Good Sam Club 500

Hello Angels,

Sunday’s Good Sam Club 500 race at Talladega Superspeedway proved to be a nightmare for many Chase for the Sprint Cup Champion drivers as well as many of our Angels. Very few Chase drivers came out of the 500-mile restrictor plate race unscathed with it all coming down to the final lap.

Clint Bowyer and Jeff Burton were the class of the pack throughout the race and the duo, with Burton in the lead, led the most laps together. It was only fitting that they would finish one-two after Bowyer pulled around Burton for the win coming out of turn 4 on the last lap of the green-white-checkered overtime. Burton didn’t come in second easily as the two bumped twice while coming to the checkers. Congratulations to Bowyer and Richard Childress Racing on the latter’s 100th win in the Cup series.

Several Chase drivers didn’t have the finishes they needed, including the one driver who needed it most – Jimmie Johnson. Johnson ran in the back of the pack with Dale Earnhardt Jr., after the two each led a lap early. They stayed in the back to stay out of trouble, but obviously late in the race, trouble found them when Andy Lally and Terry Labonte got together. Lally’s spin found him hitting Johnson sending the five-time champion sliding down the embankment having to collect the car and keep it from completely spinning out in the infield or coming back up the track. Johnson was able to catch the car and prevent further damage, but had to pit to get four new tires and repairs to the right side of the car. In the end, Johnson and his drafting partner, Earnhardt, never really went anywhere during the restart and finished with Earnhardt in front of Johnson in 25th, while Johnson himself finished 26th.

Mark Martin had damage from the final crash of the race to bring out the green-white-checkered overtime period. Martin was pushing Jeff Gordon when Martin backed off and drifted down the track and was clipped by Denny Hamlin. Martin spun to the left and took out Regan Smith. Smith went directly right and nearly head on into the outside SAFER Barrier. The crash was eerily similar to the Dale Earnhardt Sr., crash 10 years ago, but with Smith being able to walk away after the very-hard hit into the outside wall at nearly 190 mph.

Gordon (driving a Chevy) found himself without a drafting partner and thought he found one in Trevor Bayne (who was driving a Ford). Gordon worked with Bayne before the Daytona 500 in February, in which Bayne ended up winning that race. Bayne was poised to repay the favor on the restart, but Matt Kenseth, (driving a Ford) who also is in contention for the Sprint Cup Championship, spoiled that partnership because orders were to help other Ford drivers. Gordon found himself hung-out on the restart and while restarting fourth, fell to the back and finished 27th. For the record Bayne and Kenseth’s partnership didn’t work out too well either. They fell to mid-pack to finish 15th and18th respectively.

Martin finished the race the highest of all the Hendricks Racing stable of drivers in 20th place.

Kevin Harvick had his own issues on Sunday after he was collected in a multi-car crash mid-way through the race. He was black-flagged after repairs were made and had to go back into the pits to make repairs. He finished the race in 32nd place, several laps down.

The Busch brothers – Kyle and Kurt – had their own issues with separate crashes. Kurt T-Boned Bobby Labonte after Labonte went into the outside wall ending both drivers’ day early. Kurt finished 36th. Kyle Busch was collected in the same crash that Harvick was involved with and finished 11 laps down in 33rd.

The top-10 in the race is Bowyer in first, Burton in second, Dave Blaney in third being pushed by Brad Keselowski, who finished fourth. Brian Vickers finished fifth, while Kasey Kahne recovered from a mid-race spin to finish sixth. Tony Stewart managed a seventh place finish despite losing his drafting partner (Ryan Newman) early in the race. Denny Hamlin was involved in three different incidents on the track by my count and still managed a top-10 finish with his eighth place finish. Non-Sprint Cup regular and Michael Waltrip Racing owner Michael Waltrip finished one spot ahead of his regular driver Martin Truex Jr., in ninth. Truex finished 10th.

Carl Edwards took over the lead of the Championship Chase by 14 points over Kenseth with Edwards’ 11th place finish. Keselowski jumped three spots to third in points, while Stewart is up one spot to fourth. Harvick dropped three spots to fifth in points, while Kyle Busch finished two spots down in sixth. Johnson gained a spot in the points, but fell back 50 points to the leader in the process. Kurt Busch fell to eighth in points, while Earnhardt, Gordon, Hamlin and Newman round out the top-12.

Our Angels didn’t fare that well this week either as our teams’ combined average finish of 17.7 reflects.

At the top of our Angels’ list is Mr. X and his team’s 9.6 average finish. Burton finished second, while Keselowski and Stewart finished in the top-10 with their fourth and seventh place finishes respectively. Edwards finished 11th, while Joey Logano finished 24th, on the lead lap, even after cutting a left-front tire after a spin.  Congratulations Mr. X on your CHARLIE’S ANGELS’ TOP ANGEL AWARD this week.

Sabrina, your drivers’ 25.8 average finish was bad enough to earn your team this week’s CHARLIE’S ANGELS’ GOLDEN CABOOSE AWARD. Stewart had a decent finish with his seventh place run. Kenseth’s gamble in the end backfired to an 18th place finish. When it was time to go, Earnhardt, who led a lap on  Sunday, didn’t have any get-up-and-go left. He finished 25th. Newman crashed early out of the race and finished 38th. Joe Nemechek parked his car early in the race and finished in 41st place. Better luck next week.

