Newspaper’s online fantasy NASCAR contest thrills fans

We're doing more than covering what's happening at the tracks during the NASCAR season this year. We're also offering fans the chance to participate in an online fantasy racing contest.

Two weeks ago, the drivers in the Sprint Cup series were banging bumpers, trading paint, and burning rubber at Richmond International Raceway in the Crown Royal Presents the Russell Friedman 400. They'll return in September for the Chevy Rock & Roll 400.

Those RIR weekends are two of 37 NASCAR racing weekends this season. Millions of spectators will be taking part -- in the stands, watching TV, cruising the Internet, or reading the Sports section of the

Richmond Times-Dispatch.

Starting with the Daytona 500 in February, more than 660 readers have taken part in our weekly R&R Racing Fantasy Contest. We've averaged more than 400 entries each week.

The contest is posted on our Web site, http://www.timesdispatch.com. Readers choose five drivers for the upcoming race. Points are awarded on the basis of each driver's finish, with 100 points for the first-place finisher. Participants in the contest receive e-mail notification of how they did within hours of the end of the race. A midweek update, with season-to-date cumulative scores, goes out to all participants each Wednesday.

The participant with the highest weekly score receives a package of

Times-Dispatch promotional items. The highest scorer of the year will receive a prize package that includes tickets for both days of the May 2010 NASCAR weekend at RIR.

RIR also provided special prizes for the most recent race weekend and will do so again for this September's race.

Here's some of what we've heard from participants during the first 11 weeks of the season:

• "This is exciting! Thanks for the opportunity to play. Look forward to playing again next week!" -- Robert Cote, Midlothian.

• "I'm enjoying your contest and NASCAR has become more interesting to me again. . . . Thanks again for making it more appealing to me, and looking forward to winning those tickets." --John Michael Hoke, Richmond.

• "[My daughter] and my son . . . have our own mini contest between the three of us and we compare our scores each week." -- Jerry Crowder, Brodnax.

• "This has been fun and I just want to thank you." -- Laurie A. Johnson, Chester.

• "I don't want to be left out. I'm about to make my Jimmie Johnson charge." -- Don Owen, Richmond.

• "I have enjoyed the first eight races. Sometimes you find yourself rooting for someone that you may not otherwise have been pulling for. I look forward to breaking into the top 10 soon. Then, who knows, anyone can get the big week." -- John Silva, Maidens.

• "One more thing: Could you please fix it so JR [Dale Earnhardt Jr.] wins in Martinsville!" -- Lee Driscoll, Powhatan.

At the end of March, Charlie Knoeller of Montross wrote to say this:

"Thanks so much for this fantasy racing contest! It is certainly fun and I have gotten my wife interested also. As a matter of fact, she is whipping my back bumper. Thank you so much again for the opportunity to add a little spice to a NASCAR fan who is getting a little tired of red flags, rule changes, show and not racing, COT [Car of Tomorrow] and races that run into the night."

A month later, Charlie was our weekly winner based on the finish of the Sprint race at RIR:

"Yee haa! Great! I love it."

Some of our racing contestants also took part in our pro football fantasy contest during the 2008 NFL season. We'll be doing that again this year. And we've got a special contest coming up this week, tied to the results of next Sunday's Indianapolis 500. The winner will receive tickets to the SunTrust Indy Challenge at RIR in June.

Randy Jessee is special projects editor. Contact him at (804) 649-6118 or .