It was a wreckfest, a day full of surprises, and possibly a little payback at Richmond.  After the dust settled, the top 12 coming in were still the top 12.  Nobody got in and nobody fell out.  That doesn't mean there was a lack of excitement at this little track though.  From the drop of the green flag to the checkered flag, this was an action-packed day in every sense.

As Kyle Busch led the field down for the green flag, 2 drivers behind him clinched their spots in the Chase, Greg Biffle and Kevin Harvick.  Kyle Busch led the first 29 laps before Kevin Harvick passed him.  Happy looked strong early on.  Because of all the rain, NASCAR decided to throw a competition yellow on lap 35 just as things were heating up for the lead.  Jeff Gordon got himself 5 bonus points under the caution by virtue of a 2-tire stop...and lost the lead as soon as the field restarted.  Harvick got the lead back and was once again in cruise control.  Meanwhile his teammate Clint Bowyer is running solidly in the top 15 doing what he has to in order to keep that final Chase spot.

The Spring dominator Denny Hamlin gets the lead away from Harvick, but as was the case in the first 35 laps, Dale Jr. ran both of them down, and this time got the lead away from Hamlin.  All day it seemed like the light bulb came on for the 88 after about 30 laps.  Then comes the first caution for an on-track incident when Johnny Sauter shows us the proper way to pancake a car on lap 96.  You all know the famous line "cautions breed cautions," and this was the perfect example around lap 100.

Dale Jr. wins the race off pit road, leads the field down for the restart on lap 102, only to lead them right back to the bumper of the pace car on lap 103 when Michael Waltrip goes around.  He again leads the field back to green on lap 108...aaaand back under caution on lap 115 when Greg Biffle smacks the wall in turn 2.  Thank goodness Biffle locked himself in by starting.  Let's try this again, restart on lap 119...and another caution on lap 123.  This time it's another couple of Roush cars, as David Ragan and Matt Kenseth spin into the wall in turn 2 in nearly the exact same spot as their teammate Biffle just a few laps earlier.  Kenseth would have a miserable day, but still made it into the Chase.  Ragan finished on the lead lap and tried like hell, but the damage was too much in the end.

About lap 150, Kyle Busch starts complaining that his throttle is sticking...wrong problem to have at Richmond!  Meanwhile Kasey Kahne is trying to fight his way to the front, but to no avail as he's barely hanging on to a spot in the top 20.  Shortly thereafter, Juan Montoya smacks the wall in turn 2, drawing a caution, and Elliott Sadler somehow loses control when he goes down low on the track to avoid Montoya.  Kenseth stays out to lead a lap, then comes into the pits for tires and more repairs.  After the restart, Harvick gets around Earnhardt Jr. to move back into the lead.  Meanwhile, Matt Kenseth is black flagged because he's hanging out...I mean he's got parts hanging out the back of the car.  Once again Earnhardt Jr. gets around Harvick after the tires get a few laps on them.  However, it's short lived as the 18 gets by both of them just before the halfway mark.  But just as these guys are starting to have some exciting battles for the lead, another rash of cautions occurs.

Lap 201 brings out another caution when 2 other Juniors, Hornish and Truex get together.  This time it's turn 4 where the 2 go through the spin cycle.  Mark Martin stays out to lead a lap, then hits pit road, giving Shrub the lead back.  The field restarts on lap 208 with Kyle Busch leading Dale Earnhardt Jr.  FLASHBACK: There were just a few laps remaining in the Spring race here when Kyle Busch drove his car into turn 3 harder than it could go, lost control, and spun out Dale Jr. who was leading the race at the time.  Shrub blamed Dale Jr. for the accident and took no blame whatsoever.  However, replays showed Shrub turning the car to the right after the 88 was already starting to spin.

Fast forward to this afternoon's race on lap 211.  Earnhardt Jr. dives inside of Kyle Busch entering turn 1.  Busch comes down the track, and as it seems both drivers are gunning for the same piece of real estate, Busch gets tagged and around he goes, backing it into the outside wall in a role reversal of the race here in May.  You could consider it payback, and I certainly would, although I wouldn't exactly blame the 88 for the incident or the 18 for coming down.  Thos who want to blame Dale Jr. for being a dirty driver can watch the replay and see that the 88 held his line and did NOT turn the car to the RIGHT like Busch did back in the Spring!  As a result of the spin and numerous repairs on pit road, the 18 is a lap down in 38th position.

