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NASCAR at Night in Richmond!!!

What:Pontiac Excitement 400(Race 11 of 34)
Where:Richmond International Raceway, Richmond, VA
When:Saturday, May 15; 7:30pm (Cable)

(Don't want to read my insightful and witty comments? Click here to go straight to making your picks.)

This week the big race is on SATURDAY night, so forget about your cocktail parties, forget about bowling, forget about "Walker, Texas Ranger," forget about your usual squalid go-nowhere Saturday nights. You've got one of the most important races of the year to watch, the Richmond Pontiac Excitement 400.

This race is important for so very many reasons. First of all, it's the eleventh race of the year, and we all know who drives the eleven car. Second, it's going to be in Virginia, none of this sissy California garbage. And third, they're running this race at night! Joe Wreckachek's gonna have a whole slew of new reasons for why he gets in a wreck. Big excitement.

Top 5 reasons Joey Joe Joe will give for inevitable wreck:

5. "It's too dark."
4. "The light got in my eyes."
3. "Lowered temperatures made other cars too slow."
2. "I forgot it was on Saturday, and I spent all afternoon drinkin' at 'Hooters.'"
1. "I was swarmed by moths coming out of turn two."

This is a short-track, so the fellows who usually excel on the small ovals will do well in Richmond. Since the race is at night, however, prerace setup will be more important to perform and more difficult to perfect. Temperatures shift like crazy during the evening hours the race is going to be run in, so look for the teams with good crews to get to the checkered flag right quick like a bunny.

You're thinking, "Oh, great. I'll just pick Gordon, because he's got a great team and he's good on short tracks. I bet he won this race last year." As usual, dear readers, you're so wrong it's pathetic. Anyone already discount Terry Labonte? Well, he won this baby last year, so you better adjust your thinking cap.

Night races are anomalies. Don't expect the expected OR the unexpected. Just expect a whole lot of bumpin' in the turns and a whole lot of cautions. This ought to be a prime week for DNF's. Buckshot Jones has been staying out of trouble lately, so he's due for a solo wreck. And if ever a driver was going to make a concious effort to bump Gordon extra hard, Richmond at night is the place and time to do it. (And Rusty Wallace is the man to do it, if you ask me.)

I'm thinking Ford this weekend, but don't ask me why. Well, you twisted my arm. Fords consistently run well on short tracks, and some of the best short-track drivers of all time are in Fords. Don't count out a driver just because of their car make, though. Don't forget what Andretti did at Martinsville. And don't forget that Earnhardt is trying to put together a winning season, so you just may not be able to count him out.

So make your picks, and check out the non-points bonus question about the new Star Wars movie. Get to it!

Instructions

First of all, choose your name from the pull-down list. Then pick the names of the drivers that you think will finish in the top five. After that, you get to make your surprise pick, where you'll name a guy who isn't high in the points, but you think has a shot to get into this week's top five. It doesn't have to be one of the names you've already put in your top five. Now that the season is in full swing, let's use the current Winston Cup Points standings. Click here to check out the nicely done standings page at nascar.com. Remember, your surprise pick can't be any of the names listed in the TOP TEN of the points standings.

And hey, don't forget to pick a DNF. That's the guy you think will get a big fat Did Not Finish.

Click on the upside-down triangle at the right margin of each blank to see a list of drivers, then select a name. No typing necessary. Don't forget to tell me your name!

What's your name?

Name of First Place Driver:

Name of Second Place Driver:

Name of Third Place Driver:

Name of Fourth Place Driver:

Name of Fifth Place Driver:

Name of your surprise pick:

Choose your "DNF of the Week"

Now as y'all know, the new Star Wars movie (named "The Phantom Menace") will be coming out next week. Although it opens everywhere next Friday, the 21st, it's opening in lots of places next Wednesday, the 19th. I don't know what the deal with that is. Ask some Star Wars geeks. I do know that they can include the Wed. & Thurs. revenue in their first weekend box office receipts, so it may just be a trick to boost their numbers. Maybe they're looking for a record-breaking first weekend. In addition to making your regular picks, give me a prediction of how much money you think the movie will make JUST IN THE FIRST WEEKEND. That means from the time it opens until the end of Sunday, the 23rd. Like with the names of drivers, you'll find options in a pull-down list. You won't get any points for your prediction, but you will get bragging rights.

Any comments for this week? Feel free to talk about the big Star Wars event if you want (that means you, Nathan "I've lived my whole life in waiting for the new Star Wars movie" S.).