Head to Head Fantasy Dirt Track Racing

Photo by Mike Spieker 

Head to Head Fantasy Dirt Track Racing

This is a game I’ve been playing with friends for years. I doubt I created it and I am sure there are many variations of it. This is something I feel adds a little more fun and enjoyment to your average night of dirt track racing. The basic concept of this game is that two players pick the drivers they feel are most likely to win and at the end of the night, the player who makes the best picks will have most points and will win the game. What I enjoy most about the game is that it is fun for both those with years of racing knowledge and those who have none. It also gives you somebody to cheer for in every race. 

General Rules

-Played best with 2 people

-Coin flip or Rock-Paper-Scissors decides who starts games.

-Person with most points at the end of game wins.

-Side bets are encouraged

-No Picks to be made during Amateur races (ex: Trophy classes at Norman County Raceway or Buffalo River Race Park)

How to play

Heat Races – As soon as all the cars are believed to be on the track, whoever has first pick will choose the driver they believe will win the race. Once they made their pick, the next person playing can make theirs. Player with the last pick has until the green flag drops to make their pick. They may change their pick at any time until the green flag drops. If either one of the competitor’s picks are taken out during the first lap of a heat race, they may use a mulligan and may pick another driver. Only 1 mulligan is allowed per night. The person whose driver finishes the highest at the end of the heat race gets 1 point. If their driver wins their heat race, they get a bonus point. No points are awarded for the other player.

There are two way of deciding which player gets the first pick in the next heat race. A.) Alternating picks - If Player 1 picked first in heat 1, Player gets first pick in heat 2. B.) Street Rules – Whoever wins (or finished highest) in the previous heat, gets first pick in the next heat.

The person with the highest total points at the end of the Heat races will get first pick in the first feature.

Features – Feature races are played similarly to heat races. However, no mulligans are allowed. If your pick goes out of the race with no more than 1 lap completed, you may receive a courtesy last row pick, in which you are allowed to pick a driver in one of the last two spots on the race track. This rule only applies if there are 10 or more cars currently in the race. If there is not, no courtesy pick is granted.

Players will get two picks each in the features. Whoever has the most points after the heat races gets first pick in the first feature. The next player then picks. Whoever has first pick will also get 3^rd pick and the next player gets 4^th.  Whoever has the last pick has until the green flag drops to make their last pick. They may change their last pick as many times as they wish until the green flag is dropped. Whose ever pick finishes the highest gets 2 points and bonus point is awarded if their pick wins. No points awarded for the other player.

Feature Points Option #2 – Whose ever driver finishes highest will get 4 points (bonus point for winning race also), the next highest finisher will get 3 points, then 2 points for the next pick, and 1 point for the last finishing pick. Maximum amount of points one could receive for feature race is 8 points. Least amount of points is 3. I only recommend using this system if you are able to follow along on Race Monitor, where it is easier to track where your picks finished.

Street rules apply during picking in the Feature Events. Whichever player has the highest finishing pick in the previous feature will get first pick in the next feature.

Tie Breaker – If at the end of the night, both players are tied, the player who has the highest finishing pick in the final feature is the winner. 

Those are my rules. Feel free to amend and adjust as you so wish. If you have questions, please ask. Most importantly...Have fun!