Author: Jeff Gluck

Here we go with the first set of picks for the Fantasy Chase game.

Remember, if you haven’t signed up, you can still do so here: Signup link. But it’s now too late to make a Daytona 500 pick (sorry).

Here are the picks for Daytona in alphabetical order by Twitter ID. Dale Earnhardt Jr. is the obvious favorite (duh).

Twitter ID		Daytona 500
_Carlton		Earnhardt Jr.
1_an_only_watty		Hamlin
1996lineman		Busch (Kurt)
1andonlybriton		Earnhardt Jr.
1youngster1		Earnhardt Jr.
43packerdog		Kenseth
49elessar		Johnson
50_chgreer		Kenseth
A_Hyre88		Earnhardt Jr.
AaronBearden93		Earnhardt Jr.
abadacejr182288		Earnhardt Jr.
absolutezero10		Earnhardt Jr.
Adam_Huth		Other
Adamdulski		Other
AdamGilliland81		Earnhardt Jr.
adamniemeyer		Earnhardt Jr.
aestrada7		Earnhardt Jr.
ahaywood7		Johnson
AJsTake		Logano
AlekBalvanz		Earnhardt Jr.
algola		Earnhardt Jr.
alter40		Harvick
amandac141		Earnhardt Jr.
AndrewGresenz		Earnhardt Jr.
AndyDow13		Earnhardt Jr.
andylnava		Harvick
andypiercefield		Other
annoyingracefan		Other
Anthony_barbone		Edwards
arittle82		Earnhardt Jr.
arlenekrue		Earnhardt Jr.
ArtistNancyNuce		Other
ashaver13		Busch (Kurt)
ashinyobject		Other
b_miller27		Edwards
b_verba		Earnhardt Jr.
Badger_282		Johnson
BadGroove		Busch (Kurt)
bailey_queen		Earnhardt Jr.
batchley3		Earnhardt Jr.
Bcragg12		Other
becproc32		Other
bflo360		Earnhardt Jr.
bharden94		Hamlin
bhauff_549		Earnhardt Jr.
biggest4fan		Earnhardt Jr.
billy_dowdy		Earnhardt Jr.
BillyBlue37		Earnhardt Jr.
bjpcyclone		Earnhardt Jr.
blackhawker81		Other
Bleichjesse		Earnhardt Jr.
bobdare18		Earnhardt Jr.
boluce78		Earnhardt Jr.
bossmom321		Logano
Bouchard8833		Earnhardt Jr.
BPierce158		Earnhardt Jr.
Bpolking		Other
BradBaker81		Earnhardt Jr.
BradBoggz		Hamlin
brandirpitts		Earnhardt Jr.
BrantsAccount		Earnhardt Jr.
BrentWright24		Earnhardt Jr.
Bretmalone19		Other
Breweripa		Logano
BrianCullather		Earnhardt Jr.
briang3386		Earnhardt Jr.
Briankertscher		Earnhardt Jr.
briankupp		Earnhardt Jr.
britahearn		Earnhardt Jr.
BScharfschwerdt		Kenseth
BSHELL00		Hamlin
Btownbombers18		Johnson
BurlRolett		Earnhardt Jr.
campbell_sh		Earnhardt Jr.
cannon_jen		Earnhardt Jr.
Captain_Bert		Earnhardt Jr.
CaptComeback		Earnhardt Jr.
cards_fan_66		Earnhardt Jr.
Carlajarvi		Earnhardt Jr.
CARMABUTLER		Other
CARSTourDigest		Other
caseylandrum15		Hamlin
CGPanda		Harvick
Cgros127		Earnhardt Jr.
chadalmond10		Earnhardt Jr.
chasedaddy88		Earnhardt Jr.
