SB Nation Atlanta - NASCAR At Richmond: Clint Bowyer Wins, Jeff Gordon Takes Final Chase Spothttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/46601/atlanta-fave.png2012-09-09T09:22:56-04:00http://atlanta.sbnation.com/rss/stream/30549582012-09-09T09:22:56-04:002012-09-09T09:22:56-04:00NASCAR Point Standings: Denny Hamlin Leads The Field
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<p>Denny Hamlin became the new Sprint Cup points leader after re-seeding.</p> <p>Denny Hamlin is the new points leader with four wins at three points apiece. Greg Biffle ended NASCAR's regular season as the Sprint Cup Series points leader. Drivers are seeded by wins first, then second-place finishes, third-place finishes and so on.</p>
<p>But as the checkered flag waved late Saturday night at Richmond International Raceway, NASCAR re-seeded the top 12 drivers and put Biffle in fifth.</p>
<p>Here's a look at the 2012 Chase standings heading into the final 10 races:</p>
<ol>
<li>Denny Hamlin</li>
<li>Jimmie Johnson -3</li>
<li>Tony Stewart -3</li>
<li>Brad Keselowski -3</li>
<li>Greg Biffle -6</li>
<li>Clint Bowyer -6</li>
<li>Dale Earnhardt Jr. -9</li>
<li>Matt Kenseth -9</li>
<li>Kevin Harvick -12</li>
<li>Martin Truex Jr. -12</li>
<li>Kasey Kahne -12</li>
<li>Jeff Gordon -12</li>
</ol>
<p>And here are the point standings before the Chase field was re-seeded:</p>
<ol>
<li>Greg Biffle</li>
<li>Dale Earnhardt Jr. -12</li>
<li>Matt Kenseth -17</li>
<li>Jimmie Johnson -34</li>
<li>Brad Keselowski -46</li>
<li>Martin Truex Jr. -52</li>
<li>Clint Bowyer -56</li>
<li>Denny Hamlin -64</li>
<li>Kevin Harvick -73</li>
<li>Tony Stewart -104</li>
<li>Kasey Kahne -130</li>
<li>Jeff Gordon -137</li>
<li>Kyle Busch -140 (missed Chase by three points)</li>
</ol>
<p><i>Read more on NASCAR at the <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nascar">SB Nation hub page</a>. </i></p>
https://atlanta.sbnation.com/2012/9/9/3304930/nascar-chase-standings-2012Brandon Scott2012-09-09T01:37:22-04:002012-09-09T01:37:22-04:00NASCAR At Richmond: Clint Bowyer Spins And Wins, Jeff Gordon Finishes Second To Claim Wild Card
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<p>Clint Bowyer stretched his last tank of fuel to win the Federated Auto Parts 400, while Jeff Gordon rebounded from an absolutely horrible early stretch of the race to finish second and race his way into the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship.</p>
<p>It is Bowyer's second win of the 2012 campaign, giving him six total bonus points as the Chase opens next week and marks the second multi-win campaign of his career. His victory came despite an early spin thanks to a flat tire caused by contact with Juan Pablo Montoya.</p>
<p>Mark Martin finished third, with Tony Stewart and Matt Kenseth completing the top-five. Stewart, who started 28th, held on to his 10th-place position in the standings and now will share the second seed with fellow three-time winners Brad Keselowski and Jimmie Johnson. </p>
<p>Jeff Burton finished sixth, followed by Brad Keselowski, Ryan Newman, Greg Biffle, and Kevin Harvick.</p>
<p>Kyle Busch finished 16th and wound up missing the Chase by three markers to Gordon. Kasey Kahne, who finished 12th, claimed the first wild card with his two wins earlier this season.</p>
<p>Hamlin dominated the race but had to pit late and finished 18th, keeping him from adding to his bonus point total with a fifth win. He'll still open the Chase as the top seed with 12 total bonus points.</p>
<p>The Chase standings heading to Chicagoland next week, unofficially, are as follows.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>1. Denny Hamlin (4 wins) 2012 points</p>
<p>T2. Jimmie Johnson (3 wins) 2009</p>
<p>T2. Brad Keselowski (3 wins) 2009</p>
<p>T2. Tony Stewart (3 wins) 2009</p>
<p>T5. Greg Biffle (2 wins) 2006</p>
<p>T5. Clint Bowyer (2 wins) 2006</p>
<p>T7. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (1 win) 2003</p>
<p>T7. Matt Kenseth (1 win) 2003</p>
<p>T9. Kevin Harvick 2003</p>
<p>T9. Martin Truex Jr. 2003</p>
<p>T9. Kasey Kahne 2000</p>
<p>T9. Jeff Gordon 2000</p>
https://atlanta.sbnation.com/2012/9/9/3304612/nascar-at-richmond-clint-bowyer-spins-and-wins-jeff-gordon-finishesAaron Rosser2012-09-08T23:58:00-04:002012-09-08T23:58:00-04:00NASCAR At Richmond: Denny Hamlin Leads Toyota 1-2-3 At Halfway In Resumed Federated Auto Parts 400
