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Drivers in -- and out -- of the Chase intend to heat up the night at RIR
If you believe what drivers say, tonight's Chevy Rock & Roll 400 at Richmond International Raceway will be wide open.
Drivers locked into the Chase are in pursuit of victory and the 10 bonus points that come with a winner's trophy valued at $30,000.
Four drivers -- Clint Bowyer, Martin Truex Jr., Kurt Busch and Kevin Harvick -- will try to secure postseason positions. Harvick, who's in 12th, will keep one eye on the point-standings monitor and the other on 13th-place Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Then there are the remaining 30 drivers, who have a combined three wins. They will try to salvage something good in the regular-season finale. In some respect, they have as much to win or lose as those advancing to the Chase for the Nextel Cup.
So, what can be expected in this 300-mile race?
There's little doubt that Junior will floor it, considering he'll need a mighty jump to leapfrog Harvick.
"Junior is in a situation where it's the fourth quarter in a football game and they're down by 21 points," said South Boston native Jeff Burton. "They've got to have the other team contribute to their success.
"They can't just go out and gain that many points [128] without one of the other two teams contributing to their success. So not only do they have to do great, the other team has to have some bad luck or make a mistake that allows them to step in the door that's open."
Jeff Gordon, a four-time Cup champion, slammed the door on the field long ago in securing his spot atop the standings -- even with a 100-point penalty he received at Sonoma.
In reality, Gordon can gamble. He can go for it on fourth down at his 1, and he'll enter the Nextel Cup playoffs the No. 1 or No. 2 seed.
Gordon and Hendrick teammate Jimmie Johnson, who has accumulated a series-high 50 bonus points, weren't nearly as uptight as other Chase contenders before last night's qualifying. They have a combined nine wins, giving them the luxury to dictate the tone of the race on this .75-mile short track. Johnson was the top qualifier, turning a lap of 21.378 seconds with a speed of 126.298 mph. Gordon was second (21.541) and Kyle Busch was third (21.543). Busch also drives for Hendrick.
Gordon was relaxed enough yesterday to joke about finding ways to help Earnhardt, his soon-to-be teammate, make it into the Chase.
"I'm sure if he asks nicely we can arrange something" said Gordon, who won the rain-delayed Crown Royal 400 at RIR in May.
Gordon, though, is likely to be all business. He had his game face on yesterday when boss Rick Hendrick announced that Hendrick Motorsports was sticking with Chevrolet.
"We'll race as hard as we can," Gordon said. "We haven't been quite as focused. The Chase starts for us this weekend."
Matt Kenseth has been grinding his way into the Chase. He said he won't change his mindset even though a win tonight would give him a significant boost in the Chase.
"Every time I try harder than I usually run, I wreck almost every single time," Kenseth said. "Everybody kind of knows their limitations and their cars' limitations. You try not to go over because the end result is never good."
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