Storylines: Richmond
Storylines: Richmond
The “Chase cut-off race” has arrived, race No. 26 of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season, at Richmond International Raceway. Saturday night’s Chevy Rock ‘n Roll 400 will fill out the field for NASCAR’s playoffs, otherwise known as the Chase for NASCAR Sprint Cup.
Also this weekend, the NASCAR Nationwide Series races Friday night at Richmond, while the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races Saturday afternoon at Gateway International Raceway near St. Louis.
Storylines for this weekend follow, starting with a look at Virginians “in the garage” this weekend at Richmond International Raceway.
In The Garage – The Local Angles
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (hometowns in parentheses)
Jeff Burton (South Boston) – No. 31 driver
Denny Hamlin (South Boston) – No. 11 driver
Elliott Sadler (Emporia) – No. 19 driver
Robert “Bootie” Barker (Brookneal) – No. 66 crew chief
David Bryant (Farmville) – No. 88 car chief
Todd Brewer (Manassas) – No. 96 car chief
Jeff Curtis (Fairfax) – No. 31 engineer
Darian Grubb (Floyd) – No. 88 engineer
Tom Stewart (Hampton) – No. 88 engineer
Brandon Evans (South Hill) – No. 48 engineer
Rick MacGowan (Reston) – No. 96 engineer
Kevin Kidd (Tazewell) – No. 19 engineer
Tommy Wallace (Richmond) – No. 07 mechanic
Jim Jenkins (Hampton) – No. 88 mechanic
Alan Howard (Covington) – No. 84 shock specialist
Todd Bosserman (Waynesboro) – No. 48 shock specialist
Tracey Ramsey (Fredericksburg) – No. 31 tire specialist
Charles Moles (Floyd) – No. 07 tire specialist
Franky Nester (Ridgeway) – No. 31 transporter driver
Barry Sheppard (Stuart) – No. 07 transporter driver
Kirk George (Ararat) – No. 24 transporter driver
Jay Hackney (Haysi) – No. 2 front tire changer
Curt Bowman (Meadows of Dan) – No. 31 gas man
Caleb Hurd (Pulaski) – No. 24 gas man
Rodney Rhodes (Hickory) – No. 10 gas man
Andy Pope (Midlothian) – No. 21 gas man
Ed Watkins (Richmond) – No. 19 jack man
Ben Surface (Pulaski) – No. 96 rear tire carrier
Mark Robertson (Richmond) – No. 20 spotter
Ryan Quann (Richmond) – No. 42 pit support
NASCAR Nationwide Series
Eric McClure (Abingdon) – No. 24 driver
Eddie Pardue (Hampton) – No. 16 crew chief
Michael Tam (Vienna) – No. 27 engineer
Hylton Tatum (Stuart) – No. 2 mechanic
Chris Haymaker (Moneta) – No. 32 mechanic
PJ Bryant (Dale City) – No. 2 shock specialist
Danny O’Quinn (Coeburn) – No. 98 gas man
Michael Hodges (Abingdon) – No. 2 rear tire carrier
Michael Hobson (Richmond) – No. 98 rear tire carrier
NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
One Spot, Three Drivers: The Battle For The Final Chase Berth
Though technically nine drivers are vying for seven spots, the drama lies among three positions, and three drivers: Clint Bowyer in 12th, David Ragan in 13th and Kasey Kahne in 14th.
Bowyer is 17 points ahead of Ragan, and 48 ahead of Kahne. That final spot is a precarious position – since the Chase’s inception in 2005, drivers have moved in from outside the cut-off bubble in three of the four Richmond races (Jeremy Mayfield in 2004; Ryan Newman in 2005 and Kasey Kahne in 2006).
Clinch Scenarios for Richmond
Five drivers have already clinched a spot in the Chase: Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards, Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Burton. Below are the scenarios that would guarantee other drivers a Chase spot, no matter how any other competitor finished:
Greg Biffle
o Needs to start the race
Kevin Harvick
o Needs to start the race
Tony Stewart
o Finish 36th
o Finish 37th and lead at least one lap
o Finish 40th and lead the most laps
Matt Kenseth
o Finish 26th
o Finish 28th and lead at least one lap
o Finish 30th and lead the most laps
Jeff Gordon
o Finish 24th
o Finish 25th and lead at least one lap
o Finish 28th and lead the most laps
Denny Hamlin
o Finish 21st
o Finish 22nd and lead at least one lap
o Finish 25th and lead the most laps
Clint Bowyer
o Win
o 2nd or 3rd and lead the most laps
David Ragan
o Win and lead the most laps
Kasey Kahne, 48 points behind the Chase cut-off, can also earn a spot in the Chase depending on both his finish and the performance of other drivers.
All drivers 15th and below are mathematically eliminated as long as both Ragan and Kahne start Saturday’s race.
Bonus Points: 10 More Remain Up For Grabs
All drivers making the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup will have their point totals reset to 5,000. They then will have 10 bonus points tacked on, for every race they won before the Chase.
The battle between Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards has intensified weekly, thanks to the importance of bonus points given for pre-Chase victories; bonus-point totals determine “seedings” to start the Chase.
