Last of the bonus points, seeds on line at Richmond

You know it's a busy week in the NASCAR world when Humpy Wheeler has to break out an all-you-can-eat stunt to try and get attention for his race next month. Some guy nicknamed "Jaws" eating hot dogs? I thought we already had a guy nicknamed "Jaws?" Hey, if that's what it takes to get you some coverage, eat away.

It has been such a busy week there has barely been time to eat, with driver announcements, teams changing manufacturers, drivers changing numbers, crew chiefs on the move, sponsors announcing they will not be back ... plus you can't forget abouy the NASCAR Cooks contest is down to eight semi-finalists. How do you have "eight" semifinalists?

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And then there was Jimmie Johnson hanging with Regis and Kelly (by the way, the Live with Regis and Kelly Web site had "NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson drops by," but they had a picture of Mark Martin. No respect. And no, don't ask me how I knew that). Anyway, once you get through all of that you can turn your attention to a night NASCAR fans love, the race at Richmond this Saturday.

This is a short week for everybody, the drivers, the teams, the guys that drive the transporters, the fans, everyone. But the pace of the week always seems to turn up the excitement when you walk into Richmond on Friday morning. It feels like you just got off the plane from California and there you are, right back in the middle of things. But once you arrive, you know this is the kind of place where you can enjoy the atmosphere and the event.

The Richmond weekend goes by in a flash. Sure, Friday is a long day with the Busch race that night, but this is an example of how NASCAR, and the track owners, can help teams, and fans, by shortening race weekends and helping everyone get more for their racing dollar. But that is for another column.

The Chase aside, Richmond is a fun place to race. We all know that. NASCAR's attempt to tweak the field and drag in the 11th and 12th guys in the standings could add more excitement to the Chase but it also took the "playoff" intensity out of this week, unless Kevin Harvick finishes 43rd and Dale Earnhardt Jr. pulls out a miracle. You want playoff excitement? Come watch the Florida State League Division Championship Series between Clearwater and Sarasota. It's a best of three. Now that's playoff excitement. You want to see good racing? Head for that track on East Laburnum with about 100,000 of your closest friends.

After this week, 10 races will determine the 2007 Nextel Cup Series champion. Of course, Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson would have to skip one or two just to rest up, but not our guys. Jeff Gordon has the most to gain and the most to lose this week. His 317-point lead on Tony Stewart gets wiped out after the race on Saturday night and the top-12 drivers will be re-seeded based on 2007 race victories. Heading into the weekend, Johnson leads the series with five wins; Gordon has four. Both are locked into the Chase. It will be the third trip for Gordon; he finished third in 2004 and sixth last year. He missed the chase in 2005. For Gordon, Richmond is a good place to be heading. (Continued)