What do the French Laundry and NASCAR have in common?

Around 12 years ago, Jeff Gordon appeared on the cover of TV Guide, and my interest in the sport of NASCAR was piqued.

I knew nothing about cars, but hey, Mr. Gordon was a good-looking guy! I began watching races here and there, learning a lot from commentators about the sport and growing to appreciate the skills that are required to do well in it.

After college, the lengthy weekend commitment required of true fans became overwhelming and I mostly stopped watching races. However, my fam's interest in the sport has not waned, and they recently challenged B and me to a fantasy NASCAR competition.

The rules are simple: We each pick 5 drivers for each race. There's no draft, so you can pick any drivers you want. You can have the same drivers for the whole season (the tactic that I'm trying, though my choices did not outperform at Daytona) or change up your drivers each week.

There's no entrance fee, though T offered the great suggestion of the winner being taken out to dinner by the rest of the group. B promptly demanded dinner at the French Laundry, which is not exactly a bargain, even if the rest of us order only water. However, the restaurant's location in California makes it likely that he will have to choose another restaurant in the event that he wins.

Based on my performance in the first race, I have decided to hold off on choosing a restaurant because it doesn't seem likely that I'll be treated to dinner.

If you want to monitor my pitiful progress, check out the Vroom Vroom blog link to the right.