RICHMOND, Va. -- If the Chase for the Championship can live up to the race that launched it, NASCAR will be must-see TV for these last 10 races of the season. So let the games begin.
The 12-driver playoff field wasn't set until the final lap of Saturday's Chevy Rock & Roll 400 at Richmond International Raceway ending with a storybook scenario complete with heroes and villains, white and black hats, sentimental favorites and potential spoilers.
Mark Martin is in. Kyle Busch is out. Brian Vickers made it. Matt Kenseth did not.
The 50-year old Martin starts the 10-race playoff as perhaps the most unlikely and most popular points leader in recent memory, not clinching his spot in the Chase until his fourth place finish Saturday night. Now as the points reset based on victories, he finds himself leading the championship standings thanks to a series-best four wins.
The other four-race winner, the season's fan-appointed villain Busch, missed making the playoffs by a mere eight points or two finishing positions -- and yet he climbed out of his car Saturday night never more gracious than in this defeat.
"We gave a valiant effort,'' Busch said. "Unfortunately it wasn't enough for tonight to get into the Chase, but it's not just tonight or the last week that kept us out. You can look at a whole different scenario or a different slew of things but what it boils down to is we missed it.''Busch's older brother Kurt, Saturday's runner-up and Chase qualifier, was more sympathetic.
"When I did hear that he didn't make it, I sat down next to my car and thought for a moment what eight points means in this sport,'' Busch said.
"I was fortunate to win the championship by eight points in 2004. ... Eight points for him is tough, but his sun will rise again.
"It's a hard lesson to learn. You don't have to win them all, you have to run consistent. It's just tough not to see the kid make the Chase.''
Ten drivers came into the race vying for the final eight positions. Busch and Vickers exchanged the final 12th-place points position throughout the 400-lap race. It wasn't until the last lap that Vickers secured the spot, ultimately moving from 13th in the standings before the race to replace 12th-place Kenseth, whose fate was seemingly set very early in the night.
Kenseth, the 2003 champion, finished 25th and never contended, suffering from pit road problems and a car that could never make its way through the field after a disappointing qualifying effort.
Vickers meanwhile completed a pass with a lap remaining to give himself a cushion over Busch.
With the championship field set and the points reset, Martin takes the lead from Tony Stewart who had held a comfortable points margin for most of the season.
Now only 40 points separate Martin from 12th place Greg Biffle and the season essentially starts again."It's probably one of the most interesting starts we're going to have. It's really tough to give this to anybody or even pick a favorite.''
-- Jimmie Johnson
"It's probably one of the most interesting starts we're going to have,'' three-time reigning champion Jimmie Johnson said. "It's really tough to give this to anybody or even pick a favorite.''
And that's why the 12-driver lineup of Martin, Stewart, Johnson, Saturday night's race winner Denny Hamlin, Kasey Kahne, Jeff Gordon, Kurt Busch, Vickers, Carl Edwards, Ryan Newman, Juan Pablo Montoya and Biffle will provide one of the most competitive runs for the trophy in seasons.
Much of the hype leading into Saturday night's race centered on whether NASCAR needed the 24-year old Busch to make the playoffs to give the six-year old Chase format credibility and spunk. Nonsense.
In Martin, NASCAR has a 50-year-old that hasn't raced full time in the series for three years now leading the championship. It's got Tony Stewart trying to become the first owner-driver champion since Alan Kulwicki in 1992 -- and the first-year Cup owner has two shots at it, with himself and Newman, who will start 10th in the standings.
Johnson is trying to become the first Cup driver in history to win four consecutive titles. His Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jeff Gordon is going for a fifth championship and his first since 2005.
Kahne is hoping to help his team owner, NASCAR legend Richard Petty, to his first season title in 30 years.
Montoya, a Columbian native and former IndyCar champ and Formula One driver, is the first foreign driver to ever qualify for the Chase. It puts his team owner Chip Ganassi in championship contention in three major racing series -- NASCAR, IndyCar and the Grand-Am sports car circuit.
NASCAR doesn't need Busch to have compelling plot lines for the championship. It's got plenty of competition. And it's got a sentimental favorite in Martin. And watching the super-talented Busch play spoiler may actually turn out to be as fun.
"I feel like a whole new person, huge weight off my shoulders,'' Martin said. "It's like I said before, to make this thing is the icing and now we get to go race for the cake.
"This is certainly the best year of my career, the most fun.
"Anybody in this Chase can win this Chase. All it takes is the magic ten races and anybody can win.''
