Trying to Make the Chase with the Most Average Team Ever (pt. 2)

Link to Part 1: https://zmiller82.blogspot.com/2026/06/trying-to-make-chase-with-most-average.html

By Zane Miller

Returning to where we left off at the end of the 2007 season, driver Floyd Parkhurst and Meh Motorsports began 2008 with a fitting 21st-place finish in the Daytona 500, which was won by Dale Earnhardt Jr. for his first in-universe victory in the event. After Ryan Newman took the checkered flag at Las Vegas, Parkhurst captured his first top-10 of the year a week later at Atlanta. However, the now fifth-year veteran would have to wait a few more weeks for another top-10 run.

Parkurst matched his Atlanta finishing position with a ninth at Talladega, a race preceded by Matt Kenseth taking the win at Martinsville. Just past the midway point in the regular season, Parkhurst would get his first top-five of the campaign, grabbing third at Dover with Newman claiming another win. Disaster would strike at the second Daytona race, however, as Parkhurst was presumably caught up in a crash and finished 42nd. Even with top-10 runs at New Hampshire, Watkins Glen and Bristol, it wasn’t enough to make it into the Chase.

Despite being eliminated from title contention, Parkhurst still wrapped up the last 10 races with strong results, getting four top-10s which included a fifth-place at Homestead for 15th in the final standings. Bucking the notorious curse of the Daytona 500 winner struggling for the rest of the season, Earnhardt Jr. took back-to-back championships by 72 points over Kevin Harvick. In a situation reminiscent of his outstanding 2020 season, Harvick won exactly half of the races with 17, including four in the Chase, yet somehow found a way to lose the title. Earnhardt Jr. scored six wins, as Jeff Gordon had somewhat of an off year with four.

Set to avenge his crushing defeat in the previous year’s Chase, Harvick came into 2009 swinging with a fifth triumph in the Great American Race, as Parkhurst finished a respectable 12th. An eighth-place run was right around the corner for the driver of the #150 at Las Vegas, but there would be a long drought afterwards with Parkhurst’s next top-10 not coming until the first Richmond race.

The latter portion of the regular season wouldn’t get much better for Parkhurst, who largely continued to place just outside of the top-10 most weeks as a Chase spot inched away from his grasp. He would score a season-best sixth at Chicagoland, but was left on the outside looking in after 24 races.

In the meantime, Harvick went on a generational run to both finish the regular season and start the postseason. Starting out with wins at California and Richmond, Harvick then grabbed the first five wins of the Chase for seven consecutive victories. This was not only the most wins strung together by a single driver this playthrough, but Harvick was also the first Cup Series driver to win five or more straight since Richard Petty in 1971.

As Parkhurst settled for 15th in the standings, Harvick would not be denied his second career championship, which he clinched a race early even with the points reset. The pride of Bakersfield, California ended 2009 with another 17-win season, while Gordon returned to his winning ways with seven victories, including his 100th career win at Infineon. Earnhardt Jr. added another six wins to his resume.

The 2010 season would start off with more of the same, as Harvick claimed his sixth Daytona 500 with Parkhurst trailing behind in 15th. Harvick rattled off a pair of wins to pull a 2026 Tyler Reddick by beginning the year on a three-race win streak, though it was a miserable start for Parkhurst. Aside from a 10th-place finish at Darlington, he would end up outside the top-30 during the span from Atlanta to Texas. However, Parkhurst would bounce back big time at Martinsville thanks to a third-place result.

The strong run at the Paper Clip seemed to reinvigorate the Meh Motorsports outfit, as Parkhurst scored 10th at Talladega before taking the runner-up spot at California. Coincidentally, he again finished second to Tony Stewart, the winner in his only other runner-up result at Homestead in 2006. Of course, the hot streak did not last long for Parkhurst, who found himself well outside of postseason contention by the cutoff race, though the team did get their wind back just before regular season’s end with back-to-back fourth-place finishes at California and Richmond.

