Ryan Newman finished 12th at Richmond, good enough to get into the Chase field. Credit: CIA Stock Photo

Newman strong enough to earn spot in Chase

RICHMOND, Va. -- Ryan Newman raced his way into the Chase for the Nextel Cup, thanks to a crash on Lap 363 that eliminated Jamie McMurray from contention.

Newman entered Saturday night's Chevy Rock & Roll 400 one point behind McMurray for 10th place -- the final spot in the playoff field. Newman consistently ran in front of McMurray throughout the race, and was in the top 10 when McMurray and Tony Raines tangled with 37 laps remaining.

Credit: Autostock

Results Chevy Rock & Roll 400 Pos. Driver Make 1. Kurt Busch Ford 2. Matt Kenseth Ford 3. Greg Biffle Ford 4. Kyle Busch Chevrolet 5. Rusty Wallace Dodge Complete Results, click here Standings, click here Victory LaneKurt Busch celebrates his win at Richmond Bubble troubleEdwards gets wrecked and McMurray's day ends No drive for fiveJeff Gordon's ill-handling car gets knocked into the wall Bubble burst?Chase bubble driver Elliott Sadler spins on Lap 115 In the ChaseRyan Newman secures the tenth Chase spot Sign up for TrackPass now BUY YOUR NEXTEL DRIVER PHONE

Newman finished 12th, opting not to push the envelope in the waning laps.

"It was not the performance we wanted, but we got part of the main goal solved [Saturday night] and look forward to the last 10 races," Newman said of qualifying for the Chase for the second consecutive year.

"That's the most conscious I've driven since last year," he said. "I could tell Roger [Penske, team owner of the No. 12] was hyped up because he was echoing everything the spotter would say. He doesn't usually do that."

Newman was as high as fourth in the point standings after Dover in June, but he struggled down the stretch to Richmond. He has not posted a top-10 finish since Pocono in July and posted finishes of 30th or worst in three of the past six races.

However, Newman was strong Saturday night and clearly was the car to beat for the final Chase berth.

"I feel a lot better," crew chief Matt Borland said. "It's good to get that out of the way and we can go out and have fun the last 10 [races].

"We're 10th right now, so we can just do whatever and try to win all the races and see what happens.

"The last three races have been nerve-racking," Borland said. "It's good to have some things go right and have a good car; we haven't had that in a while."

Newman said that he and Borland "spent a lot of time talking about strategy" during the race.

"You work on the best strategy to get the car in the best position and you really can't do anything besides that," he said. "You just have to be conscious of what's going on with the other cars and [Saturday night] it worked out in our favor with the No. 42 [McMurray] getting in an accident."

Newman was the only driver to race his way into the Chase, but several other drivers changed positions in the top 10.

Penske teammate Rusty Wallace finished fifth Saturday night and leap-frogged Jimmie Johnson for third place in the point standings behind leader Tony Stewart and Greg Biffle.

"Having another Dodge in the top 10 is a good deal," Newman said after joining Wallace in the final 10-race fray. "We just look forward to putting [our car] in the best position we can every week and hopefully have no DNFs, a few wins, some good results and hopefully a shot at [the title] going into Homestead."

Race winner and defending Cup champion Kurt Busch moved to fifth, while Roush teammate Mark Martin fell to sixth after finishing 13th.

In a quirk that could have been an issue after NASCAR vice president Jim Hunter said Friday that ties would include more than the top 10 into the Chase, Roush teammates Carl Edwards and Matt Kenseth finished the regular season with 3,114 points.

However, NASCAR later clarified Hunter's comment. Only more than 10 drivers would have made the Chase if there was a tie for 10th place.

Edwards enters the Chase in eighth place and Kenseth in ninth based on two wins for Edwards to Kenseth's one.

Roush Racing -- which swept the top three finishing positions Saturday night with Busch, Kenseth and Biffle -- has five drivers in the Chase.

With Wallace and Newman, Penske is the only other team with multiple cars in the playoffs.