season on a high note.

A: I'm going to go off the beaten path here and take a local boy with something to prove. It's his last race with MWR after Clint fucked him back at Richmond. Marty Truex from Stafford NJ gets it done today. Jr. cam't win, JJ doesn't need to win, and Kenseth is going to try to hard to win. I see this one playing out for ole Truex.

L: Last race and I'm in a tie for the lead. Sure a win would be nice and it would seal the deal but I think a top 10 will get the job done. Now I know I shouldn't pick Little Joey because he's burned me before but he's fast and I think he can get the job done. And even though I couldn't pick him, let's go Jimmie! It's six pack time.

E: JJ is gonna take his chase victory lap and get his first win at homestead all at the same time. This man can not be stopped

!: Basically, I've got nothing to lose and everything to gain. Dales gunna win, plain And simple. GO DALE GO GET ME THAT CHAMPIONSHIP AND YOUR FIRST WIN THIS YEAR!

Fantasy Recap: Advocare 500 (Phoenix)

The Dale Guys pick yet another winner. That's three weeks in a row if you're scoring at home. The 'L' scores big with Harv and regains a share of the lead.
Here are this week's picks and results:

	Pick	Place	DALE! Guys Pts.	Cup Points	Laps Led
D	Hambone	28	0	17	18
A	Dale Jr.	4	3	41	1
L	Harv	1	7	48	70
E	Logano	9	1	36	33
!	Jimmy The Johnson	3	4	42	1

With one week remaining, everyone is still technically in the hunt, but it looks to be a three man race between the 'L', the 'A', and the '!'. It'll be a race to follow, so...
read more for full updated stats and the overall standings

Fantasy Picks: AdvoCare 500 (Phoenix)

The order of picks this week is !, E, L, D, A

!: It's plain and simple.. JJ is gunna win and I'm goin' to first in the standings. IF YA AINT FIRST, YOUR LAST! (Unfortunately, I am last)

E: Lil' Logano

L: Harvick


D: I know it's turkey season, but I've got a craving for HAMBONE. That's right I'm picking this as the week the number 11 machine completes his comeback and drives into victory lane. People forget that when Hamlin has speed, he's tough to beat at a track like Phoenix. He certainly has the speed, qualifying on the front row, and I think he's hungry for a win. It's been too long since the FedEx machine has delivered to the victory lane address. This is one week that I'm praying for a JGR Toyota engine to last 500 miles.


A: I've finally managed to matriculate myself to the top of the leaderboard. I am using that correctly, right guys? Anyway, I get a nice present this week as the race winner has fallen all the way to pick 5. It's finally time. He had this race in the spring and has looked good this weekend. Almost no complaints from driver 88 during practice, and he will be burning out on the frontstretch come tomorrow evening in Phoenix. Let's DEW this Junior!!

Fantasy Recap: AAA Texas 500

Jimmy's win might have made it a two man race in the Cup Series, but it made it a four man race for DALE! Guys fantasy rankings. Sitting in last place in the standings by a large margin, I picked Jimmy for the win this week and got just what I needed. I'm up to second place and the 'A' --sticking with NASCAR's favorite son this week--rises to the top of the leaderboard, behind, objectively, the most consistent weekly picking.

-The 'D'

Here are this week's picks and results:

	Pick	Place	DALE! Guys Pts.	Cup Points	Laps Led
D	Jimmie Johnson	1	7	48	255
A	Dale Jr.	2	5	42	0
L	Kyle "The Big Baby" Busch	13	0	32	2
E	Harvick, Bitch	8	1	36	0
!	HotCarl99@aflac.com	37	0	8	38

READ MORE for full updated stats and the overall standings

Fantasy Picks: AAA Texas 500

In reverse standings order, the order of picks this week is again D, E, !, A, L...

Here are this week's picks:

D: I need some help. I'm last in the standings and I need a win...bad. I'm not worried, though. I've run some quick calculations (with the help of Chad Knaus) and determined that Jimmy Johnson is almost certainly going to be driving into victory lane on Sunday. Jimmy will be my savior and In Chad I Trust.

E: I feel like we all pick the same 5 people every week just in different orders. Well no need to change that. I'm rolling with my boy Harv this week. Now that my marathon is over I can crush budweisers during the race and shotgun one (or 5) when my driver ends up in victory lane for the second week in a row. 

!: This weeks pick will stray away from my last two picks of Clint Bowyer. I'm taking Carl Edwards this time from the pole. Although Denny Hamlin showed us last week how quickly the pole can be voided, I think Carl will stay towards the front and give us a nice backflip to celebrate his victory and the "!" Moving into first in the standings.

A: Taxas, what rhymes with Texas?!? DALE does!! Well, it might not, but dale has been decent enough at Texas and now I'm picking him. Let's hope he cover em all tomorrow JR nation. #godalego 

L: I'm going rogue this week. I haven't scored a point in about a billion weeks and now we've even got the silly ! talking about taking 1st place. This may be an extreme pick by Dale Guys' standards and I'm sure I will catch a lot of grief but I've got to pick the 18. He won at Texas in the spring and has been real fast throughout practice and qualifying. And plus atleast he's not the Biff. 

The Week in Earnhardt History: 1986 Atlanta Journal 500

I have a feeling we better get used to this. As we close down on the end of the year, I uncover another Dale Sr championship. This time clinched in the 2nd to last race, the 1986 Atlanta Journal 500. Earnhardt didn't only clinch his second title that day, he dominated the field and won the race. Just how dominant you ask...

1-Bar of the Week: Goodys Headache Relief Shot 500

This has gotta be the hardest 1-bar of the week to give out.. EVER. 42 worthy cantidates (everyone but Dale). Carl Edwards hit everything that moved, and even some things that moved very slow (93 car). He also roughed up Dale on a late restart, which pissed Junebug off. You had Joey Logano actualy being called a 1-bar by TJ, which was awesome. Guy didn't give half an inch out there to anyone that was watching.

