9 months, 36 races, an untold number of laps, and it all came down to one pick. 4 entered, but only 1 could come away as champion. At journey's end, who would emerge victorious?
We'll get to that. First I want to give a special thanks to those who entered all 36 races in 2023. It's a short list, but a special one. Here they are:
@CardinalCopia
@db512
@Hendrick9Fan
@Cola83
@TruexJrFan19
@2488fan4life
@DaveyFan28
@Connor24fan
As we conclude what has been my 3rd year running Pick'em here and 17th year overall, I'm reminded once again that you all are what makes this game worth doing. You make the excitement. You make the competition. You create the suspense that builds for 9 months until we finally reach the finish line. YOU are the ones who make becoming the next Pick'em Champion special. So it's to you, and to all who entered races over the course of this long season no matter if it was 1 race or 35, I say THANK YOU. Thank you for opening up your web browsers weekly and having a little extra fun rooting for your picks each week.
And now... it's time to reveal our 2023 Stunod Pick'em Series Champion. 4 entered, but only 1 included Christopher Bell in their picks. When that brake rotor exploded, that was the end of Bell's championship hopes and also those of Highbank who would go on to finish 8th. Highbank has nothing to be ashamed of though. Making it all the way to the championship 4 without a win in this format is next to impossible and an accomplishment all its own.
Our remaining 3 contenders, db512, CardinalCopia, and Team4Carvana all finished in the top 3 at Phoenix. The top 2, however, both included Kevin Harvick in their picks. Team48Carvana correctly had Blaney finishing 2nd, had Byron and Larson 3rd and 4th but unfortunately backwards, but did not include Harvick. It was a valiant year long championship defense, but it ends with a 3rd place finish just 6 points short.
Short of what, you say? Short of 2nd? Short of 1st? Yes. Believe it or not, just like 2021, the championship battle ended in a TIE. Unlike 2021, this tie was for both the race win and the championship. db512, who lead the points for most of the season, and the rookie CardinalCopia both scored 187 points. So we go to the tiebreakers. Neither one scored any points from their Pole, Truck or Xfinity winner picks. Next way we break ties is to see how many places away from their real finishing position each player's picks were. As you all know, the idea is to correctly pick the top 5 finishers. CardinalCopia's picks finished 7th, 2nd, 4th, 3rd, and 8th, for a total of 11 positions away. db512's picks finished 4th, 7th, 3rd, 2nd, and 8th, for a total of 13 positions away. Therefore the tie is broken.
CardinalCopia takes home the Phoenix win and becomes the 2023 Stunod Racing Pick'em Series Champion!!
Finally, the year long rookie battle also came to an end. CardinalCopia's win and Ackbarfan's 13th place finish sealed the deal. CardinalCopia is the 2023 Stunod Racing Pick'em Series Rookie of the Year!!
A big congrats goes out to
The 2023 Stunod Pick'em Series Champion AND Rookie of the Year CardinalCopia!!
Here are the full results from Phoenix:
Race Results
Final Standings
Final Rookie Standings
With that, the season comes to an end, and I can take a break from this for a while. Thanks again to everybody who participated all throughout the 2023 season. Have a great offseason, holiday season, and a fantastic new year. Hope to see you all back again and hopefully MANY MANY more in 2024! Enjoy the time off. See you again in February when the 2024 season will begin!