1. Winners out and non-winners in The Chase
After last season with Clint Bowyer stirring up all of the commotion in regards to him having no wins and yet still
making the Chase, this season is even more upside down. Kevin Harvick, Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, Greg Biffle
and Matt Kenseth are all winless and still made it into the ‘playoffs’ with Kasey Kahne being on the outside looking
in despite visiting victory lane twice.
2. Dodge with no representation in the Chase
As mentioned above, Kasey Kahne with two victories in the season failed to make the cut finishing at Richmond
19th and 14th in points. Ryan Newman who won the Daytona 500 and his teammate Kurt Busch also have the
dubious distinction of being from the Dodge camp, have at least one win and are out of the Chase.
All of the Dodge drivers are in extreme anticipation of the new power plant which is still in question as to when it
will be race ready.
3. The bigger ‘wildcard’ factor for the teams
Thanks to hurricane Hanna the teams had to scramble to make adjustments to run on a hot, slick, green racetrack
instead of rubbered in track with a lot of grip under the lights. It could have been a much different outcome for some
of the drivers who struggled under the conditions and possibly some different names would have been in the
Chase. Since we have to live in the world of 'is' instead of the world of 'if' we have what we have in the Chase field.
4. David Ragan missing the Chase
The driver dubbed the ‘dart without feathers’ last season, began to look like he might have a legitimate shot at
making the Chase when he started hovering close to the top 12 after the first Richmond race. In the races just
before the cutoff, a top ten at Bristol and a 13th in Fontana made his chances of making the Chase seem even
more realistic right up until lap 122 at Richmond. Ragan got loose getting into turn one and hit the wall, also
collecting his teammate, Matt Kenseth in the accident. Jack Roush had warned Ragan earlier in the season about
taking out teammates, but in this instance the no. 6 car had to check up due to potential trouble ahead and got
loose. It was just one of those deals where he had no where to go.
5. Lack of different winners and no first-timers
Although not necessarily a product of Richmond, since it’s the cutoff race and it didn’t produce a different winner
for the season or a first timer, it earns one in the worst category for that.
Last season at the cutoff there had been 14 different winners 3 of which were first timers. The above mentioned
David Ragan may be the best chance for our next first timer or possibly Joey Logano when he finally gets to make
his debut.
After last season with Clint Bowyer stirring up all of the commotion in regards to him having no wins and yet still
making the Chase, this season is even more upside down. Kevin Harvick, Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, Greg Biffle
and Matt Kenseth are all winless and still made it into the ‘playoffs’ with Kasey Kahne being on the outside looking
in despite visiting victory lane twice.
2. Dodge with no representation in the Chase
As mentioned above, Kasey Kahne with two victories in the season failed to make the cut finishing at Richmond
19th and 14th in points. Ryan Newman who won the Daytona 500 and his teammate Kurt Busch also have the
dubious distinction of being from the Dodge camp, have at least one win and are out of the Chase.
All of the Dodge drivers are in extreme anticipation of the new power plant which is still in question as to when it
will be race ready.
3. The bigger ‘wildcard’ factor for the teams
Thanks to hurricane Hanna the teams had to scramble to make adjustments to run on a hot, slick, green racetrack
instead of rubbered in track with a lot of grip under the lights. It could have been a much different outcome for some
of the drivers who struggled under the conditions and possibly some different names would have been in the
Chase. Since we have to live in the world of 'is' instead of the world of 'if' we have what we have in the Chase field.
4. David Ragan missing the Chase
The driver dubbed the ‘dart without feathers’ last season, began to look like he might have a legitimate shot at
making the Chase when he started hovering close to the top 12 after the first Richmond race. In the races just
before the cutoff, a top ten at Bristol and a 13th in Fontana made his chances of making the Chase seem even
more realistic right up until lap 122 at Richmond. Ragan got loose getting into turn one and hit the wall, also
collecting his teammate, Matt Kenseth in the accident. Jack Roush had warned Ragan earlier in the season about
taking out teammates, but in this instance the no. 6 car had to check up due to potential trouble ahead and got
loose. It was just one of those deals where he had no where to go.
5. Lack of different winners and no first-timers
Although not necessarily a product of Richmond, since it’s the cutoff race and it didn’t produce a different winner
for the season or a first timer, it earns one in the worst category for that.
Last season at the cutoff there had been 14 different winners 3 of which were first timers. The above mentioned
David Ragan may be the best chance for our next first timer or possibly Joey Logano when he finally gets to make
his debut.
Read, Vote, Listen Top 5 Best and Worst at Richmond 2
By: Gregg A. Shultz, RaceFanVote.com
Dale Jr. dumping Kyle Busch, who is in and who is out of the Chase, good racing, no Dodge drivers in the Chase
or a promising up and comer missing it. Read and vote for your favorite 'Best and Worst' aspects of the last race
before the cutoff to the Championship Chase.
