“The Road To Richmond” Runs Through Tennessee Saturday Night

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In: NASCAR Cup Series News

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series moves into Tennessee this weekend with plenty of drama building in the race for the final two “Wild Card” spots. Following this weekend’s event in Tennessee, there will only be one race before “The Road to Richmond” culminates atRichmond International Raceway on Saturday, September 8, with the Federated Auto Parts 400—“One Last Race to Make The Chase.”

Kasey Kahne (two wins) and Ryan Newman (one win) have a hold on the two “Wild Card” spots heading into the weekend. A victory for Carl Edwards would knock Newman out of the “Wild Card” spot; moreover, a win by Jeff Gordon, Kyle Busch, Marcos Ambrose or Joey Logano could also potentially do the job. Each of those drivers have one win on the season.

Here are some “Wild Card” hopefuls with previous success at Bristol Motor Speedway to watch this weekend:

Kyle Busch                          Busch has dropped to 14th in points, but his early season win at Richmond is keeping his “Wild Card” dreams alive. Busch is always a favorite to win at Bristol with five career wins and seven top-fives. He enters this weekend with the series -best driver rating of 102.3.

Jeff Gordon                       Like Busch, Gordon is no stranger to victory lane at Bristol. Gordon comes in with five career wins, 15 top-fives, and 21 top-tens. This weekend he has the third-best driver rating of 99.8 and the series-best average running position of 9.6.

Carl Edwards                      Edwards finds himself sitting 12th in points, but his winless season has him in jeopardy of missing the cut for the 12-driver chase. He was two career wins at Bristol along with two pole awards and four top five finishes. Edwards will take his 11th-best driver rating of 88.9, and try to capture his first win of the season.

Expect these drivers to be in the thick of the “Wild Card” hunt as “The Road to Richmond” ends at Richmond International Raceway on Saturday, September 8, for the Federated Auto Parts 400 “One Last Race to Make The Chase.” Once the checkered flag flies, the field will be set for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Only those in the top 10 and two “Wild Card” drivers will be eligible for the championship over the final 10 races of the season.

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Speedway Digest Staff
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