Hello Angels,

We’re half-way through the NEXTEL Cup “Chase for the Championship” with the completion of the UAW-GM Quality 500 at Lowes Motor Speedway in Charlotte.  Five races are left and the top-three contenders, Kurt Busch, Dale Earnhardt Jr., and Jeff Gordon poised to run away with a three-way bid for the championship. There is only 74 points separating Busch from third place’s Gordon.

So, what happened to Jimmie Johnson? He won Saturday night’s UAW-GM 500, but still finds himself marred in traffic ahead as he tries to fight his way back to the top. His team was the most dominant all year long, but has taken some pretty severe lumps lately.  If this season was using the same points system as all previous years since 1975, than Johnson would be in the think of the race, but because of two bad finishes before his win Saturday night, Johnson finds himself virtually out of the chase for the championship.  So, my question this week is, is the 10-race chase for the championship fair? 

Personally, I don’t think so. I understand that NASCAR is trying to be “more competitive” with other major sports, but to have a “playoff” style chase with 10 races I think is a travesty to the other 33 drivers who are trying to win championships every year too. NASCAR is the only U.S. sport where every team competes each week against each other. This means that any week you can have one of 43 different teams win a race. To eliminate 33 drivers and teams from contending for the championship, especially those that only missed the top-10 by just a few points, I think, is just wrong. Some of these drivers are doing a heck of a lot better than some of the title contenders which is why I liked the old system a heck of a lot better.  That’s just me Angels, tell me what you think.

Let’s check to see where you stack up after Saturday Night’s UAW-GM Quality 500.

Madison, I’ve been waiting to say this to you, it’s just unfortunate that I can’t see your face when you read that you’re the GOLDEN CABOOSE AWARD recipient this week. This is because three of your drivers had horrible nights at Lowes Motor Speedway. Kasey Kahne was the class of the field until a right-front tire exploded sending the dominant car into the wall and onto a 32nd place finish. Rusty Wallace also had accidental metal carnage on the first lap when a driver missed a shift. He finished 31st. Kyle Petty finished 27th, while your remaining two drivers, Earnhardt and Gordon finished third and second respectively. Gordon overcame that 1st lap crash to finish second. Ok, so your drivers all didn’t have a horrible night, but you still only have GCA average finish of 19 even.

Dylan, three of your drivers finished in the top-10, but your remaining two is what I’d be concerned about. Kevin Harvick called it Friday when he said that Richard Childress Racing’s engines are topping the wrong list…broken engines.  That is what happened to Harvick Saturday night as well. His engine broke mid-way through the 500 mile race. He finished 36th. Kahne led the most laps, but had his tire problem. He finished 32nd.  Other than that, no problems. Jamie McMurray finished eighth, Dale Jarrett finished sixth, and Earnhardt finished third. Your average finish is 17 even.

Bosley, for you this week, it is Carl Edwards and Kahne as your worst drivers. They both cut tires and finished 37th and 32nd respectively.  Other than that, your drivers had an outstanding night. Dale Jarrett finished sixth, Busch finished fourth, and Earnhardt finished third. Your average finish is 16.4.

Corwin and Kelly, while you two never met in person, you are coupled this week because you both share the same average finish.

Corwin, I’ll start with you. Greg Biffle is your worst driver after he finished 33rd. Casey Mears finished 20th, while your alter ego, Mark Martin finished 13th. Teammates Jarrett and Sadler finished seventh and sixth respectively.

For you Kelly, Kahne and Mears were your worst drivers with their 32nd and 20th place finishes respectively. Your heartthrob, Bobby Labonte, finished 17th, while McMurray finished eighth and Earnhardt finished third.

Corwin and Kelly, your average finish is 16 even.

Julie, while you were out gallivanting in Dallas, Edwards was crashing his vehicle after a cut tire. You had fun, Edwards didn’t. He finished 37th. Labonte finished 17th and Newman finished 14th. Your top driver this week is race winner, Johnson and his sweep of races at Charlotte. Your average finish is 15.8.

Sabrina, your worst driver is Scott Riggs and his 38th place finish after missing a shift on the first lap. This caused a few cars to wreck, of which, Riggs never recovered. Robby Gordon was involved in a “vicious” accident with Brian Vickers, which ended up stopping the race to fix the barriers. Robby Gordon finished 18th. Your Italian Stallion, Tony Stewart, finished 10th, while McMurray finished eighth and Johnson won the race. Your average finish is a 15 even.

UnNamed One, your worst driver is Biffle and his 33rd place finish. Other than that, you drivers didn’t do too badly. Ricky Rudd finished 16th, while Matt Kenseth finished 11th. Sadler and Jarrett teamed up to finish seventh and sixth together. Your average finish is 14.6.

Kris, with the exception of Carl Edwards, your drivers didn’t perform badly at all. Edwards, who showed up late for the race and took over for Dave Blaney 23 laps into it, crashed on lap 223 and finished the race 37th. Newman finished 14th, while Sadler finished seventh and Joe Nemachek finished fifth. Your top driver this week is Earnhardt and his third place finish. Your average finish is 13.2. 

Thin man, Edwards and Mears are your worst drivers with their 37th and 20th place finishes. Other than that, you were perfect. Johnson won the race, Jeff Gordon came in second and Earnhardt finished third. Your average finish however suffers from Edwards’s misfortune with a 12.6.

Jill, you changed your drivers this week and did quite well for yourself. Kahne was a good bet, but could only give you a 32nd place finish. Labonte finished 17th, while Nemachek finished fifth. Your top two drivers are Earnhardt and Johnson. Your average finish is 11.6.

Mr. X, Brendan Gaughn is your worst driver with his 23rd place finish, while Newman finished 14th. Your remaining drivers all finished in the top-10. McMurray finished eighth, with Nemachek finishing three spots ahead in fifth. Your top driver is Earnhardt and his third place finish. Your average finish is 10.6.

That leaves me to be this week’s TOP ANGELS AWARD winner. I did this by having only a 23rd place finish as my worst driver. That driver is Gaughn. Everyone else was nearly perfect…ok, well not that perfect.  Jarrett and Nemachek finished sixth and fifth respectively, while Jeff Gordon and Johnson teamed up to finish second and first. My TAA winning average finish is 7.4. 

Our combined teams’ average finish is a very nice 14.23.

Next week’s race is the Subway 500 at the paper-clip shaped Martinsville Speedway in Virginia. 

Don’t forget to check your standings overall on the RPM.ESPN Stock Car Challenge Web site.  Also, as a reminder, if you change your drivers, don’t forget to send me a note listing what your new drivers are.

Good Luck Angels,