Race to Chase approaches end
Richmond provides appropriate setting
RICHMOND - As short tracks go, Richmond International Raceway encourages the kind of aggressive driving that allows for daring passes, occasional paint peeling, and wild point swings. So it’s perfectly suited to host the final race before the NASCAR Chase for the Sprint Cup Championship.
Tonight’s Chevy Rock & Roll 400 will determine the 12 drivers who will compete in the 10-race playoffs, which kick off next week at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon. With only four drivers guaranteed Chase spots - and the next 10 separated by a scant 122 points and fighting for the remaining eight slots - it’s doubtful that there’s been a more important 300 miles, to so many racers, all year. Making the Chase or missing it - the difference between a good and bad season - hangs in the balance.
“We’re always trying to do better and finish as high as we can, make the Chase. This is the last week before the cutoff and I realize we’re not in by very far and we could easily not make it,’’ said Matt Kenseth, who sits on the bubble in 12th place heading into tonight, 20 points in front of 13th-place Brian Vickers. “All you can do is your best. You race as hard as you can race.’’
Kenseth is one of two drivers - three-time defending champion Jimmie Johnson is the other - who have never missed the Chase since its inception in 2004. It’s surprising that Kenseth is in this position, after winning the season-opening Daytona 500, and following that with a victory the next week in Fontana, Calif. But he’s added only two top-five finishes since then, dropping him in the standings and opening the door for others.
Vickers’s season has been the opposite: He started poorly and has come on strong, with eight consecutive top-12 finishes, including a win three weeks ago in Michigan.
“Hopefully we’ll be in 12th [tonight] or even better,’’ said Vickers, who started from the pole here in May. “It’s easy to focus on Richmond as the make-or-break race, but it’s really not. Whatever happens [tonight], we can’t blame it on Richmond.’’
If there’s anyone who might be able to credit Richmond for their ultimate place in the Chase, it’s Kyle Busch. He won the May race, has been runner-up three times here, and his average finish in nine Sprint Cup races at Richmond is sixth. He’s 14th in points, 37 behind Kenseth for 12th. Another victory would send Busch to the Chase; depending on how others finish, a top-five or top-10 might be enough.
“I feel good about it. I’m excited about our chances,’’ Busch said. “I feel like we can go out there and try to win another one. That’s all we can do to put ourselves in the Chase.’’
Tony Stewart leads the points race, followed by Jeff Gordon, Johnson, and Denny Hamlin. All four have clinched Chase spots. Mark Martin, who is 10th, earned the pole position yesterday, averaging 126.808 miles per hour for his two laps around the .75-mile oval.
Michael Whitmer can be reached at mwhitmer@globe.com 
