Saturday night at RIR promises to be a wild one

My colleague Joe Menzer has already so eloquently described how the drama we've seen the last few weeks in the Cup Series -- and especially what we're going to see Saturday night at Richmond -- is solely thanks to the Chase.

I couldn't do any better, so I'm not going to try. Get over it.

This is good stuff

With the postseason picture blurry, Joe Menzer says it's time critics embrace the Chase.

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But I will go out on a thin limb and say that -- despite all the goofy meanderings up and down the point standings that occurred among the 10 guys between fifth and 14th in the standings in 500 miles last Sunday night at Atlanta -- it ain't over.

Not by a long shot.

I bet we'll see just as much variance Saturday night. Heck, with only 122 points covering that entire group, guys will be coming and going throughout the entire 400 laps.

And when the checkered flag flies, I hate to say it because for the unlucky soul who's gonna drop out of the top 12, the agony that'll ensue the next 10 races, and even the next several years will barely be measureable.

I wanted to say that the 12 guys that were sitting in the top-12 spots at the green flag will be on stage celebrating their upcoming 10-race sojourn that they hope leads to a title when it's all over.

But I can't. I thought I could lean on the crutch of these being the best teams in the sport, and they are where they are for a reason. But then, all you have to do is listen to Matt Kenseth moan about how his team -- as good as he knows it is -- has no business being where it is in the standings.

The status quo might be maintained and for the sake of those drivers, owners and teams who are currently locked-in, however tenuously, I hope it does.

But this is Richmond, baby -- a high-speed, highly-volatile short track where cautions will rule and, with double-file restarts in play for the first time at this Chase cutoff event, there's going to be a major, massive disappointment in play for the first time since Kasey Kahne leapfrogged Tony Stewart in 2006 and kicked him out of the Chase in the process.

Wins: Through Atlanta

	2008	2009
Cup Series	8	4
Nationwide	6	6
Truck Series	3	4

But who will it be? There's no telling. And with only two guys having the possibility to play their way in -- but eight guys having the chance to bust their butts and fall out -- it's a virtual guarantee there'll be a garage-full of emotion spewing about come Saturday night in Richmond.

I don't want to say if you're a traditionalist just for the sake of tradition, we don't need you -- but I'm sorry, when NASCAR formulated the original Chase, this was what they had in mind.

And all I can say is, I think I'll structure my pre-race questions very carefully, so I have some material to work with after the two guys who fall short, fail.

You can't do much with the F-bombs or no comments that have been the norm for Chase failures in the past.

Give a hand to the owners

As we thought prior to the weekend, Mike Bliss and Michael McDowell showed up in cars owned by Joe Nemechek and Brian Keselowski at Atlanta, and that enabled Bliss and McDowell to remain ninth and 10th, respectively, in the Nationwide Series driver standings. Good call to the owners for keeping these guys in position to get some point fund bonus money.

Kyle Busch Victory Watch

All I can say about Kyle this week is, I hope he's "coming" at the end of Richmond rather than "going" as he was at Atlanta. He's got a chance, and at this race track, this kid is probably the one I'd want to have in the seat with so much on the line.

His shot at eclipsing his 2008 record total of 21 wins (8 Cup, 10 Nationwide, 3 Truck) might be better though, if he doesn't get into the Chase. He'd be so incensed, and focused, he'd move well beyond his current point of 14 wins: 4 Cup, 6 Nationwide, 4 Truck.

The opinions expressed are solely those of the writer.