Hello Angels,
Sunday’s Lenox Industrial Tools 301 race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway solidified many fans and experts opinions alike that NASCAR has the parity the sanctioning body was looking for.
LOUDON, N.H. -- Ryan Newman, driver of the #39 U.S. Army Chevrolet, celebrates in Victory Lane after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series LENOX Industrial Tools 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on July 17, 2011 in Loudon, New Hampshire. (Photo by Geoff Burke/Getty Images for NASCAR)
In 19 races, there have now been 13 different drivers who have won at least one race – the latest is Ryan Newman. Newman and his Stewart Haas boss, Tony Stewart, started the race in first and second, and as luck and a lot of strategy would have it, that’s where they finished too. Congratulations go out to both Newman and Stewart as Stewart Haas Racing is the first team to start and finish one-two as a team since the Hendricks stable drivers of Darrell Waltrip and Ken Schrader did it in the 1989 Daytona 500.
Other notable finishes include Jimmie Johnson in fifth after he went down a lap from a spin. Jeff Gordon had battery issues but still managed to come back to what looked like a top-five finish until he cut a tire on the last turn of the race. He finished 11th. Brad Keselowski and Kyle Busch cut right-front tires and smashed the outside wall in separate instances. They finished 35th and 36th respectfully. Joey Logano and Bobby Labonte had stellar days with their fourth and seventh place finishes respectively.
Rounding out the top-10 are Denny Hamlin in third; Kasey Kahne in sixth; Martin Truex Jr., Marcos Ambrose and Kurt Busch in eighth, ninth and 10th respectively.
For us Angels, it was an up and down day for most of us as strategy played out on the track with different drivers pitting at different times for fuel and tires.
When it was finished, Evelyn was on top and earned this week’s CHARLIE’S ANGELS TOP ANGEL AWARD with her drivers’ average finish of 7.6. Of course having Newman, Stewart and Truex finish in the top-10 with the first two in first and second definitely helps. Truex finished eighth. Gordon finished 11th after cutting a tire and Jeff Burton showed all of us that he can still run up front. Unfortunately for Burton his car faded in the end and he finished 16th. Congratulations on your TAA Evelyn!
On the flip side of the charts were my drivers. While I did have some shining moments with my drivers, two of them – Keselowsi and Busch – cut tires and hit the wall. They finished 35th and 36th respectively. Landon Cassill had an OK day and he finished 26th. Gordon finished 11th and Johnson tops my drivers’ charts with his fifth place finish. All totaled, my drivers earned me this week’s CHARLIE’S ANGELS’ GOLDEN CABOOSE AWARD with their average finish of 22.6.
Madison, while your 12.2 average finish wasn’t anywhere near close to Evelyn’s TAA average finish, it is good enough to earn you this week’s RUNNER-UP ANGEL AWARD. Hamlin and Kahne finished in the top 10 with Hamlin in third and Kahne in sixth place respectively. Carl Edwards didn’t have a very good car and finished 13th overall. But that was good enough to bring him back to the Championship Points lead once again. David Reutimann and Matt Kenseth finished 19th and 20th respectfully.
CorWin, even with Keselowski finishing 35th, you still managed to earn the No. 3 Angels’ spot this week with your average finish of 13 even. This is because Newman and Stewart finished one and two respectively. Having Gordon and Burton finish 11th and 16th respectively obviously helped as well.
Gibbons, for you three drivers – Stewart, Johnson and Kurt Busch – finished in the top-10 with their second, fifth and 10th place finishes respectively. Burton and Regan Smith round out your team with their 16th and 33rd place finish. Your average finish is 13.2.
Pete, you had two driver finish not only in the top-10, but the top-2 spots of the race. Those drivers are Newman and Stewart who finished one-two respectively. Gordon finished 11th, while Reutimann finished 19th to Keselowski’s 35th place finish. Your average finish is 13.6.
Candy Man, you only had one driver – Kahne – finish inside the top-10. He finished sixth. Edwards finished 13th, while Burton and Greg Biffle finished 16th and 18th respectively. Martin rounds out your team with his 22nd place finish. Your team’s average finish is 15 even.
Julie and Knox’Ville, you both tie for the No. 7 Angels’ spot this week with your 16.2 average finishes.
Knox’Ville, for you, Hamlin and Johnson showed their championship resolve as both of them spun at different times of the race and fell to the back of the pack one lap down. They both came back to finish with Hamlin in third and Johnson in fifth. Gordon had his own issues with a battery, but battled back to the top-five only to fall out of the top-10 on the last corner of the race when a tire went down. He finished 11th. Cassill finished 26th, while Kyle Busch also cut a tire to finish 36th.
Julie, for you, Stewart was your top driver on your team with his second-place finish. Edwards, Dale Earnhardt Jr., and Burton finished 13th, 15th and 16th respectively, while Keselowski crashed mid-way through the race after cutting a tire and hitting the wall. He finished 35th.
Vivian, for you, Stewart was on top of your drivers’ chart with his second place finish. Edwards and Burton were next with their 13th and 16th place finishes respectively. Kevin Harvick had a horrible day and finished 21st, while Jamie McMurray finished 31st after running out of gas because of a broken radio and general lack of communications. Your average finish is 16.6.
Kris, your team’s top driver is Kahne and his sixth place finish. Gordon finished 11th, Edwards finished 13th, Harvick finished 21st, and Keselowski finished 35th. Your team’s average finish is 17.2.
Mr. X, none of your drivers finished in the top-10 this week. Gordon barely missed out though with his 11th place finish. Edwards finished 13th with David Ragan finishing just behind him in 14th place. Harvick wasn’t competitive and finished 21st, while Keselowski was competitive, but cut a tire and finished 35th. Your team’s average finish is 18.8.
Kelly, while Hamlin was your only driver to finish in the top-10 with a third place finish, you only had one other driver – Ragan – finish in the top-20kwith a 14th place finish. Rounding out your team are Harvick, Martin and Keselowski who finished 21st, 22nd and 35th respectively. Your team’s average finish is 19 even.
The next race is in two weeks as the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series takes next week off and will return on July 31st at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the Brickyard 500 presented by Big Machine Records race.
Don’t forget to check the ESPN Stockcar Challenge to see where you stack up against the other Angels after this Sunday’s Lenox Industrial Tools 301 race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
Good luck Angels,
Charlie