My NASCAR, ARCA championship predictions

This weekend kicks off the 2022 season for the NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, & ARCA Menards Series.

Therefore, I pen these predictions for this year so we can revisit them once the NASCAR seasons end at Phoenix Raceway & ARCA season ends at Toledo Speedway.

Cup Series champion: Kyle Larson

Cup Series Championship 4: Larson, Chase Elliott, Denny Hamlin, & Martin Truex Jr.

Xfinity Series champion: Ty Gibbs

Xfinity Series Championship 4: Gibbs, Justin Allgaier, AJ Allmendinger, & Josh Berry 

Truck Series champion: Chandler Smith

Truck Series Championship 4: Chandler Smith, Carson Hocevar, John Hunter Nemechek, & Zane Smith

ARCA champion: Nick Sanchez

ARCA top five, in order: Sanchez, Daniel Dye, Rajah Caruth, Amber Balcaen, & Greg Van Alst

My Final College Football Top 25 of the 2021-22 Season

 Congratulations to Coach Kirby Smart & his Georgia Bulldogs on winning the college football national championship. They exacted revenge on the Alabama Crimson Tide 33-18 in the championship game.

Nobody likes to lose, but another excellent season by the Crimson Tide. Under Coach Nick Saban, they won the SEC conference championship game, made the national championship game, & QB Bryce Young won the Heisman Trophy.

A tip of the cap to Coach Luke Fickell, his Cincinnati Bearcats, Coach Jim Harbaugh, & his Michigan Wolverines on making the college football playoffs. Both lost their playoff semifinal games, but both teams won their respective conference championship games.

Without further adieu, here are my final top 25 of this 2021-22 season.

1. Georgia

2. Alabama

3. Cincinnati

4. Michigan

5. Louisiana

6. Baylor

7. Oklahoma St.

8. Ohio St.

9. Michigan St.

10. Oklahoma

11. Houston

12. Pittsburgh

13. Ole Miss

14. Utah

15. Wake Forest

16. Clemson

17. Notre Dame

18. Kentucky

19. Utah St.

20. Air Force

21. San Diego St.

22. North Carolina St.

23. BYU

24. Iowa

25. Coastal Carolina

Final 2021-22 College Football Bowl Pick 'em Contest Standings

 Congratulations to Coach Kirby Smart & the Georgia Bulldogs on defeating the Alabama Crimson Tide 33-18 to win the college football national championship game. Although the Crimson Tide players no doubt left disappointed, it was another outstanding season by this team coached by Nick Saban.

A tip of the cap to Coach Luke Fickell & the Cincinnati Bearcats & Coach Jim Harbaugh & the Michigan Wolverines for making the college football playoffs.

This college football bowl pick 'em contest has come to its end. Thank you to all the participants. Personally, this pool makes each bowl game more exciting because you are actively rooting for one team in every game. I sincerely hope everyone participates next time.

Congratulations to those contestants who scored first, second, & third place. Adam Jones won first place, Dan Nawrocki notched second place, & Mark Kristl scored third place.

Adam Jones finished on a two-game winning streak, correctly picked both the playoff games & championship, & led from December 31 'til the end.

Dan Nawrocki finished on a five-game winning streak, correctly picked both playoff games & the championship, & vaulted four spots via the Georgia victory to earn second place.

Mark Kristl took advantage of a perfect New Years' Day to enter the top three, then ultimately wound up with a third-place finish.

I would be remiss if I did not mention Stephanie, my sister, who lost both playoff games & the championship, as well as finished on a three-game losing streak to clinch last place on January 5. While last place is not an oft-beloved result, Stephanie will receive her $10 entry fee back & a kick in the butt for picking so poorly!

Keeping up with every ranking(s), John Boshears' correct prediction of Georgia gained him 11 spots to finish 10th. Unfortunately, ending this pool with a two-game losing streak relegated Jay Holzapfel to fall eight spots to 18th place.

I also want to recognize the husband-wife couple of Dave Jones & Dee Dee for both correctly picking the tiebreaker of 51 points.

Alright, the final standings of this 2021-22 college football bowl pick 'em contest.

1st: Adam Jones 29 points. +0.

2nd: Dan Nawrocki 27 points. +4.

3rd: Mark Kristl 25 points. -1.

