Team owner Ray Evernham's hopes for a third consecutive berth in the Chase is in Kasey Kahne's hands. Credit: Autostock

Inside dope: Richmond

→ Race No.: 26 of 36
→ This Week: Chevy Rock & Roll 400
→ Track: Richmond International Raceway
→ TV: 7 p.m. Sunday, TNT

• Only 117 points separate Pos. 3-10 in the Nextel Cup Series point standings.

• Only 147 points separate Pos. 3-11. A driver can gain a maximum of 156 points over another competitor in each event.

ALSO From e-mailer Patrick Ash:  Not that I beleive in pre-destiny, but if one dabbled in numerology, there are a striking number of coincidences that can be found relating to Kasey Kahne's win at Fontana:  •   Car number 9  •   Qualified 9th  •   Ninth month of the year  •   90 points behind Mark Martin at start of race  •   Nine drivers still in the running for remaining spots in the Chase  •   First Dodge win in Fontana's nine-year history  Looking ahead to Richmond ...  •   Still car No. 9  •   Race is on ninth day of the ninth month  •   Still nine drivers vying for a spot in the Chase  •   Nine different winners in last 10 races at Richmond  •   Nine letters in race sponsor's name -- Chevrolet  •   If you include the all-star race, Richmond will be the ninth night race this season  I'm sure that if one looks hard enough one can find occurrences of many different numbers corresponding to other drivers. However, if one is superstitious, plays the numbers or is just looking for coincidences, it might be a good idea to bet on Kasey this weekend.

• The 11th-place driver, Kasey Kahne, can move as high as third in the standings following Saturday's Chevy Rock & Roll 400 at Richmond. He is currently just 30 points behind 10th place driver Jeff Burton.

• Any driver in Pos. 3-10 can fall from the top 10 following Saturday's event.

• Only points leader Matt Kenseth and second-place Jimmie Johnson have clinched Chase berths.

• The drivers in Pos. 3-10 will clinch a Chase berth with the following finishes Saturday, regardless of how other competitors finish:

Kevin Harvick -- 40th
Jeff Gordon -- 25th
Kyle Busch -- 22nd
Dale Earnhardt Jr. -- 16th
Denny Hamlin -- 16th
Tony Stewart -- seventh
Mark Martin -- fourth
Jeff Burton -- fourth

• If Kasey Kahne wins at Richmond and leads the most laps, and both Jimmie Johnson and Matt Kenseth finish 21st or worse, 11 drivers could make the Chase.

Examples from 2004 and 2005 illustrate how every position has championship implications:

• Kurt Busch began the 2004 Chase in seventh place. Had he started in 10th, with 10 fewer points, he would've lost the title by two points that season to Johnson.

• Johnson, who finished second to Busch in the final 2004 standings, relinquished the standings lead to Jeff Gordon following that season's cutoff event at Richmond, costing him five points. The final margin between Busch and Johnson? Eight points.

• Carl Edwards and Tony Stewart scored identical point totals during the 2005 Chase, but Edwards began 35 points behind Stewart. He ended the season still trailing Stewart by just 35.

• The sports statistics experts at STATS LLC have calculated 725,760 different possibilities for the order of the top 11 drivers following Saturday's event.

• Last week, STATS LLC calculated 574,560 different possibilities for the order of the top 11 drivers following last Sunday's event at California Speedway. This week's increase is due to the fact that Harvick -- currently in third place -- can fall from Chase contention.