Jr. brings the field down for the restart on lap 216, but just 10 laps later Elliott Sadler spins out again compliments of a flat tire.  Denny Hamlin comes down pit road along with a handful of other lead lap cars.  The guys up front stay out though.  Lap 232 brings another restart, and shortly after it's Tony Stewart grabbing the lead for the first time in the race.  Just a few laps later, the 18 spins again in turn 2 after contact from the 19...bad day for both Shrub and Sadler!  Hamlin comes back down pit road for a 2-tire change along with the rest of the leaders while the guys who pitted with the 11 under the previous caution stay out on the race track.

Among the 14 drivers who stayed out was David Ragan, who restarts 8th and is currently IN the Chase with a mangled front end.  Bowyer is OUT of the Chase at this point.  Now, jot this date down in history folks, because you may never see this again.  David Reutimann leads the field down for the restart, and as they run at this point, all 3 MWR cars are in the top 5, with Waltrip & McDowell in 4th and 5th respectively.  The 00 & 55 start falling back though as expected, as does Ragan unfortunately.  Reutimann, however, sets sail on the field.

With 102 laps to go, the 83 smacks the wall thanks to a flat tire.  Reutimann wins the race off pit road while the 83 is black flagged and held on pit road for 2 laps as NASCAR felt he pulled a Hamlin, stopping on the track to draw the caution when he could've maintained speed.  The green flag waves with 96 laps to go, but again, as was the case all day, trouble happens just 10 laps later...cautions breed cautions.  If you're keeping track, this next yellow on lap 314 is #12 on the day.  This time, Calamity Corner strikes again, as Bobby Labonte gets loose in turn 2, and Carl Edwards & Bill Elliott get together on the bottom trying to avoid the spinning 43.  That's 4 Roushketeers with problems on the day, and McMurray was...well..McMurray, finishing an ever-so-solid 29th.  Today, the Roushketeers were filled with Roush-ka-tears thanks to a dismal showing as turn 2 collected 4 of them.

By this time, Bowyer is back into the Chase thanks to making his way back towards the front and Ragan dropping like a rock with the damaged AAA machine.  Reutimann leads the field down for the restart, and leads another 29 laps before Stewart finally takes the lead with 51 laps to go.  Scott Riggs spins with 42 laps to go, leading to the final pit stop of the day.  Jimmie Johnson beats Tony Stewart off pit road, but Truex takes 2 tires and wins the race out of the pits...that lasts a whole 3 laps before Johnson grabs the lead.  A couple laps later is caution #14, the final caution of the day, thanks to Carpentier and Menard spinning in...you'll never guess...yep, turn 2 again!  Johnson leads the field down for what would be the final restart.

In the end, it was Johnson winning his 2nd in a row and holding off the other home improvement machine of Tony Stewart.  Clint Bowyer finishes ahead of David Ragan, and locks himself into the Chase.  So here's how the top 12 are reset for the 10-race Chase for the Cup which kicks off next week in Loudon, my favorite track.

1. Kyle Busch - 5080
2. Carl Edwards - 5050
3. Jimmie Johnson - 5040
4. Dale Earnhardt Jr. - 5010
5. Clint Bowyer - 5010 (+7)
6. Denny Hamlin - 5010 (+5)
7. Jeff Burton - 5010 (-2)
8. Tony Stewart - 5000
9. Greg Biffle - 5000 (-3)
10. Jeff Gordon - 5000
11. Kevin Harvick - 5000 (-4)
12. Matt Kenseth - 5000 (-3)

So our 5 Winless Chasers remain winless after the regular season comes to an end, but all 5 do still make the Chase, and will start 8-12 in NASCAR's playoffs respectively.  Don't miss the kickoff of the Chase for the Cup next Sunday in New Hampshire.  Until then, I'm your NASCAR VP saying NICE PAYBACK, JUNIOR!

BK over and out