Sylvania 300

Hello Angels,

Sunday’s Sylvania 300 race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway proved to be both redemption and a reversal of fortune for two drivers who had similar fates in this same race last year.

Clint Bowyer and Tony Stewart had the fortune to battle it out for the win in both the 2010 Sylvania 300 as well as in Sunday’s race as well. Stewart ran out of gas on the last lap of the 2010 race and Bowyer went on to capture the win. This year, Bowyer was leading with two laps left when he ran out of fuel and Stewart went on to capture the win. In doing so, Stewart earned his second-straight win and captured the points-lead in the Chase for the Sprint Cup Champion over Kevin Harvick. Stewart didn’t have the dominant car, but definitely had the right fuel strategy this year to earn the win.

The dominant car was driven by Jeff Gordon who led 79 laps of the 300 laps run. Unfortunately for the four-time Cup champion, fuel strategy was his enemy once again as his pit crew was not able to get his fuel tank full of fuel on their last pit stop. Gordon went into conservation mode and still had a decent fourth-place finish.

Brad Keselowski had what he termed as a 15th to 20th place car, but pit strategy mid-way through the race paid off at the end when he posted a second-place finish.

Greg Biffle and Brian Vickers – both not in contention for the Cup, round out the top-five with Biffle’s third place finish and Vicker’s fifth place finish. Biffle also scored higher than his Roush Fenway teammates Carl Edwards and Matt Kenseth – both of whom made contact with each other the end result of Edwards’ car’s loose condition. Edwards finished eighth to Kenseth’s sixth-place finish. David Ragan, the fourth Roush Fenway Racing teammate finished in between Kenseth and Edwards in seventh place. Rounding out the top-10 are Juan Montoya and Regan Smith with their ninth and 10th place finishes respectively.

After the race, the Chase lead goes to Stewart – just seven points ahead of Harvick, who finished 12th on Sunday. Keselowski jumped three spots to third place, while Edwards drops one spot to fourth. Gordon jumps six spots to fifth, 23 points behind Stewart. Kyle Busch and Kenseth both jumped three spots each to sixth and seventh in points, while Dale Earnhardt Jr., dropped three spots after his dismal day ended with two blown tires and a 17th place finish.

Kurt Busch dropped five spots to ninth place in points, but will most likely lose more points after his car failed pre-race inspection on Sunday. His team was allowed to make the necessary repairs to pass inspection and start the race in sixth, but poor pit strategy and an ill-handling car led to a 22nd place finish. Jimmie Johnson also had a dismal race and finished 18th. He fell two spots to 10th place in points, 28-points behind Stewart. Ryan Newman ran out of fuel once again and finished the race 25th. He fell back to 11th place in points -34 points to Stewart.

Digging himself a huge hole in his championship bid is Denny Hamlin who ran out of fuel while running fourth or fifth. Hamlin was running well, but the finish is what counts. He is now dead last in points – 66 points behind Stewart.

As for us Angels, first let me welcome back Mr. X and CorWin after they both had their own hiccups with the start of the third segment last week. CorWin you gave yourself your own CHARLIE’S ANGELS BONEHEAD AWARD when you notified all of us that while you picked your drivers, you failed to save them in time for the start of the segment. Obviously that hasn’t happened again this week as you had all five of your drivers in the field for Sunday’s race.

Mr. X, I don’t know what happened to your team last week, but this week, it really doesn’t matter as your five drivers earned you this week’s CHARLIE’S ANGELS’ TOP ANGEL AWARD. It definitely helps to have Stewart win and Keselowski finished in second. Edwards rebounded from his contact with Kenseth and finished eighth. Jeff Burton and Joey Logano round out your team with their 13th and 14th place finishes respectively. Congratulations on your TAA earning average finish of 7.6 and again, welcome back to Charlie’s Angels.

On the flip side this week is Vivian who once again earns a second BAA for only having four drivers in the field for Sunday’s race at New Hampshire. The difference this week is even if Terry Labonte would’ve been in the race and had a half-way decent finish, your combined drivers would still have earned this week’s CHARLIE’S ANGELS’ GOLDEN CABOOSE AWARD. That said, Stewart won the race for you, while Edwards was your only other driver to finish in the top-10 with his eighth place finish. Newman and Bowyer round out your team with their 25th and 26th respective place finishes after they ran out of fuel. Better luck next week!

This week’s CHARLIE’S ANGELS’ RUNNER-UP ANGEL AWARD goes to Julie and her drivers 8.8 average finish. Stewart, Keselowski and Edwards finished in the top-10 with their first, second and eighth place finish, while Burton finished just outside the top-10 with his 13th place finish. Paul Menard rounds out your team with his 20th place finish. Congrats on your RUA this week Julie.

