2007 Chevy Rock & Roll 400 at Richmond International Raceway

The 2007 Chevy Rock & Roll 400 at Richmond International Raceway marks the last race of NASCAR's "regular season." After this race the top twelve drivers will be locked into the 2007 Chase for the NEXTEL Cup. Dale Earnhardt Jr. comes into the race thirteenth in points. Can he find a way to crack the top twelve?

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The 3/4-mile D-shaped oval has just 14 degrees of banking in the corners but it is enough banking to provide great racing. While the other short tracks on the circuit (Martinsville and Bristol) tend to force drivers to hug the inside line to be fast, Richmond has multiple grooves. Drivers can run side-by-side for laps on end with no clear advantage to either lane.

400 laps = 300 miles

This is it! The final race before the Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup begins. Dale Earnhardt Jr. is 128 points behind twelfth place Kevin Harvick. This is the last race before the top twelve are locked in and their points are manually reset.

The top twelve:

1. Jeff Gordon -0
2. Tony Stewart -317
3. Denny Hamlin -344
4. Carl Edwards -349
5. Matt Kenseth -370
6. Jimmie Johnson -430
7. Jeff Burton -460
8. Kyle Busch -480
9. Clint Bowyer -632
10. Martin Truex Jr. -637
11. Kurt Busch -657
12. Kevin Harvick -670

This race is all about the Race to The Chase. When the checkered flag flies on Saturday night twelve drivers will still have a shot at the 2007 Championship.

While Dale Earnhardt Jr. will gather most of the attention this week the drivers already in the top twelve are battling for the final chance to gain Chase bonus points. Chase drivers get ten bonus points for every regular season victory. Richmond is the final chance to gain an extra advantage going into the ten race Chase.

TV: ABC Saturday, September 8th, 7:00PM Eastern.

Radio: MRN and SIRIUS Satellite

Actual Race: 7:40PM Eastern

$5,057,510

Last year Richmond International Raceway saw an exciting Chevy Rock & Roll 400. Kevin Harvick made the pass on Kyle Busch for the win with just two laps to go.

Meanwhile in the battle to make the Chase Kasey Kahne did exactly what he needed to do. He finished a strong third and put himself in position to capitalize when Stewart struggled. Kahne made the 2006 Chase and Stewart was left racing for eleventh.

Kyle Busch has never won at Richmond International Raceway. I think that could change this weekend. The younger Busch brother won on the short track in Bristol earlier this year and is poised to score another 2007 win this weekend. Kyle Busch makes a strong top pick this weekend.

While Kyle Busch has never visited the NEXTEL Cup Victory Lane in Richmond he has put together some great runs. In his six career NEXTEL Cup starts he has never finished worse than fifth. When a driver flirts with the win that often it is just a matter of time before he takes the checkered flag.

For my backup Kevin Harvick has been strong in Richmond lately. Harvick has not finished outside of the top ten in Richmond since 2004. Kevin is currently on the bubble for making the Chase. This might cause him to be a little conservative and points race so I'm just making him my backup this week.