In the Field: Elliott Sadler

I think it's safe to say that race fans, as well as racecar drivers, very often have some time on their hands. And with some of that time, they might play a little cards -- specifically, a little Texas Hold 'Em.

Well, six of us Nextel Cup drivers just launched what we think is the most interactive online Web site for race fans -- VLPClub.net.

It stands for VictoryLanePlayersClub.net, and six of us are in on it: me, Kasey Kahne, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Tony Stewart, Dale Jarrett and Jamie McMurray.

• Driver Page: Stats, videos, etc
• Store: Everything Elliott Sadler

In a nutshell, it's a Texas Hold 'Em site where you can go online and be able to play against us. All of us used to go online and play poker on other sites, so we decided to give the fans something they don't have already, a chance to come online and play poker against real racecar drivers.

All games are free to play. You can come on there for free and play and have a ball and enjoy the experience, just by signing up.

If you want to join and get what's called a "full access pass," which offers a lot more benefits, access to different events and a limited edition hat and T-shirt, you can do that for a small monthly membership fee.

You can win things like premium autographed merchandise, including autographed helmets and autographed driver's suits and all kinds of racing memorabilia by being good in the poker tournaments and stuff like that.

You'll also have chances to meet us, and have chances to play against us. We drivers have committed to at least one hour a week where we'll play on the site, so if people do well in different tournaments, they'll have a chance to play against us.

Some of us are a lot better poker players than the other ones. Like, Tony Stewart is a great player. He's been playing a long time. I've played a lot in person and never really messed with the Internet that much until about a year or two ago -- so I'm learning how that all works out.

We've been working with Kasey some, making him a little bit better at it, and Jamie McMurray. Those guys, you might be able to whip up a little on right now, but if you try to go after me and Tony and Dale Jr., we'll have something for you, because we've been playing a lot.

Tony Stewart's a player. I would say Tony plays more than anybody, and he's by far the best.

It's going to be great. Race fans can compete with each other to win these cool prizes, have the chance to play against us and even win trips to all sorts of cool sporting events, in VIP style, of course.

But it's a neat deal, I think. It doesn't cost the fan a dime to come on and just have fun with it. I think it's pretty neat because it just gives them a chance to do something else, and it gives them a little more access to their favorite drivers.

I think something like 74 million people play poker online and I'm sure some of them are NASCAR fans, so we're launching this site to promote that and try to give them that accessibility -- and it's going to be fun, too.

VLPClub.net has already signed up tons of players and they must love the game. The average person is spending more than an hour online enjoying the site, the club and of course, Texas Hold 'Em.

I play online all the time on it -- in fact, I'm actually playing online this Friday night at 9 p.m. ET after we shoot Trackside Live on SPEED. And people can get on there and play any time they want to. But it's set up where if you do well in certain tournaments, and things line up right you'll get to play against us.

How do you know it's us, the drivers? You'll know because our avatar looks just like us! Eventually you'll be able to create an avatar that looks like you, too!

Each driver is going to play a minimum of an hour a week on there. I'm actually playing more than that right now, because we're having so much fun with it.

But they have weekly tournaments and tournaments at night that start every hour. A lot of times on Friday and Saturday nights I'll get on there and play a little bit because otherwise I'm just sitting on the bus at the track and not really doing anything, which is why I'll be on there this weekend from Martinsville.

A lot of the time, I'll just get on the site and just play -- a lot of the guys do. We'll just get on, and get on a table that has a free seat and just play.

I might play a couple hours a week, or three or four, depending on how I play. If I go all-in and lose, well, I don't play that long that week. But I play a couple hours a week, easy, because it's fun.

Texas Hold 'Em is taking the world by storm, man. It's crazy how popular it's become the last couple years. So we decided to get together and do this with a group of drivers that we really, really liked.

We're all really good friends, and we all can tease each other a little bit if we win, so I think it's going to be a really good deal. It will give fans another opportunity to be a part of it, and I think it's a neat deal.

I don't think any other site has this caliber of athletes involved, six great drivers working together who want to be a part of it and really enjoy participating in launching something like this.

Well, we know NASCAR fans also are card fans -- Texas Hold 'Em fans -- so why not give 'em this opportunity, give 'em something they don't have and that nobody else has.

So we decided to come up with this, and we think NASCAR fans are going to love it. I encourage all race fans to go to VLPClub.net and have access to win things money can't buy.

You'll have fun doing it and I hope you know how to play when you get there because this is as much fun as I've ever had online.

Like I said, I'll be playing this Friday night at 9 p.m. after I get done on Trackside Live, from Martinsville Speedway.