Chevy3dude		Earnhardt Jr.
chris_siebold22		Earnhardt Jr.
ChrisHarvey33		Johnson
chrismorgan1287		Hamlin
chrisse80		Earnhardt Jr.
chrisskreager		Busch (Kurt)
chrisstamper5		Earnhardt Jr.
Christian_Racin		Kenseth
Chrls14		Other
chuck_atl		Earnhardt Jr.
CJLecher		Earnhardt Jr.
clarinetbiter13		Earnhardt Jr.
Clint8813		Other
Clintljones		Other
Cmac1840		Hamlin
Cmdavis01		Earnhardt Jr.
CMoncsko3n32		Earnhardt Jr.
cmphili		Other
coach1228		Earnhardt Jr.
cocobeware33		Earnhardt Jr.
Cody_Masse		Earnhardt Jr.
CodyMcGhee4real		Keselowski
con_co_b		Busch (Kyle)
court_cloutier		Earnhardt Jr.
cpeuterb		Hamlin
craigweber33		Harvick
crmtdeno1		Earnhardt Jr.
Crossbowftw3		Harvick
cswiecki84		Keselowski
curiousrhinos		Earnhardt Jr.
dabrowmatt		Earnhardt Jr.
Dalejrscar		Earnhardt Jr.
dallasjhawk		Busch (Kurt)
damorgan86		Earnhardt Jr.
Dan_Hope		Earnhardt Jr.
Daniels_Caudill		Other
danikamriggs		Other
DarrenEvans01		Earnhardt Jr.
DaveTom1124		Earnhardt Jr.
David.miaso		Earnhardt Jr.
db6speed		Busch (Kyle)
DDeFruscio		Edwards
Dean15loftin		Hamlin
DennisBarkerJr		Earnhardt Jr.
derekmcl1817		Earnhardt Jr.
Devin_Herr		Earnhardt Jr.
dgoodin24		Johnson
Digertwo		Edwards
DillonSims		Busch (Kurt)
dillsburg		Other
DJstatman482454		Earnhardt Jr.
dmcgrew		Johnson
drlaswell48		Earnhardt Jr.
DustinAlbino		Earnhardt Jr.
Dutchfunctional		Other
dwilwer		Earnhardt Jr.
echo837		Earnhardt Jr.
edeme3		Earnhardt Jr.
ejkoolkid13		Busch (Kyle)
ekb2p		Logano
ElijahWhosoever		Earnhardt Jr.
Ellemccrone		Entry deadline passed for this race; pick other races
erica242424		Earnhardt Jr.
Ericgar62		Earnhardt Jr.
EricKChmiel		Earnhardt Jr.
EricSoderburg		Other
erikscheub		Other
erinthetraveler		Hamlin
ETSmith09		Earnhardt Jr.
Fatump44		Earnhardt Jr.
fbme4		Earnhardt Jr.
Feltz14		Hamlin
Fhatmaker		Harvick
FinleyFactor		Earnhardt Jr.
Firextgman		Earnhardt Jr.
Forrest55		Earnhardt Jr.
ftimcollins		Harvick
g_man_joe		Logano
gail0590		Earnhardt Jr.
Gary88Marion		Earnhardt Jr.
GDB24ever		Hamlin
ghollenhead		Earnhardt Jr.
gibsterville		Kenseth
glennbehave		Earnhardt Jr.
goldsworthysae		Earnhardt Jr.
Gottajibboo7		Johnson
greenfield88		Harvick
gregmmiller		Other
GregNardine		Earnhardt Jr.
GriffinEldred		Edwards
grooter4		Earnhardt Jr.
Groupsects		Earnhardt Jr.
Grrrowlguy		Earnhardt Jr.
gypsy530		Earnhardt Jr.
hanklee89		Keselowski
Harryhood10		Harvick
HazelGatorGirl		Other
HD388		Earnhardt Jr.
HeavyRightFoot		Earnhardt Jr.
