Hello Angels,

This weekend is probably the busiest weekend for racing in all the American racing circuits. On Saturday there was the Carquest 300 Busch series race. Then yesterday there was the Indianapolis 500 for Indy Car racing, and then a few hours later, NASCAR’s Coca Cola 600, the longest race of the year.  Besides that, Memorial Day weekend is the weekend to pause and pay tribute to those that have served and paid the ultimate sacrifice for the freedoms that we so enjoy and sometimes take for granted.  This weekend three of our Angels also celebrated birthdays.  Two of them enter into a new decade of life, while one is now one-year closer to another decade of life.  Kris and Jill, as a fellow birthday alum this weekend, let me take this time to wish you both a great year ahead, and of course, happy birthday! 

Ok, on to the Coca Cola 600.  Last night’s race was a good one in my opinion.  While I didn’t get to see it until this morning, I was able to watch the final 20 laps last night.  Jimmie Johnson completely dominated the race for his second win in a row at the day/night Coca-Cola 600 race at Lowe’s racetrack in Charlotte. He also became one in only a hand-full of drivers to win the longest race of the year back-to-back.  Chad Knaus, Johnson’s crew chief, did an outstanding job of getting the car in tip-top-shape for the demanding race.

On the opposite end of the spectrum is Jeff Gordon, Johnson’s teammate and part car owner. Gordon started third, but finished 30th after Robbie Loomis completely missed the set up of Gordon’s car. Loomis took full responsibility for the guffaw, but there were circumstances that definitely contributed to the mistake.  Loomis’ said himself that his head wasn’t in the game completely with his mother being sick and in the hospital.  Gordon still managed to keep his ill-handling car out of danger and finished seven-laps down.

Robbie Gordon tried to race 1,100 miles total in both the Indy 500 and the Coca Cola 600. Unfortunately for him though, he only ran 28 laps at the Indy 500 because of a rain delay.  He didn’t have much better luck in the night race.  He missed the pre-race drivers’ meeting and started the race at the end of the pack. He then had handling problems until the sun went down, but by then he was already three-laps down where he finished 20th. My congrats to him though on what may be his last attempt to do the “double duty.”

Ok, so how did we finish against each other after the first race of the second segment?

Well, Natalie, not so well.  Unfortunately you missed the cutoff for picking drivers for this segment.  Because of this, you automatically get the least wanted GOLDEN CABOOSE award.  This is not a great way to start the segment either. 

Kelly, Natalie’s forfeit saved you this week’s last-place honors.  Not that your drivers did that bad, but not that well.  Your worst finisher is Terry Labonte who like Jeff Gordon, completely missed the setup on his car.  He finished 37th.  Jimmy Spencer hasn’t been racing all that well this year since he returned and finished 29th. Joe Nemachek had a decent day with his 14th place finish, while Bobby Labonte was spun into the wall by Kasey Kahne on the last lap and went from fourth to 13th in the finish. Your top driver is Dale Earnhardt Jr., who got on the lead lap late in the race and gambled with four fresh tires on a caution and red-flag stop with five-laps left.  It paid off because he went from eighth to sixth in the five-lap shootout and saved himself first-place in the NEXTEL Cup series, leading Johnson now by only five points.  Your average finish is a disappointing 19.8. Better luck next week.

Bosley for you, Ryan Newman ended up being your nemesis.  He started the day on the outside pole, but after a pit-road problem with fuel intake and an early pit, he then fell a couple of laps down.  He later had an incident John Andretti, who went spinning through the infield.  Newman made contact with Derrick Cope with 32 laps left, sending both cars into the wall.  After the restart and this time with only six-laps left in the race, Newman’s night came to an abrupt end when his engine let go and caused a red-flag situation.  He ended the race in 35th spot. Scott Wimmer was unremarkable in 28th, while Kahne and Rusty Wallace finished 11th and 10th respectively.  Your top finisher is Elliott Sadler who had a decent day with a fifth place finish.  Your average finish this week is 17.8. Better luck next week as well.

