14 Drivers, Three Spots, One Race

In no time at all, the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series regular season will be no more. Its ending will fit perfectly with its beginning, and everything in between.

What started with Trevor Bayne’s stirring victory in the Daytona 500, continued with a record-tying finish at Talladega Superspeedway, a mix of victories from usual suspects (Kyle Busch, Jimmie Johnson, etc.) and newbies (Regan Smith, Paul Menard, David Ragan and Marcos Ambrose) and Jeff Gordon’s historic 85th victory all ends this Saturday night at Richmond International Raceway.

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At what many call the perfect track, we could all see the perfect ending.

So much is known about the makeup of the 2011 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Yet, so much can still happen. Nine of the 12 spots are locked up. The top eight drivers – Johnson, Busch, Carl Edwards, Matt Kenseth, Gordon, Kevin Harvick, Kurt Busch and Ryan Newman – have each clinched at top-10 spot. Brad Keselowski, with three wins, has locked up at least a Wild Card berth.

After Saturday night’s race, the top 10 drivers make up the first part of the 12-driver Chase. Spots 11 and 12 go to those drivers outside the top 10 with the most wins, provided they are in the top 12. The

Wild Card tiebreaker is points position.
Only three spots remain. And thanks to the Wild Card factor – which is in its inaugural year – a whopping 14 drivers remain mathematically eligible.
In terms of drivers outside the top 10, positions 11-23 are all mathematically eligible for a Chase nod. In 2005, seven drivers outside the top 10 still had a mathematical chance, the previous high going into Richmond.

A tale of the tape of the 14…

Continue reading “Richmond, The Chase: 14 Drivers, 3 Spots Remain”