2008 RACE TO THE CHASE

After Race #25 of 26:  California #2

Races Left to the Chase:  1

Richmond

 

                                                Out of     LstRace                                Lst 5       Finishes                Top         Top         Bottom

08/LW/07              Pts          13^th         Fin/Pts   Gain        Pts          1—2—3                 5s           10s         10s-MR

1/1/8-Ky Busch    3755       +783       7/146      +17         751/E      8—3—2                 15           17           3

2/2/4-C Edwards 3547       +575       6/150      +21         863/+3   6—4—0                 11           19           2

3/4/6-J Johnson  3386       +414       1/195      +66         697/+1   3—3—1                 8              13           1

4/3/13-Dale Jr      3323       +351       11/130   +1           557/-2    1—1—1                 7              12           2

5/5/7-J Burton      3234       +262       17/117   -12          335/-2    1—0—1                 4              11           2

6/7/15-G Biffle      3159       +187       2/175      +46         699/+1   0—2—2                 8              11           3

7/8/12-K Harvick 3132       +160       4/160      +31         775/+6   0—1—1                 6              11           3

8/6/2-T Stewart   3110       +138       22/97      -32          731/+2   0—3—1                 8              12           4

9/10/5-Kenseth    3081       +109       5/160      +31         716/+2   0—0—2                 6              15           5

10/9/1-J Gordon  3074       +102       15/123   -6            540/-4    0—1—3                 9              11           4

11/11/3-DHamlin 3065       +93         3/165      +36         612/-5    1—0—6                 8              13           4

12/12/9-Bowyer   2989       +17         10/134   +5           623/E      1—1—1                 4              12           2

                                                Out of

                                                12^th

13/13/22-Ragan   2972       -17          13/129   -5            672/+1   0—0—1                 5              9              2

14/14/21-Kahne   2941       -48          8/142      +8           500/-5    2—1—0                 3              12           3

15/16/39-Vickers                2799       -190        12/127   -7            563/E      0—1—0                 3              6              3

 

 

CLINCH SCENARIOS

(need a 196 point advantage over 13^th place going into Richmond)

1—Kyle Busch                     +783       clinched at Michigan

2—Carl Edwards                +575       clinched at Bristol

3—Jimmie Johnson          +414       clinched at California

4—Dale Jr                            +351       clinched at California

5—Jeff Burton                     +262       clinched at California

6—Greg Biffle                      +187       only needs to start Richmond

7—Kevin Harvick                +160       needs to finish 42nd

8—Tony Stewart                 +138       needs to finish 35^th

9—Matt Kenseth                 +109       needs to finish 25^th

10—Jeff Gordon                 +102       needs to finish 23rd

11—Denny Hamlin              +93         needs to finish 20^th

12—Clint Bowyer                +17         needs to win

 

 

CHASE SEEDING

 

1   Kyle Busch                      5080      

2   Carl Edwards                 5050       -30

3   J Johnson                       5030       -50

4   Dale Jr                             5010       -70

5   Clint Bowyer                   5010       -70

6   Denny Hamlin                 5010       -70

7   Jeff Burton                      5010       -70

8   Tony Stewart                  5000       -80

9   Greg Biffle                       5000       -80

10 Jeff Gordon                    5000       -80

11 Kevin Harvick                 5000       -80

12 Matt Kenseth                 5000       -80

 

NOTES

 

·          6 TECHNICALLY IN “DANGER ZONE:”  7—Kevin Harvick +160 and 8—Tony Stewart +138 are in great shape, 9—Matt Kenseth +109, 10—Jeff Gordon +102, and 11—Denny Hamlin +93 are in pretty good shape, and 12—Clint Bowyer +17 will have a long week.  Bowyer’s 10^th place at California gained him 5 points on 13^th place David Ragan (who finished 13^th but led a lap), but he lost 8 points to 14^th place Kasey Kahne (who finished 8^th).

·          HISTORY INDICATES THE CHASE USUALLY CHANGES AT RICHMOND:  Last year was the first year that a driver didn’t drop out of The Chase at Richmond.

#  2004—Jeremy Mayfield roared back from 14^th place and 55 points out to unseat 9^th place

 Kasey Kahne with a dramatic win vs. Kahne’s 24^th place finish.