.@Tjmajors "Still there, still there, 22 car, one bar...inside"
— Mike Hoag (@MikeHoag88) October 27, 2013

Fantasy Recap: Goody's Headache Relief Shot 500

...AAANNND we have another winner. The 'E' not only smoked a marathon in 2 hours and 33 minutes on Sunday, but picked the winner at Martinsville, as well. Jeff Gordon won and gave the 'E' a much needed boost in the DALE! Guys fantasy standings. This tightens the race for the overall even further as the 'L' remains stalled atop the leaderboard and the top 4 are now only separated by only two points.

Here are this week's picks and results:

	Pick	Place	DALE! Guys Pts.	Cup Points	Laps Led
D	Jimmie Johnson	5	2	40	123
A	Dale Jr.	8	1	36	0
L	Joey Logano	14	0	30	0
E	Jeff Gordon	1	7	47	78
!	Clint Bowyer	3	4	42	60

READ MORE for full updated stats and the overall standings

DALE! Guys Fantasy Picks: Goody's Headache Relief Shot 500

The order of picks this week, based on the overall DALE! Guys points, is: D, E, !, A,L....So, here's the deal...

Race Preview: Goody's Headache Relief Shot 500

Ok Jr nation time to move on from the heartbreak at dega and start looking forward to the Paperclip, where dale looks to move closer to top 5 in the chase standings.

This Week in Earnhardt History: 1994 AC Delco 500 (Sr's 7th Title)

Hard to believe its been almost 20 years since SR hoisted the Winston Cup. He clinched his 7th and final title  at the Rock (RIP) in 1994 with 2 races still to go. Of course he did it with a win. All he did was win win win, no matter what. Check out the video below.

1-Bar of the Week: Camping World RV Sales 500

Well, looks like we have ourselves a  first two time winner of the 1-bar of the week, and damn she deserves this one. With 28 to go, DP was looking for her best career finish. Then, suddenly, she remembered she was a woman driver...

Fantasy Recap: Camping World RV Sales 500

As a reminder, here were our picks this week (in the order that they were picked):
E: Jimmie Johnson
D: Jeff Gordon
A: Dale Jr.
!: Clint Bowyer
L: Kasey Kahne

This week's big winner was the 'A' and his loyal Dale Jr. pick. Couldn't quite move for the win, but, like Dale, the 'A' will have to settle for a healthy portion of points instead. Not much fantasy action beyond that, though. Most of the picks were threatening for strong finishes, but couldn't hold their spots at the end. The only other pick to score this week was the '!'s pick of Clint Bowyer, managing a tenth place. The 'L' remains the leader, but the 'A' tightens the race at the top of the scoring tower.

- The 'D'

Read more for the full, updated stats after the second week...

	D	A	L	E	!
Points	100	120	98	100	113
Wins	0	0	1	0	0
Top 5	0	2	2	0	1
Top 10	1	3	2	1	2
Laps Led	28	38	269	43	37
DALE! Guys Points	1	8	10	1	5

And current standings:

Standings
L	10
A	8
!	5
D	1
E	1

And, as a reminder, here's how the "DALE! Guys" Fantasy scoring works:
Each letter picks one driver, no two picks can be the same for a given week, and points are awarded in the following way based on how each driver picked fares in that week's race:

1st	7
2nd	5
3rd	4
4th	3
5th	2
Top 10	1
Anything Else	0

DALE! Guys Fantasy Picks: Camping World RV Sales 500

Order of Picks: E, D, A, !,  L

D: October is the season of pumpkins...pumpkins shine as jack o'lanterns this time of year...pumpkins are gourds...And so my pick picked itself this week. JEFF GOURD-ON. Gordbug has been running well over the past few weeks and, if he can avoid being carved out of the field in the Talladega roulette, I see him taking a win before the clock strikes 12 on this season and the number 24 stage coach turns back into a pumpkin.

A: Well, as I described in the preview, picking a favorite at DEGA is nealy impossible. David Ragan Smith or whatever his name is won here last, and other pit it and quit it regulars will have hopes of repeating his feat. Since my 23 years of NASCAR watching experience can't help me with my choice for Sunday, I'll just follow the Dale guys motto. When in doubt, JUNEBUG!! 

L: I'll make it a clean sweep for Hendrick this week with the Dale Guys and pick Kasey Kahne. My gut told me Kasey but then I checked the numbers. Outside of Pocono 2 the super speedways have made Kasey their bitch this year. However, that win coupled with his recent performance and speedy second practice are enough for me to stick with my gut and my boy Kasey. And plus, who wouldn't want to see those baby blues grace victory lane one more time. 

E: Who the hell knows who's gonna win tomorrow. Alls I know is the only person I've ever seen run away from pack racing was JJ the last time we went restrictor plating in July. Even though he may not be able to do that at dega Jimmie seems like as good a pick as anyone especially while he's in a heated chase battle

!: The pick for this week is a total crap shoot cause it's f'ing DEGA. Basically, I'm choosing Clint Bowyer this week soley on the fact that I have a sweet koozie and that he just absolutely loves The Dale Guys. Also, he has no reason to spin out purposely (unless Kyle Busch is winning) and can ride it around for the win. Look for that sweet 5 Hour-Energy Totota to find the stripe first and Win at DEGA 

Race Preview: Camping World RV Sales 500

Week 6 of the chase brings us to everyone's favorite question mark. I could go on and tell you who the favorites are for this weekend. Or, I could just say that David Ragan won here back in the spring. Yeah, that David Ragan. Perennial 1-bar of the week contender David Ragan.