Having just returned from Chevy Rock and Roll 400 in Richmond, Virginia, I now understand where it got its name.
Nickleback provided pre race entertainment before going to Germany on Sunday. Chad Kroeder, the groups lead singer was psyched about playing at the Race Track.
“Fans in Richmond, Virginia are absolute diehards,” he said. “And if you come to a race in Richmond Virginia its like no other place in the world.”
That it is. Consider it the perfect setting for Gearheads, and the smell of Beer Butt Chicken was in the air.
But this day was all about drivers who had a chance to make the NASCAR Chase for the Nextel Cup, a playoff style format for the Top 10-drivers in the standings.
Ten drivers had a mathematical shot at four spots. Realistically, it was six drivers fighting for three.
“We'll just have to start and see what we have as far as a race car,” said Joe Nemechek who needed a miracle to make the final ten. “We’ll see how its handling, and its not handling right, we'll work on it and see if we can make it better.”
But that never happened. He missed his chance.
Jeff Gordon nudged the wall on lap 211. It knocked the Daytona 500 champion out of contention.
“Ah, just a combination of some bad luck that turned into some bad runs,” said Gordon after the race. “Ithink we're trying to find something and experiment with things and not finding it.”
But one mans misfortune, is another mans gain. Ryan Newman raced on the bubble most of the night, and secured the 10th and final spot.
“There is a feeling of relief, but its not November yet, we still have ten races to go, and we'll see if we can deliver,” he said.
Matt Kenseth got the 9th spot. “Feels good to be in, feels good that we've got some momentum, we're running pretty decent, and hopefully now that we're in we can do something with it.”
Carl Edwards may have been the biggest surprise, sneaking in at 7th. “I'd like to do well enough next year, that we don't have to worry about this last race,” said Edwards. “That had to take to take two three years off my life. Man its tough.”
Jeremey Mayfield secured the 7th spot. “Its tough to get into the top ten of this Chase. We've done it two years in a row, and it says a lot about our race team.”
Mark Martin was giddy about landing the 6th spot. “I tell you, I really don't care about the title, ah, but the trophy is awfully pretty,” he said laughing.
Kurt Bush won this race, finished 5th in the qualifying for the chase, and gets a chance to defend his driver championship. Half the field is from Roush Racing.
“I feel stronger than last year,” he said. “I feel like we've got better race cars, we've had better finishes, we've had consistency problems earlier, but now we're on it, we've got great cars saved up.”
The defending champion added, “We hope we can do it again, but we've got a good challenge ahead of us, because now everyone has their cars up to speed.”
Jimmy Johnson landed the 3rd spot, while Greg Bille is seeded 2nd. But they guy they are all chasing, is Tony Stewart, who is seeded number one.
“I feel like we're ahead of schedule as far as where we were in 2002, we definitely been on a high this last two and half month period,” said Stewart. “The guys are doing everything right, right now, so this is a perfect time to be in that situation right now." I asked, is this was pretty exciting stuff for you?
His sarcastic, but funny response was, “Naw, I really didn't want to be in this situation. I really wasn't planning on being in the chase this year. I thought I would just limp around all year.”
Then came his real answer. “Yeah, I'm excited Numnut.”
So, the field is set for the Chase for the Nextel Cup, ten drivers to decide the next championship. And it includes a stop at the Texas Motor Speedway in November.
Here is a glance at the 10 drivers competing in NASCAR's Chase for the
Nextel Cup championship, in order of points standings:
Number 1:
DRIVER: Tony Stewart
ADJUSTED CHASE POINTS: 5,050
HOMETOWN: Rushville, Ind.
AGE: 34
CAR: No. 20 Home Depot Chevrolet
CREW CHIEF: Greg Zipadelli
BEST CHAMPIONSHIP FINISH: 1st (2002)
OUTLOOK: Stewart heads into the Chase as the driver to beat
after putting together a stretch of five victories in seven races.
Enjoying the most relaxing season of his career, he could make the
run for the Nextel Cup title look easy.
Number 2:
DRIVER: Greg Biffle
ADJUSTED CHASE POINTS: 5,045
HOMETOWN: Vancouver, Wash.
AGE: 35
CAR: No. 16 National Guard/Subway Ford
CREW CHIEF: Doug Richert
BEST CHAMPIONSHIP FINISH: 17th (2004)
OUTLOOK: Biffle was the hottest driver at the start of the
season, with five early wins. It's been a breakthrough season for
the driver who was a virtual unknown before this year. Now, he is
among the top title contenders.