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RICHMOND, VA - SEPTEMBER 12: Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 FedEx Express Toyota takes the checkered flag winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Chevy Rock & Roll 400 at Richmond International Raceway on September 12, 2009 in Richmond, Virginia. (Photo by Jerry Markland/Getty Images for NASCAR) *** Local Caption *** Denny Hamlin
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RICHMOND, VA - SEPTEMBER 12: Confetti flies as drivers celebrate after making the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship after the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Chevy Rock & Roll 400 at Richmond International Raceway on September 12, 2009 in Richmond, Virginia. (Photo by Jerry Markland/Getty Images for NASCAR)
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RICHMOND, VA - SEPTEMBER 12: Drivers celebrate after making the "Chase for the Sprint Cup" following the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Chevy Rock & Roll 400 at Richmond International Raceway on September 12, 2009 in Richmond, Virginia. (Photo by Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images for NASCAR)
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RICHMOND, VA - SEPTEMBER 12: (Back row from L-R) Tony Stewart, driver of the #14 Office Depot Chevrolet, Carl Edwards, driver of the #99 Aflac Ford, Greg Biffle, driver of the #16 3M Ford, Mark Martin, driver of the #5 Kellogg's Chevrolet, Jimmie Johnson, driver of the #48 Lowe's Chevrolet, Jeff Gordon, driver of the #24 Dupont Chevrolet, (Front row L-R) Juan Pablo Montoya, driver of the #42 Target Chevrolet, Ryan Newman, driver of the #39 U.S. Army Chevrolet, Kasey Kahne, driver of the #9 Budweiser Dodge, Kurt Busch, driver of the #2 Miller Lite Dodge, Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 FedEx Toyota, and Brian Vickers, driver of the #83 Red Bull Toyota, pose with the Sprint Cup trophy following the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Chevy Rock & Roll 400 at Richmond International Raceway on September 12, 2009 in Richmond, Virginia. (Photo by Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images for NASCAR)
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RICHMOND, VA - SEPTEMBER 12: (Back row from L-R) Tony Stewart, driver of the #14 Office Depot Chevrolet, Carl Edwards, driver of the #99 Aflac Ford, Greg Biffle, driver of the #16 3M Ford, Mark Martin, driver of the #5 Kellogg's Chevrolet, Jimmie Johnson, driver of the #48 Lowe's Chevrolet, Jeff Gordon, driver of the #24 Dupont Chevrolet, (Front row L-R) Juan Pablo Montoya, driver of the #42 Target Chevrolet, Ryan Newman, driver of the #39 U.S. Army Chevrolet, Kasey Kahne, driver of the #9 Budweiser Dodge, Kurt Busch, driver of the #2 Miller Lite Dodge, Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 FedEx Toyota, and Brian Vickers, driver of the #83 Red Bull Toyota, pose with the Sprint Cup trophy following the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Chevy Rock & Roll 400 at Richmond International Raceway on September 12, 2009 in Richmond, Virginia. (Photo by Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images for NASCAR)
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RICHMOND, VA - SEPTEMBER 12: (Back row from L-R) Tony Stewart, driver of the #14 Office Depot Chevrolet, Carl Edwards, driver of the #99 Aflac Ford, Greg Biffle, driver of the #16 3M Ford, Mark Martin, driver of the #5 Kellogg's Chevrolet, Jimmie Johnson, driver of the #48 Lowe's Chevrolet, Jeff Gordon, driver of the #24 Dupont Chevrolet, (Front row L-R) Juan Pablo Montoya, driver of the #42 Target Chevrolet, Ryan Newman, driver of the #39 U.S. Army Chevrolet, Kasey Kahne, driver of the #9 Budweiser Dodge, Kurt Busch, driver of the #2 Miller Lite Dodge, Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 FedEx Toyota, and Brian Vickers, driver of the #83 Red Bull Toyota, pose with the Sprint Cup trophy following the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Chevy Rock & Roll 400 at Richmond International Raceway on September 12, 2009 in Richmond, Virginia. (Photo by Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images for NASCAR)
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The Sprint Cup Chase drivers pose in front of the trophy after the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series' Chevy Rock & Roll 400 auto race at Richmond International Raceway in Richmond, Va., Saturday Sept. 11, 2009. The drivers are from left to right top row Tony Stewart, Carl Edwards, Greg Biffle, Mark Martin, Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Bottom row, Juan Pablo Montoya, Ryan Newman, Kasey Kahne, Kurt Busch, Denny Hamlin and Brian Vickers. (AP Photo/Scott k. Brown)
AP
Brian Vickers, right, sprays champagne on Jeff Gordon after the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series' Chevy Rock & Roll 400 auto race at Richmond International Raceway in Richmond, Va., Saturday Sept. 12, 2009. (AP Photo/Scott k. Brown)
AP
Chase drivers from left to right, Top row, Tony Stewart, Carl Edwards, Greg Biffle, Mark Martin, Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Bottom row, Juan Pablo Montoya, Ryan Newman, Kasey Kahne, Kurt Busch, Denny Hamlin and Brian Vickers pose after the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series' Chevy Rock & Roll 400 auto race at Richmond International Raceway in Richmond, Va. Saturday, Sept. 12, 2009. (AP Photo/Jason Hirschfeld)
AP
RICHMOND, VA - SEPTEMBER 12: (Back row from L-R) Tony Stewart, driver of the #14 Office Depot Chevrolet, Carl Edwards, driver of the #99 Aflac Ford, Greg Biffle, driver of the #16 3M Ford, Mark Martin, driver of the #5 Kellogg's Chevrolet, Jimmie Johnson, driver of the #48 Lowe's Chevrolet, Jeff Gordon, driver of the #24 Dupont Chevrolet, (Front row L-R) Juan Pablo Montoya, driver of the #42 Target Chevrolet, Ryan Newman, driver of the #39 U.S. Army Chevrolet, Kasey Kahne, driver of the #9 Budweiser Dodge, Kurt Busch, driver of the #2 Miller Lite Dodge, Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 FedEx Toyota, and Brian Vickers, driver of the #83 Red Bull Toyota, pose with the Sprint Cup trophy following the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Chevy Rock & Roll 400 at Richmond International Raceway on September 12, 2009 in Richmond, Virginia. (Photo by Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images for NASCAR)
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Comments (Page 2 of 5)
I stand by what I say. You don't have to agree with me. Anybody else you know have 14 or 15 NASCAR wins across the board this year? Hornaday sure wouldn't have had 5 in a row if Busch was a regular in the series. Setting a record for Top 2 finishes? Just shy of the record of most laps lead in a series. Tied for most wins in the cup series this year. Anyone else you know (other than perhaps Mark Martin) stand close?
