Using the Crystal Ball, Or is it Crystal Bowl? By-Lisa Humes Check out ALL our sections and features here!! There is plenty to keep you busy on our main page! Two weeks ago, all the staff writers were asked to make predictions on who would win the Daytona 500, and all the other races this season. This is by far the hardest thing I have ever been asked to do as a race fan. No matter how hard I try, or don't try for that matter, I very seldom match up a driver and a race. I can pick winners anytime, but they don't usually win the race I pick them for. Some people are really REALLY good at picking drivers. Bob Brennan, a member of the Rocky Mount Race Club, and good friend of mine has won the race board more times than I can remember. It's a pretty simple game. You pick 5 drivers and a tie breaker driver. The person who picks the most drivers in the top 5 wins, and if there is a tie, the highest finishing tie breaker takes the pot. If I remember correctly, Bob won enough last year to pay his bar bill until about April of 2002. For the Daytona 500, fifteen people played and five people had one driver. Interestingly, the winner (using Jeff Gordon as his tie breaker) was a retired Caterpillar employee. Thank you Ward! Oh, by the way, Bob Brennan was in Florida this weekend and didn't play. For Rockingham, sixteen people played, and we had the same person win. This week, he was the clear cut winner with three drivers out of the top 5. It looks like Bob will have a little competition this year. For the Daytona 500, I used the birth months of my family, and I picked the winner of the Busch Race, Dale Earnhardt Jr. It didn't help at all for the Winston Cup Race at all. The major drawback to this is that I will be picking the same drivers every week. Yes, they will all eventually win, but I don't want to waste the time waiting. My friend, Toni and I had a fantasy team for a few years. We tried everything. We analyzed drivers, and their records at tracks. We watched qualifying and Happy Hour for the fastest cars. We traded for road course specialists. And we have the most expensive driver mugs in Nascar History to show for it at a cost of about $150 per mug. That is a lot to pay for an empty mug. (or a full one for that matter.) Some people use omens to pick the winning driver. You know, the first beer truck they see or the first product they pick up in the house that sponsors a Winston Cup car. Mark Martin would never get picked in this house unless he went back to the Folger's car. (Interestingly enough, my husband found a can of Maxwell House coffee with Mark's picture on it this past weekend.) When I get really desperate, I have a special crystal bowl that I just throw numbers in and pick one. Unfortunately, that special bowl is packed away in storage for the time being. Oh heck, who am I kidding? It didn't work very well either. So I'm getting a little anxious, and I'm going to ask for help. Please send me your favorite way to pick race winners. The more unusual, and off the wall, the better. I'll use your method, and give you credit for your ideas. (I'll also blame you if I come out looking really stupid, ok?) I don't want predictions, just methods of predicting. So send in your idea, and I'll try it. I'm willing to bet I can't get any worse at it. Lisa@insidethepitbox.com Check out ALL our sections and features here!! There is plenty to keep you busy on our main page! (Editors Note:The views and opinions of our writers are just that, theirs. If you have comments, write to them. We take no responsibility for their articles... Do you blame us?) Article archives Return to the Main Page