#  2005—Ryan Newman entered Richmond one single point off Jamie McMurray in 10^th

 place. Newman managed a 12^th place finish while McMurray bowed out with a 40^th..

#  2006—Kasey Kahne went to Richmond 30 points out of 10^th place Jeff Burton and 75

 points out of 8^th place Tony Stewart.  Kahne stormed to a 3^rd place finish, Burton

registered a 9^th, but Stewart saved Burton by falling to an 18^th and missed the

Chase.

#2007—13^th place Dale Earnhardt Jr. rolled into Richmond 128 points out of 12^th place Kevin

Harvick and 141 points out of 11^th place Kurt Busch. There was no drama to be found that

night as Dale Jr. limped to a 30^th place finish, Harvick was 7^th and Busch was 9^th.

·          EACH CONTENDER HAS REASON FOR OPTIMISM AT RICHMOND:  Clint Bowyer can land in his second straight Chase by repeating his May win at RIR. David Ragan finished 3^rd in the September race last year and Kasey Kahne won the spring race in 2005 and got a 3^rd in the fall race in 2006.

·          GIVE A CALL TO KEVIN HARVICK:  Kevin Harvick left Indianapolis in 13^th place, two points outside of Clint Bowyer in 12^th. Happy Harvick has been outstanding since, posting finishes of 4—6—8—4—4 at Pocono, Watkins Glen, Michigan, Bristol and California, and he will be a threat to win at Richmond.

 

RACE TO THE CHASE COMPARISON CHARTS

                                      Out of                                              Out of                                              Out of

2007                       Pts/13^th                 2006                       Pts/11^th                 2005                       Pts/11th

1-JGORDON       3679+798                1-M KENSETH      3638/+489            1-T STEWART      3570/+642

2-T STEWART      3362/+481            2-J JOHNSON      3629/+480            2-G BIFFLE            3361/+433

3-D HAMLIN          3335/+454            3-K HARVICK        3296/+147            3-J JOHNSON      3312/+384

4-C EDWARDS     3330/+449            4-J GORDON        3251/+102            4-R WALLACE      3257/+329

5-M KENSETH      3309/+428            5-KY BUSCH         3244/+95               5-M MARTIN         3149/+221

6-J JOHNSON      3249/+368            6-DALE JR            3226+77                6-KU BUSCH         3114/+186

7-J BURTON         3219/+338            7-D HAMLIN          3225/+76               7-J MAYFIELD      3073/+145

8-KY BUSCH         3199/+318            8-T Stewart          3194/+45               8-C EDWARDS     3014/+86

9-C BOWYER        3047/+166            9-M MARTIN         3181/+32               9-M KENSETH      2939/+11

10-M TRUEX         3042/+161            10-J BURTON       3179/+30               10-J McMurray    2929/+1

11-KU BUSCH      3022/+141                                            Out of 10^th                                            Out of 10^th

12-K HARVICK     3009/+128            11-K KAHNE         3149/-30                11-R NEWMAN     2928/-1

                                Out of 12^th            12-C Edwards      2953/-226             12-J Gordon         2899/-30

13-Dale Jr             2881/-128             13-G Biffle             2889/-290             13-E Sadler          2877/-52

14-R Newman      2775/-234                                                                             14-D Jarrett         2812/-117

15-G Biffle             2674/-335                                                                             15-K Harvick        2798/-131

                                                                                                                                16-J Nemechek  2794/-135

                                                                                                                               

                                Out of

2004                       Pts/11^th

1-J JOHNSON      3482/+449

2-J GORDON        3432/+399

3-DALE JR            3366/+333

4-T STEWART      3304/+271

5-M KENSETH      3253/+220

6-E SADLER          3204+171

7-KU BUSCH         3186/+153

8-R NEWMAN       3078+45

9-K Kahne             3067/+34

10-M MARTIN       3058/+25

                                Out of 10^th

11-J McMurray    3033/-25

12-B  Labonte      3022/-36

13-D Jarrett         3015/-43

14-J MAYFIELD    3003/-55

15-K Harvick        3002/-56

 

Names in ALL CAPS made the Chase in that year