Hamlin Wins and the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup is Set

Going into the Chevy Rock & Roll 400 race Saturday night at Richmond, three guys were just points away from each other for the final spot for the chase. Matt Kenseth held the 12th position going into the race by just 20 points over Vickers and 37 points over Kyle Busch.

Kenseth did not have the race he was hoping for. He struggled the whole race and finished 25th in the race. This opened the door for Vickers and Busch.

Busch has won four races so far this year and finished 5th in the Saturday night race at Richmond. Still he would miss the chase for the Sprint Cup by eight points.

Vickers would finish two spots behind Busch in the 7th position, but it was good enough for him to end up with the final spot for the chase. After finishing 19th in the points in 2008, Vickers is set to have his best finish in NASCAR standings.

After the chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup is set and the race for the title is on the points standings are adjusted based on how many wins each driver in the chase has for the year. This means all of the points the top twelve drivers have earned so far during the year are out the window and a new points standing now exist.

Leading the points going into the first race of the chase is Mark Martin. By winning four races this season, Martin jumped nine positions to take the points lead.

Tony Stewart and Jimmy Johnson each won three races this year. They are now respectively second and third in points now just 10 points behind Martin.

Winning two races each, Denny Hamlin and Kasey Kahne are 20 points behind in fourth and fifth. Hamlin won his second race of the season at his home track Richmond on Saturday. Kahne won the race at Atlanta last Sunday.

Three drivers are now 30 points behind points leader Martin. Jeff Gordon, Kurt Busch and Brian Vickers have each won one race so far this year. Vickers jumped from 13th in points at the start of the race to now being 8th in points due to winning at Michigan earlier in August.

The rest of those that are in the race for the title have not won any races in 2009 and are 40 points back. Carl Edwards, Ryan Newman, Juan Pablo Montoya and Greg Biffle round out the 12 in the chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup title.