Fantasy drafts are the new Monday morning quarterbacking. Actually, they are Monday morning quarterbacking, refereeing, and pit crewing complete with smack-talking, dirt stirring and gnashing of teeth. According to some very limited internet research, fantasy sports (the picking of an imaginary perfect team of players from various leagues, and then scoring games based on their participation in actual sports) kicked off with baseball (in the 1960s or the 1980s depending on how much internet your morning can handle) and eventually became an integral part of the professional football season as well, moving on to golf and eventually auto racing. Fantasy sports was a way for non-athletes and huge fans to both get together on a level playing field/golf course/racetrack and compete. Generally for money. It was a little naughty, verging on illegal (in the misdemeanor sort of way, “Gambling, I’m shocked!”) and just plain fun.
But with sanctioned leagues and big money changing hands, a little of the free for all rebellions fun has been lost. After all, even NASCAR has a sponsored fantasy league now. So where can one still find some wild speculation, unforeseen outcomes, and unpredictable fun?
In grass roots racing, of course. Enter Dirt Draft, a website dedicated to grassroots fantasy racing. It’s one of a kind, and by all accounts, a hell of a lot of fun.
“DirtDraft makes it easy for you to have fun playing dirt track fantasy games. Simply put, you pick the drivers you believe will perform well, all while staying at or under a salary cap. The lineup you pick will compete against other users in contests you join. Your team of drivers score based on how they finish the A-Main.
If your driver picks do well, you win points that can be redeemed in our Speed Shop for merchandise, tickets, subscriptions, ppv’s, experiences and much more!”
Dirt Draft is a subscription based website. You can play via the app or on your desktop. And unlike other fantasy leagues, it opens up competition to the more than 400 races held every year. Your roster is based on a salary cap you can spend on five drivers, and wins earn points that can be spent on various stuff in the Dirt Draft Speed Shop, including tickets to live races. The team can draw from Late Models, Sprint Cars – winged and not, Modifieds, Midgets and even Asphalt. It covers the World of Outlaw, Lucas Oil, USAC, All-Stars, USMTS events, so the range of racing is also huge.
Right now, even with races limited by the COVID-19 outbreak, Dirt Draft is still going strong, and is a welcome distraction for those itching to go to the track. It even continues during the racing off-season.
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