Spade Racing's Lowbuck Team Tournament--First Round Results

Marcos Ambrose and Casey Mears weren't the only ones duking it out in Richmond--the competitors in the Spade Racing Lowbuck Team Tournament were in a fight to the finish/DNF on the track.  Here's the results from round one:

CLICK HERE FOR THE OVERVIEW

(remember--the top four seeds had first-round byes)

8. 23 (Alex Bowman) over 9. 98 (Josh Wise)--Bowman put in a yeoman effort coming home 28th, while Wise battled issues all night to come home 39th.

5. 34 (David Ragan) over 12. 83 (Ryan Truex)--Much like in March Madness, the 5 vs. 12 battle turned out to be ripe for an upset…however, Ragan edged Truex by a single position (30th against 31st) to move on.

7. 7 (Michael Annett) over 10. 32 (Travis Kvapil)--Young beat (relatively) Old as Annett came home 33rd, while Kvapil settled for 36th.

11. 33 (David Stremme) over 6. 26 (Cole Whitt)--And we have our first upset!  Stremme took advantage of the turmoil at his former team, finishing 25th to Whitt's 40th.

As the tournament moves into the quarterfinals, here's the matchups for Talladega:

1. 51 (Justin Allgaier) vs. 8. (Alex Bowman)

2. 38 (David Gilliland) vs. 7. (Michael Annett)

3. 36 (Reed Sorenson) vs. 11. 33 (David Stremme)

4. 40 (Landon Cassill) vs. 5. 34 (David Ragan)

Australia Declares War on The Mears Gang

Acting swiftly following tonight's post-race "activities", the Commonwealth of Australia has drafted--and passed--a declaration of war on the dreaded Mears Gang.

A much more common Aussie offense

"We cannot tolerate any of this aggression on behalf of this dreaded 'Gang'--retribution was our only option", said Australia's Prime Minister Tony Abbott in a prepared statement.  "Rather than let our compatriot Marcos (Ambrose) suffer the blows of this ruffian, we will join him in a full-on military assault, commencing immediately."

Canberra officials were seen deploying numerous fighter jets, battleships, and anti-gecko missiles, although the reasons for the blow-up remain somewhat mysterious.

"If you attack one of us, you attack all of us", a member of Australia's naval forces was heard saying before leaving on his mission.  "I can't tell you exactly what my mission is, but let's just say it involves me, Warren Buffett, and a large jar of vegemite."

"But we're a Mear(s) gang!"

It remains unknown just how many members of the "Mears Gang" there actually are, although they are easily identified by their 1950's-style t-shirts.

"We were originally worried about taking out innocent fans who just happened to be wearing 'Mears Gang' apparel", said a spokesman for the Australian army, "but our intelligence shows that no Casey Mears merchandise has been sold since 2007, so we should be OK."

The Mears Gang has not been able to be reached for comment, although Rick and Roger Mears were seen tunneling into a bunker deep in the Southern California desert.

"I'm glad to see that my country-mates have my back", Ambrose said, "and I'll be glad to join them next week, seeing as how I'll probably be getting suspended.  Apparently it's 'Boys Have At It', but when a MAN has at it, they get sidelined."

Spade Racing's Lowbuck Team Tournament

("News" and Notes is taking a brief hiatus so that we* can bring you this multi-week tournament.      *--yeah, it's still just me)

While the best in Nascar are competing for wins, there's teams who are just happy to notch a top-25.  They are the independents, the start-ups, the guys trying to become the next Germain Racing or Furniture Row Motorsports.  So where's THEIR coverage?  Where's THEIR mispronounced drivers' names by Darrell Waltrip?  Where's THEIR sponsors that people have actually heard of?  Well, they're…not here.  But here's the next best thing:  A bracket-style tournament!!!

Here's the rules:

--12 teams--all of which have attempted all eight races so far this season--will compete in a single-elimination head-to-head tournament over the next four weeks, with the top four teams entered earning byes for the first round (this week).

--First Round is this weekend at Richmond.  The Quarterfinals are next week at Talladega.  The Semifinals are after that in Kansas.  Finally, the Finals will take place in the Sprint Showdown.

--Seeding is done by the team's current place in the Owners' Points.

--It's pretty easy to win--simply finish ahead of your competition for that week.

--Points are accrued by the team itself, not by the driver (in case multiple drivers come into play--Circle Sport, I'm looking in YOUR direction).

--The winner wins a trophy provided by Spade Racing (note--winner must contact me through Facebook, and must not simply be asking if my refrigerator is running).

Here's the first-round match-ups for this week:

BYES: 1. 51 (Justin Allgaier), 2. 38 (David Gilliland), 3. 36 (Reed Sorenson), 4. 40 (Landon Cassill)

5. 34 (David Ragan) vs. 12. 83 (Ryan Truex)

6. 26 (Cole Whitt) vs. 11. 33 (David Stremme)

7. 7 (Michael Annett) vs. 10. 32 (Travis Kvapil/Terry Labonte)

8. 23 (Alex Bowman) vs. 9. 98 (Josh Wise)

(Note that the 66 team is ineligible due to its affiliation with MWR, and the 30 team is ineligible as it will effectively shut down after this week).

May the best team win!!!