Woo Hoo, Go Jeff Gordon, Love that 24!!
Of late, Kyle seems to have been growing up. It's been a while since I've seen him acting like a jerk. Perhaps it is because it has been a while since he won a cup race. I hope his present behavior continues. Richmond was a good race and I really enjoyed it. Hooray for Martin. He has been a contender for so long, I hope he wins the championship. It's hard for me to root for just one driver. Most of my favorites are in the chase. Normally, I don't pick only one to root for. It's like I put the jinx on a driver if I root for him. Hopefully, I won't jinx Martin.
KYLE RULES : @ first I hated his pompous azz, but after I heard his pit crew chief say he radio's in more correct handling adjustments than not, I gained a ton of RESPECT. SO DALE JR., pop another beer, and keep on partying, worthless name using Daddy boy. Go fartin Mark Martin, I can't stand the Fem. show, Jeff Gordo & his Jimmy Johnson.
lets make it 4 in a row jimmy, going into the chase in 3rd isnt bad, but we all know that those standings dont mean much now......GO JOHNSON!!!!!
I am a Gordon fan But I would be happy if Mark Martin won as well.
I hate Busch , and I don't like the beer either !
lest we not forget who is gonna win.
tony stewart will take it hands down(or wheels down)
Kyle Busch took a real step forward last nite. The post race interview went a long way to prove he is growing up. That has to be tough to swallow after winning the most races this year. He handled it very well and even congradulated everyone on his team and Vickers and Denny. His time will come. Now its time to watch the best racer of all time win his 4th Championship in a row. The other 11 are just fodder in the way. Go JIMMY #48
thank GOD that the srub is out.....
now we just need Mark Martin to win this thing...
No the season is not over for anyone,despite what the press seems to think,instead the drivers out there can focus on the one thing that REALLY MATTERa Winning the DAMN RACE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Boo-Hoo Kyle didn't make it. Best news of the week. I am a Dale Jr. fan but the way things are going he will never win a championship and he will never be like his dad. Hopefully Tony will go all the way. I figure that Kyle will have to blame someone before he is done.
dave you are not too bright or a born looser,i spend a lot of time at the tracks & see all the dale jr fans sooo excited when he lead a few laps,& see the looks on their faces as they leave the track,it really gives me satisfaction to see the look.its a looser look,look in the mirror you will see it
I'm thinking either Kyle is growing up, OR his team owner and sponsor's got fed up w/ his "blame game". Anyhow, this is the first time I'll have to give him a thumbs up. It's a shame he's got such an attitude. He's too good a driver.
NASCAR is like the WWF. All glitz and glitter. NOT one car running is like anything you can buy. stock. Throw all them V-8 and V6 FWD cars out there with a few RWD Lincolns and what ever else is RWD and with safety equipment, tires, roll bars etc. and let em work the stock block, IE. bluprint and see who wins on Sunday. Nascar and the CZARS running it are a F N joke
GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO MARTIN!!!!!!!!!
hey weres earnhart? oh ya hes to busy whining and crying! lololo hahahah hohohohoh hes such a loser
dale jr hasn't cried or whined the whole season, I don't know where you have been at. He has said many times he is not his dad and would like people to realize that and let him be himself. You must not watch the races and interviews too much or you would know what is going on, you need to get a LIFE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Go Denny! I'm thrilled for your win in Richmond and would love to see either you or Mark Martin take the championship! A majority of racing drivers today are all flash and no cash. Not these two.
KYLE RULES : @ first I hated his pompous azz, but after I heard his pit crew chief say he radio's in more correct handling adjustments than not, I gained a ton of RESPECT. SO DALE JR., pop another beer, and keep on partying, worthless name using Daddy boy. Go fartin Mark Martin, I can't stand the Fem. show, Jeff Gordo & his Jimmy Johnson
Sweet! Kyle "the dweeb" is out!