Hello Angels, Bosley, Mr. X and the UnNamed One,

Congratulations this week go to NASCAR for finally fixing two non-rules that I criticized after last week’s race.  One of the rules being the “gentleman’s agreement” about racing back to the start/finish line during a yellow, and the second rule of how drivers’ enter into pit road. 

I don’t know if any of you saw this coming, but last week’s incident with Dale Jarrett stopped in the middle of the front stretch with cars coming at him going more than 140 mph was definitely an unsafe situation.  It was obvious the “gentleman’s agreement” was not working; something that I’ve known wasn’t working for the last two years or so.  It was also evident something needed to be done after Jeff Gordon crashed into Jimmie Johnson’s crew last week upon entering pit road.  Well, NASCAR officials finally made two new rules.  The first is a single file entry into pit road and cars are only allowed to pass on the right hand side.  The second rule is the big one.  Upon the display of the yellow flag, all cars have to slow down to a “safe” speed.  Also, to be fair to the first car not on the lead lap, that car is given a lap back, but will still pit with all other lapped cars.  The other stipulation is that the car getting the lap back will restart the race at the end of the longest line.

This rule had a significant impact on today’s race winner, Ryan Newman.  He cut a tire early in the race while leading, and then eventually went almost two laps down.  He got the tire changed and was able to eventually be the first car not on the lead lap when a caution came out.  He was given his “get out of jail free” card and had a strong-enough car to get back to the top-10.  But what really won the race for Newman again, is his team’s ability to stretch fuel mileage and go 104 laps on one-tank of gas.  So, congratulations to Newman and his seventh win this season.  I think I’ll go out on a limb here and say he’ll be the driver with the most wins this season…anyone disagree?

One other note of interest from today’s race is that Dale Earnhardt Junior’s crash late in the race was a little more severe than it looked.  It was very reminiscent of his father’s crash where it didn’t look as severe as it actually was.  Earnhardt Jr.’s crash had him slide around the “marbles” on the upper part of the track causing a loose racecar.  Earnhardt eventually lost control of the car and spun into the wall.  Unfortunately for him, he hit it on the driver’s side.  He lost consciousness for a few seconds and had to be extricated from the car.  He was then transported to a local hospital and released.  He was diagnosed with a mild concussion and a bruised right foot.

So, where do our Charlie’s Angels stack up after today’s MBNA America 400? 

Bosley, for you, having Newman and his seventh win on your team didn’t help you all that much, especially when your remaining four drivers finished 31st or worse.  In the 31st spot is Bobby Labonte who had his car damaged on the start of the race when he accidentally downshifted from third to second, instead of shifting up from third to fourth gear.  His car was never up to par and he could only manage to finish 5 laps down.  Ken Schrader also had problems and damage and finished 33rd, seven laps down.  Kurt Busch blew an engine while running 13th, and finished 38th.  Finishing the race in 42nd is Michael Watrip, who also blew an engine.  So, this week Bosley, you are our CHARLIE’S ANGELS’ GOLDEN CABOOSE AWARD recipient with your 29 even average finish.  I think we all wish you much better luck next week.

Kris, I’m not sure you should be all that glad that you’re not the Golden Caboose Award recipient this week, because you didn’t do much better yourself.  Mike Skinner spun early in the race and while he didn’t hit anything, other cars did and ricocheted into him when he started to go forward again.  He eventually blew an engine and finished 41st.  Busch’s engine and 38th place finish hurt also.  I’m glad Earnhardt is going to be ok, but he didn’t help your cause with his crash and 37th place finish.  Terry Labonte has been on a hot streak as of late, but today it was cooled just a little bit with a 20th place finish.  Your best driver today is Jeff Gordon and his 5th place finish.  Your average finish when Newman was celebrating in the winner’s circle is also a very disappointing 28.9.  Much better luck next week.

Kelly, Ricky Craven has helped you in the past, but today he really hurt you too.  He never really had a great car.  His engine eventually blew and he finished 40th.  Bobby Labonte didn’t help your cause either with his 31st place finish, while Terry Labonte also had some problems.  He finished 20th.  Rusty Wallace finally had a top-10 finish in 10th.  Tony Stewart blames his tires, but he still had a solid car with a third place finish.  Your average finish is another disappointing 20.8.  Better luck next week.

Tiffany, being our overall point’s leader didn’t help you today when Earnhardt crashed late in the race, nor did John Andretti help you with his lack of performance and 34th place finish.  Helping is Wallace and his 10th place finish, Jimmie Johnson and his eighth place finish, and Kevin Harvick and his fourth place finish.  Your average finish is 18.6.  Better luck next week.

Jill and the UnNamed One, you both earned the same average finish for a tie this week. 

You both shared Busch and his 38th place finish and the honor, or dishonor of having him being your worst driver for the day.  Jill, you have Casey Mears who went down a couple of laps when he cut a tire.  He finished 36th.  Other than those two drivers, Jill, you’re remaining drivers had a stellar day with Gordon finishing fifth, Stewart in third and Newman in first.

UnNamed One, besides Busch, you also have Dale Jarrett who was having a good day, but faded late in the race.  He finished 18th.  Jarrett’s teammate, Ricky Rudd, was having a string of top-5 finishes, but that streak was broken when he finished 11th.  Matt Kenseth fought a horrendously bad car all day, but true to the season that Kenseth is having, he still managed a ninth-place finish.  Your top finisher this week is rookie, Greg Biffle in seventh. 

Your tying average finish is 16.6.

Today, I tried my darnedest to get all of my drivers to finish in the top 10.  Unfortunately, Andretti would be my nemesis and finish 34th.  All of my other drivers cooperated though and finished ninth or better.  In that ninth position is Kenseth, with Johnson in eighth followed closely by Biffle in seventh.  My top driver today is Gordon and his fifth place finish, giving me an average finish of 13 even.

Well, Mr. X, that leaves you to our TOP ANGEL AWARD this week.  You did it by having three drivers finish in the top-10, and all of your drivers finish in the top-20.  In the 20th position is Terry Labonte, followed by Jarrett in 18th.  In the top-10 is Kenseth, Biffle and Jamie McMurray, finishing ninth, seventh and sixth respectively.  Congratulations on your TAA winning average finish of 12 even.

Our team’s combined average finishes is 15.44.

Here’s our standings after last week’s Sylvania 300 in New Hampshire. 

1	Tiff's Young Guns, J. Young	618	594	680	1892	95
2	Mr X, D. Nunes	671	607	468	1746	77
3	Kelly's Knights, S. Riddle	659	595	481	1735	75
4	Unamed Ones Fords, R. Young	570	610	518	1698	68
5	Charlie's Boyz, E. G.	539	528	603	1670	62
6	Jill's Jockeys, J. Lindsey	493	570	587	1650	58
7	Kris' Boy Toyz, P. Grill	419	528	600	1547	39
8	Bosley Bombers, J. Kratzer	384	581	518	1483	31

Next week’s race is the EA Sports 500 at Talladega Super Speedway in Alabama.  Make sure you make any changes to your team’s lineup by Thursday at 12:59 a.m. Pacific Time.

Good luck next week Angels,

Charlie