Ready for Richmond? Final race before Chase puts D in decision

Ray Slover

Ready for Richmond? Final race before Chase puts D in decision image

Sunday morning, 16 drivers will wake up to prepare for the Chase for the Sprint Cup. Four of them will have learned of their success the night before.

Until completion of Saturday night's race at Richmond, the full field remains unknown. Just a bit more suspense to play up.

MORE: Race for final Chase berths | Newman's penalty | Richmond info

Chris Buescher must stay in the top 30 in points to qualify for the Chase, which begins Sept. 18 at Chicagoland. He has a race win, and he enters the Federated Auto Parts 400 with an 11-point edge on David Ragan.

Three drivers will be watched closely at Richmond and must avoid early elimination from the race. Chase Elliott, Austin Dillon and Jamie McMurray are in position to complete the field, with McMurray as the 16th and thus in danger of missing out.

Matt Kenseth won last September's Richmond race. Carl Edwards won April 24's Toyota Owners 400. In fact, Joe Gibbs Racing's Toyota teams won nine of the past 15 Richmond races.

The track is a three-quarter-mile D-shaped oval.

Rain should not be a problem, but Saturday likely will be hot. The day's high temperature is projected in the mid-90s, well above normal.

What will that take? With Ryan Newman's 15-point penalty on Wednesday, a whopper of a position change. Most likely, Newman now needs to win at Richmond or finish in the top five while McMurray finishes in the last four of 40 cars.

Here are those 40 cars and their drivers.

No. Driver Hometown Brand Owner
1 Jamie
McMurray
Joplin,
Mo.
Chevy Chip Ganassi
Racing
2 Brad
Keselowski
Rochester Hills,
Mich.
Ford Team
Penske
3 Austin
Dillon
Welcome,
N.C.
Chevy Richard Childress
Racing
4 Kevin
Harvick
Bakersfield,
Calif.
Chevy Stewart-Haas
Racing
5 Kasey
Kahne
Enumclaw,
Wash.
Chevy Hendrick
Motorsports
6 Trevor
Bayne
Knoxville,
Tenn.
Ford Roush Fenway
Racing
7 Regan
Smith
Cato,
N.Y.
Chevy Tommy Baldwin
Racing
10 Danica
Patrick
Roscoe,
Ill.
Chevy Stewart-Haas
Racing
11 Denny
Hamlin
Chesterfield,
Va.
Toyota Joe Gibbs
Racing
13 Casey
Mears
Bakersfield,
Calif.
Chevy Germain
Racing
14 Tony
Stewart
Columbus,
Ind.
Chevy Stewart-Haas
Racing
15 Clint
Bowyer
Emporia,
Kans.
Chevy HScott
Motorsports
16 Greg
Biffle
Vancouver,
Wash.
Ford Roush Fenway
Racing
17 Ricky
Stenhouse Jr.
Olive Branch,
Miss.
Ford Roush Fenway
Racing
18 Kyle
Busch
Las Vegas,
Nev.
Toyota Joe Gibbs
Racing
19 Carl
Edwards
Columbia,
Mo.
Toyota Joe Gibbs
Racing
20 Matt
Kenseth
Cambridge,
Wis.
Toyota Joe Gibbs
Racing
21 Ryan
Blaney
High Point,
N.C.
Ford Wood Brothers
Racing
22 Joey
Logano
Middletown,
Conn.
Ford Team
Penske
23 David
Ragan
Unadilla,
Ga.
Toyota BK
Racing
24 Chase
Elliott
Dawsonville,
Ga.
Chevy Hendrick
Motorsports
27 Paul
Menard
Eau Claire,
Wis.
Chevy Richard Childress
Racing
30 Josh
Wise
Riverside,
Calif.
Chevy The Motorsports
Group
31 Ryan
Newman
South Bend,
Ind.
Chevy Richard Childress
Racing
32 Jeffrey
Earnhardt
Mooresville,
N.C.
Ford GO FAS
Racing
34 Chris
Buescher
Prosper,
Texas
Ford Front Row
Motorsports
38 Landon
Cassill
Fairfax,
Iowa
Ford Front Row
Motorsports
41 Kurt
Busch
Las Vegas,
Nev.
Chevy Stewart-Haas
Racing
42 Kyle
Larson
Elk Grove,
Calif.
Chevy Chip Ganassi
Racing
43 Aric
Almirola
Tampa,
Fla.
Ford Richard Petty
Motorsports
44 Brian
Scott
Boise,
Idaho
Ford Richard Petty
Motorsports
46 Michael
Annett
Des Moines,
Iowa
Chevy HScott
Motorsports
47 AJ
Allmendinger
Los Gatos,
Calif.
Chevy JTG Daugherty
Racing
48 Jimmie
Johnson
El Cajon,
Calif.
Chevy Hendrick
Motorsports
55 Reed
Sorenson
Peachtree City,
Ga.
Chevy Premium
Motorsports
78 Martin
Truex Jr
Mayetta,
N.J.
Toyota Furniture Row
Racing
83 Dylan
Lupton
Sacramento,
Calif.
Toyota BK
Racing
88 Jeff
Gordon
Vallejo,
Calif.
Chevy Hendrick
Motorsports
93 Matt
DiBenedetto
Grass Valley,
Calif.
Toyota BK
Racing
95 Michael
McDowell
Glendale,
Ariz.
Chevy Circle Sport-
Leavine Family
98 Cole
Whitt
Alpine,
Calif.
Chevy Premium
Motorsports

Lupton drove one other race this season, starting 38th and finishing 35th at Sonoma.

Ray Slover