The third stage of the STEEM Cup Series playoffs is underway and time to make moves is running out!
With only three races left, competition at the top is tightening! Let’s get to the results from last week and check on the playoff leaderboard.
STEEM Cup Series Results – First Data 500
| Place | Contestant | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1st |  | 103 |
| 2nd |  | 103 (102.5) |
| 3rd |  | 102 |
| 4th |  | 101 |
The totals in parentheses are the true totals after all calculations and those point values are used for weekly placement. The rounded totals are used for monthly and season calculations.
Winnings will be paid out for this contest after the preview post for it closes.
Please keep in mind that all points will accumulate for the monthly and season-long contests. The top-5 contestants each month will receive prizes and the top-10 for the season will also receive prizes. The current monthly and season contests will end with the Ford Ecoboost 400 race.
Season Playoffs
The lead at the top for 
Make sure that you’re maximizing your potential points for the next two weeks! Here is the current playoff top-12:
| Place | Contestant | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | | 1721 |
| 2nd | | 1644 |
| 3rd |  | 1411 |
| 4th |  | 1405 |
| 5th | | 1285 |
| 6th | | 1281 |
| 7th |  | 1228 |
| 8th |  | 1219 |
| 9th |  | 1217 |
| 10th |  | 1213 |
| 11th |  | 1211 |
| 12th |  | 1122 |
After the conclusion of the Can-Am 500, the top five contestants in the playoff field will receive an additional 100 points to their season playoff total. There are only three races left until the next playoff cut, so make all of your picks count!
STEEM Cup Series Contest
Race Information
AAA Texas 500
Sunday, November 5, 2017 – 2:00pm ET
Texas Motor Speedway – Fort Worth, Texas
The NASCAR Monster Energy Series playoffs heads to Texas this weekend for the AAA Texas 500 in Fort Worth. The Texas Motor Speedway is a 1.5-mile oval track. The race is scheduled for 334 laps (501 miles), with two 85-lap stages and one final 164-lap stage to determine the race winner.
Last week’s race saw the two NASCAR playoff leaders taking first and second place. Martin Truex Jr. (4117 points) had his playoff lead of 27 points reduced to 17 after Kyle Busch (4100) took home the win in the First Data 500. Brad Keselowski (4079), Kevin Harvick (4053) and Jimmie Johnson (4050) round out the top-five. Ryan Blaney, Denny Hamlin, and Chase Elliott are all within striking distance of making the top four.
The current weather forecast for Sunday’s race in Fort Worth has temperatures near 90 degrees with no expected precipitation.
You can find the drivers’ updated qualifying times/positions prior to race time at the following link: NASCAR Race Center.
Driver Selections and Points
Please note the rules for the playoff format below.
Each contestant will choose three drivers for the weekly STEEM Cup Series from the field of qualifying drivers. Based on the number of drivers and the final results of the race, drivers will be assigned points as follows:
| Results | Points Awarded |
|---|---|
| 1st place | 40 |
| 2nd place | 39 |
| 3rd place | 38 |
| ... | ... |
| 38th place | 3 |
| 39th place | 2 |
| 40th place | 1 |
Once these points are tallied, they will be divided by 2. After the points are divided, the following bonus points will be awarded:
+15 points for unique driver combinations. If two or more contestants select the same drivers, then only the first contestant to post those selections will earn the bonus points. ENTRIES THAT ARE NOT UNIQUE DRIVER COMBINATIONS WILL NOT BE ELIGIBLE FOR ANY OF THE ADDITIONAL BONUS POINTS.
+20 points for the race winner.
+5 points for each driver finishing the race ahead of MY DRIVER.
My selected driver for the AAA Texas 500 is: MATT KENSETH
Contestants cannot choose MATT KENSETH as one of their drivers for this race.
STEEM Cup Series Playoff Format
The first round ended with the Apache Warrior 400 on October 1st.
The second round ended with the Hollywood Casino 400 on October 22nd.
After completion of the Can-Am 500 on November 12th, the top-5 contestants in the season contest will have 100 bonus points applied to their season total.
The Ford Ecoboost 400 will be the season championship race.
All weekly and monthly contests will continue as scheduled with regular scoring and separate prize pools.
How to Play and Win
In a comment on this post, submit the full names of your three drivers. ONLY ONE COMMENT SUBMISSION PER USER, PER WEEKLY CONTEST.
Submissions will be confirmed and locked in at the start of the weekly race. ALL CONTEST SUBMISSIONS MUST BE ENTERED PRIOR TO THE SCHEDULED START TIME OF THE RACE. Late submissions and any edits after that time will be automatically disqualified from the weekly contest.
There will be three winners each week. The winners will be the contestants with the most points gained, based on the points distribution outlined in Driver Selections. All point totals earned from all contestants will carry over for the monthly and season-long contests.
The contest is funded with a minimum pot of 10 SBD. The total weekly pot distribution will be divided as follows:
| Place | Rewards Percentage |
|---|---|
| 1st | 50% |
| 2nd | 30% |
| 3rd | 20% |
In the event of a tie, the true point total (non-rounded value of total points) will be used in an attempt to break the tie. If a tie remains, then the pot will be split between the tying contestants.
Please help with outreach by sharing this post outside of Steemit!
One of the goals for this contest and the fantasy sports development project is to bring sports fans/enthusiasts to Steemit, keep them engaged on the platform, and onboard them into the Steem ecosystem. So, please invite your friends and family to Steemit and share this with any NASCAR/racing fans or sports enthusiasts. Growing the active user base can benefit all users and investors, no matter their interests.
As always, please ReSteem this post and let’s grow the sports community through posting, discussing, competing, and earning!
Thank you for participating and good luck!
Special thanks to 
for supporting and sponsoring this Steemit community event!
Please show him support in return with a witness vote and by using the BlockTrades services.
