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Expanded Chase field has added drama this year
by Jeff Owens, NASCAR Scene, Special to FOXSports.com
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| Jeff Owens (NASCAR Scene) |
The 2007 Chase field was watered down, and there was little drama entering the 26th race of the season. Going into the cutoff race at Richmond International Raceway, the 12-driver field was basically set, with only 13th-place Dale Earnhardt Jr. having any chance at all to race his way into the field. With 12th-place Kevin Harvick 128 points ahead of him, Earnhardt Jr. needed a miracle. He didn't get it, and the Chase field wound up looking basically the same as it had for weeks.
A year later, it looks like NASCAR might be onto something with its 12-man field.
Heading to Richmond for one final race before the 2008 Chase for the Sprint Cup begins, the championship field is not yet set and could change dramatically on Saturday night.
As a result, fans have a reason to watch and might just be on the edge of their seats until the final lap. Clint Bowyer sits on the bubble in 12th, just 17 points ahead of David Ragan, who has been knocking on the door all season. Bowyer must not only survive at Richmond with no accidents, mechanical failures or mistakes, but he also must outrun Ragan. That should give fans a thrilling race to watch no matter what happens up front.
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But they are far from being the only drivers to keep an eye on.
Denny Hamlin, who has improved his chances immensely with two magnificent third-place runs in the past two races, is still not safe. He is 11th, only 76 points ahead of Bowyer, and needs another strong finish to make it. Jeff Gordon and Matt Kenseth, 10th and ninth, respectively, are in only slightly better shape.
Even Tony Stewart, who is eighth, is still in a bit of danger, 121 points ahead of Bowyer. If he blows an engine or gets in a wreck early, he could fall out, as he did in 2006. The driver who needs a miracle this year — the driver who finds himself in the same position Earnhardt Jr. was in last year — is, ironically, the driver who now wears Junior's old Budweiser colors.
Kasey Kahne, who has two wins this season, trails Bowyer by 48 points and Ragan by 31. He must run up front and hope both drivers have significant trouble to have a shot.
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If he does, it won't be the first time a Gillett Evernham driver has turned the trick. Jeremy Mayfield went to Richmond in 2004 needing a spectacular run to make the Chase. He got it by winning the race. If Kahne doesn't make it, it will be a shame because he currently has more wins than nine of the 12 drivers in the field.
So the stage is set for what should be a thrilling conclusion to the "race to the Chase," which is something NASCAR could not say last year.
This year's race at Richmond, with seven drivers still scrambling to either protect their spots or get in, should be what the Chase is all about, providing NASCAR with the playoff-type excitement it envisioned when the championship format was launched in 2004. In most years, it has produced great drama, from Mayfield winning to get in to Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, Carl Edwards and Earnhardt Jr. all missing the Chase with midseason fades.
When NASCAR expanded the Chase field last year, many believed that 12 drivers were too many and that adding two to what had been a 10-driver shootout would dilute some of the pre-Chase drama that had made the 26th race of the season so special. Last year's race to the Chase bore them out, with fans having little reason to even watch the race at Richmond.
This year, it's a different story. With numerous subplots, the drama should be compelling, making the Chase what it should be.
Jeff Owens is a writer for NASCAR Scene, which is published weekly, 50 weeks per year. Visit www.scenedaily.com for more information. © 2007 Street & Smith Sports Group
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