Sprint Cup N's & Q's: Chevy R & R 400

For the sixth time, the Chase for the Sprint Cup is set. Here's a look at some of the stories:

Kyle Busch did not make the Chase for the Sprint Cup. Think about the enormity of that.

Should we be making anything about Tony Stewart's complete lack of momentum as the Sprint Cup heads to the Chase?

Tony's No. 14 has been the consistent class of the field all year -- and to some, the surprise of it too -- but the last four races have been a lesson on frustration with finishes of 18th, 30th, 12th and 17th.

Ultimately, it looks a whole lot like the Jimmie Johnson of 2004 and 2005 when he led the Sprint Cup point standings during the mid-summer run before faltering and losing considerable momentum just ahead of the Chase. In 2004, rattling off four wins -- including three in-a-row -- during the 10-race Chase run was not enough to pull Johnson back into top spot.

Momentum can change with the wind in this sport, but it can sometimes keep a team from even getting out of its own way in nearly every facet of its operation. Stewart's going to need to shake this funk or his Cinderella season won't end with a crown in Homestead.

According to a Tweet from @MissSprintCup on Twitter, actor Tom Cruise again was on hand for the Sprint Cup festivities Saturday night at Richmond.

The appearance made it two races in-a-row for the Days of Thunder star and at least his third race of the season after he was also at the season-opening Daytona 500 and last week's race at Atlanta.

How many NASCAR fans were taken aback after Saturday night's race when Brian Vickers announced that he'd be going to the U.S. Open tennis championships on Sunday to celebrate his entry to the Chase?

My guess would be quite a few.

Vickers, a resident New Yorker now, has certainly taken a liking to a culture you'd probably never see a man wearing a black No. 3 hat involved in. For NASCAR, that's only a good thing.

Kurt Busch had about the quietest second-place finish a driver could have on Saturday night thanks to the overriding storylines of Hamlin's big hometown win and the official selection of the 12 Chase drivers.

For a guy who would have been locked into the Chase should he have not hit the wall last week at Atlanta, he's certainly riding a cloak of invisibility heading to the 10-race runoff. I haven't heard anyone picking the No. 2 to even be a big contender for the championship.

The fact that crew chief Pat Tryson announced he's leaving the team at the end of the year before Richmond -- something that irked Busch plenty -- might have something to do with that.

Regan Smith didn't finish the race Saturday night in the No. 78. And while that's not incredibly pertinent to the rest of the racing season, it brings up an interesting number.

The Did Not Finish (DNF) was Smith's first ever in the Sprint Cup Series in 54 starts. By comparison, Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson both crashed and failed to finish in their first Cup starts in 1992 and 2001. And by their 54th start? Gordon had compiled 20 DNFs while Johnson had earned just six.

Gordon and Johnson, of course, have combined to win seven of the last 14 Sprint Cup titles.

Juan Pablo Montoya wasn't especially elated or excited to know that he had made the Chase for the Sprint Cup Saturday night at Richmond. Sure, he was happy, but it was more of a happiness that comes with the satisfaction of doing something he knew he could do.

"If I came here thinking I'm going to run 20th every week, I shouldn't even think about making the move," said Montoya of his move from Formula 1 to NASCAR. "You know, I came here thinking I can win and I knew where the team was when we got here, and between Brian, myself and everybody back in the shop, we worked really hard with Chip and everybody to make sure we raised our game.

"We have done what we had to to prove people wrong and I think we have."