Not much of note happened for Parkhurst in the Chase events outside of a seventh at Atlanta on the way to 15th in points, but this postseason would provide an exciting three-way battle for the championship. You’d think it would be between Harvick, Gordon and Earnhardt Jr. for the title, but only two of the three are correct. Despite collecting a pair of wins early in the Chase, Harvick completely fell off a cliff afterward and was over 400 points out of the lead by the season finale. Instead, 2004 champ Jimmie Johnson reemerged as a valid threat, a mere 26 points behind point leader Gordon, who himself was only 18 points ahead of Earnhardt Jr. going into Homestead. Here’s where I really wish I could break down the results of this race, but, as you’ll recall from part one, the simulation model for NASCAR 2005 doesn’t allow you to view the full race results. What we do know is that Gordon scored the clutch win at the South Florida track, holding off teammate Johnson by 28 points as Earnhardt Jr. settled for third, 61 markers back.

The 2010 season was also remembered as the season of milestones, with Earnhardt Jr. earning his 50th career win in the fall race at Lowe’s, though it was moderately overshadowed by Harvick’s 100th career victory at Talladega coming just two weeks prior. Not only that, Gordon was able to pass David Pearson for second on the all-time wins list after his 106th career victory at New Hampshire to start the postseason.

The 2011 Daytona 500, which in real life was won by Trevor Bayne in one of the biggest underdog wins in NASCAR history, instead put out a far less interesting result in-game as Earnhardt Jr. took his second Harley J. Earl Trophy. However, the Wood Brothers would get their time in the sun later on in the season.

An unspectacular 18th-place in the 500 was followed by an eighth-place at Rockingham for Parkhurst. Even though he was still primarily coming up short of stringing together top-10s, Parkhurst was keeping himself in the postseason conversation with several top-20 runs in the early going. He collected his third top-10 of the year with an eighth in the Coke 600, but would not be the main headline from this event. Sophomore driver Clay Dixon, who took over for a retired Ricky Rudd in the Wood Brothers #21 ride, pulled off easily the most shocking upset of the simulation by taking his first career victory in the crown jewel race. Dixon would ultimately finish 17th in the final standings, making his victory all the crazier.

Speaking of crazy, Parkhurst again secured back-to-back top-10s, getting seventh at Dover before being brought back to earth with a 36th-place finish at Michigan. He resumed his familiar theme of getting solid yet not-quite-good-enough results for the next couple of months, but broke through for his career best finish at a road course, grabbing third in Watkins Glen. Even with a top-10 in the return trip to California, Parkhurst would be shut out of the Chase yet again.

Johnson grabbed the early advantage in the postseason with the opening win at New Hampshire, but a new challenger to the big three was already rising to the occasion. Matt Kenseth, already having an excellent season with four wins including a sweep of Richmond, came in as the #1-seed and showed why by taking the checkers at Dover. After a typical Harvick win at Talladega, Kenseth nabbed the victory at Kansas before collecting his seventh win of the year at Atlanta. Despite the best efforts of Harvick, Gordon and even Johnson, who picked up another win at Phoenix, nobody had anything for Kenseth. The native Wisconsinite held a commanding 114-point lead at season’s end for his second career Cup title. Although Harvick still finished the year with the most wins for the fourth straight season, it was just barely as he had eight to Kenseth’s seven. Punctuating one of the wildest seasons of the playthrough, Kenseth actually managed to finish with more wins than two of the big three, as Gordon and Earnhardt Jr. ended up with six apiece. Is this season simply a fluke, or does Kenseth’s dominant season signal a major shakeup in the Cup Series hierarchy? Come back in part three to find out!

How Elite Were They? #58- Joe Montana’s 14-win 1990 Season

Photo Credit: NFL

By Zane Miller

In our last visit to the career of legendary San Francisco 49ers quarterback Joe Montana, he had completed one of the most thoroughly dominant, yet somewhat underrated, seasons in NFL history, winning Super Bowl XIX after a 15-1 regular season record in 1984. In the second half of the decade, Montana would continue to put up incredible stats, including a first-team All-Pro 1987 season and a 1989 campaign which saw him bring home both league MVP and Offensive Player of the Year (including another first-team All-Pro selection).

Not only that, the rest of the team was certainly pulling their weight as well, as he and the 49ers captured Super Bowl XXIII over the Cincinnati Bengals in the 1988 season before walloping the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXIV 55-10 the next year in what remains the largest margin of victory in the history of the Big Game. The only problem for an otherwise loaded squad coming into the 1990 campaign was that Montana had not crossed the 12-win mark since that magical 1984 season.

