Saturday night at Richmond International Raceway, the 10 drivers who will compete in NASCAR’s third Chase for the Nextel Cup were decided.
Much to everyone’s shock, last year’s champion Tony Stewart, driver of the No. 20 Home Depot car, was left out of the Chase, missing it by only 16 points.
Stewart, a two-time Nextel Cup champion, had his troubles begin early in the weekend.
He crashed his primary car early in the final practice, having to go to a backup car that was not as good as his primary car.
He then qualified for the Chevy Rock and Roll 400 in 40th place, and a throttle problem late in the race caused him to finish in 18th and falling just short of making the 10-car Chase for the Cup.
The 10 drivers who did make the Chase for the Cup will begin competing for the championship this Sunday in Loudon, N.H.
It is expected to be a race to the finish, with the championship being anyone’s to win.
Current points leader Matt Kenseth will be a force to be reckoned with.
He won the championship in 2003 and currently is tied for the most wins this year with five victories.
Behind him in second place is Jimmie Johnson, easily a favorite to win the championship too.
Johnson has finished runner up in the point standings two of the last three years and is determined to not finish second again this year.
After winning the two biggest races of the year, the Daytona 500 and the Brickyard 400, Johnson is the guy everyone will be trying to beat.
Third place Kevin Harvick is attempting to complete a feat no one has ever completed.
He is attempting to win the Cup and Busch series championships in the same year.
With two victories in the past month, he is gearing up to go after the championship as well, with his first appearance in the Chase.
The fourth and fifth place drivers in the points are two of NASCAR’s brightest young stars and are also making their first appearance in the Chase.
Kyle Busch, only 21 years old, sits fourth in the points, while rookie driver Denny Hamlin, 26, is in fifth place.
Should Busch win the championship, he would be the youngest to ever.
Fan favorite and son of a racing legend, Dale Earnhardt Jr. is making a return to the Chase this year, sitting in sixth place in the points.
Last year, Earnhardt finished a disappointing 19th in the standings and now returns to the Chase this year to have a much better season.
Veteran Mark Martin sits seventh in the point standings, looking to win the championship in what could possibly be his final season before retirement.
In 19 seasons in the Nextel Cup series, he has finished second in the points three times, never getting a championship.
Other veteran driver, Jeff Burton, is making his first appearance in the Chase for the Cup.
He sits seventh in the points and expects to be a threat with his consistent top 10 finishes.
The other fan favorite, Jeff Gordon, also makes a return appearance to the Chase, after finishing 11th last season.
The four-time champion sits ninth in the point standings, just barely making the Chase after a 31st place finish in Saturday’s race, but he is always considered a real threat to take home his fifth championship.
The last driver to make the Chase is Kasey Kahne, who is also tied for the most wins this season with five.
He made it in just barely, jumping from 11th to 10th following Saturday’s race at Richmond.
The 10 drivers in the Chase are separated by increments of only five points now that the Chase is starting, with second place Jimmie Johnson being five points behind leader Kenseth and 10th place Kasey Kahne only 45 points behind Kenseth.
The 10 drivers will begin the 10-race playoff competing for the championship this Sunday.