WATCH: Buescher says he’s not in full defensive mode
RICHMOND, Va. — Jamie McMurray and Ryan Newman have adjacent garage areas this weekend at Richmond International Raceway. And Friday morning the two chatted briefly and smiled before climbing into their Chevrolets for practice.
McMurray, who is making his 500th Sprint Cup start, holds a 22-point edge over Newman for the 16th and final Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup playoff berth – and the field will be decided in Saturday night’s regular season finale, the Federated Auto Parts 400 (7:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN, MRN, Sirius XM NASCAR Radio).
It would have been an even closer contest between the two drivers, but Newman was penalized 15 points this week after his car failed post-race inspection following a eighth-place run at Darlington on Sunday. That turned a 7-point difference into a 22-point difference.
RELATED: Chase Bubble Watch | Clinching scenarios for Richmond
With many scenarios in play, Newman and McMurray each could clinch a Chase berth with a win. But Pocono winner and Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidate Chris Buescher also poses a challenge. He enters Saturday’s race in 13th place on the Chase Grid, ahead of McMurray (16th) and Newman (17th).
“I feel pretty good about our car after practice,” McMurray said of his No. 1 Sherwin Williams–sponsored Chevrolet.
“Richmond has actually been a pretty good track for me, finishes-wise and we’ve raced pretty well. Thought we were pretty good that first practice. I’m encouraged by the speed of the cars and hope to have a trouble-free night and that the race is just a normal race, you don’t get hung out by a caution or have something happen.
“Or,” he said smiling and pausing, “you don’t have a first-time winner. That could happen. But if the race plays out normal we’ve got a really good car and can have a really good finish.”
McMurray’s crew chief Matt McCall said he expects business as usual for the Ganassi Racing team. He acknowledged that, of course, the team will keep an eye on Newman, but insisted the best route for McMurray is simply to try to win.
“I guess every race you come to, you try to pay attention to what everyone else is doing,” McCall said. “We still want to come here and try to win the race. To me, that makes the easiest scenario.
“Anytime you start looking back, you go backwards. I’m a big believer in that. No different approach here.
“Jamie’s been doing this a long time and he’s not going to put himself in any crazy situations that he wouldn’t normally get in.”
RELATED: Chase Grid | Driver standings
For all the dramatic scenarios coming into the Richmond Chase-setter, only one time has a driver raced his way into the Chase with a victory: Jeremy Mayfield won the Richmond race in 2004 to earn a postseason bid.
Because of the penalty this week, the 22-point differential that separates McMurray and Newman is certainly wider. But these two drivers have raced right around one another most of the season.
Both drivers have one top-five and eight top-10 finishes in 2016. And they have finished within five positions of one another in nearly half the season’s races.
While McMurray is understandably glad to have gained a little more cushion, he seemed genuinely regretful it came by way of Newman’s penalty.
RELATED: No. 31 and No. 42 teams penalized after Darlington
“I’ve been on both sides of that,” said McMurray, who was penalized 25 points after the Bristol race in 2004 and ultimately missed the Chase by 15 points.
“As relieving as it is when you come here because it is a little different environment now [with Newman’s penalty], you hate it for that team, and those guys because you know they have worked so hard to get to that point and then to have it taken away sucks.”
Buescher, the 2015 XFINITY Series champion who won the season’s second Pocono Sprint Cup race, said he will also be cautiously aggressive Saturday night as he attempts to make his first Cup Chase.
“We need to race aggressively for every position, every point we can get without taking unnecessary risks,” Buescher said. “We can only control, what we can control. “We’re going out there to race and have a really good day and avoid the risks that would put us in a bad spot or possibly take us out of this Chase.”
“If we can see the 23 car (Ragan), for the most part, we’ll know we’re OK.‘’
Although both the veterans, McMurray and Newman, appeared cool and calm going about their Friday practice at Richmond, there was an unmistakable hint of what’s dramatically on the line.
“That would be huge if we’re able to pull this off,” McMurray said. “It would be great for our organization. To go from where we were to [teammate] Kyle [Larson] winning a race and both cars competing in the top-10 for the last month, that’s a really big step and not something that happens these days.
“Maybe 15 years ago you could do that. Now you can’t, so pretty phenomenal what they’ve been able to pull off and our whole group should be pretty proud of themselves.”
The celebration, he’s hoping, will come Saturday night.