Some of this was due to injury, such as the 1986 season which saw Montana essentially miss the first half of the season due to a ruptured disc in his back. Some of it was unfortunate timing, as was the case in 1987 when Montana sat out during the in-season players’ strike. San Francisco would eventually finish with the best record in the NFL that year at 13-2 (aided by them winning all three of the games played with mainly replacement players), so it’s quite likely that Montana would have crossed the 12-win threshold had he been in those three games, four counting the one game that was canceled due to the strike. However, nothing would be holding the Comeback Kid back to start off the new decade.

After putting up modest numbers in the 49ers’ 13-12 week one victory in New Orleans, Montana showed more of what he was known for in the home opener against the Washington Redskins (now Washington Commanders). That September afternoon, he would throw for 390 yards and a pair of touchdowns, with 160 yards and one of the TDs going to wide receiver John Taylor as the 49ers took it 26-14. The Bay Area faithful wouldn’t need to wait long for another exceptional Montana performance, as a week later on September 23^rd, he nearly matched his previous totals with two touchdowns and 398 passing yards to beat the Atlanta Falcons 19-13. With Taylor out of the lineup, Montana connected with future Hall of Famer Jerry Rice for 171 yards and a touchdown to keep the winning streak going.

After a close win in Houston against the Oilers, Montana would have the most impressive game of his career on October 14^th in the rematch against the Falcons. The Montana to Rice connection was red hot in Hotlanta, as the duo collected three touchdowns in the first half alone. With the Falcons keeping the game close, the 49ers offense had no choice but to respond and keep throwing for much of the second half as well. Ultimately, San Francisco got the job done with a 45-35 victory and improved to 5-0, with Montana posting six touchdown passes for 476 yards, both of which would be career highs. Rice had a career day as well, hauling in five touchdowns and 225 receiving yards.

Two wins later, the Niners came into Lambeau Field looking for an 8-0 start to the year at the expense of the Green Bay Packers. Early on, however, it appeared the team’s run at an undefeated season could come to an end after falling behind 10-0. This would not be the case, instead Montana and company fought back with a strong final frame to hold off the Packers 24-20, with Montana going off for three touchdowns and 411 yards and Rice catching a touchdown with 187 yards through the air.

Although Montana cooled off in the second half, he would still give the team a solid chance at the completing the undefeated season with decisive wins against the Dallas Cowboys and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. However, in week 12 the whispers of a perfect season would come to an end after a 28-17 loss to the Los Angeles Rams, as Montana sustained his only three-interception game of the year. That being said, the team’s 10-0 start, combined with winning the final five regular season contests of the 1989 season, enabled them to place inside the top-five at the time for the longest winning streaks in league history, with their 15 straight wins coming up two victories shy of the mark set by the Chicago Bears from the conclusion of 1933 through 1934. This record was later surpassed multiple times in the 2000s, with the current record holders being the 2008-09 Indianapolis Colts at 23.

Still, the 49ers remained focused on the main goal of grabbing their third straight Super Bowl title, finishing off the regular season strong at 14-2 to claim a first-round playoff bye. Montana was the starter in all 14 victories, taking 26 passing touchdowns and 3,944 passing yards, good for third in the league overall in both categories. While Oilers QB Warren Moon led the way in these categories, Houston’s comparatively underwhelming nine-win season ultimately gave Montana the upper hand in the MVP race. The now two-time MVP also claimed first-team All-Pro honors for the third time in his career, as he would be set to defend Candlestick Park against the Redskins on January 12^th.

In the first quarter, Washington raised the upset alert after taking a 10-7 lead, but San Francisco would kick into gear in the second as Montana found Rice then seldom-used receiver Mike Sherrard to stifle the threat. This enabled the defense, ranked second-best in the league at season’s end, to do the rest, shutting out the Redskins in the second half on the way to a 28-10 divisional round victory. Montana ended the day with a very good 274 passing yards and two touchdowns, while Mark Rypien went for 361 yards and a touchdown for Washington, albeit with three interceptions to one from Montana.

