Ford 400

Hello Angels,

In what many people, including yours truly, will say was the best championship battle in NASCAR’s history, Tony Stewart earned his third Cup Series championship by winning Sunday’s Ford 400 race.

Stewart didn’t earn the race win and championship easily – a hole in his radiator air inlet caused Stewart’s team to have to make extended pit-road repairs. Those repairs led to Stewart falling early in the race from racing in the top-10 as far back as 40th place. Stewart battled back during the ensuing restart and made it back into the top-10 and eventually in the lead until mid-way when a hung lug nut caused Stewart to lose eight positions on pit road. During all of this, Stewart passed the most cars of any driver – recording more than 50 cars passed in both bids of recovery.

Congratulations to Stewart, not only on becoming the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion, but in winning Sunday’s Ford 400 race, he did something five-time Cup Champion Jimmie Johnson has not been able to do — win half of the races in the 10-race Championship Chase. Stewart obviously didn’t dominate the race, but he obviously had the dominate car however.

The race came down to one thing – winning. Carl Edwards and Stewart – running as well as they both were – led the most laps of the race, with Edwards getting the bonus points because he led the most of the two. Edwards did everything he could do to win the championship except win, and in not doing so, tied Stewart in overall points and lost the championship. Because Stewart won five races in the entire season compared to Edwards’ one, the tie breaker went to wins. Edwards I have to say was a very classy runner-up congratulating Stewart (the first to do so on the track) and then during the post-race interview saying that this wasn’t about him, but about Tony Stewart. I have to say congratulations to Edwards on a great season and a phenomenal fight to the end.

For us Angels, Sunday’s Ford 400 race was the deciding factor for several items in the 2011 CHARLIE’S ANGELS’ FANTASY LEAGUE season.

First and foremost, solidifying her 2011 CHARLIE’S ANGELS’ TOP ANGEL AWARD, Kris earned the season’s final TOP ANGEL AWARD with her drivers 7.4 average finish on Sunday. Like many of our Angels this week, you have Stewart and Edwards on your team and their first and second place finishes respectively. Kasey Kahne finished his season with Red Bull racing with a seventh place, while Regan Smith and Jamie McMurray finished 13th and 14th respectively to round out your five drivers. In the opposite of what happened to Edwards, Kris you dominated the season from the beginning and never looked back to earn your first season TAA! Congratulations.

Julie, you didn’t earn the 2011 TAA, but you did earn the CHARLIE’S ANGELS’ SEGMENT III TOP ANGEL AWARD instead.  Congratulations to you for that.

Earning the final CHARLIE’S ANGELS’ GOLDEN CABOOSE AWARD of the 2011 season is Pete, who with the exception of Martin Truex Jr. and Brad Keselowski, had mechanical issues of some sort or another. Kurt Busch broke his transmission with only three laps in the race. He fell back many laps making the change and finished 34th overall. Greg Biffle had an engine issue – one of three for Ford on Sunday. Biffle finished 35th. Trevor Bayne cut a tire twice on separate incidents and finished 25th, while Keselowski made a late-race pit stop for fuel and finished 20th. Truex finished his season on a high-note by leading a portion of the race and finishing the highest of non-chase drivers with his third-place finish. Pete, your GCA earning average finish is 23.4. Pete, you finished the season seventh in overall points.

This year’s final CHARLIE’S ANGELS RUNNER-UP ANGEL Award winner is Mr. X and his drivers’ 10.4 average finish. Stewart and Edwards finished one and two respectively, while Jeff Burton managed another top-10 finish with his 10th place finish. Joey Logano finished 19th, while Keselowski finishes his season with a 20th place finish. Congratulations on your RUA this week. Mr. X, your drivers earned you a sixth place overall for the season.

Vivian, your drivers earned you the No. 3 Angels’ spot this week with their 10.8 average finish. Stewart and Edwards finished one-two in the race and in overall points, while Clint Bowyer ends his run with Richard Childress Racing with a sixth-place finish. Bowyer moves to Michael Waltrip Racing for the 2012 season. Ryan Newman finished the race in 12th, while David Gilliland finished 33rd. Vivian, you finish the season fifth in overall points.

For me, three of my drivers – Stewart, Edwards and Burton – finished in the top-10 on Sunday. Stewart and Edwards finished in the first and second spots respectively, while Burton earned a 10th place finish on Sunday. Jamie McMurray finished 14th, while Marcos Ambrose was one of three Ford drivers whose Roush-Yates engines gave out on Sunday. Ambrose finished 39th. My drivers’ final average finish of 2011 is 13.2. I finish the season eighth in overall points.

