At the other end of the Race to the Chase the spotlight was on NASCAR's most popular driver. Dale Earnhardt Jr. tried to race his way into the Chase. However his hill was just too steep to climb. Kevin Harvick was able to stay out of trouble and clinch the final 2007 Chase for the Cup spot.
Qualifying
Hendrick Motorsports swept the front row as the top two seeded Chase drivers started one-two. Jimmie Johnson took the pole ahead of his teammate Jeff Gordon. Another Hendrick Motorsports teammate started third as Kyle Busch was also fast in his Chevrolet.
Ryan Newman was fourth quick in the #12 Penske Dodge. Denny Hamlin rounded out the top five for Joe Gibbs Racing.
Drop Of The Green
When the green flag flew Jeff Gordon got a strong run on the outside while Jimmie Johnson slipped all the way back to sixth. Jeff Gordon lead the early part of the race as drivers really seemed to have their hands full with the Car of Tomorrow and the cool, slick Richmond International Raceway.
Ryan Newman took over the lead during the first round of pit stops on lap 25 and then lead the next portion of the race. The second round of pit stops saw Jeff Gordon regain the lead. The early running saw Gordon, Newman and Jimmie Johnson running strong up front.
Storylines
The top eight in points were all locked into the 2007 Chase for the Cup when the green flag flew. These drivers were racing for the ten bonus points that would come with a race win.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. held out hope that he might find a miracle and close the 128 point gap that Kevin Harvick had over him when the race began. Although Earnhardt ran near the front all night Kevin Harvick was able to stay out of trouble. Kevin Harvick clinched the final Chase spot with 20 laps to go in the race.
The 2007 Race to the Chase was the least exciting of the Chases that we have seen so far. NASCAR increased the Chase field to twelve for 2007 and it definitely had a negative effect on the excitement of this part of the season. Looking at the points the battle for tenth would have been much more exciting than the battle for twelfth was.
Chasing The Checkers
The final round of pit stops came during a caution with about 60 laps to go. Jimmie Johnson beat Jeff Gordon off of pit road and looked like he was in control of the race. Dale Earnhardt Jr. restarted in third and made an aggressive run at Jeff Gordon for second. Earnhardt and Gordon battled back and forth for second place. go.
Jimmie Johnson was able to make good use of the battle for second place and got a bit of a lead until Tony Stewart caught and passed both Earnhardt and Gordon for second place. Stewart was fast but seemed to be running out of laps.
Jimmie Johnson was able to maintain his lead in traffic and cruised to the easy win and the ten Chase bonus points that come with it. Johnson will be the point leader when the 2007 Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup begins next week in New Hampshire.
Top Ten
- Jimmie Johnson
- Tony Stewart
- David Ragan
- Jeff Gordon
- Johnny Sauter
- Denny Hamlin
- Kevin Harvick
- Kasey Kahne
- Kurt Busch
- J.J. Yeley
The Points
NASCAR's regular season is now complete. All that remains are the ten races that make up the 2007 Chase for the Cup. Twelve drivers are locked in and have had their points manually reset. Each driver in the Chase has 5,000 points plus ten points for each win so far this season.
Because of the new Chase points Jimmie Johnson is now the point leader by twenty over former leader Jeff Gordon. Johnson is the defending NEXTEL Cup Champion and has won the last two races. He comes into the Chase with a lot of momentum.
The top twelve are now:
- Jimmie Johnson -0
- Jeff Gordon -20
- Tony Stewart -30
- Carl Edwards -40
- Kurt Busch -40
- Denny Hamlin -50
- Martin Truex Jr. -50
- Matt Kenseth -50
- Kyle Busch -50
- Jeff Burton -50
- Kevin Harvick -50
- Clint Bowyer -60
Next Week
New Hampshire International Raceway hosts the first race of the 2007 Chase for the NEXTEL Cup. Denny Hamlin beat Jeff Gordon to the finish by one carlength when the series visited ten weeks ago. The top twelve will need to run up front and avoid disaster to get their Chase off to a great start.
Twelve drivers have a shot over the next ten races but only one driver will win the most prestigious motorsports Championship in North America. The NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Championship battle begins next Sunday.