In the NFC Championship Game, the 49ers would play host to the NFC East champ New York Giants on January 20^th. Both teams knew the victor would face the Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl XXV, as they obliterated the Los Angeles (now Las Vegas) Raiders 51-3 in the AFC title game a couple hours earlier. However, this conference title matchup would be the complete opposite type of game, as the battle between the #1 and #2 defenses quickly took center stage. A 6-6 draw at halftime gave way on easily the biggest offensive play of the afternoon, with Montana finding an open Taylor down the sideline, sprinting the remaining 40 yards to the end zone. That momentary lapse aside, the Giants responded with a field goal before holding San Francisco to three straight three-and-outs. On the third drive, defensive end Leonard Marshall delivered a crushing hit to Montana as he attempted to find a receiver, instead leading to a fumble. While the 49ers were able to fall on the loose ball, Montana would be knocked out for the remainder of the game with broken ribs and a broken hand.

A successful fake punt set New York up for yet another Matt Bahr field goal, which went through to cut the San Francisco lead down to one. Backup quarterback Steve Young made the most of his lone pass attempt with a 25-yard completion to tight end Brent Jones, but a fumble by running back Roger Craig forced by defensive lineman Erik Howard set up the Giants near midfield with just over two minutes to play. After a pair of crucial passing plays totaling 32 yards from quarterback Jeff Hostetler put the Giants in makable field goal range, a trip to the Super Bowl rested on the right leg of Matt Bahr. Bahr, seeking his first appearance in the Big Game since his rookie season with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1979, put it through from 42 yards out to end San Francisco’s season with the 15-13 win.

Montana’s shot at a three-peat ended with a touchdown pass and 190 yards, compared to the 176-yard game from Hostetler. In spite of the great defense played by both sides, neither quarterback threw an interception during the game. Unbeknownst to anyone at the time, this would be the mark the final full season for Montana as a 49er.

Midway through the 1991 preseason, Montana developed an elbow injury that was initially not believed to be season-threatening, but was later revealed as a ligament tear that sidelined him for the entirety of 1991. Complications as a result of the ensuing surgery kept him out for all but one game of the 1992 season, at which point the 49ers had opted to go with Young as the starter for 1993. This prompted a trade sending Montana to the Kansas City Chiefs for a first-round draft pick, which was later traded again and used by the Phoenix (now Arizona) Cardinals to select offensive lineman Ernest Dye, who would only play one full season with the team.

As for Montana, he would ultimately finish his NFL career as a Chief, still contributing solid numbers despite missing the better part of two seasons. In 1993, he nearly led the team to its first Super Bowl appearance as an NFL franchise, but were stonewalled by the Bills in the conference championships. The 1994 campaign saw Montana finish inside the top-10 in passing yards at age 38, before officially announcing his retirement the following offseason, claiming a total of 117 career wins, 100 of which as a Niner, as well as four Super Bowl rings. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on the first ballot in the year 2000, going along with his #16 jersey being officially retired by the 49ers in 1997. In 2009, Montana was included as an inaugural inductee of the 49ers Hall of Fame, in addition to joining the similarly regional Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame in 1999. Since 1998, Montana became a cofounder of multiple San Francisco-based venture capital firms, including one known as Liquid 2 Ventures which he is currently listed as managing partner.

My 2026-27 AHL Regular Season Predictions

 

Photo Credit: Milwaukee Admirals

By Zane Miller

Playoff teams listed in bold and italics

EC Atlantic

Charlotte Checkers

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins

Hershey Bears

Providence Bruins

Lehigh Valley Phantoms

Springfield Thunderbirds

Hamilton Hammers

Hartford Wolf Pack

EC North

Syracuse Crunch

Laval Rocket

Cleveland Monsters

Rochester Americans

Belleville Senators

Toronto Marlies

Utica Comets

WC Central

Grand Rapids Griffins

Milwaukee Admirals

Texas Stars

Chicago Wolves

Iowa Wild

Manitoba Moose

Rockford IceHogs

WC Pacific

Bakersfield Condors

Henderson Silver Knights

San Jose Barracuda

Colorado Eagles

Ontario Reign

Abbotsford Canucks

Tucson Roadrunners

Coachella Valley Firebirds

Calgary Wranglers

San Diego Gulls

My 2026-27 NHL Regular Season Predictions

 