By: Gregg A. Shultz, RaceFanVote.com
Dale Jr. dumping Kyle Busch, who is in and who is out of the Chase, good racing, no Dodge drivers in the Chase
or a promising up and comer missing it. Read and vote for your favorite 'Best and Worst' aspects of the last race
before the cutoff to the Championship Chase.
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| This site is designed for entertainment purposes only. NASCAR TM is a registered trademark. Logos of the NASCAR.COM SUPERSTORE are used through our affiliate program in which we participate. RACEFANVOTE.COM is not endorsed or licensed by the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, Sprint, Nationwide, Craftsman or any NASCAR team owner or NASCAR sponsor. |
1. Dale Jr. wrecking Kyle Busch
In a round of ‘turnabout is fair play’ Earnhardt drove hard under Busch on lap 211, locked up the left front tire and
got into the no. 18 car putting him into the wall. The track, the move and the drivers involved had a definite amount
of irony [or payback]. No doubt this one will be pretty popular, so vote away. It was as close as Junior has ever
come to reproducing the ‘sheepish’ grin patented by his father during the post-race interview.
2. Extra excitement of the Chase cutoff
The added element of who was in and who was out made the race a lot more exciting. It was a plot within a plot
and gave the fans several stories to follow throughout the race. The excitement built as several of the bubble
drivers had issues or weren’t showing much throughout the race. All of the Chase contenders finished in the top 15
in the race except for Matt Kenseth and the two that didn’t make it in; Kasey Kahne [19th] & David Ragan [32nd].
3. Good racing throughout the race
The racing was good throughout the entire race and all through the field. It was a good old Richmond race which is
a short track that drives like a super speedway with the addition of three wide and at times, four wide racing. It’s
fast, close racing with multiple grooves that the drivers can search around for what’s working best for their car at
the time. It was made even more exciting by all the different agendas on the track. Drivers who were trying to win a
race, some trying to play it safe and have a good finish and others that were trying to scratch and claw their way
into the top 35.
4. The Chase Drivers who made it deserved it
You can vote for this one if you feel like the most deserving drivers made the Chase. The Chase field is filled with
good drivers who if nothing else ran consistent throughout the season. This will no doubt prompt the fans to once
again call into the radio shows and email their comments that a win should guarantee a driver a place in the
championship race. This season there are three drivers who would like to have seen that rule.
5. Ready to move on to the Championship run
Vote for this one if you are tired about hearing who might be in or out of the Chase and you are ready for the focus
to be back on the racing action again.
Now that the ‘countdown to the cutoff to the race for the chase to the championship race’ [if that all fits in one
sentence] is over, we can get back to the talk about the action on the track.
In a round of ‘turnabout is fair play’ Earnhardt drove hard under Busch on lap 211, locked up the left front tire and
got into the no. 18 car putting him into the wall. The track, the move and the drivers involved had a definite amount
of irony [or payback]. No doubt this one will be pretty popular, so vote away. It was as close as Junior has ever
come to reproducing the ‘sheepish’ grin patented by his father during the post-race interview.
2. Extra excitement of the Chase cutoff
The added element of who was in and who was out made the race a lot more exciting. It was a plot within a plot
and gave the fans several stories to follow throughout the race. The excitement built as several of the bubble
drivers had issues or weren’t showing much throughout the race. All of the Chase contenders finished in the top 15
in the race except for Matt Kenseth and the two that didn’t make it in; Kasey Kahne [19th] & David Ragan [32nd].
3. Good racing throughout the race
The racing was good throughout the entire race and all through the field. It was a good old Richmond race which is
a short track that drives like a super speedway with the addition of three wide and at times, four wide racing. It’s
fast, close racing with multiple grooves that the drivers can search around for what’s working best for their car at
the time. It was made even more exciting by all the different agendas on the track. Drivers who were trying to win a
race, some trying to play it safe and have a good finish and others that were trying to scratch and claw their way
into the top 35.
4. The Chase Drivers who made it deserved it
You can vote for this one if you feel like the most deserving drivers made the Chase. The Chase field is filled with
good drivers who if nothing else ran consistent throughout the season. This will no doubt prompt the fans to once
again call into the radio shows and email their comments that a win should guarantee a driver a place in the
championship race. This season there are three drivers who would like to have seen that rule.
5. Ready to move on to the Championship run
Vote for this one if you are tired about hearing who might be in or out of the Chase and you are ready for the focus
to be back on the racing action again.
Now that the ‘countdown to the cutoff to the race for the chase to the championship race’ [if that all fits in one
sentence] is over, we can get back to the talk about the action on the track.
| Remember to visit RaceTalkRadio.com for great Internet radio talk shows, commentary, fantasy insight and more. Listen LIVE! or to their archives and remember to tune in to hear their panel of experts discuss this week's forum of the TOP 5 BEST & WORST of Richmond 2, Wednesday at 8:00PM Eastern Time. Click their banner at the top of the page and bookmark them. |