Sabrina, despite Joe Nemechek’s 40th place finish on Sunday, your remaining four drivers earned did well enough to earn you the No. 5 Angels’ spot with their 13.6 average finish. Your “Italian Stallion” won the race and 2011 Sprint Cup Championship, while Matt Kenseth finished fourth. Dale Earnhardt Jr., and Newman finished 11th and 12th respectively to round out your five drivers. Sabrina, since you joined us mid-season for Segment III only, you finish the season well-behind the rest of us Angels in 16th place.

Julie, Congratulations again on your team earning you the Segment III TAA. In Sunday’s race, Stewart and Edwards earned you a first and second place finishes respectively. Kahne finished seventh, while Bayne and Ambrose finished 25th and 39th respectively. Your drivers’ average finish is 14.8. You finished the season second in overall points behind Kris.

Mr. Munday, you had three drivers finish in the top-10 to help earn your team a 15.2 average finish. Bowyer, Kahne and Denny Hamlin finished sixth, seventh and ninth respectively. Logano finished 19th, while Biffle’s engine failure led to a 35th place finish. Your team finished the season 14th in points after you too joined the league mid-season.

Knox’Ville’, at one point during the race, your drivers were completely dominating the race. Then disaster struck as Ambrose lost an engine and Landon Cassill got caught up in a wreck. They finished 39th and 36th respectively. On the flip side however are the two drivers who did dominate the race. You couldn’t ask for a better finish to the season than Stewart and Edwards had with both drivers doing everything they could to win the championship. Stewart won the race and championship, while Edwards finished second in both the race and championship chase. Earnhardt rounds out your team with his 11th place finish. Your drivers’ average finish is 17.8. Knox’Ville’ you finished the season 12th in overall points after joining the league mid-season.

Candy Man, you had two drivers finish in the top-10 on Sunday – Edwards and Burton. Edwards finished second, while Burton finished 10th. Keselowski finished 20th after he had to make a late-race pit stop for fuel, while Mark Martin did the same, but finished four spots behind in 24th. Biffle lost his engine and finished 35th. Your drivers’ average finish is 18.2. All totaled, Candy Man, you finished 11th in overall points.

Evelyn, your drivers earned you an 18.6 average finish after two of them – David Ragan and Ambrose – lost engines mid-way through the race. Ambrose was the first to lose his engine and finished 39th, while Ragan’s car had an experimental configuration in it and had a catastrophic effect on Ragan’s end of the season and quite possibly final ride with Roush Racing. He finished 38th. Regan Smith finished 13th to end his season, while Stewart and Edwards were perfect with their one-two finish respectively. Evelyn, you finish this season third in overall points.

Kelly, your five drivers this week earned you a 19.2 average finish as Kenseth finished fourth in the race and in overall 2011 points. Hamlin and Burton had top-10 finishes with their ninth and 10th place finishes, while Roush teammates Biffle and Ragan finished the race early with their 35th and 38th place finishes after they both had engine failures mid-way through the race. Kelly, you finish the season 10th in overall points.

Gibbons, despite having Stewart and Edwards and their first and second place finishes on your team, your drivers still earned you a 19.6 average finish. This is because Martin finished 24th after having to pit late in the race for fuel; Jimmie Johnson had a carburetor failure just before a red-flag rain delay and while he didn’t leave the race, finished five laps behind in 32nd place to fix the issue. Ragan’s engine failure was too catastrophic to recover leading to a 38th place finish. Gibbons, with the Ford 400 points, you finish the season fourth in overall points.

Corwin, your drivers’ 22-even average finish earned the No. 13 Angels’ spot this week. Truex and Hamlin earned top-10 finishes with their third and ninth place runs on Sunday. Martin pitted late for fuel and finished 24th, while Biffle and Ambrose finished the race early after their engines failed mid-way through the race. They finished 35th and 39th respectively. CorWin, you end the season ninth in overall points.

Well, Angels, that wraps it up for another great season of NASCAR racing and CHARLIE’S ANGELS FANTASY LEAGUE RACING as well.

Congratulations to Kris on earning her first season TAA and to all of our weekly and Segment TAAs as well.

As I say every year, it is my pleasure to bring you the weekly updates. I still can’t believe the league is yet another year older. Time really does fly when you’re having fun.

Thank you all for participating this year. I know we missed a couple of Angels at the end of this season, but know that I truly enjoyed each and every one of you and your participation and friendly competition.

I know I’m not the only Angel here to already be thinking – “I can’t wait until the start of the 2012 NASCAR SPRINT CUP season.” Will Edwards comeback from his disappointment, will Johnson recover from his late-season disaster or will Kyle Busch truly recover from his Texas Truck Series meltdown and actually contend for a championship next year? Only time will tell. Regardless, I’m looking forward to finding out.

While I can’t say my standard Good luck Next Week Angels, I can say have a great off season and I’ll bid you adieu by just saying Good Luck!

Charlie