Victory Circle
2024 NGFL Champion
Gertie

OMG!  Am I FINALLY the NGFL champion?  
I am covered in bruises I have pinched myself so much!  
It ONLY took me 27 years!  I beat Earnhardt's piddly record of 20 years for the 500.  LOL   Joey and I won Atlanta2, Las Vegas2 and the championship together!!  
Favorite driver driving my favorite number!

Back at the start of all this, the only thought was about beating my family and friends in the finishing order.  Competition, bragging rights!  Definitely to finish in color and get the top 10s.  I wanted as many stats as I could earn.  (Well, not the top to bottom stat. :)  

Somewhere I started to think a little more about the "winning".  LOL.   
For example, I told my grandson I won the championship.  Before he said congratulations, he mentioned FAST that he won a race before me.  "Yes, you did"....lol   Like I said, it's all about the competition.  lol

Honestly going for the championship never occurred to me.  It seemed out of reach.  But when you see the same folks running up front year after year, you think, what are they doing different than me?  
To quote something my mom said when she joined the NGFL and had gone a bunch of races without winning, "when is it my turn?"
I still kill myself laughing over that one.  Turn?  LOL

I know when I collect teams, I am writing down the winning combination, I just don't know which one it is!  It kills me!   LOL

We started 27 years ago and reached as many players as 100 in a season.  The numbers diminished over the years but not the enthusiasm for racing or the league.  Thank you for running with me weekend after weekend.  Through the good times and the bad times.  We all love 1000 club scores, but we hate the penalties.  
We wish Mother Nature would stop raining on our parade.  
So many of you send me kind words throughout the year.  I so appreciate it.

Now that I have won the championship, there is no reason for me to keep running the NGFL.  I am a champion finally!  
I want to thank you all for your continued participation in my fantasy league.  It would have never been the same without all of you.  It's been a pleasure to run with all of you.  But the NGFL has served its purpose.  
Nah...just kidding.  I'm going to defend!!

I already miss playing around, making up a team.  
I'll miss Kenny whining about his team EVERY week.
I'll miss Paulie looking for a driver to blame for his finish EVERY week.
I'll miss Don's emails with a list of player scores, letting me know I did bad sooner!

WHAT I WON'T MISS?
an opportunity to tell anyone...
...I am THE 2024 NGFL champion!!
YEEEEEEEHHHHHHHhhhaaaaaaaaa!




The 4th place Finisher
Herdman90

Congratulations to our treasured NGFL commissioner, Gertie, er... Puddi, er... Poppy. What is her actual name!? LoL! 
I was rooting her to win, no matter what, and I am so glad it finally happened. We both had a roller coaster season that basically was nothing special, but we turned up the heat in the playoffs with me winning in the Round of 16 and Round of 12, and Gertie winning in the Round of 16 and Round of 8. 
I slopped into the Championship 4 due to the stupid blocking penalties and justly laid an egg at Phoenix. 
Congrats again, Gertie! 
And, thanks you commish, as always, for all your efforts in running the NGFL. 
I wish all of our league mates a joyful holiday and a merry Christmas season. 
May God bless us all.


The 5th place Finisher
Boogity

While I didn’t make the championship four, it was a great season — four wins, including the Brickyard.

Congrats to Gertie for the first championship and to everyone who made the top ten. Not easy! 

Looking forward to 2025. 
Really hoping Josh Berry can bring that 21 team some better results. 


The 8th place Finisher
Fhantomn

Ladies and gentlemen, drivers and crew chiefs of the NGFL, fans, and fellow competitors...

I stand before you today with a great sense of pride and accomplishment—though I’ll admit, it’s a little different from what you might expect from a victory speech. Because let’s be real: finishing 8th in a league this competitive, with so many talented and dedicated teams, is nothing short of a victory in its own right!

When the season started, I didn’t know what to expect. It’s a long, grueling ride—kind of like the NASCAR season itself. But through every pit stop, every strategy change, every up and down of the race, I’ve managed to keep my head in the game and my eyes on the prize. It wasn’t always easy. There were weeks when my drivers couldn’t find the groove, when my picks were looking like they’d be the ones getting lapped. But hey, it’s Fantasy NASCAR—we all know how quickly things can change. You keep pushing, you keep making those adjustments, and eventually, you start to see the results.

Finishing 8th might not have been the goal I set when I first fired up my engine in Daytona, but after this wild season, I’m proud to stand among the top competitors in a league that’s as stacked as the NGFL with a couple of wins. A huge shoutout to the other winners, of course—you guys earned it! And to everyone who battled it out every week, thanks for keeping it competitive, entertaining, and full of surprises. You made this season a lot of fun, and I can’t wait to do it all over again next year.

So, here’s to 8th place! It’s not the top of the podium, but it’s a solid finish, and I’ll take it. Until next season, when I’ll be gunning for that top spot, 

And now for the part that I know my friend is waiting for.....

Huge Congrats, 2024 Champion! 🏆 Gertie,

I just wanted to send you a massive congratulations on winning the NGFL Fantasy NASCAR Championship! 🏁🎉 That was an absolutely well-deserved victory. It seems your strategy has FINALLY paid off after all these years. You’ve earned that title!

I can’t lie—it stings a little to see you up there with the trophy, but I can’t think of anyone more deserving of the win. You’ve been a great friend and competitor throughout the season, and that’s what makes this victory even sweeter.

Enjoy the championship, Gertie! You’ve got bragging rights for the next year, and we all know you’ll defend that title like a true champion. I’ll be gunning for you next season, but for now, soak it all in—you earned it.

Cheers, everyone!

And remember, it’s not always about winning—it’s about how you race.