NASCAR Podcast
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”
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.
CHASE SCENARIOS – LISTEN HERE
[audio http://traffic.libsyn.com/finallap/tfl_podcast_173_11.mp3%5D
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”
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Sept. 6, 2011) – With only one race remaining until the 12-driver Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup is set, eight drivers have clinched a top-10 spot – Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards, Matt Kenseth, Jeff Gordon, Kevin Harvick, Kurt Busch and Ryan Newman. Brad Keselowski, with three victories, has clinched at least a Wild Card berth. He remains eligible to earn a top-10 spot.
Don’t feel like reading? LISTEN HERE
Heading into the final race of the regular season, here are the clinch scenarios for the remaining three Chase spots.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Earnhardt is currently 25 points ahead of 11th place. Regardless of any other driver’s finish, Earnhardt will clinch if he finishes:
· 20th or better
· 21st or better and leads at least one lap
· 22nd or better and leads the most laps
Continue reading “Clinch Scenarios for Richmond, Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup”
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…
The Final Lap Weekly 