Number 3:
DRIVER: Rusty Wallace
ADJUSTED CHASE POINTS: 5,040
HOMETOWN: St. Louis, Mo.
AGE: 49
CAR: No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge
CREW CHIEF: Larry Carter
BEST CHAMPIONSHIP FINISH: 1st (1989)
OUTLOOK: In his final year of full-time racing, Wallace wants to
add a second Cup title. He's been a surprising success this season,
and knows a championship in his final season would be the best way
for him to leave a lasting impression.
Number 4:
DRIVER: Jimmie Johnson
ADJUSTED CHASE POINTS: 5,035
HOMETOWN: El Cajon, Calif.
AGE: 29 (birthday on Sept. 17)
CAR: No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet
CREW CHIEF: Chad Knaus
BEST CHAMPIONSHIP FINISH: 2nd (2003, 2004)
OUTLOOK: Johnson has not been as dominant this season as he was
the past two years, but he's consistent. Plus, he's proven he can
turn it up a notch down the final stretch, as he did last year by
winning four of the final six races.
Number 5:
DRIVER: Kurt Busch
ADJUSTED CHASE POINTS: 5,030
HOMETOWN: Las Vegas, Nev.
AGE: 27
CAR: No. 97 Irwin Industrial Tools/Sharpie Ford
CREW CHIEF: Jimmy Fennig
BEST CHAMPIONSHIP FINISH: 1st (2004)
OUTLOOK: Busch is a streaky driver and got hot at just the right
time last season -- using consistency during the 10-race Chase to
win the title. If he can put together another run, he could do it
again.
Number 6:
DRIVER: Mark Martin
ADJUSTED CHASE POINTS: 5,025
HOMETOWN: Batesville, Ark.
AGE: 46
CAR: No. 6 Viagra Ford
CREW CHIEF: Pat Tryson
BEST CHAMPIONSHIP FINISH: 2nd (1990, '94, '98, 2002)
OUTLOOK: Martin wants to retire at the end of the season, and
wants to do it with a title. But with no immediate successor, he
may return for one more year behind the wheel. It won't change his
determination to win his first championship.
Number 7:
DRIVER: Jeremy Mayfield
ADJUSTED CHASE POINTS: 5,020
HOMETOWN: Owensboro, Ky.
AGE: 36
CAR: No. 19 Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge
CREW CHIEF: Slugger Labbe
BEST CHAMPIONSHIP FINISH: 10th (2004)
OUTLOOK: Mayfield earned his way into the Chase last season in
dramatic fashion by winning at Richmond in the final qualifying
event. But he never had the chance to race for the title -- he was
an innocent victim in an accident caused by Robby Gordon in the
first of the 10 events.
Number 8:
DRIVER: Carl Edwards
ADJUSTED CHASE POINTS: 5,015
HOMETOWN: Columbia, Mo.
AGE: 26
CAR: No. 99 Office Depot Ford
CREW CHIEF: Bob Osborne
BEST CHAMPIONSHIP FINISH: 37th (2004)
OUTLOOK: Edwards ran in only 13 races last year, but has found
surprising success in his first full Nextel Cup season. He won two
races to pull into the top 10, but inexperience may prevent him
from being a legitimate title contender.
Number 9:
DRIVER: Matt Kenseth
ADJUSTED CHASE POINTS: 5,015
HOMETOWN: Cambridge, Wis.
AGE: 33
CAR: No. 17 DeWalt Tools Ford
CREW CHIEF: Robbie Reiser
BEST CHAMPIONSHIP FINISH: 1st (2003)
OUTLOOK: Kenseth was having a horrible season until late July,
when he turned it up in a frantic push to make the Chase. Kenseth
is the master of consistency, and the only one capable of turning a
string of solid finishes into a championship.
Number 10:
DRIVER: Ryan Newman
ADJUSTED CHASE POINTS: 5,005
HOMETOWN: South Bend, Ind.
AGE: 27
CAR: No. 12 ALLTEL Dodge
CREW CHIEF: Matt Borland
BEST CHAMPIONSHIP FINISH: 6th (2002, '03)
OUTLOOK: Newman is a numbers man, and isn't satisfied with this
stat: Five poles and zero wins this season. The Chase would be the
perfect forum for the "Rocketman" to improve the bottom line.
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