The sun finalized its descent on Richmond, Va. last night and 43 of the greatest drivers in the world climbed into the seats for 400 laps at Richmond for the Chevy Rock and Roll 400.
This was my sevnenth trip south to Richmond International Raceway, the three quarter mile track that gives fans the close racing of a short track, but with speeds that suggest the one mile and mile and a half speedways.
Saturday was the last chance for drivers to make The Chase for the Sprint Cup, and their effort in Richmond didn't disappoint.
The Virginia crowd had a lot to celebrate at the end of this one last night, as Virginia native Denny Hamlin smoked the competition, leading nearly three-fourths of the 400 circuits around RIR.
There was no denying how bad Hamlin wanted to win in Virginia. The only other car that had anything for him at any point last night was the 24 of Jeff Gordon. But with flawless pit stops, Hamlin was at the top of the leader board all night. And when lap four hundred went up, the number 11 was still on top.
The great fans in Virginia were loving a Virginian owning the night in Richmond. They didn't mind Hamlin's nearly full-track burnout either.
As for the chase, the big surprise last night was Brian Vickers racing his way to a seventh place finish and making the chase for the Red Bull Racing team in just its third year. On the outside looking in was Kyle Busch and maybe more surprisingly Matt Kenseth, who has made the Chase every year since its inception in 2004.
Another issue a night in Richmond, Va. helped put to rest was the rumors that our sport is going down hill. I was at the Spring race and the fall Race in Richmond, and even with a 10 percent unemployment rate, 100,000 strong still came out last night. So to this, as with any other ignorant comment made about NASCAR and its loyal fans, we can still reply with "Say what you want, we can't hear you!" Race On!!!
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