(WOMR file photo)

After a week in Chico,CA, watching the Gold Cup Race of Champions, I have got to say that I missed viewing the Richmond race.  However, I was privy to some of the finest sprint car racing that you will see on the West Coast  Having said that, the Richmond race, since the inception of the Chase, has always proven to be a very edgy, and exciting short track race.

With the checkered flag in Richmond, the end of the regular season has conceded, and the Chase contenders are now set.  Somehow “Mr. Four-Time”, Jeff Gordon, pulled a rabbit out of his hat, securing one of the two wild card positions.  The other wild card driver to insert himself into the Chase was Kasey Kahne.  That puts all four of the Hendrick Motorsports teams into the Chase, a first for HMS.

 

Movers and Shakers

 

Saturday night the biggest mover was Scott.  For the Richmond race, Scott was riding copilot with Mark Martin.  Martin’s finish yielded Scott 41 points, thereby rocketing him seven places in the standings, and landing him in seventh place, after the first two races.  The next biggest mover Saturday night was Jeremy, and was rewarded with 35 points for “sticking with The Biff”!

Even though Carlton did not move out of the cellar this week, he was rewarded with 34 points by Kevin Harvick.  Likewise, Jim was putting all his marbles in “Happy” Harvick’s basket, and he too received 34 points Saturday night.

Of the remaining sixteen players, thirteen of them moved up or down 1-2 places this week.  The exceptions to that statement this week were, Marc, Richard, and Carlton.    Both Marc and Richard scored 32 points with their selection of Jimmie Johnson, and remained in a tie for the lead.  Carlton’s success was described in the previous paragraph.

Next weekend is the first race in the Chase.  Those “playoffs’ start Sunday at the Chicagoland Speedway this year, not a Louden, NH, as in years prior.  With the small change in the Chase tracks order, maybe that will be just enough change to shake things up for these final ten races.

TIL NEXT TIME, PULL YOUR GLOVES UP, FLIP YOUR VISOR DOWN, ANDLET’S GO RACIN’!