Photo Credit: Getty Images

By Zane Miller

Playoff teams listed in bold and italics

EC Atlantic

Buffalo Sabres

Montreal Canadiens

Florida Panthers

Ottawa Senators

Tampa Bay Lightning

Boston Bruins

Toronto Maple Leafs

Detroit Red Wings

EC Metropolitan

Carolina Hurricanes

Washington Capitals

Philadelphia Flyers

New York Islanders

New Jersey Devils

Pittsburgh Penguins

Columbus Blue Jackets

New York Rangers

WC Central

Colorado Avalanche

Utah Mammoth

Chicago Blackhawks

Minnesota Wild

Winnipeg Jets

Dallas Stars

Nashville Predators

St. Louis Blues

WC Pacific

Edmonton Oilers

Vegas Golden Knights

Los Angeles Kings

San Jose Sharks

Anaheim Ducks

Vancouver Canucks

Calgary Flames

Seattle Kraken

Naming as Many NASCAR Drivers as Possible in 45 Minutes

Photo Credit: Orlando Sentinel

By Zane Miller

After seeing a couple different people trying out challenges like this, I decided it was my turn to give it a shot. I ended up naming a total of 368 drivers in the 45 minute-long time frame, I initially thought it was 372 but accidentally got four repeats in there. I had also originally planned on this being an hour long, but 45 minutes was the most I could fit under Blogspot's maximum video file size. Still a fun challenge though, highly recommend giving it a try yourself!

Who I Want to Win in the 2026 IFL Playoffs

Photo Credit: OurSportsCentral

By Zane Miller

First round

#E4 Orlando v. #E1 Green Bay- Green Bay

#E3 Tulsa v. #E2 Jacksonville- Jacksonville

#W4 Tucson v. #W1 San Diego- San Diego

#W3 Arizona v. #W2 Vegas- Arizona

Semifinal

#E2 Jacksonville v. #E1 Green Bay- Green Bay

#W3 Arizona v. #W1 San Diego- Arizona

IFL National Championship Game

#W3 Arizona v. #E1 Green Bay

Winner: Arizona Rattlers

Random Recap Thursday #15: Milwaukee Braves v. Los Angeles Dodgers 9/15/1959

 

Photo Credit: Athletes Quarterly

By Zane Miller

On Tuesday, September 15^th, 1959, the recently relocated Los Angeles Dodgers played host to the also recently-relocated Milwaukee Braves at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, both teams coming into the matchup at strong records of 79-64 and 78-65 respectively.

Not only did both teams have nearly identical records, the two had also secured World Series rings within the past few years. The Braves nabbed what would be their only championship in Milwaukee in 1957, while the Dodgers won it all in 1955 while playing in Brooklyn. However, the team had yet to win the World Series in the brief window of time following their move out west, but that was soon to change.

In the meantime, the Braves made their way out to the City of Angels for a two-game set against the Dodgers. Game one of the mini-series saw Milwaukee take a 4-1 victory on the back of an exceptional pitching performance from longtime starter Bob Buhl. For Tuesday’s game, though, the Braves went with 23-year-old Joey Jay. While Jay had been used sporadically by the Braves over the past few seasons, 1959 would be the year he would finally get a full-time shot in the starting rotation. While not having an amazing season, Jay wasn’t doing terribly either, going 5-10 with a 3.96 ERA at this juncture.

For the Dodgers, they opted to send starting pitcher Roger Craig to the mound. Joining the Dodgers’ big league squad just in time to win the 1955 World Series, Craig made the move across the country with the team in 1958, but received a rude welcome as he injured his shoulder early in the year and was forced to sit out most of the season. In 1959, however, Craig bounced back and then some, leading the National League in complete game shutouts. At this point in the year, Craig had an impressive 2.36 ERA and an 8-5 record.

It didn’t take long for the Braves to find themselves in front, as they got a two-run home run courtesy of first baseman Joe Adcock in the first inning. However, the next three frames would be filled with missed opportunities for Milwaukee, as they had runners on first and second in the second and fourth innings and the bases loaded in the third, but failed to convert these scoring chances into a single run as Craig got himself out of the jam each time. This finally led to the Dodger offense coming through with a big inning of their own, starting off with left fielder Norm Larker driving in the team’s first run on an RBI single.

