New Hampshire Motor Speedway has announced the winner of the “Fans of NHMS” Yahoo! Fantasy Auto Racing group for the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season. Max Giguere, from Saint-Georges, Quebec, claimed the title thanks to a dominant performance during NASCAR’s Chase for the Sprint Cup.
The point standings are based on a cumulative performance over all 36 races, and Giguere made a late charge with the most points over the final 10-race segment of the season. He will receive an engraved trophy to commemorate his success.
The group was created with the help of Yahoo! Fantasy Sports in February in an effort to create an interactive competition among fans. The 596 participants far exceeded expectations set by speedway officials.
NHMS executive vice president and general manager Jerry Gappens showed why he’s “The Boss” of “The Magic Mile” by winning the league comprised of NHMS staff members. He made a good showing publically, as the strong season landed him 26th overall in the “Fans of NHMS” group.
“The fantasy NASCAR experience was a new one for me,” said Gappens. “It was a competitive league, and the staff was always excited to arrive at work on Monday to discuss their results. I’m glad I managed to hold them off for the win because it would have been a long winter if I hadn’t been able to pull it out.”
Gappens pulled away from the rest of the NHMS staff thanks to a hot summer stretch that included the LENOX Industrial Tools 301 in Loudon. Communications manager Gavin Faretra put up a strong fight to finish second, and Speedway Children’s Charities executive director Cheryl LaPrade was third among the “NHMS Employees” group of 26 team managers.
The Yahoo! Fantasy Auto Racing game demands knowledge for the sport. It requires managers to choose from three tiers of Sprint Cup Series drivers and uses a maximum of nine allocations (starts) per driver. NHMS fans and staff alike found themselves following more drivers, like Marcos Ambrose or Aric Almirola, than they otherwise would during the NASCAR season.
Based on the league’s success in 2012, NHMS has every intention of working with Yahoo! Fantasy Sports to recreate the league for the 2013 season. Fans and media members will be alerted once the group is setup and everyone is welcomed to join in the fun.