Tiffany, I believe Sterlin Marlin went out of the race at lap 331 because of engine problems.  He finished 39th.  Kevin Harvick was running well, but eventually had handling problems and in the end finished only 23rd, four-laps down. Other than that, your drivers did well. Jeremy Mayfield overcame a speeding penalty on pit road. He finished eighth. Casey Mears continues on his good run with his seventh place finish, while Earnhardt finished sixth to keep the NEXTEL Cup lead. Your average finish is a not-so-bad 16.6.

Thin Man, Jeff Gordon and Scott Riggs were your two worst drivers this week, both because of his handling problems. They finished 30th and 25th respectively. Kurt Busch avoided Greg Biffle (who brushed the wall going for Busch in retaliation for last week’s antics during the All-Star race). Busch finished 12. Tony Stewart avoided controversy for the first time in weeks and finished ninth. Sadler was your top driver with his fifth place finish. Your average finish is 16 even.

Dylan, you and I tie for the seventh position overall this week.

I’ll start with you though because of your worst driver, Ken Schrader. Not because he’s your worst driver, but because like Kris, Jill and myself, he celebrated a birthday this weekend. He is the oldest active full-time driver on the NEXTEL Cup circuit. Unfortunately for him, he wasn’t able to come away with a birthday win, not by a long-shot. He finished 31st. Dale Jarrett and Ward Burton had ok days with 18th and 16th place finishes respectively. Your top two drivers today are Earnhardt and his sixth place finish, and Jamie McMurray who had an outstanding day and challenged Johnson for the win. Unfortunately for McMurray, he spun his tires on the last restart and fell from second to third place in the end.

For me, Jeff Gordon and Wimmer were my two worst drivers. Other than that, my remaining drivers didn’t do so badly. Kahne finished 11th, while Mears finished seventh. Johnson was outstanding with his win.

Our average finishes Dylan is a nice 15 even.

Julie, Wimmer was your worst driver to finish with his 28th spot. Jarrett and Bobby Labonte were next with their 18th and 13th place finishes respectively. Mears did you well with his seventh, while your top driver, Matt Kenseth, finished fourth.  Your average finish is 14 even.

Mr. X, Brenden Gaughn had problems early on and could only muster a 33rd place finish. Brian Vickers had a decent race and finished 15th. Kahne finished 11th, while Earnhardt and Kenseth finished sixth and fourth respectively.  Your average finish is 13.8. Nice job.

Sabrina, you took a chance this week with Derrick Cope. He didn’t finish very well, especially after his incident with Ryan Newman, but he still managed to complete the race in the 34th finishing spot. You also took a chance with Dave Blaney. Earlier in the week I told Thin Man that Blaney was having trouble keeping a ride this year…so, I’ll do the same for you.  Keep an eye out for him and make sure that he is actively in the race. Stewart finished ninth, while Earnhardt finished sixth. Your top driver is Johnson with his win.  Your average finish today is a nice 13.4.

Jill, Jeff Green was your worst driver this week with his 27th place finish. Greg Biffle basically took himself out of the race with his antics trying to get back at Busch. He finished 21st. Kahne did you well with his 11th place finish, while Earnhardt did you very well with his late-race gamble. Helping you the most of course is Johnson and his win. Your average finish is a nice 13.2.

UnNamed One, Biffle was your worst driver this week with his 21st place finish. Jarrett finished 18th, while Busch finished 12th. Elliott Sadler finished fifth overall, while Kenseth finished fourth. Your average finish is a nice 12 even.

Kris, that leaves you with a nice birthday present from NASCAR…the TOP ANGEL AWARD for the first race of Segment Two. You accomplished this by having all of your drivers finish 14th or better. In that 14th spot is Nemachek who finished the race the first car one-lap down. Busch and Kahne finished 12th and 11th respectively, while Earnhardt and Sadler teamed up for sixth and fifth place finishes respectively. Your TOP ANGEL winning average finish is a very nice 9.6.  Congratulations.

Our combined teams’ average finish is 14.56.

Next week’s race is the MBNA 400 “A salute to Heroes” at Dover International Raceway in Delaware on Sunday at 12:30.

If you update your drivers, don’t forget to send me an e-mail.

Good luck Angels,