A John Roseboro single set up rookie shortstop Maury Wills with runners at the corners and he did not disappoint, getting an RBI single to even the game at 2-2. Interestingly, manager Walter Alston made the decision to replace Craig with a pinch hitter despite him going just four innings, but there were runners at first and third once again. Just like Wills, pinch hitter Sandy Amoros got the job done, picking up an RBI groundout to put Los Angeles out in front. After Jim Gilliam drew a walk, second baseman Charlie Neal drove in the run from second with another RBI single. This was enough to chase Jay from the game, but new pitcher Juan Pizarro couldn’t immediately stop the bleeding as former Rookie of the Year and St. Louis Cardinal Wally Moon mashed an RBI single of his own to make it a 5-2 lead once the inning was said and done.

The teams traded a pair of runs in the middle innings as the Dodgers maintained their three-run advantage, but the Braves offense was ready to strike once the top of the eighth came around. Future Hall of Fame slugger Henry Aaron had the bases loaded, and was determined not to let another golden opportunity fall by the wayside. Aaron drilled a line drive double into left field, scoring two runners to cut the lead to 6-5. However, that was where the score would stay as despite having the bases loaded with just one out after an intentional walk, the theme of the Braves faltering in big moments continued as reliever Larry Sherry ended the threat without further damage.

After Milwaukee reliever Don McMahon held the Dodgers scoreless in the bottom of the inning, the Braves rallied in the top of the ninth. Catcher Del Crandall, who would go on to earn his second of four career Gold Glove awards this year, took care of business with his bat to kick off the inning with a double to left field. Light-hitting second baseman Felix Mantilla wasted little time in getting him home, pushing in an RBI single to tie the game once again. The Braves went quietly in the rest of the inning and, after a bottom of the ninth scoring threat was thwarted by McMahon, the contest was headed to extras.

After a game marred by ineptitude with runners in scoring position, the Braves were met with another such chance in the 10^th frame. A pair of singles from Aaron and Adcock set up runners at second and third for shortstop Johnny Logan. A four-time All-Star who had been with the Braves organization since 1947, Logan hammered a line drive that was caught by the right fielder, but was still able to score Aaron from third to retake the lead.

The Braves ended up having another opportunity with the bases loaded, as Crandall was intentionally walked and Mantilla reached on a fielding error for another shot at increasing the advantage. However, seldom-used reliever Chuck Churn got John DeMerit to fly out, ending the inning and bringing up the bottom of the Los Angeles order.

McMahon went back out for a third inning of work, but perhaps he was getting stretched a bit too far. After handily getting the first out, Wills and pinch hitter Chuck Essegian contributed back-to-back singles. Essegian was promptly out of the game as Joe Pignatano pinch ran for him at first, with Wills moving over to third. With an extra out to work with, Gilliam hit a sacrifice fly to center field, allowing Wills to come home for the tying run.

Even with the contest evened up at 7-7, manager Fred Haney chose to keep McMahon in the game. However, needing just more out and only a runner at first, the chances were still in favor of the game going into the 11^th inning. Knowing the situation, the Dodgers were able to force McMahon to throw even more pitches with some excellent plate discipline. A single by Neal was followed by a walk from Moon about a decade before the Moon would be walked on, setting up right fielder Ron Fairly with the bases loaded.

A newcomer to the Dodgers roster, Fairly was having a somewhat underwhelming rookie season which finished with just four homers, 23 RBIs and 58 hits in 118 games. On this day, however, Fairly came through in the clutch. As McMahon threw three straight balls, he took a called strike, but was undeterred as the fifth and final pitch of the at-bat fell in outside of the zone for the rare walk-off walk. Pignataro touched home plate for a crucial 8-7 win for the Dodgers, winning the battle as part of the greater war against the Braves for the National League title.

Los Angeles went on to win that war, finishing with an 88-68 record to the 86-70 showing of Milwaukee to take their place as NL representative in the World Series. Squaring off against the Chicago White Sox, Los Angeles secured a six-game series victory to claim their first championship as a California team.