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<p>Denny Hamlin is where he's been much of the night - sitting out front - at the halfway point in the Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond, but the faces tailing him have changed.</p>
<p>Clint Bowyer currently holds down the second position, followed by teammate Martin Truex Jr. The Michael Waltrip Racing Camrys are both locked into the Chase - the first two of Waltrip's teams to ever qualify for the playoff -and have been consistent enough throughout the summer that they cannot be eliminated from discussion of drivers who could potentially win the championship.</p>
<p>Kasey Kahne runs fourth in his No. 5 Chevrolet and seems certain to make the Chase via the first wild card position, while teammate Jimmie Johnson holds down fifth. Kevin Harvick, Dale Earnhardt Jr. - who either led or ran second to Hamlin for much of the race before sliding back on the most recent restart - Sam Hornish Jr., Tony Stewart, and Brad Keselowski complete the top-five.</p>
<p>Kyle Busch is a frustrated 12th, but he sits well ahead of his rivals for the second and final wild card spot. It will take a disaster such as a blown engine or an accident to deny the Joe Gibbs pilot of a Chase berth. </p>
https://atlanta.sbnation.com/2012/9/8/3304511/nascar-at-richmond-denny-hamlin-leads-toyota-1-2-3-at-halfway-inAaron Rosser2012-09-08T22:54:12-04:002012-09-08T22:54:12-04:00NASCAR At Richmond: Rain Hits Once Again, Race Still Well Shy of Halfway
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<p>With 151 of 400 laps in the Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond International Raceway, rain has hit the track once again and put the event under the red flag.</p>
<p>Denny Hamlin has led a race-high 83 laps and holds the top spot as the cars park on pit road. Dale Earnhardt Jr. is second, followed by Clint Bowyer, Jimmie Johnson, and Kasey Kahne. Martin Truex Jr., Sam Hornish Jr., Mark Martin, Kevin Harvick, and Tony Stewart (all the way from 28th) round out the top-10.</p>
<p>Jeff Gordon is struggling mightily in 26th-place and, barring a miraculous turnaround, is likely to miss the Chase for the Sprint Cup for the second time in the nine-year history of the format. His rival for the wild card Kyle Busch currently sits 11th but had been in the top-10 nearly all night before being displaced shortly before the red flag by Stewart.</p>
<p>With 49 laps still to complete before the race would be official, NASCAR can not end the race if the rain continues. If that winds up being the case, the race will resume tomorrow afternoon. </p>
https://atlanta.sbnation.com/2012/9/8/3304394/nascar-at-richmond-rain-hits-once-again-race-still-well-shy-of-halfwayAaron Rosser2012-09-08T22:27:11-04:002012-09-08T22:27:11-04:00NASCAR At Richmond: Denny Hamlin Leads Just Past Lap 100, Jeff Gordon Struggling
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<p>No, this isn't a repeat of the last two weeks. It is a live update of the Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond International Raceway, and Denny Hamlin is out front once again in his No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota.</p>
<p>Hamlin shows the way at lap 125, ahead of polesitter Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Clint Bowyer. Jimmie Johnson, who would like a win so he could join Hamlin with a share of the top seed for the Chase next week, sits fourth and Martin Truex Jr. rounds out the top-five.</p>
<p>Kevin Harvick, looking for his first win of the 2012 season at the race he got his last win in a year ago. Sam Hornish Jr. runs seventh as he looks to audition for sponsors so Roger Penske could run him in the Sprint Cup Series in 2012. Kasey Kahne, Kyle Busch, and Greg Biffle round out the top-10.</p>
<p>Jeff Gordon is struggling with a poor-handling race car after starting second and leading the first three circuits. He currently runs 18th. His hopes of making the Chase hinged on either winning the race or out-pacing Busch by 12 points. That looks highly unlikely at this juncture.</p>
