Jimmie Johnson held off a hard-charging Tony Stewart for the win. At the back of the top twelve Clint Bowyer did exactly what he needed to do today to claim the final Chase qualifying spot.
Qualifying
The remains of Hanna washed out qualifying so the starting lineup was set based on car owner points. The top five when they took the green flag were Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards, Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Burton.
As a result of the rain Joey Logano never got a chance to atempt to qualify for his first NASCAR Sprint Cup race. Joey will be taking over Tony Stewart's #20 in 2009 but this week was in a one-off team in an effort to get him some experience. His car number 202 had no car owner points so he did not get to start the race.
Drop Of The Green
Kyle Busch got a good jump on the start and lead the first lap over Jimmie Johnson and Carl Edwards.
Kevin Harvick quickly worked his way up to second place and started eating into Kyle Busch's lead. Harvick got to the outside of Busch and took the lead on lap 30.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. made a strong run towards the front in the early laps. However Harvick continued to lead all the way to NASCAR's competition caution on lap 36.
Storylines
Clint Bowyer and David Ragan were locked in battle for the final Chase qualifying spot.
On a lap 122 restart David Ragan got into some oil on the track, spun up into the wall and got hit by teammate Matt Kenseth. Ragan had damage to the left front corner and both rear corners of his car. This could have been a huge blow to his Chase dreams but fortunately the damage didn't seem to affect hs car too badly.
With 100 laps to go in the race David Ragan was in the Chase and Clint Bowyer was not. This Chase battle came right down to the wire with Bowyer and Ragan near each other on the racetrack. Bowyer closed the gap and moved back into the Chase with a little rub as he went past Ragan for good on the track.
Clint Bowyer claimed the twelfth and final Chase qualifying spot.
Accidental Revenge
In May Kyle Busch turned Dale Earnhardt Jr. around while the two were battling for the lead late in the race. This left the door open for Clint Bowyer to claim the win. Today Dale Earnhardt Jr. was under Kyle Busch for the lead just past halfway. Junior clipped Busch's left rear corner and spun him up into the wall.
Honestly, I don't think Junior did it on purpose but he sure pleased the fans in the stands. Many of whom were in Richmond to witness the May spin and have good memories.
Chasing The Checkers
Final pit stops came under caution with 40 laps to go in the race. Martin Truex, Jimmie Johnson and Tony Stewart lead the field back to the green.
Johnson and Stewart took over the top spots on the restart and looked like they would settle this race between them. Johnson and Stewart crossed the line side-by-side with ten laps to go. This was reminiscent of Dale Earnhardt and Rusty Wallace's great Richmond battles.
Jimmie Johnson worked the high line and Tony Stewart was on the bottom putting on a great show for the fans. Stewart haunted Johnson all the way to the checkers but Johnson was able to hang on for the win and, for the second week in a row, add ten points to his Chase bonus total.
Top Ten
- Jimmie Johnson
- Tony Stewart
- Denny Hamlin
- Dale Earnhardt Jr.
- Mark Martin
- Jeff Burton
- Kevin Harvick
- Jeff Gordon
- David Reutimann
- Kurt Busch
The Points
The top twelve drivers are now locked into the 2008 Chase for the Cup. Here are the 2008 Chase contenders with their points as they will be when the Chase begins next week in New Hampshire.
- Kyle Busch
- Carl Edwards -30
- Jimmie Johnson -40
- Dale Earnhardt Jr. -70
- Clint Bowyer -70
- Denny Hamlin -70
- Jeff Burton -70
- Tony Stewart -80
- Greg Biffle -80
- Jeff Gordon -80
- Kevin Harvick -80
- Matt Kenseth -80
Next Week
Next weekend the 2008 Chase for the Sprint Cup will begin at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, New Hampshire. NHMS is a relatively flat one-mile oval which puts a premium on handling. This race requires a light touch on the wheel and smooth use of the accelerator but a win here can catapult your team into an instant Chase favorite.
These twelve teams have worked all year for these final ten races. It is now time to begin the business of deciding the 2008 Sprint Cup Championship.