helenj50		Hamlin
hereforSR		Earnhardt Jr.
hzirbel		Earnhardt Jr.
IggyZogspot		Earnhardt Jr.
ILuvthe88and78		Earnhardt Jr.
Imsteveking		Earnhardt Jr.
ineedclarity14		Harvick
Iowanascarfan		Earnhardt Jr.
Jabo4_Fan		Hamlin
jacksond09		Other
Jamiewallace15		Earnhardt Jr.
JasonD2k14		Harvick
JayJayDean		Earnhardt Jr.
jccavins		Earnhardt Jr.
Jcewing0614		Earnhardt Jr.
Jddorman2		Earnhardt Jr.
jedyotesfan		Earnhardt Jr.
jeffgh24		Other
jeffschmidt71		Earnhardt Jr.
jenbrott		Other
jeremiahdavis10		Earnhardt Jr.
Jeremy_Sparks		Earnhardt Jr.
Jess43x8		Earnhardt Jr.
jessbartzick		Johnson
jesse_696969		Earnhardt Jr.
JG24Wife		Hamlin
Jgmfan		Earnhardt Jr.
JHuchingson		Earnhardt Jr.
Jim_Udder		Earnhardt Jr.
jimmysand1		Earnhardt Jr.
JimRouse96		Hamlin
JimSannes		Other
JJ48524		Hamlin
jjroy64029		Other
Joe94wilde		Other
joebeck24		Earnhardt Jr.
joey4542001		Earnhardt Jr.
JoeyLoganoFan22		Logano
johnbbatdorf		Earnhardt Jr.
johnnyracer24		Harvick
JohnPerdue		Earnhardt Jr.
JohnsonErikM		Earnhardt Jr.
jojoluvs18		Earnhardt Jr.
JonCowan08		Earnhardt Jr.
Josefpramirez		Busch (Kyle)
JosephMMcBride		Earnhardt Jr.
JoshBralley		Earnhardt Jr.
joshclark018		Earnhardt Jr.
joshlook24		Keselowski
JoshuaCloninger		Other
jpbdteach12		Earnhardt Jr.
Jraymond87		Johnson
Jrdrift01		Earnhardt Jr.
jrgreatdriver		Earnhardt Jr.
Jrioux_		Earnhardt Jr.
jrock2481		Hamlin
Jsf354		Earnhardt Jr.
jshanerector		Earnhardt Jr.
jshellabarger11		Hamlin
jsmith123nv		Logano
jsoupzzz		Other
jsteen234		Earnhardt Jr.
JTonQ		Earnhardt Jr.
JustinC_Webster		Earnhardt Jr.
justinleedy		Johnson
justinnett		Earnhardt Jr.
Justjay74		Edwards
Karimcgowanhob		Earnhardt Jr.
katiecole125		Earnhardt Jr.
Kaylamarieklahn		Earnhardt Jr.
kcirtaphcir		Hamlin
Keith_Marek		Earnhardt Jr.
kennethriggs		Other
KevinRHatfield		Earnhardt Jr.
kevmastro		Hamlin
Kfisher88		Earnhardt Jr.
kgee61		Edwards
khard17		Busch (Kurt)
Kharvfanfla15		Other
Kimery		Earnhardt Jr.
Kingtut2110		Earnhardt Jr.
kjfinks22champ		Keselowski
Klightbown		Earnhardt Jr.
Kraig_Doremus		Earnhardt Jr.
kristidbm		Earnhardt Jr.
KristinaFulk		Earnhardt Jr.
Kristinsteede		Earnhardt Jr.
KyleRice88		Earnhardt Jr.
l_meister		Earnhardt Jr.
l70uke		Other
lance_sells		Earnhardt Jr.
LeeB4mk20		Harvick
Leonletitride		Earnhardt Jr.
LetKurtRace		Keselowski
letseatsomedirt		Logano
Liam_redford		Johnson
Lmr88		Earnhardt Jr.
LoganReardon20		Earnhardt Jr.
Logybayer		Earnhardt Jr.
Lowes48isgreat		Johnson
