The famous Civil War battlefields near the Richmond International Raceway didn’t have much less debris than the 400-lap NASCAR race.
Kevin Harvick held off Carl Edwards for his fourth win of the year, while Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Denny Hamlin fixed and drove their damaged car. They finished high enough to earn spots in the Chase.
Tony Stewart – who was on the top 10 bubble – finished seventh without incident and made the Chase.
After the last caution Harvick (Chevrolet) blasted out of the pits to beat his rivals out of pit lane and took the win. Edwards’ Ford just ran out of laps to close the deal.
“To be in control of the last restart was important”, Harvick said. “I struggled, so my strategy was to just park the car on the inside and hold on”, he added. It was his fourth win of the year, tying him with Kyle Busch, who finished fourth.
Edwards was sorry not to be able to do any better.
“I felt like we had the car to win, and with another lap or two, we would have been all over Harvick”, explained Edwards.
With the points being reset for the Chase, Kyle Busch and Harvick – thanks to bonus points –lead the way with 2,012.
Jeff Gordon, who had been leading before the final yellow flag finished third. When the Chase begins next week, his three wins give him nine bonus points, for a total of 2,009.
In the first half of the race there were 10 cautions including one 13-car wreck on lap eight. The total of 15 cautions tied a record at the three-quarter mile oval.
Earnhardt Jr. was one of the drivers caught up in the big accident but his crew didn’t give up on him and he finished 16th which granted him a spot for the Chase.
The remaining drivers to make the cut for the Chase are: Matt Kenseth (4th), Carl Edwards (5th), Jimmie Johnson (6th), Kurt Busch (7th), Ryan Newman (8th), Tony Stewart (9th), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (10th), Brad Keselowski (11th) and Denny Hamlin (12th).
The ongoing battle between two champions, Jimmie Johnson and Kurt Busch got a bit uglier as a result of two incidents in the race. Busch locked his brakes in a turn which caused a wreck. After which Johnson's car needed serious repairs. The two drivers exchanged words afterwards.
But Busch fired the first shot. “I know we're in his head”, he said. Johnson, the five-champion responded soon after. “Sure I'll go find him and talk to him and he'll go run his mouth.''
Kevin Harvick held off Carl Edwards for his fourth win of the year, while Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Denny Hamlin fixed and drove their damaged car. They finished high enough to earn spots in the Chase.
Tony Stewart – who was on the top 10 bubble – finished seventh without incident and made the Chase.
After the last caution Harvick (Chevrolet) blasted out of the pits to beat his rivals out of pit lane and took the win. Edwards’ Ford just ran out of laps to close the deal.
“To be in control of the last restart was important”, Harvick said. “I struggled, so my strategy was to just park the car on the inside and hold on”, he added. It was his fourth win of the year, tying him with Kyle Busch, who finished fourth.
Edwards was sorry not to be able to do any better.
“I felt like we had the car to win, and with another lap or two, we would have been all over Harvick”, explained Edwards.
With the points being reset for the Chase, Kyle Busch and Harvick – thanks to bonus points –lead the way with 2,012.
Jeff Gordon, who had been leading before the final yellow flag finished third. When the Chase begins next week, his three wins give him nine bonus points, for a total of 2,009.
In the first half of the race there were 10 cautions including one 13-car wreck on lap eight. The total of 15 cautions tied a record at the three-quarter mile oval.
Earnhardt Jr. was one of the drivers caught up in the big accident but his crew didn’t give up on him and he finished 16th which granted him a spot for the Chase.
The remaining drivers to make the cut for the Chase are: Matt Kenseth (4th), Carl Edwards (5th), Jimmie Johnson (6th), Kurt Busch (7th), Ryan Newman (8th), Tony Stewart (9th), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (10th), Brad Keselowski (11th) and Denny Hamlin (12th).
The ongoing battle between two champions, Jimmie Johnson and Kurt Busch got a bit uglier as a result of two incidents in the race. Busch locked his brakes in a turn which caused a wreck. After which Johnson's car needed serious repairs. The two drivers exchanged words afterwards.
But Busch fired the first shot. “I know we're in his head”, he said. Johnson, the five-champion responded soon after. “Sure I'll go find him and talk to him and he'll go run his mouth.''