Richmond creates perfect mix for mayhem before the Chase
Saturday night at Richmond International Raceway marks the end of the 2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup regular season. When the checkered flag falls on this race the 16-car field for the 2016 Chase for the Championship is set.
I said it for years but I absolutely loved racing at Richmond when I was a crew chief.
I've always believed Richmond International Raceway is the perfect sized little track. It is big enough to handle 40 cars, but don't forget that it's still a short-track. It's only three-quarters of a mile in length.
In our FOX NASCAR Spring race at Richmond, we saw drivers running right up against the wall all-day. That was unbelievable to me and I never thought I would see that.
The finish we had in the Spring is that way it's supposed to work. The move Carl Edwards did to Kyle Busch takes talent.
Everyone at home watching and in the grandstands Saturday night better be ready to see a whole lot of teams on a whole lot of different agendas.
You have twelve drivers who are already guaranteed a spot in the Chase and they just want another win. Winning anytime anywhere is all they care about but a win Saturday night also gives them three extra bonus points going into the Chase.
Rookie Chris Buescher just needs to have a solid night and beat David Ragan to make his way into his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Chase. Then there are Austin Dillion, Chase Elliott and Jamie McMurray who just want to beat Ryan Newman.
Ryan Newman on the other hand needs to have a great race. Sure a win would seal his deal for the Chase, but possibly if all the stars align and with a top 5 finish, Ryan could make his way into the Chase field.
Now, from Kasey Kahne on down, there is absolutely nothing that can salvage your 2016 Chase dreams other than winning the race. Seven months ago in February all 40 teams rolled into Daytona to begin our 2016 season.
Their first and obvious goal then was to win the Daytona 500. Their secondary goal was to make the Chase. That is what you hear the minute we get to Daytona and start a new season.