LSHenshaw		Earnhardt Jr.
Lucas_LaBonte		Earnhardt Jr.
Luke_kane58		Earnhardt Jr.
M_Barbone		Keselowski
MAButz		Earnhardt Jr.
macd_6		Earnhardt Jr.
Maddog2020		Earnhardt Jr.
Magic1980		Earnhardt Jr.
MagnumPE		Earnhardt Jr.
marc_b		Earnhardt Jr.
marcusmacc829		Other
mariah_gary		Earnhardt Jr.
mark_ligon		Earnhardt Jr.
Mark_mello818		Logano
MarkRH		Other
markvphotos		Kenseth
marlinjones133		Earnhardt Jr.
marty11196		Earnhardt Jr.
martychard		Earnhardt Jr.
matt_toasty		Earnhardt Jr.
Mattbunn01		Earnhardt Jr.
mattcribbs		Earnhardt Jr.
Mattdobson_7		Earnhardt Jr.
Matthew_Ryan4		Earnhardt Jr.
mattley_crue		Earnhardt Jr.
MattNicholson10		Earnhardt Jr.
MaximeB92		Earnhardt Jr.
MBishopPhotos		Earnhardt Jr.
mbrendle2		Other
McAdamsNick1		Keselowski
MChance129		Hamlin
MeriJmeri		Other
MFroger		Harvick
mhawkATL		Earnhardt Jr.
Mhouser88		Earnhardt Jr.
MiamiWinR		Kenseth
Michaelclehmann		Earnhardt Jr.
michaeldanger19		Earnhardt Jr.
michaeljrspeers		Kenseth
MichaelKaluknak		Keselowski
Mike Farlinger		Earnhardt Jr.
mikemcvea		Busch (Kyle)
MikeS_127		Earnhardt Jr.
MitchellB66		Keselowski
mmarkaholic		Earnhardt Jr.
MoWhi		Earnhardt Jr.
Mr_BR8SIDE		Earnhardt Jr.
mrittenhouse84		Earnhardt Jr.
mstjohn_		Earnhardt Jr.
msudawg7880		Hamlin
nascarcasm		Keselowski
NASCARTAS		Hamlin
nate_cook3		Busch (Kurt)
nickkocuba10		Earnhardt Jr.
nickler6		Earnhardt Jr.
nitsud13007		Hamlin
nuggie99		Johnson
Nuyiwanski		Harvick
NYR_FreakyFast4		Harvick
oldguyjk		Earnhardt Jr.
oldsporttlt		Busch (Kurt)
orngflmngo		Keselowski
Ost1ng		Earnhardt Jr.
over7par		Earnhardt Jr.
OzManCometh26		Johnson
PackerDuke		Harvick
pamnielsen		Earnhardt Jr.
patmal_8		Hamlin
patriotindiana		Earnhardt Jr.
paulineemma		Other
PAXLS		Earnhardt Jr.
Peidelaney		Keselowski
PenskeFan22122		Keselowski
Pete__uk		Johnson
PhotoMatt_KCCO		Earnhardt Jr.
Pilot_jeff		Truex
PlankShow		Earnhardt Jr.
Plouffe24Fan		Earnhardt Jr.
Plumbcrzy		Other
Poconojoe24		Busch (Kurt)
pwn3d781		Earnhardt Jr.
quinnicans08		Other
race4timbergirl		Kenseth
Race5599		Earnhardt Jr.
RacingBedgood		Logano
Racingwench		Earnhardt Jr.
RandomNASCARFan		Other
rblgrl95		Harvick
rcracer20		Hamlin
rdgordon		Busch (Kyle)
readymixchick		Earnhardt Jr.
Realharrington1		Earnhardt Jr.
recjus85		Other
Riaelinor		Earnhardt Jr.
RichGuy24		Earnhardt Jr.
RIRPrez		Busch (Kyle)
RJalias		Earnhardt Jr.
rjwaggs007		Earnhardt Jr.
Rlaffertyatc		Earnhardt Jr.
rlberryyogi		Earnhardt Jr.
rluke029		Harvick
Rmonk2881		Earnhardt Jr.
