iNSIDE SCOOP: Crunch Time

When the lights go down Saturday night (or Sunday morning as the case may be) at Richmond, we’ll know a couple of things.

We’ll know if the defending champion will be able to defend his crown (he won’t, too far back) and how the 2014 season is likely to shape up, or at least the offseason.

Already, we’re moving toward a big turnover in the driver ranks. We’ve had at least one crew chief move. Teams not in or close to the Chase are revamping.

The scorecard:

Kevin Harvick and Budweiser go from RCR to Stewart-Haas, with Rodney Childers in as crew chief. Kurt Busch moves from Furniture Row to a new car at SHR. Ryan Newman moves on, likely to the No. 31 CAT Chevy for RCR. Matt Borland might or might not go with him.

Jeff Burton stepped out of the No. 31 due to partial funding. He’ll wind up in the TV booth or on the ballot somewhere.

Juan Pablo Montoya is out of the No. 42 and likely into the No. 78 at FRR. Kyle Larson is his replacement. 

David Stremme got the bus-chuck from Swan Racing today, apparently without his knowledge. Cole Whitt is in the No. 30 for four races, and up to two more drivers will be filling the remaining six. 

Reed Sorenson takes over the No. 95 Ford at Leavine Family Racing for the rest of the season, replacing Scott Speed. 

There are other moves being plotted and carried out, you may be sure.

Hendrick, Gibbs and Roush all stand pat, at least for now.

The Chase has not started yet.

Jeff Gordon is 50-50 to make it in. So is Newman. Kurt Busch is hanging by the thinnest of margins in the top 10, and Greg Biffle and Joey Logano are slightly better off, but still too close for comfort.

Gordon is six points out of the top 10, and Newman is five points behind Martin Truex Jr. for the second wild-card. This is going to be pressure-packed, isn’t it?

Realistically, Logano and Biffle make it in, so does Dale Jr. Winless Kurt Busch has to finish well or he is done. Ditto Gordon, who doesn’t have a victory to fall back on either. Newman needs to out-point Truex Jr. and hope for some help from the others involved. 

Keselowski is done, and I mean stick-a-fork-in-him done. Come to think of it, he hasn’t hit a lick since NASCAR gave his car the full proctological exam back at Texas. Of course, they did the same thing to Logano, and he’s on the cusp of the Chase.

It isn’t that Kes forgot how to drive or has backed off. Something is amiss in the Blue Deuce pit, and darned if I know what it is.

He doesn’t either, or it would have been fixed by now. 

Well, tomorrow night will set the field for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Can’t wait to see how it turns out!