Who is gonna make the Chase
September 8th 2010 23:19
For the seventh consecutive season, the Race to the Chase has consisted of the first 26 races of the season.
But for the seventh time, all attention is focused on Richmond International for Saturday's Air Guard 400, which is being billed as "One Last Race to Make The Chase."
That's not a falsehood, but in reality, history has shown -- with few exceptions -- that very little will change after Saturday's 400-lapper under the lights. Ten spots in the Chase field have been clinched and on Wednesday, track president Doug Fritz and Miss Sprint Cup Amanda Wright painted their numbers on the backstretch.
Kevin Harvick heads the list of drivers who have clinched, followed by Jeff Gordon, Kyle Busch, Tony Stewart, Carl Edwards, Jeff Burton, Jimmie Johnson, Kurt Busch, Matt Kenseth and Denny Hamlin, in that order.
Greg Biffle, with a 161-point leader over 13th place Ryan Newman, virtually clinches his spot in the Chase just by taking the green flag. Clint Bowyer is currently 12th in the championship, and given that his advantage is more than double of any deficit that's ever been made up in this event, he seems safe.
"Richmond is definitely the place I feel the most comfortable laying it out on the line," Bowyer said. "It's one of my favorite race tracks, where I've won at in the past, so it gives us an extra boost of confidence."
On the outside looking in are Newman, who is 13th and 117 points behind Bowyer; Jamie McMurray, 14th in the standings and 128 points behind Bowyer, and Mark Martin, 15th and 147 out.
| 96 |
| Vote |
subscribe to this blog
