Matt Kenseth dominates Richmond; final Chase spots taken

Matt Kenseth dominated the Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond on Saturday evening, leading 351 of 400 laps in the #20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota en route to his fourth win of the season. Kenseth's win was not without controversy, as he was accused of jumping the final restart on lap 380 by several car lengths, a move for which he was not penalized. This happened as Aric Almirola was trying to take his #43 Richard Petty Motorsports Ford to an upset win for his second straight Chade berth, but on the restart Almirola was shuffled back several positions. During an earlier restart, Kenseth's teammate Kyle Busch (#18), driving alongside third Gibbs driver Denny Hamlin (#11), evidently made a move to switch lanes (top to bottom) prior to the designated restart line. Almirola ultimately finished fourth. Aside from the restart controversy, much of the race was uneventful; there were several debris cautions, one of which featured an incident in which Michael McDowell hit a safety truck with his #95 Ford, damaging both vehicles. Chevrolet drivers Martin Truex Jr. (#78), already in the Chase, and Michael Annett (#46) both hit the wall early as well.

This was the regular-season finale for the Sprint Cup Series, as the Chase for the Sprint Cup begins next Sunday at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Illinois. Claiming the last-minute spots on points were Jamie McMurray (#1), who clinched by taking the green flag; Jeff Gordon (#24) in his final season of competition; Clint Bowyer (#15) trying to take Michael Waltrip Racing out with a bang; Ryan Newman (#31) and his teammate Paul Menard (#27). This is McMurray and Menard's first-ever Chase appearance. Eliminated from Chase contention after the race were Almirola, Kyle Larson (#42), Austin Dillon (#3), Casey Mears (#13), Kasey Kahne (#5), Tony Stewart (#14), Danica Patrick (#10) and A.J. Allmendinger (#47) along with various others who were mathematically eliminated prior to this weekend. Kenseth's race win moved him up to third on the Chase Grid, tying him with Jimmie Johnson (#48) and Kyle Busch for four wins apiece. Race polesitter Joey Logano (#22) finished third and moved down to fourth on the Chase Grid.

The first of four Chase rounds, the Challenger round, begins next Sunday with the MyAFibRisk.com 400 at Chicagoland. Four drivers will be eliminated every three rounds, until there are four drivers left in the Championship Round at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 22 to battle for the championship.

Race Results:

1. (2) 20-Matt Kenseth - Toyota - 400 laps, led 351 laps
2. (4) 18-Kyle Busch - Toyota - 400 laps, led 9 laps
3. (1) 22-Joey Logano - Ford - 400 laps, led 25 laps
4. (24) 43-Aric Almirola - Ford - 400 laps
5. (29) 88-Dale Earnhardt Jr. - Chevrolet - 400 laps
6. (25) 11-Denny Hamlin - Toyota - 400 laps, led 14 laps
7. (23) 24-Jeff Gordon - Chevrolet - 400 laps
8. (3) 2-Brad Keselowski - Ford - 400 laps
9. (9) 48-Jimmie Johnson - Chevrolet - 400 laps
10. (26) 15-Clint Bowyer - Toyota - 400 laps