Anticipation, racing make Richmond a popular stop

Richmond. Now this is fun.

For the past three years our TNT race family has pulled into Richmond ready for one of the biggest nights of the year. Richmond was always exciting on Sunday afternoon, and then it became a night race, which always seems to increase the drama.

But the past three years the September race has been the final event in the race to the Chase. That kicks it up a notch, or 10 notches. Last fall Virginia native Jeff Burton came in 10th in points, two points behind Mark Martin and just 30 ahead of 11th-place Kasey Kahne. That would be five-time race winner Kasey Kahne, on the outside looking in with one race before the Chase.

Three-time Richmond race winner Tony Stewart was sitting eighth in the points race. He was second at Watkins Glen and third in Michigan, but a 22nd at Bristol and a ninth-place finish at California had Stewart teetering on the Chase bubble.

As the race zoomed by, the stories became headlines. Kevin Harvick won the race and made the Chase for the first time. Kahne finished third on the track and 10th in points, squeezing into the Chase just 16 points ahead of Stewart, who finished 18th.

Martin and Burton both had a top-10 finish and were in. Matt Kenseth came home eighth and finished the race to the Chase as the points leader. Kenseth had four wins and was 57 points ahead of Jimmie Johnson, another four-time winner in the first 26 races of 2006.

This little jog down memory lane was designed to remind you of how much fun it is to watch a race at Richmond. Fans and drivers have their favorite tracks; this is one of mine. The whole atmosphere at Richmond is different.

The night race allows the anticipation to build throughout the day. I would normally try and be at the track before noon, park across the street and walk onto the track grounds and toward our TV compound. Fans are everywhere but it is not crowded. Tailgating is at full throttle but it's not loud or out of control. Everyone is friendly. At Richmond the thrill of the race doesn't plow you over, it simply pulls you in.

I think it's that way for the drivers, too, in the spring and the fall. They feel the lure of racing at Richmond the minute they have caught their breath after Talladega.

This is a favorite track where there are a lot of track favorites. Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Stewart are three-time winners there. Earnhardt is the defending champion of this race. Kevin Harvick won there this past September. But no one is a lock for Victory Lane. (Continued)