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.

In the past 11 races, 10 different winners, including Kurt Busch, Kahne, Jeremy Mayfield (remember that win in September of 2004?), Ryan Newman, Joe Nemechek, Kenseth and Ricky Rudd. Another reason the fans get fired up about Richmond...their guy could win! And winning should be what it's all about. That is why racers race. That is why fans watch.

"Well, there should be more emphasis [on winning]," Earnhardt said.

"That sort of ticks me off when I hear that. I don't know a guy out there that [wants] to run 10th or fifth. Is it so bad that it makes you happy when you do run in the top 10 or top five? Are we all supposed to be ticked off from second on back? But we are there to win. We're not settling for fifth, you know. You go out there, run a 500-mile race, finish fifth, tell me if you wouldn't be a little satisfied about that. But you still wanted to win. Five-hundred miles is a dang long race.

"To be in the top five in any of 'em's pretty cool. I just get upset when people make a big deal out [of it], like all the drivers are some kind of spoiled group that has forgotten that winning is No. 1. That's ridiculous."

That's good stuff. Now remember, Earnhardt won this race last May. That is his most recent win. He finished 17th at Richmond this past September.

Jeff Gordon comes in looking for his third consecutive victory this season, but Richmond has not been a fun place for Gordon the past two years. In the past four Richmond races he has finished 31st, 40th, 30th and 39th. Ouch.

"I enjoy racing at Richmond because it offers us the opportunity to race side-by-side, lap-after-lap through the corners," Gordon said.

"But it hasn't been much fun for us the past few years. We've struggled here recently and we definitely want to turn that around."

This will be a Car of Tomorrow race, and Gordon has performed well in the first three races with the COT, including the win at Phoenix.

"We tested here a couple weeks ago with the new Impala SS and I was pleased with the results," Gordon said. "But we need to be sure to carry that over to this weekend."

Burton is second in points and in a similar situation. He's likes the track, he just needs the track to like him. He finished ninth there this past September, but in the five previous races, his best finish was 14th.

"I just think for the teams, for the fans and for everybody that it takes to make this sport work, it's the best all-around track," Burton said.

"Richmond has good racing action. It's big enough where it's not wreck after wreck, but small enough where it's close, side-by-side action since you have multiple grooves. To me, it's a really hard racetrack to beat competition-wise."

It can also come down to strategy. Ask Burton's teammate Harvick. Last May the decision not to pit cost Harvick his shot at the win after leading the most laps.

"It was a little frustrating because we had the best car all night. Sometimes that is what gets you in trouble," Harvick said.

"You get out front and start leading and you don't want to adjust on the car. However, everyone else is adjusting on their cars to make them better for the end of the race. Last year we just got a little tight at the end of the race and couldn't keep the lead."

It is not far away now, the green flag at Richmond. If you have a ticket, you know the feeling. And when you get up on Saturday morning, the excitement builds as every hour goes by. Then, 400 laps at Richmond. The roar. The cheers. The drama. Then the checkered flag and all the celebrating. And I bet nobody throws a thing on the track, no matter who wins. Yeah, I really do like going to the races at Richmond.

The opinions expressed are solely of the writer.