Busch and Edwards are 1-2 in series points. They’ll also be the top two seeds in the Chase, thanks to Busch’s 80 points and Edwards’ 50.
Jimmie Johnson currently ranks third with 30 bonus points – and can jump to 40 if he wins Saturday night.
Bottom line: All Chase drivers have a chance to pick up valuable bonus points one last time, on Saturday night.
Logano Makes NASCAR Sprint Cup Debut
Adjacent to the spotlight shining on the Chase battle, one of the most- heralded NASCAR Sprint Cup debuts in years will take place Saturday night at Richmond. Joey Logano, who will drive the No. 20 Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing in NASCAR Sprint Cup competition starting in 2009, will drive the No. 02 Home Depot Toyota at RIR.
Chase Will Have Star Power
Best Chase ever? It’s certainly shaping up as such, as the start of the fifth annual “playoff run” begins in NASCAR’s top series.
In addition to the shootout ongoing at the top of the points between Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards, those two will likely be joined in the Chase by four former NASCAR Sprint Cup champions: Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Tony Stewart and Matt Kenseth. Of the four, only Johnson has a guaranteed Chase spot.
Richmond: Perfect Track, Perfect Place For The Cut-Off Race
Race No. 26 has taken on a special meaning since the Chase was instituted in 2004. And what better place to host the annual “cut-off” race, than one of NASCAR’s most storied – and most popular – tracks?
Richmond International Raceway has hosted races in NASCAR’s premier series since 1953. The track has gone from dirt to asphalt, and has also had several configuration changes through the years.
Its current incarnation is considered one of the best – if not THE best – in all of NASCAR, a .75-mile oval that typically offers something for everyone, both competitor and fan.
The Chase, and the inherent drama of the final pre-Chase event, has made a good thing even better.
NASCAR NATIONWIDE SERIES
Can Keselowski Recover?
Brad Keselowski had been chipping away at Clint Bowyer’s points lead throughout the summer but now the series-only regular needs a sledgehammer to keep his championship hopes alive. Entering last Friday’s race in California Keselowski was within 122 points of Bowyer, but an electrical problem dropped him to 33rd place, his worst finish of the year.
He’s still in second in points coming to Richmond but is 204 points behind Bowyer with eight races to go. That’s his largest deficit since he was 212 points out following the May race at Dover.
Credit Where Credit Is Due – Bowyer Hasn’t Let Guard Down
Keselowski and reigning series champion Carl Edwards had been making their move on Bowyer since late July but hand it to Bowyer, who has led the standings for the last 22 weeks.
Despite the one-two punch of Keselowski and Edwards plus the pressure of trying to make the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup in the premier series, Bowyer has been solid. He tied his career high with his 22nd top-10 finish last Friday in California and has nine top fives with eight races left; his series best is 13.
Childress’ Grandson Making Awaited Debut
The number of young drivers who’ve made their debuts – and have made their way well – in the NASCAR Nationwide Series this year could increase by one at Richmond as Austin Dillon, the 18-year-old grandson of Richard Childress, will attempt to make his series debut driving the No. 21 Chevrolet for his grandfather’s team.
As the driver of the familiar RCR No. 3 Chevrolet, Dillon is third in the NASCAR Camping World Series East standings and won in his first race in that series back in April. He’s collected four top fives and seven top 10s in his 10 East races this year.
NASCAR CRAFTSMAN TRUCK SERIES
Benson Building A Lead
Point leader Johnny Benson’s pursuers will have to kick it up a notch if they want to halt his drive toward the 2008 championship. Benson holds a 119-point lead over Ron Hornaday Jr. with 16 races in the books. Only once, after 16 races, has a driver come from further back to win the title. Ted Musgrave overcame a 178-point deficit to edge Dennis Setzer in 2005.
Davis National Series Debut Set For Gateway
Joe Gibbs Racing developmental driver Marc Davis is set to make his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series debut in the Randy Moss Motorsports Chevrolet. Davis, at 18 years 2 months the second youngest driver to start a series race since the 18 year old minimum was established in 2002, is the seventh African-American to compete in the series and first since Bill Lester finished 20th at Nashville in 2007.
Chrissy Wallace Returns To NCTS, At Appropriate Place
Chrissy Wallace is slated to race at Gateway International Raceway her “hometown track” – she’s from nearby St. Louis – for the first time in NASCAR national series competition.
Her father, Mike, logged three consecutive top-10 finishes at the 1.25-mile track driving for Ken Schrader and Jimmy Smith. Uncle Kenny finished 13th a year ago.
Champions Win At Gateway
Experience means everything at Gateway International Raceway. Seven of the track’s 10 races have been won by series champions – four of who will be entered in this week’s race. The race should feature seven winners of eight Gateway events.
Qualifying At Gateway: No Holding Back
Qualifying is a big deal at Gateway where only two drivers starting outside the top five have gone on to Victory Lane. David Starr started deepest in the field, 14th, in 2004 and led only the final lap on the fourth and final green-white-checker restart that extended the 150-lap distance to 174 laps.
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