Rmonk8181		Earnhardt Jr.
RobCMiller00		Earnhardt Jr.
robertrich		Earnhardt Jr.
robsbigfish		Earnhardt Jr.
RossTaylor3_88		Earnhardt Jr.
ROXRACIN		Earnhardt Jr.
rustdigity		Earnhardt Jr.
Ry_24		Earnhardt Jr.
ryan2929		Earnhardt Jr.
RyanHep24		Busch (Kurt)
ryanhorne1028		Earnhardt Jr.
savannahpr16		Earnhardt Jr.
Schmoe84		Earnhardt Jr.
scottaltimaman		Johnson
ScottWilfong		Edwards
scuddystud		Earnhardt Jr.
Sebring88		Truex
seemsuncertain		Earnhardt Jr.
Senna94		Other
SGW3188		Earnhardt Jr.
shaneiliff		Earnhardt Jr.
SheldenReynolds		Earnhardt Jr.
ShowtimeChase		Kenseth
silentnpale		Other
SilversteinPaul		Other
SJRenko22		Other
slick_track		Earnhardt Jr.
Smally127		Earnhardt Jr.
Smids09		Earnhardt Jr.
Smith98102		Other
smithsan		Busch (Kyle)
snowybwm		Harvick
soller00		Earnhardt Jr.
SouthernNutmeg		Earnhardt Jr.
spadilly		Earnhardt Jr.
Spencergary		Earnhardt Jr.
spencergogol		Other
stale_dorito		Other
stephenlochner		Hamlin
stevemcl68		Busch (Kyle)
SteveRuth1		Hamlin
Stolyaviatrs32		Earnhardt Jr.
sublump		Earnhardt Jr.
SubmarineMIke88		Earnhardt Jr.
SuperBee24		Earnhardt Jr.
Surlymalcontent		Harvick
T_fresh94		Kenseth
T_Hughes17		Hamlin
T_VanDenHeuvel		Earnhardt Jr.
TalladegaVT		Earnhardt Jr.
tampawriter89		Earnhardt Jr.
Tannera94		Hamlin
Tater01		Johnson
TeamNewman31		Earnhardt Jr.
teb41360		Logano
Techno_muse		Hamlin
terrymadill		Other
TerrySm88451466		Earnhardt Jr.
Terryweems		Johnson
TerryWilfong		Harvick
Tezmo8		Other
thatbuzz_1225		Other
THE_mrcase		Earnhardt Jr.
the_real_tc_		Earnhardt Jr.
Thebigshmoog		Johnson
TheDrewCrook		Other
thejosh20		Harvick
themattweber		Hamlin
TheOrangeCone		Johnson
ThePanamaTed		Earnhardt Jr.
THIB24		Earnhardt Jr.
Thunder_Cat_4		Harvick
timbankerjr		Hamlin
TimMastroDSN		Earnhardt Jr.
Toby_Christie		Earnhardt Jr.
TonyS24_43		Busch (Kyle)
Toyotavols		Busch (Kyle)
Travisparks24		Earnhardt Jr.
TrentTholstrup		Earnhardt Jr.
turbojunker		Other
Tweet_Till		Earnhardt Jr.
TYLERMIZE		Other
TysonLaut23		Keselowski
vasteve(dad)		Harvick
vasteve(son)		Earnhardt Jr.
velvetkat		Earnhardt Jr.
vern30stein		Johnson
veston75		Earnhardt Jr.
VinnieV77		Earnhardt Jr.
wesstull		Earnhardt Jr.
Will_reich33		Johnson
williambabcock		Earnhardt Jr.
wilwielgosz		Busch (Kyle)
wis41fan		Busch (Kurt)
wpxiDoubleOnes		Other
wyocat50		Busch (Kyle)
Yoshski13		Earnhardt Jr.
yousailor2		Earnhardt Jr.
Yragnodrog		Kenseth
ZHorrallBU		Hamlin
Ztew		Earnhardt Jr.
ZTsmiley		Johnson