<p>Rain is approaching the track and could end the race shy of its scheduled 400-lap distance. If the race is past it's 200th lap when the rain hits, NASCAR could make it official. That would be a frustrating way to end the regular season, but that's the risk NASCAR took when it went green this evening rather than waiting until tomorrow afternoon.</p>
https://atlanta.sbnation.com/2012/9/8/3304313/nascar-at-richmond-denny-hamlin-leads-just-past-lap-100-jeff-gordonAaron Rosser2012-09-08T21:58:33-04:002012-09-08T21:58:33-04:00NASCAR At Richmond: Dale Earnhardt Jr. Leads At Lap 45 Competition Caution
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<p>Polesitter Dale Earnhardt Jr. gave up the lead to teammate Jeff Gordon for two brief laps to open the Federated Auto Parts 400, then retook the top spot and held it until NASCAR's competition caution flag at lap 45. </p>
<p>Denny Hamlin, winner of back-to-back races, had closed in on Earnhardt for the lead at the yellow flag. Earnhardt led the race off pit road over Hamlin, Clint Bowyer, Martin Truex Jr., and Jimmie Johnson. Kasey Kahne, chasing Tony Stewart for tenth in the point standings, is sixth, ahead of Kyle Busch, Matt Kenseth, Sam Hornish Jr., Greg Biffle, and Kevin Harvick. </p>
<p>Gordon dropped outside the top-15 as his team attempted to adjust for the ill handling on his No. 24 Chevrolet that had sent him dropping through the top-10 before the yellow. Busch, his chief rival for the wild card, had steadily moved forward from a 15th-place starting position. As Gordon had to win the race or at least beat Busch by 12 points to overhaul him for the final wild card spot, so far, not so good for the four-time champ. </p>
https://atlanta.sbnation.com/2012/9/8/3304217/nascar-at-richmond-dale-earnhardt-jr-leads-at-lap-45-competitionAaron Rosser2012-09-08T21:26:59-04:002012-09-08T21:26:59-04:00NASCAR At Richmond: Engines Fired, Federated Auto Parts 400 About To Get Underway
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<p>For years, the commend for the drivers to fire their cars up - "Gentlemen, start your engines!" - has long been referred to as "the four-most famous words in motorsports." Tonight, after a day of watching the weather and wondering if there would be racing at the Richmond International Raceway, they are also the most beautiful words in motorsports.</p>
<p>The engines are fired and the Federated Auto Parts 400 is now moments from its green flag and the beginning of the last 400 laps of the 2012 Sprint Cup regular season. A bevy of storylines, from the fight for the last wild card spot to Denny Hamlin's bid for a third-straight victory to Kevin Harvick and Martin Truex Jr.'s pursuit of their first wins of 2012, make this one of the most intriguing races of the 2012 campaign. It's only right that the race get underway under the lights, as it was supposed to be all along, rather than waiting til tomorrow afternoon and competing under the sunshine.</p>
https://atlanta.sbnation.com/2012/9/8/3304150/nascar-at-richmond-engines-fired-federated-auto-parts-400-about-toAaron Rosser2012-09-08T20:59:55-04:002012-09-08T20:59:55-04:00NASCAR At Richmond: Track Drying, Racing Soon Hopefully
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<p>The Richmond International Raceway is drying nicely and driver intros the Federated Auto Parts 400 are underway. NASCAR is hopeful that they can get the race started shortly after 9 p.m.</p>
<p>With 400 laps remaining in the regular season, most of the lead up for tonight's race has focused on the battle for the wild card. The drivers already set in the top-10 can not be ignored, however, as they go for three more bonus points for the start of the Chase.</p>
<p>Four-time winner Denny Hamlin will start no worse than in a tie for the top seed next Sunday at Chicagoland Speedway. A fifth win tonight will give him 15 bonus points to open the 10-race playoff, while if he holds stagnant and none of the three-time race winners - Jimmie Johnson, Brad Keselowski, and Tony Stewart - get into victory lane, he'll have 12.</p>
<p>In addition to those drivers looking for the top seed, Kevin Harvick and Martin Truex Jr. will be looking for their first wins of the season to make sure they don't open the Chase with zero points like the two wild card drivers.</p>
https://atlanta.sbnation.com/2012/9/8/3304112/nascar-at-richmond-track-drying-racing-soon-hopefullyAaron Rosser