The Chase lineup is set and only one surprise
The Race for the Chase has ended with Kevin Harvick taking the checkered flag at Richmond, which gave him the weekend sweep; Busch Series racxe on Friday night and the Nextel Cup race on Saturday night. The only real surprise to me is the fact that Tony Stewart will not be apart of the 10 race "Race to the Nextel Cup" this year, he failed to make the Top 10 and Kasey Kahne was able to get into Top 10 and secure his spot in Rach for the Nextel Cup.
Tony Stewart found himself the odd man out when the final results were announced and he seemed to handle it very well, he didn’t offer any excuses for his poor finish, despite having a pretty good one in the fact that he was in a back up car. But Stewart decided to not make excuses and basically said that it was a combination of the past 26 races that lead to him and the #20 team not making the final cut.
I was a very nervous NASCAR fan last night just hoping that my favorite driver (Dale Earnhardt Jr.) was able to secure his spot in the Race for thge Nextel Cup. When the green flag dropped Saturday night in Richmond Dale Jr. needed to finish 16th or better to clinch his spot in the Top 10. The trouble was the brakes on his #8 Budweiser Chevy Monte Carlo SS were just about burned up (only had front brakes left) with 50 laps to go. There was constant radio communication between Tony Eury Jr. and Dale Jr. for those remaining laps, mostly it was Tony Eury trying to reassure Dale Jr. that the car was going to hold up and he just had to relax and drive. Well, the brakes held up long enough for Dale Jr. to cross the finish line in 17th and he secured the 6th place position in the points standing.
Another driver that was fighting a severe brake issue was 4 time Winston Cup Champion Jeff Gordon, he was able to hold his #24 Dupont Chevy Monte Carlo SS and he held on to finished 31st, but more importantly he was able to hold on to a Top 10 in points. That means he will be in the hunt for his first Nextel Cup.
Top 10 Finishers
| 1. | Kevin Harvick | Chevy |
| 2. | Kyle Busch | Chevy |
| 3. | Kasey Kahne | Dodge |
| 4. | Dave Blaney | Dodge |
| 5. | Mark Martin | Ford |
| 6. | Greg Biffle | Ford |
| 7. | Ken Schrader | Ford |
| 8. | Matt Kenseth | Ford |
| 9. | Jeff Burton | Chevy |
| 10. | Scott Riggs | Dodge |
The lineup for the Race to the Nextel Cup
| Rank | Driver | Behind | |
| 1. | – | Matt Kenseth | Leader |
| 2. | – | Jimmie Johnson | -5 |
| 3. | – | Kevin Harvick | -10 |
| 4. | +1 | Kyle Busch | -15 |
| 5. | +2 | Denny Hamlin | -20 |
| 6. | – | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | -25 |
| 7. | +2 | Mark Martin | -30 |
| 8. | +2 | Jeff Burton | -35 |
| 9. | -5 | Jeff Gordon | -40 |
| 10. | +1 | Kasey Kahne | -45 |
God that was UGLY, have to send a thank you to Tony, his bad night probably saved Jeff’s butt.
I see no one is picking the 5 car to win, so I will go out on a limb, If he can just slow down until the final laps he will win the Chase
Comment by DonB — September 11, 2006 @ 11:02 am
I am sure there was a huge sigh of relief from the #24 team when it became obvious that Stewart wasn’t going to get it done. Had Gordon slipped a few more spot backwards he would have been in danger of being left out. Now, about Baby Busch, if I though he had the talent to win the Nextel Cup I could agree with you, but he has a lot to learn about patience and not making too many risky moves on the track. I honestly believe that he will not contend for a championship until Jeff Gordon retires from Hendrick Motorsports.
I think it will come down to Kevin Harvick, Matt Kenseth and Jimmie Johnson in that finishing order.
Of course I will be pulling for my drvier even though I know he won’t win it either.
Comment by Administrator — September 11, 2006 @ 6:30 pm