Chase heats up at Richmond

I have noticed that some of the top NASCAR teams are simply cruising into the beginning of the Chase for the Sprint Cup, which is in two weeks at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

What happened?

How did Jimmie Johnson claim his fifth-straight title? DEFINING MOMENTS OF THE CHASE

Teams are trying some things and working to get some momentum going. I think you saw that with the Richard Childress Racing teams, the Roush Fenway Racing teams and the Joe Gibbs Racing camp at Atlanta last weekend.

I think we can safely say that Jimmie Johnson and the No. 48 bunch are going to be facing the biggest challenge to the crown that we have seen in the previous four years. This is really shaping up to be an incredibly exciting Chase. You’ve heard us say for many weeks now that you really can’t pick a clear-cut frontrunner or winner because there are many more teams making noise this year that failed to do so last year.

You also can’t underestimate the momentum part of the equation as we get ready to start the 2010 Chase. You want to pull into Loudon, which is the first race of the Chase, riding a wave of consistency and momentum.

I speak from experience. I was with Cale Yarborough when we won the championship going away. We never came into a championship stretch run leading with Darrell Waltrip. We were always playing catch-up.

It’s two totally different feelings.

When you have a big lead and can keep adding onto it like we did with Cale, well, that is fun. I still remember with DW, when our owner Junior Johnson came in and told us all there was only one thing we could do and that was win races. By doing that, he told us, the points would take care of themselves. We were fortunate to execute that.

We were able to get momentum going, and other teams were at a loss to stop us or even catch us. See, when they started trying to catch us, they made mistakes. That’s why I am excited to follow all the storylines and see how the 2010 Chase plays out.

In the past, Johnson’s team really made their own luck. They were able to push the buttons at the right time. They forced others to change their game plan, and when they did that, mistakes were made.

This year, for the first time, we are seeing others put Johnson’s team in that same boat, and I am real curious to see how they respond. Think about it. You aren’t hearing everyone say it’s Jimmie’s championship to lose like in years past. Sure, no one is betting against him, but you just don’t hear the same comments made as in prior years.

I think we are going to really see what Johnson’s team is made of. If they can pull it off, well, then it will be something special and something for the ages. I know the naysayers out there keep saying that Jimmie always winning the championship is bad for the sport.

If these guys can do it, well, by golly, they deserve it. I think they have the talent to pull it off. I think crew chief Chad Knaus probably has a little magic left in that black bag of his, plus Jimmie certainly has the passion and fire to pull it off.

That makes the Richmond race all that more important.

We all know that the 12 spots for the 2010 Chase are basically set. Those 12 guys are going to be searching for that momentum coming out of Richmond on Saturday night to head into the Chase with a full head of steam.

There will be nothing to lose Saturday night in Richmond. They will be going for it. Don’t forget, a victory pays 10 bonus points if a Chase driver could win.

I can’t think of a better place for the last race of the regular season to be held than Richmond. It is a fantastic little short track. It has enough room to race. You can beat and bang on it. I really think the fans in the stands and at home watching on TV are going to have a lot of fun watching the action Saturday night at Richmond.