Annnnnnnnnnd we’re back! Welcome to the third edition of the Fantasy Chase game.

Once again, the game is completely FREE. There are no catches to this. The reason I’m doing this is because I enjoy competing with you guys and it’s fun to have something else to talk about on Twitter.

All you need to do is submit your picks with your Twitter name (which will be published weekly in the standings) and your email address (which will be kept private and only used to contact those who make the Fantasy Chase).

The winner gets bragging rights and a hand-me-down media gift at the end of the season (a Dale Call and a backpack have been the two prizes so far).

The rules this year are basically the same as last year except for a BIG TWIST you can read about below:

RULES:

• When you submit your picks, you have to pick every available race. Once you press “submit” on your entry, that’s it for the regular season.
• You can pick any driver (from a list of 2015 winners or “Other”) as many times as you like. If you want to pick Kevin Harvick every week, go ahead. If you pick “Other” and a non-2015 winner goes to victory lane, you get credit for a win.
• You make the Fantasy Chase if you have five or more wins in the regular season. The format for the Fantasy Chase itself will be announced in September.

****!!!! BIG TWIST ALERT !!!!****

The big twist for this year is you do not have to submit your picks prior to the Daytona 500. You can submit your picks ANY TIME during the regular season.

This means if you want to wait until Las Vegas or even the Coke 600 to get an idea of who is running well, you can. However, the longer you wait, the more risk you take that you won’t reach five wins.

Remember, you get one entry and once you submit it, that’s it for the season. So time it wisely.

At some point on the day of each race, I’ll delete that week’s race from the entry form to ensure no one enters after the race has begun. So if you’re waiting to enter until a certain week, make sure you do it the day before the race at the latest.

Shoot me a tweet @jeff_gluck if you have any questions. Good luck!

If you have Snapchat, you need to be following DJ Khaled. If you don’t have Snapchat, it’s a reason to start.

I was only vaguely familiar with Khaled until recently. I knew the song “All I Do Is Win” but that was pretty much it. But then people on Twitter started talking about Khaled’s snaps, reciting his catchphrases (“Bless Up,” “Another One,” etc.). There was a buzz about it, so I started following him in early December.

I’ve been fascinated ever since. There’s insight into the celebrity life, sure — he has a waterside mansion in Miami and lives like a baller, riding his elevator to breakfast and jet-skiing — but his daily doses of motivation are what really sets his social media presence apart from any other star I’ve seen.

The common theme for most of Khaled’s snaps are the keys to success (he uses a key emoji to represent this) and how you can achieve them while also avoiding the pitfalls along the way.

He often talks about what “they don’t want us to have.” They don’t want us to enjoy breakfast, he says. They don’t want us to work out. They don’t want us to win — so we’ll win more.

It’s fun and entertaining, like his other expressions as part of his daily routine when he’s home (he waters the lion statue in his backyard and says, “LI-ON!” and has his personal chef, Chef Dee, tell us what’s for breakfast and lunch).

But there’s a lot of truth in what he’s saying. Specifically about they.

Khaled wants us to surround ourselves with positive people who support us. They — the haters, the detractors, the critics, the negative influences — don’t want us to win. They don’t want us to succeed.

Sadly, that’s very true. There’s so much jealousy and envy toward others today, and it manifests itself into bitterness. I’m guilty of this at times, admittedly. And it’s a dangerous emotion.

In that same way, you have to be conscious that not everyone is happy for you. Not everyone wants to see you do well. The more success you have, the less some people will like you.

I think that’s what Khaled is saying in his snaps. And I love that reminder, because it’s a message to value the people around you who really have your best interests at heart. That’s how you win at life.

We all could use a little daily motivation about what really matters on the pathway to success, as Khaled calls it. He invites us to walk with him as he shares the secrets.

They don’t want you to accept his invitation. But you should.

DJ Khaled can be found on Snapchat at djkhaled305. For a sampling of his sayings, check out this site.

We just got back from a 10-day honeymoon in the Middle East, where we visted the United Arab Emirates, Oman and (very briefly) Jordan.

This was my first time traveling to that region of the world, and I didn’t really know what to expect. I knew Dubai would be like Las Vegas on steroids (just without the gambling and drinking) and the basics of how to conduct ourselves (no inappropriate clothes in public, no PDAs outside of holding hands).

But there were plenty of things that caught me a bit off-guard. If you’ve never been to that area, here are five things you might be surprised to learn. (Apologies in advance for my ignorance if you’re a world traveler who already knows this stuff, but it was new to me.)

1) English was everywhere

It was easier to navigate through the UAE (at least Dubai and Abu Dhabi), Oman and Jordan that it was for us in Europe.

Every single person we met spoke English and all the signs were in both Arabic and English. This made it smoother for us to get around than even in places like Paris or Rome — not only concerning transportation, but ordering food. I was a bit surprised about this, but we were told the primary schools all teach English there and it’s something they grow up with.