Candy Man, your drivers combined for a 10 even average finish after three of them finished inside the top-10 – two of them, Keselowski and Biffle, with second and third place finishes respectively. Burton and Mark Martin round out your team with their 13th and 24th place finishes. Martin was running fifth when he cut a tire and fell two laps down late in the race.

CorWin, instead of another BHA this week, you did indeed save your driver line-up and earned this week’s No. 4 Angels’ spot. Keselowski is the only driver on your team to earn a top-10 finish. In his case, Keselowski, who is only second now to Stewart and his hot streak, earned a second-place finish. Kyle Busch finished 11th, Harvick finished 12th and Burton finished 13th. Menard rounds out your team with his 20th place finish. Your drivers earned you an 11.6 average finish this week.

Pete, you had three drivers – Keselowski, Biffle and Ragan – finish in the top-10, Keselowski and Biffle finishing in second and third place. Ragan finished in sixth. Kurt Busch can probably count his championship hopes out as his team will most likely be penalized for failing pre-race inspection on Sunday. That said, he finished 22nd, one lap down. Newman earned the Coors Light Pole Award, but ran out of fuel for the second week in a row and finished 25th. Your drivers’ average finish is 11.8.

Kris, for you, Gordon was you top driver to finish with his fourth place run. Edwards finished a distant eighth, while Smith finished 10th. Kyle Busch finished 11th after having a tense moment or two with Jimmie Johnson when Johnson had the inside track position. The two touched and Busch was not a happy camper when they made even more contact on the next corner. That said, the younger Busch brother finished 11th. Marcos Ambrose finished two or three laps down in 30th place. Your drivers’ average finish is 12.6.

Knox’Ville, it looked like Gordon was going to cruise to a victory on Sunday, but once again, fuel mileage cost him the win and ended with a fourth-place finish. Vickers fifth place finish was just what his team needed as they’re still looking for a new owner for not only Vickers team, but Kasey Kahne’s team as well. Edwards finished eighth, while Johnson finished 10 spots behind him in 18th place.  Bringing up the rear for your team is Ambrose and his 30th place finish. Your drivers earned you a 13 even average finish.

Gibbons, for you, Stewart earned his second win in two weeks, while Vickers, who earned a fifth place finish on Sunday, earned his first top-10th finish in 13 races. Johnson finished 18th, Menard finished 20th and Kurt Busch finished last for your drivers in 22nd place. Totaled, your five drivers earned a 13.2 average finish.

Evelyn, only one of your drivers finished in the top-10 this week for you. That driver, Gordon, led the most laps of all the drivers at 79. He also had the strongest car out there, but because of fuel, once again, Gordon didn’t get that elusive win he and his fans really want. Instead, it was a fourth-place finish. Burton, Earnhardt, Johnson and Menard, all wish they had cars that was handling like Gordon’s, but in the end, they didn’t and their finishing spots of 13th, 17th, 18th and 20th respectively reflect that. Your drivers’ average finish is 14.4.

For me, Keselowski and Gordon are my top-two drivers with their top-five finishes of second and fourth respectively. Martin Truex Jr., was supposed to be my go-to driver this week, but fuel-mileage hurt him as well and he earned a 16th place finish. Johnson’s car didn’t do the five-time champion any favors as he attempts an improbable sixth-straight championship after he finished 18th. Landon Cassill brought out one of only two caution flags during the race when he cut a tire and hit the wall. He finished several laps down in 33rd place. My drivers’ average finish is 14.6.

Kelly, you had two drivers finish in the top-10 – Keselowski and Edwards. Keselowski finished second compared to Edwards’ eighth place finish. Burton finished 13th, while his Richard Childress Racing teammate, Bowyer finished 26th after running out of fuel on the second-to-last lap. Hamlin finished 29th to pretty much end his Cup hopes for the 2011 season. Your five drivers’ average finish is 15.6.

Sabrina, you round out our 13 Angels with your team’s 17-even average finish. That said, for the second week in a row, you have Stewart on your team and in doing so, he won the race. Coincidence? Only time will tell. Kenseth finished sixth, while Earnhardt and Newman finished 17th and 25th respectively. Joe Nemachek finished a distant 36th after retiring early in the race.

Next week’s race is the AAA 400 at Dover International Raceway.

Don’t forget to check the ESPN Stock Car Challenge website to see where you stack up against the other Angels after Sunday’s Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

Good luck Angels,

Charlie