Everett, Wash.
Published: Saturday, September 6, 2008

NASCAR notes: Last race before Chase can be tough

Also items on Kurt Busch and rookie of the year candidates

By Mike Harris
Associated Press

 The last race of the regular season can be as agonizing for the drivers trying to get in — or stay in — the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup championship as it is fun for the fans to watch.

By the luck of the draw, Richmond International Raceway got the big show when the Chase format was adopted in 2004, thanks to being the 26th race of the season. That has added plenty of spice to the Saturday night event over the past four years.

Kasey Kahne was in a tough spot coming to the Virginia track this week, sitting in 14th place, 48 points behind Clint Bowyer, who was holding down the 12th and final spot in the battle for the 10-race Chase that begins next week in New Hampshire.

In three of the four previous seasons, drivers who were outside the Chase raced their way in at Richmond: Jeremy Mayfield in 2004, Ryan Newman in 2005 and Kahne in 2006.

Gillett Evernham Motorsports teammate Elliott Sadler knows just how Kahne was feeling this week.

In 2005, Sadler came to Richmond 13th, 62 points behind Jamie McMurray in 10th place — then the cutoff for the postseason run — with Jeff Gordon and Newman between them. Newman sneaked in, while Sadler jumped past Gordon and McMurray, but still wound up 66 points out of the Chase.

"I remember that 2005 season like it happened yesterday," Sadler said earlier this week. "That ought to tell you how much a driver thinks about it, a team thinks about it. Coming in for your last chance (to make the Chase), you've got to hit a grand slam in the bottom of the ninth. It's that kind of mentality that you've got to have.

"My teammate (Kahne) is going through it right now, with being over 40 points out coming into Richmond. Not only is he racing against one guy, but kind of racing against two guys. Not only are you worried about what you're doing the whole night as a driver, and the things that you're trying to take care of, but also the guys that you're racing against."

Sadler recalls that race in 2005 as being one of the toughest he has ever had to deal with.

"Ryan Newman in the (No.) 12 car that night was the guy that I had to outrun, and I think Jamie McMurray in the 42 car," he said. "It's just a tough week. It's a, 'Man, I can't believe we're in this situation. We've got a great chance at making it, but maybe we're not making it.'

"It's just a gut-wrenching week as far as nerves. I understand what these drivers are going through. There's nothing fun about coming to Richmond on the outside looking in, or even on the bubble knowing you have to be mistake-free to make your way to the Chase. But I think that's what's great about the Chase and the reason that I like it so much — making guys race so hard each and every week."

LET'S GO, GUYS: When Kurt Busch is done driving race cars, maybe he should consider motivational speaking as his next career.

The Penske Racing driver was invited to speak to the University of Arizona football team last week, before their home game against Idaho. Busch was a student at Arizona in 1997-98, but this was his first visit to the campus since 2005, when he was given an award by the alumni department for winning the 2004 Cup title.

"I've been here for over 10 years now and I've never seen anyone talk to our guys and have the impact that Kurt did," said Wendell Neal, director of equipment operations for the Wildcats. "He had their undivided attention for all 25 minutes. The way he was able to relate what he does to what they will experience was so impressive."

Whatever Busch said must have worked because the Wildcats won in a romp, 70-0, their highest-scoring game since a 74-0 win in 1921.

"It was certainly an impressive win, that's for sure," Busch said. "During my little talk with them, my goal was to reinforce the importance of communicating with the other players and the coaches. It's all about teamwork and they certainly displayed a total team effort there in Tucson on Saturday night."

ROOKIE RACE: While most of the attention was on the battle for the final spots in the Chase, at least three drivers went into the weekend far more interested in another close competition.

Heading into Saturday night's race, Regan Smith held a one-point, 182-181, lead over Sam Hornish Jr. in the race for Cup rookie of the year, with Patrick Carpentier third with 174 points.

"Winning the Raybestos Rookie of the Year was one of my goals at the beginning of the season," said Smith, who drives for Dale Earnhardt, Inc. "If you look at some of the names of the guys who have won it in the past it is a pretty impressive list. It is made up of a group of guys that any driver would want to be associated with. Hopefully, I can add my name to that list."

Smith said his team has had a "pretty typical" rookie year, with a lot of ups and down.

"I'm just really proud of the way the guys on this team have kept fighting this year," he said. "Everyone's hung tough. ... My guys are just incredibly resilient and good to work with, and each week it feels like we gain a little more ground."

Heading into Richmond, Smith was the only one of the three rookie contenders in the top-35 in car owner points — a big edge, since he was guaranteed a starting spot. Hornish, the three-time IndyCar champion, and Carpentier, another former open-wheel star, were 36th and 38th in the points.

STAT OF THE WEEK: Fifty-nine of 104 races at Richmond have been won from the top five starting positions, including 21 from the pole. And nine of the past 10 have been won from the top 10.

But Clint Bowyer, who went into Saturday night on the bubble in the Chase standings, set a record last May by winning from the 31st starting spot.
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