 |  | | Kasey Kahne has a series-high five victories. Credit: Autostock |
By Josh Pate, NASCAR.COM
September 7, 2006
09:23 AM EDT (13:23 GMT)
Ray Evernham has been in this position before. In 2004, Jeremy Mayfield went to Richmond 14th in the standings and 55 points behind 10th place Mark Martin He had to win the race for a shot at getting in the inaugural Chase for the Nextel Cup. And that's what he did. But the driver he knocked out of the playoff was Kasey Kahne, who went to Richmond ninth in the standings. This year, it's Kahne who's reaching for a coveted spot in the Chase, 30 points behind Jeff Burton in 10th and 32 points behind Martin in ninth -- the difference between winning the race and finishing seventh. What Evernham hasn't seen -- nor any driver in the modern era -- is a driver with as many wins as Kahne (five) be on the outside looking in. What you didn't know
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33 -- Years since a driver won five or more races and did not finish in the top 10 in points. David Pearson won 11 races in 1973 and finished 13th in the standings. He started just 18 of 28 races that year. |
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Driver Rating: Chevy Rock and Roll 400
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125.5 -- Kevin Harvick, No. 29 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet. Harvick has led 440 laps and run all but five laps in the top 15 during the last three Richmond races. His average finish in those races is 6.0. |
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NASCAR's driver rating combines the following categories: wins, finishes, top-15s, average lead-lap running position, average speed under green, fastest lap, led most laps and lead-lap finish. Statistics based on current and past year at track. Maximum rating: 150 points. Numerology Saturday night's Chevy Rock and Roll 400 (7 p.m. ET, TNT) will be the 101st race held at Richmond International Raceway. It's the third time the race will determine the cutoff for the Chase for the Nextel Cup. In each of the past two years, one driver has fallen out of the top 10 at Richmond. In 2004 Kasey Kahne was replaced in the 10-man playoff by Jeremy Mayfield. In 2005 Jamie McMurray was replaced by Ryan Newman.
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0 -- Rookies have qualified for the Chase. Denny Hamlin, who finished second at Richmond in May, could become the first. Carl Edwards qualified for the Chase last year, but he was not considered a rookie. |
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1 -- Driver who has run all 1,200 laps of the last three Richmond races inside the top 15: Ryan Newman. His average finish in those races is 7.7. |
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2 -- Drivers who have clinched positions in the Chase: Matt Kenseth and Jimmie Johnson. |
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6.59 -- Average starting position for Richmond winners. Ten of the last 11 winners and 80 of the 100 overall have started in the top 10. The starting position of 1953 race winner Lee Petty is unknown. |
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7 -- Drivers with an average running position inside the top 10 in the last three Richmond races, led by Kevin Harvick's 3.855 average. The top four drivers (Harvick, Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch and Tony Stewart) are racing for a spot in the Chase. |
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8 -- Drivers in the top 10 changed positions following California. Tenth-place Jeff Burton lost the most positions (three) while sixth-place Dale Earnhardt Jr. gained the most (three). |
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9 -- Different Richmond winners in the last 10 races. Only Dale Earnhardt Jr. has repeated in that span, winning the spring races in 2004 and this year. |
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12 -- Former Richmond winners entered in Saturday night's race. Four drivers have won multiple times: Tony Stewart (three), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (three), Dale Jarrett (two) and Jeff Gordon (two). |
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14 -- Combined top-10 finishes in the last three Richmond races by the top 11 drivers in the standings. |
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15 -- Victories for Petty Enterprises at Richmond. Kyle Petty, however, must qualify on time because he heads into Saturday night's race ranked 36th in owner points. If he makes the field, it will be his 775th career start. |
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16 -- Weeks it has been since the Nextel Cup Series went into an event with someone other than Jimmie Johnson leading the standings. Matt Kenseth leads Johnson by nine points. |
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37.06 -- Percent of passes made on the frontstretch in the last three Richmond races, more than any other place on the racetrack. Just 9.42 percent of passes were made in Turn 3. |
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147 -- Points separate third-place Kevin Harvick and 11th-place Kasey Kahne in the standings. The maximum number of points one driver can gain over another in one event is 156, meaning Harvick could fall out of the top 10 after Richmond. |
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167 -- Laps in the last three Richmond races that Kasey Kahne had the fastest racecar, the most by any driver. |
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171 -- Green-flag passes by Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the last three Richmond races, more than any other driver. |
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345 -- Laps led at Richmond in May by drivers racing for a spot in the Chase. |
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487 -- Laps led by Kevin Harvick at Richmond, the most by full-time drivers who have not won at the track. |
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874 -- Laps led by Jeff Burton at Richmond, the most among full-time drivers. |
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725,760 -- Different possibilities for the order of the top 11 drivers following Richmond, according to Stats LLC. |
| Chase Scenarios |
| Eight drivers can clinch a Chase spot with the following finishes: |
| Pos. |
Driver |
Must finish |
| 1. |
Matt Kenseth |
Clinched |
| 2. |
Jimmie Johnson |
Clinched |
| 3. |
Kevin Harvick |
40th |
| 4. |
Jeff Gordon |
25th |
| 5. |
Kyle Busch |
22nd |
| 6. |
Dale Earnhardt Jr. |
16th |
| 7. |
Denny Hamlin |
16th |
| 8. |
Tony Stewart |
7th |
| 9. |
Mark Martin |
4th |
| 10. |
Jeff Burton |
4th |
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Heading into the final race before the Chase begins, 11 drivers are mathematically eligible for the 10-race Chase. Last driver eligible: Kasey Kahne, 489 points out of the lead and 30 points behind 10th place. First driver eliminated: Carl Edwards, 685 points out of the lead.
| Chase Watch |
| Richmond statistics for top 11 in points |
| Rank |
Driver |
Wins |
Top-5s |
Top-10s |
Avg. Finish |
| 1. |
Matt Kenseth |
1 |
3 |
7 |
15.1 |
| 2. |
Jimmie Johnson |
0 |
1 |
1 |
21.0 |
| 3. |
Kevin Harvick |
0 |
3 |
5 |
14.0 |
| 4. |
Jeff Gordon |
2 |
10 |
16 |
15.8 |
| 5. |
Kyle Busch |
0 |
3 |
3 |
4.3 |
| 6. |
Dale Earnhardt Jr. |
3 |
7 |
9 |
9.4 |
| 7. |
Denny Hamlin |
0 |
1 |
1 |
2.0 |
| 8. |
Tony Stewart |
3 |
5 |
10 |
11.7 |
| 9. |
Mark Martin |
1 |
12 |
22 |
12.3 |
| 10. |
Jeff Burton |
1 |
7 |
11 |
14.5 |
| 11. |
Kasey Kahne |
1 |
1 |
2 |
19.0 |
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