Richmond NASCAR: Brad Keselowski dominates as 2014 Chase field set
Brad Keselowski dominated at Richmond to take his fourth win of the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup season as Ryan Newman and Greg Biffle clinched the final spots in the Chase
Chase outsider Clint Bowyer finished third behind Jeff Gordon after a determined drive in which he ran as high as second in pursuit of the win he needed to claim one of the remaining shootout places.
It was not enough for the Michael Waltrip Racing driver, and Newman and Biffle officially secured their own places in the Chase thanks to their superior points tallies.
Keselowski led 383 of the 400 laps from pole position, though he did have some competition.
Kevin Harvick closed on the 2012 Cup champion by running a high line early on and took the lead on lap 43.
Officials threw a competition caution after 50 laps to allow the teams to check tyre wear after rain had hit the track earlier on Saturday.
Keselowski reclaimed the lead in the pitstops and pulled away once more prior to being reeled in again by Harvick.
Gordon and Bowyer also closed on the leader before Matt Kenseth brought out the second caution with the only crash of the race.
The #20 Toyota speared into the wall after Kenseth lost the rear of the car while running the perilous high line on lap 120.
Keselowski would not lose the lead again as Harvick and Bowyer had slow stops, allowing Gordon to move into second.
Harvick complained bitterly about the handling of his Stewart-Haas Chevrolet thereafter and eventually faded to fifth, behind Jamie McMurray - another driver desperately seeking a first win that would seal a Chase position.
He made good ground early on, gaining seven places from 15th on the grid in the first 20 laps, but his progress then slowed.
Biffle endured a difficult race that saw him lapped by Keselowski on lap 204 and he had an anxious wait to see if Bowyer would beat him to the final Chase place. He ultimately finished 19th and claimed the spot by just seven points, while ninth sufficed for Newman.
After a long run of 131 laps the third caution came out for more debris on the track. The field had all pitted during the uninterrupted run and the order settled down.
Bowyer seized second on the restart as Keselowski pulled out his lead once more.
Gordon moved back into second on lap 315 before the final caution was thrown 24 laps later due to a spectator attempting to climb the Turn 4 catch fence.
Keselowski pulled away in the final run to the flag as he took Team Penske's 400th victory across all forms of competition and claimed the top seed heading into the 10-race Chase for this season's championship.
Results - 400 laps:
Pos Driver Team/Car Time/Gap
1. Brad Keselowski Penske Ford 2h51m55.000s
2. Jeff Gordon Hendrick Chevrolet +0.797s
3. Clint Bowyer Waltrip Toyota +6.512s
4. Jamie McMurray Ganassi Chevrolet +8.538s
5. Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Chevrolet +8.757s
6. Joey Logano Penske Ford +11.246s
7. Kurt Busch Stewart-Haas Chevrolet +12.368s
8. Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Chevrolet +12.911s
9. Ryan Newman Childress Chevrolet +14.266s
10. Aric Almirola Petty Ford +16.439s
11. Kyle Larson Ganassi Chevrolet +16.956s
12. Dale Earnhardt Jr Hendrick Chevrolet +17.426s
13. Brian Vickers Waltrip Toyota +17.579s
14. Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Toyota +18.984s
15. Tony Stewart Stewart-Haas Chevrolet +19.222s
16. Danica Patrick Stewart-Haas Chevrolet +22.454s
17. Kasey Kahne Hendrick Chevrolet -1 lap
18. Paul Menard Childress Chevrolet -1 lap
19. Greg Biffle Roush Fenway Ford -2 laps
20. Austin Dillon Childress Chevrolet -2 laps
21. Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Toyota -2 laps
22. Carl Edwards Roush Fenway Ford -4 laps
23. AJ Allmendinger JTG Daugherty Chevrolet -4 laps
24. Reed Sorenson Baldwin Chevrolet -4 laps
25. Martin Truex Jr Furniture Row Chevrolet -4 laps
26. Ricky Stenhouse Jr Roush Fenway Ford -4 laps
27. Marcos Ambrose Petty Ford -5 laps
28. Justin Allgaier HScott Chevrolet -5 laps
29. David Gilliland Front Row Ford -5 laps
30. Cole Whitt BK Toyota -6 laps
31. Casey Mears Germain Chevrolet -6 laps
32. Josh Wise Parsons Chevrolet -6 laps
33. David Ragan Front Row Ford -6 laps
34. Landon Cassill Hillman Chevrolet -6 laps
35. Mike Bliss Baldwin Chevrolet -6 laps
36. David Stremme Circle Sport Chevrolet -8 laps
37. Michael Annett Baldwin Chevrolet -8 laps
38. Alex Bowman BK Toyota -9 laps
39. Travis Kvapil FAS Lane Ford -9 laps
40. Joe Nemechek NEMCO Toyota -12 laps
41. Matt Kenseth Joe Gibbs Toyota -70 laps
42. Ryan Truex BK Toyota -87 laps
Retirements:
JJ Yeley BK Toyota 31 laps
2014 Chase line-up Brad Keselowski Penske Ford 4 wins Jeff Gordon Hendrick Chevrolet 3 wins Dale Earnhardt Jr Hendrick Chevrolet 3 wins Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Chevrolet 3 wins Joey Logano Penske Ford 3 wins Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Chevrolet 2 wins Carl Edwards Roush Fenway Ford 2 wins Kasey Kahne Hendrick Chevrolet 1 win Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Toyota 1 win Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Toyota 1 win Kurt Busch Stewart-Haas Chevrolet 1 win Aric Almirola Petty Ford 1 win AJ Allmendinger JTG Daugherty Chevrolet 1 win Matt Kenseth Joe Gibbs Toyota Points Ryan Newman Childress Chevrolet Points Greg Biffle Roush Fenway Ford Points
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