Bowyer confident of making Chase

The Richard Childress Racing driver is currently 'on the bubble' in the standing, as he lies twelfth heading into Saturday's race, where the championship contenders will be set for the series' 'playoff'.

Bowyer claims he won't approach the race any different despite his position in the points and says he will simply try to go out and win at Richmond for a second time this year.

"I think we can go and try to win the race and as you do every week and let the rest take care of itself," said Bowyer. "But I mean obviously anything can happen in these races. I mean, if one of those guys were to slip up and have a little bit of trouble, you know, maybe it causes you to do something a little different.

"Typically in the past, if we had tried to play conservative or do whatever, we end up just getting ourselves in trouble. We just go out and race as hard as we can and race to win the race, just like always, and we should be just fine."

The 29-year-old made the Chase last year and was the season's revelation, winning the first of the final ten races at Loudon and eventually coming third in the championship behind the Hendrick duo of Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon.

He says going back to Richmond will be a big boost for him as he tries to fend off the challenge for his place in the Chase against David Ragan and Kasey Kahne. He says he arrives at Richmond in much better shape that he had anticipated.

"I think it's a big confidence boost," said Bowyer about returning to the site of his only win of the season. "Going into California, I was worried about California. That's a track where we haven't been running the best.

"Those are the types of tracks we have been struggling at, and I was prepared to give up a little bit to the 6 and the 9 and end up just didn't give up much at all to the 9 and none to the 6.

"I had already had my mind-set made up that it was going to be okay to go into Richmond behind and have to make it up. Now we've just got to conserve what we've got and keep it."

If Bowyer secures his place in the Chase on Saturday, all RCR drivers will be among the championship contenders in the final ten races for the second year in a row.