4th: Dave Jones 24 points. +0.

5th: Carl Ruf 24 points. -2.

6th: Nommo 24 points. -1.

7th: Dan Anderson 24 points. +6..

8th: Matt Nommensen 24 points. +9.

9th: Ethan Houston 24 points. -5.

10th: John Boshears 23 points. +11.

11th: Mike Kristl 23 points. -4.

12th: Ceth 23 points. +6.

13th: T. O'Donnell 22 points. -4.

14th: Jackson 22 points. -6.

15th: Tom Bowles 21 points. +9.

16th: Joseph W. 21 points. -5.

17th: RJ 21 points. -5.

18th: Jay Holzapfel 21 points. -8.

19th: Kyle B. 20 points. -3.

20th: Hagen 20 points. -5.

21st: Chuck Barrett 19 points. -2.

22nd: Papa 19 points. +0.

23rd: Jordan Keeley 19 points. -2.

24th: Christine Kristl 18 points. -1.

25th: Dee Dee 16 points. +0.

26th: Nick Ehlers 16 points. +0.

27th: Stephanie 15 points. +0.

January 5, 2022 standings

 Kansas St. wrapped up its season with a dominating victory over LSU in the TaxAct Texas Bowl. The Wildcats' win means only one more bowl game is left: the national championship game between Alabama & Georgia.

Dan Anderson correctly picked Kansas St. to gain five spots to climb into 13th place. The LSU Tigers' defeat snapped Dave Jones' three-game winning streak, albeit he still has the opportunity to win prize money.

The national championship game is worth four points. Of the four places which result in winning money, two are guaranteed to be claimed by the Kristl brother-sister duo.

IF Alabama wins, Mark Kristl will win first place. Carl Ruf, Dave Jones, & Nommo would be in a three-way tie for second & third place. Using the tiebreaker of the total points scored in the title game, Carl Ruf has 47, Dave Jones has 51 & Nommo has 56. Stephanie Kristl is guaranteed last place due to her championship winner prediction Michigan Wolverines defeat in their playoff semifinal bowl game.

IF Georgia wins, Adam Jones will win first place. Dan Nawrocki will win second place. Lastly, Mark Kristl will win third place. Because Stephanie Kristl lost the final three straight games, she has already clinched last place.

1st: Adam Jones 25 points. +0.

2nd: Mark Kristl 25 points. +1.

3rd: Carl Ruf 24 points. +2.

4th: Dave Jones 24 points. -2.

5th: Nommo 24 points. -1.

6th: Dan Nawrocki 23 points. +1.

7th: Mike Kristl 23 points. -1.

8th: Jackson 22 points. +0.

9th: T. O'Donnell 22 points. +3.

10th: Jay Holzapfel 21 points. -1.

11th: Joseph W. 21 points. -1.

12th: RJ 21 points. -1.

13th: Dan Anderson 20 points. +5.

14th: Ethan Houston 20 points. -1.

15th: Hagen 20 points. -1.

16th: Kyle B. 20 points. +5.

17th: Matt Nommensen 20 points. -2.

18th: Ceth 19 points. -2.

19th: Chuck Barrett 19 points. -2.

20th: John Boshears 19 points. -1.

21st: Jordan Keeley 19 points. -1.

22nd: Papa 19 points. +0.

23rd: Christine Kristl 18 points. +0.

24th: Tom Bowles 17 points. +2.

25th: Dee Dee 16 points. +0.

26th: Nick Ehlers 16 points. -1.

27th: Stephanie 15 points. +0.

January 2, 2022 Standings

Arkansas, Oklahoma St., Kentucky, Ohio St., & Baylor all won their respective New Years Day bowl games.

New Years Day marked the last day with multiple games. All that's left is the TaxAct Texas Bowl & the championship game for 5 more total points.

Losing only the Outback Bowl, RJ gained eight spots. Conversely, Dan Anderson won only the VRBO Citrus Bowl, so he dropped nine positions.

1st: Adam Jones 24 points. +0.

2nd: Dave Jones 24 points. +1.

3rd: Mark Kristl 24 points. +5.

4th: Nommo 24 points. -2.

5th: Carl Ruf 23 points. +1.

6th: Mike Kristl 23 points. -2.

7th: Dan Nawrocki 22 points. +0.