Candy Man, your drivers 10.2 average finish earned you this week’s CHARLIE’S ANGELS’ RUNNER-UP ANGEL AWARD. Burton and Keselowski finished second and fourth respectively, while Edwards finished just outside of the top-10 in 11th place. Greg Biffle pushed Edwards all day long and finished 14th in the process. Martin rounds out your team with his 20th place finish.

Mr. Munday, you had three drivers finish inside the top-10 with Bowyer winning the race, Kahne finishing sixth and Hamlin finishing eighth. Biffle finished 14th, while Logano finished 24th. Your team’s average finish is 10.6.

Gibbons, your drivers combined for a 14.8 average finish after you only had two drivers – Bowyer and Stewart – finish inside the top-10. Bowyer won the race, while Stewart finished seventh. Paul Menard finished 12th after losing Harvick as a drafting partner midway through the race. Johnson and David Ragan finished well off the pace, if you will, with their 26th and 28th place finishes respectively. Your driver’s average finish is 14.8.

For me, Keselowski and Vickers topped my drivers’ list with their fourth and fifth place finishes respectively. Edwards finished outside the top-10, in 11th, but gained a 14 point lead in the Championship Chase standings. Johnson, who dropped 15 points in the standings to 50-points behind Edwards, finished at the back of the pack in 26th place on Sunday. Regan Smith, who had that hard crash with five laps left, finished 30th. My team’s average finish is 15.2.

Julie, while Stewart was your only driver to finish inside the top-10 with his seventh place finish, you had three drivers finish 11th through 15th. In that 11th place is the Championship Chase leader Edwards, who now enjoys the largest lead of the chase at 14 points. Menard finished 12th, while Bayne, who left Gordon for another Chase driver on the final restart of the race, finished 15th after dropping back with Kenseth on the restart. Harvick rounds out your team with his 32nd place finish. Your drivers’ average finish is 15.4.

Vivian, you had two drivers finish in the top-10 with Bowyer and Stewart. Bowyer finished first, while Stewart had a moral victory with his seventh place finish. Edwards finished 11th, David Gilliland finished 22nd and Newman finished 38th to round out your team. Your drivers average finish is 15.8.

Knox’Ville’, you only had one driver – Vickers – finish inside the top-10. Vickers managed to avoid the carnage to finish fifth. Edwards also avoided the carnage, but could only get an 11th place finish in the end. Marcos Ambrose was picked to win the race by some analysts, but involvement in one of the crashes led to a 19th place finish instead. Johnson and Gordon finished 26th and 27th respectively after Johnson had contact with Lally, while Gordon got hung-out to dry by Bayne during the final restart of the race. Your drivers’ average finish is 17.6.

Kris, like Knox’Ville’ before you, Vickers is your only driver to finish inside the top-10 with his fifth place finish. Edwards finished 11th, while Gordon finished 27th. Smith crashed out in 30th place and Kyle Busch finished several laps down in 33rd place after his involvement in a crash. Your drivers’ average finish is 21.2.

Kelly, for you, Keselowski is your only driver with a top-10 finish after he scored a fourth-place finish on Sunday. Bayne finished 15th, while Martin finished 20th. Harvick and Kurt Busch finished 32nd and 36th respectively for you to give your team a 21.4 average finish.

CorWin, you didn’t have any of your five drivers finish in the top-10. Menard is your top driver with his 12th place finish. Kenseth finished 18th, while Martin, who started on the Coors Light Pole, finished 20th. Smith and Harvick finished 30th and 32nd respectively. Your drivers’ average finish is 22.4.

Evelyn, you took a huge chance this week with all four drivers from the Hendricks Racing stables. Unfortunately, that came back to bite you in the “you know where” after all four of them finished 20th or worse. Martin, who started on the Coors Light Pole on Sunday, finished the highest of the four drivers in 20th place. Earnhardt, Johnson and Gordon finished 25t through 27th respectively for you. Your fifth driver, Bayne, finished 15th after he, according to race announcers, made a deal to stick with Gordon on the final restart of the race. Bayne abandoned those plans and teamed with fellow Ford driver Kenseth who didn’t work well together and fell from fourth and fifth place down to where Bayne finished in 15th. Your drivers’ average finish is 22.6.

Pete, your drivers had a 25.3 average finish after the five of them didn’t finish any better than 15th – four of them 25th or worse. In that 15th spot is Bayne who abandoned his plans to work with Gordon and in the process went from a possible fifth place finish to 15th. Earnhardt finished 25th, Johnson finished 26th and Ragan finished 28th. Harvick rounds out your team with his 32nd place finish. Better luck next week.

Next week’s race is another “wild-card” race at Martinsville Speedway with the Tums Fast Relief 500.

Don’t forget to check the ESPN Stock Car Challenge website to see where you stack up against the other Angels after Sunday’s Good Sam Club 500 at Talladega Superspeedway.

Good luck Angels,

Charlie