CUP: Gibbs Teammates Top Five To Watch

Sprint Cup

CUP: Gibbs Teammates Top Five To Watch

The final eight Chase drivers will be determined Saturday night at Richmond International Raceway...

Tom Jensen | Posted September 10, 2009 Charlotte, NC

Kyle Busch’s record at Richmond International Raceway is strong, but he needs a huge night to make it into the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series 2009 Chase for the Sprint Cup. (Photo: Getty Images)

The NASCAR Sprint Cup regular season ends Saturday at Richmond International Raceway, when the 12-driver field will be finalized for the 2009 Chase for the Sprint Cup. The contenders will have a chance to contest a championship; the pretenders will go home bitterly disappointed.

To recap: Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Denny Hamlin already have clinched Chase spots. But the gap from fifth-place Carl Edwards to 14th-place Kyle Busch is just 122 points, as 10 drivers will go down the wire battling for the final eight Chase spots.

Richmond, a mostly flat, 0.75-mile D-shaped oval, is one of the most entertaining tracks on the entire NASCAR circuit, a place where the driver can make a genuine difference in the outcome of the race. As always, two factors will be vitally important: Track position and driving an error-free race. A simple mistake like a dropped lugnut or a pit-road speeding penalty can be the difference between winning and finishing 15th. And that, in turn, could be the difference between making the Chase or waiting until next year.

Here are this week’s 5 to Watch picks:

1. KYLE BUSCH, Joe Gibbs Racing — All one has to do is look at Busch’s record here and know he’s the favorite. He won here in the spring and in nine Sprint Cup starts at Richmond, Busch has one victory, three runner-up finishes, two fourth-place finishes and a fifth. His average finish of 6.111 is far and away tops in the Cup field, and, oh yeah, he needs a huge night to make the Chase.

“We won the Richmond race in the spring so we feel like we can go back there and do well this time,” said Busch. “I run well there about every time I’ve been, so that’s good. If we have another good, solid run like a top-10 or top-five run, then we really don’t need to change anything. We’ll have to do everything we can to try to win the race.”

2. DENNY HAMLIN, Joe Gibbs Racing — As bad as Busch wants to win on Saturday night, Hamlin might want it even more. Hamlin grew up in Chesterfield, about 15 miles away from the track, and always has a huge turnout of family and friends whenever he races in Richmond.

Although he has finished second here once and third twice, it’s his bad luck that stands out: In May 2008, he led 381 laps before a cut tire cost him a victory. Last May, he led a race-high 148 laps before three dropped lugnuts resulted in him going from first to 14th. Sooner or later, it’s bound to turnaround for Hamlin here.

Page 1 of 2

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tom Jensen

MORE BY THIS AUTHOR

JENSEN: The Crew Chief’s Advantage
The Sprint All-Star Race was an interesting affair ...
CUP: New Hall Of Fame Class To Be Announced
The late Curtis Turner is among the nominees to the NASCAR Hall of…
CUP: All-Star Power Rankings
Jimmie Johnson remains atop the FOXSports.com/SPEED.com Power Rankings...…