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RACE RECAP | RICHMOND
10 Mark Martin
9 Denny Hamlin
8 Ryan Newman
7 Tony Stewart
6 Kyle Busch
5 Kurt Busch
4 David Ragan
3 Jeff Gordon
2 Carl Edwards

VICTORY LANE

1 Kevin Harvick takes the win after his pit crew got him out first on the “money stop” It’s Kevin’s 4th win of the season, tying himself for the points lead with Kyle Busch

Continue reading “Fast pitstop put Kevin Harvick into Richmond Victory Lane”

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Others Can Clinch At Bristol

This weekend’s magic number: 97.

Leaving Bristol, any driver with a 97-point lead over 11th place will clinch a Chase spot.

The top eight drivers are all mathematically able to reach the 97-point mark (including Kyle Busch, who already locked up at least a Wild Card spot, but could clinch a top-10 spot this weekend).

The top eight: Kyle Busch, Jimmie Johnson, Kevin Harvick, Carl Edwards, Matt Kenseth, Jeff Gordon, Ryan Newman and Kurt Busch.

Continue reading “After Bristol, who can clinch a spot in The Chase?”

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Where The Wild Things Are: Outside The Top 10

At first glance, making the Chase looks easier in 2011. This season, there are two ways to make it happen – land in the top 10 after race No. 26, or win and snag one of the two wild card spots.

Neither has proven as easy as it looks.

Cracking the top 10 has always been difficult and this year is no different. Just ask Denny Hamlin, Clint Bowyer, Greg Biffle and Jeff Burton – perennial championship candidates, all of whom are currently outside the top 10 in points.

But it just might be the Wild Card battle that’s fiercest of them all. There are now four drivers between spots 11 and 20 with wins…

Continue reading “NASCAR Chase Wild Card Battle Heats Up”

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Guest Column By Cathy Elliott

When police captain Louis Renault sent his subordinates to “round up the usual suspects” after a shooting in the film “Casablanca,” they didn’t hesitate. They knew exactly who to look for.

The Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup has been a little like that. With few exceptions, the drivers we have seen vying for the title since the Chase was implemented in 2004 have been the same ones we expect to see in Victory Lane each week, including Carl Edwards, Kurt and Kyle Busch, Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart and of course, Jimmie Johnson.

In seasons past, the Chase field has been determined strictly by points. If you weren’t in the Top 12 following the August race at Richmond, you were out. This occasionally created a situation where winless drivers during the regular season were contending for the championship, while race winners could hope for no better than a 13th-place finish for the year.

Continue reading “Chase Gone Wild: Title Up For Grabs With New Win-And-You’re-In Playoff Format”