I figured surely the cab drivers or waiters at some places might only speak Arabic, but that wasn’t the case. It was easy to communicate.

2) People were super friendly

You would expect people at hotels or working in the tourism industry to be friendly — that’s their job — and they certainly were. Dubai especially is a magnet for tourists. But the locals we encountered were also very warm toward us (and quite frankly, given all the headlines lately, I wasn’t sure how Americans would be received).

A couple quick examples of this:

— In Oman, we were seated near a table of four Omani men who were probably in their 60s or 70s. One of them approached us and asked if we were Americans.

I was thinking, “Uh, this might not be good.” My guard was up a little bit. But I said we were (it was obvious anyway, as it’s hard to blend in there and not be noticed).

The man smiled and said, “Welcome to Oman, we are happy to have you here.”

Huh. Can you imagine that happening in our country? Two foreigners sitting in a restaurant and an American approaches them and says, “Welcome to America” with a smile?

— On New Year’s Eve when we were trying to get out of the area following The Address hotel fire, the roads were closed and we followed some people who hopped over a barricade and started walking through a construction site (road work next to a highway). I realize that probably wasn’t a smart idea, but we didn’t have many options at the time and were trying to reach a Metro station.

As it turned out, it was still an active site despite it being 11 p.m. on New Year’s Eve! Construction workers were in there working, which we didn’t realize until we got pretty deep into the road work.

Suddenly, a man in a hard hat flagged us down and motioned for us to stop. I thought, “Uh oh, we just got ourselves in trouble.”

But instead of yelling at us, he extended his hand to shake mine and calmly said, “Where are you trying to go?” I explained there was a big fire, the roads were closed en route to the Metro and we were trying to get out of the area. He gently patted me on the back and guided us toward a side exit from the site, which let us out exactly on the road we needed!

Again, can you imagine that happening if someone walked into a construction site in the U.S.? Things like that, along with people stopping to ask if we needed help when we looked lost, left us very impressed by the people we encountered during our visit. We were never made to feel uncomfortable or unwelcome by anyone.

3) Everywhere we went in the UAE was clean

 

There seemed to be a big emphasis on keeping things clean there — and not just at the hotels and airports.

For example, the vast majority of public restrooms had people in them who were cleaning up after every person. They’d go in the stall after someone came out or clean the sink after someone used it. It wasn’t like the people in airport bathrooms who are trying to get tips for handing you a towel; they were janitor types who hustled to clean up after everyone. That was the case even when we went to a public park — there were people in the restrooms cleaning, cleaning, cleaning.

Also, when we ate at the mall food court or a place like that, people would come get your trays and clean your table as soon as you stood up. On our trip there was always someone mopping a floor, cleaning windows, sweeping, etc.

4) Prayers, religion and Christmas

As you might know, Muslims are called to pray five times a day. And being in a Muslim country, these prayers were broadcasted in the malls and on the streets or any other public place (they’d pause the Nicki Minaj or Drake song for a few minutes to play the prayers).

I’m sure there’s an explanation for this and you’ll have to excuse my ignorance on the topic, but we were surprised that we never saw anyone stop and pray. I thought when the prayers rang out on the loudspeakers, we would see people drop to their knees and start praying. But in malls or restaurants or walking around, people just kept going about their business or eating or talking (even those who were wearing religious dress). There were prayer rooms in the malls and hotels which we’d see people go into at times, but it wasn’t like everything suddenly stopped.

Also, Christmas was everywhere there. Christmas trees, Christmas music, Christmas decorations. This was true for all three countries we visited. People would wish us “Merry Christmas” (again, it was sort of obvious we weren’t from around there). I didn’t expect that, and I didn’t expect they’d still be playing Christmas music (in hotels and malls) when we left on Jan. 4 — longer than they do in the U.S.!

One thing, though: None of the signs said “Christmas.” It said “Festive season” or “Festive period.” Like there wouldn’t be a “Christmas sale” in a store window but a “Festive season sale.”