8th: Jackson 22 points. -3.

9th: Jay Holzapfel 21 points. +1.

10th: Joseph W. 21 points. +7.

11th: RJ 21 points. +8.

12th: T. O'Donnell 21 points. +1.

13th: Ethan Houston 20 points. +2.

14th: Hagen 20 points. +8.

15th: Matt Nommensen 20 points. -3.

16th: Ceth 19 points. +4.

17th: Chuck Barrett 19 points. -3.

18th: Dan Anderson 19 points. -9.

19th: John Boshears 19 points. -8.

20th: Jordan Keeley 19 points. -4.

21st: Kyle B. 19 points. -3.

22nd: Papa 19 points. +1.

23rd: Christine Kristl 18 points. -2.

24th: Dee Dee 16 points. +0.

25th: Nick Ehlers 16 points. +0.

26th: Tom Bowles 16 points. +1.

27th: Stephanie Kristl 15 points. -1.

January 1, 2022 standings

 Alabama & Georgia punched their tickets to the college football national championship game with their wins in their respective playoff bowl games.

Four points definitely affected the standings. Jay Holzapfel gained seven spots to move into the top 10 whereas Christine Kristl fell seven spots into a bottom 10 position.

1st: Adam Jones 21 points. +0.

2nd: Nommo 21 points. +3.

3rd: Dave Jones 20 points. +3.

4th: Mike Kristl 20 points. +4.

5th: Jackson 19 points. -2.

6th: Carl Ruf 19 points. -4.

7th: Dan Nawrocki 19 points. +3.

8th: Mark Kristl 19 points. -4.

9th: Dan Anderson 18 points. +6.

10th: Jay Holzapfel 18 points. +7.

11th: John Boshears 18 points. -4.

12th: Matt Nommensen 18 points. +6.

13th: T. O'Donnell 18 points. +6.

14th: Chuck Barrett 17 points. -5.

15th: Ethan Houston 17 points. +6.

16th: Jordan Keeley 17 points. -5.

17th: Joseph W. 17 points. +5.

18th: Kyle B. 17 points. -6.

19th: RJ 17 points. -6.

20th: Ceth 16 points. +4.

21st: Christine Kristl 16 points. -7.

22nd: Hagen 16 points. -6.

23rd: Papa 16 points. +2.

24th: Dee Dee 13 points. -4.

25th: Nick Ehlers 13 points. +1.

26th: Stephanie 13 points. -3.

27th: Tom Bowles 13 points. +0.

December 31, 2021 Standings

 South Carolina, Purdue, Michigan St., & Wisconsin all won their respective bowl games.

Today on New Year's Eve, three of the five bowl games are washed for this contest. The two games on tap for this contest are the two playoff games. Both are worth two points apiece, so there could be some shakeup within the standings.

Carl Ruf went a perfect 4-for-4 on Thursday, December 30 en route to a current second-place run. On the flip side, Kyle B. salvaged a Badgers win to earn his first point of the day, though he still dropped six places falling outside of the top 10.

1st: Adam Jones 17 points. +1.

2nd: Carl Ruf 17 points. +7.

3rd: Jackson 17 points. -2.

4th: Mark Kristl 17 points. -3.

5th: Nommo 17 points. -2.

6th: Dave Jones 16 points. -2.

7th: John Boshears 16 points. -2.

8th: Mike Kristl 16 points. +0.

9th: Chuck Barrett 15 points. +1.

10th: Dan Nawrocki 15 points. +1.

11th: Jordan Keeley 15 points. +1.

12th: Kyle B. 15 points. -6.

13th: RJ 15 points. +6.

14th: Christine Kristl 14 points. -1.

15th: Dan Anderson 14 points. -1.

16th: Hagen 14 points. -1.

17th: Jay Holzapfel 14 points. -1.

18th: Matt Nommensen 14 points. +0.

19th: T. O'Donnell 14 points. +1.

20th: Dee Dee 13 points. +4.

21st: Ethan Houston 13 points. +0.

22nd: Joseph W. 13 points. -5.

23rd: Stephanie 13 points. -1.

24th: Ceth 12 points. -1.

25th: Papa 12 points. +0.

26th: Nick Ehlers 11 points. +0.

27th: Tom Bowles 11 points. +0.