5) Dress and customs

Some of the areas we visted were so upscale and modern, with so many Western businesses (they had seemingly every chain store and restaurant we have here), we agreed it could be just another fancy area in the United States if we didn’t know any better.

But then you’d see how people were dressed, and that was all out the window. The clothes were the one big difference and a constant reminder of where we were. Women were dressed mostly in abayas (the black cloaks), and about half of them wore veils so you could only see their eyes. The men mostly wore white robes (thobes) with the traditional headscarves.

Tourists could wear normal clothes, but women were supposed to cover up from their shoulders to their knees in public (not counting places like the beach or the hotel pool). This didn’t seem like the kind of thing the police would stop you for, but it was more just offensive to them. My guess is it would be like if someone were at a football game in the U.S. and didn’t take their hat off for the national anthem — that level of offensive. You wouldn’t get arrested for it, but people would think, “How rude.”

It was different for the two mosques we visted (Sarah and other tourist women had to borrow abayas to wear inside), but in public places it was OK as long as the clothes were somewhat conservative.

Anyway, I’m certainly not claiming these things are the same in places like Saudi Arabia. Every country is different and we spent our time in very Western-friendly areas. But at least for the places we visited, it was eye-opening in ways I didn’t expect.

Our honeymoon starts this week, and I can’t wait to go. We’re headed to a part of the world neither of us have been before, which will make it feel like an adventure.

Naturally, we’re going to take a lot of pictures. But when it comes to sharing those pictures on social media, I feel hesitant for a few reasons.

Mainly, how much is too much?

These days, it feels normal to want to share something cool you’re seeing with other people. It’s almost harder to keep it to yourself.

But we all follow people who overshare their trips on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc. And it can be annoying, because it sometimes feels more like they’re bragging than sharing. You’re like, “OK, I get it, geez. Good for you. Ugh.”

Plus, you start to wonder how much those people are actually taking the time to enjoy their trip versus just posting about it.

I don’t want to be “that guy” and I also don’t want people to think I’m ignoring my wife on our honeymoon by sharing on social media! Maybe I care too much about other people’s perceptions, but knowing my own views on vacation over-sharers, I’m quite conscious of it.

Still, I don’t know where the line is. Is it the sheer volume that makes vacation pictures cross from enjoyable to irritating, or is it the way they’re presented (the “look at me, look how great this is!” mentality)? I’m not sure.

I tend to err more on the conservative side of sharing trip photos, especially since many people following me are a lot of hard-working, blue-collar NASCAR fans who might not have the opportunity to rack up the frequent flyer miles and hotel points that result in free vacations (that’s how we travel).

The goal of sharing trip photos should be to bring your friends and followers along with you and give them a peek at what you’re seeing and experiencing so they can feel like they’re there, too. But if you go too far, you’re just rubbing it in and making people resent you.

So where’s the line? I’ll be curious to hear your thoughts.

 

The ultra-competitive Fantasy Chase came down to a tiebreaker Sunday night, with Jim McDevitt (@macd6) edging out @AndrewWaldrop by a SINGLE LAP. @MaureenHolt finished third.

Here’s how it all shook out.

— Five of the 28 finalists picked Busch to win the title. They were @AndrewWaldrop, @maureenholt, @macd6, @jojoluvs18 and @chekrs_or_wrekrs.

— Three of those five picked Kevin Harvick to finish second (which he did): @AndrewWaldrop, @maureenholt and @macd6.

— Since none of those three had Martin Truex Jr. or Jeff Gordon still in the Chase, the championship came down to a tiebreaker: Laps led by the champion.

This is what they submitted:

@maureenholt: 110 laps

@AndrewWaldrop: 45 laps

@macd6: 38 laps

Actual laps led by the champion: 41 laps

Wow! @macd6 was three laps off and @AndrewWaldrop missed it by four laps, giving the title to @macd6 by one lap! But don’t feel too sorry for Andrew — he’s a Kyle Busch fan, so he was happy anyway.

So congratulations to Jim McDevitt, who beat out 760 other players this season to claim the 2015 Fantasy Chase title. I will be in contact with Jim to select a small prize of his choice from several items.

Thank you to everyone who played this year, and way to go, Jim!