iNSIDE SCOOP: Wild Time in Strawberry Hill

RICHMOND, Va. – Not that Richmond International Raceway isn’t one of the racier tracks on the circuit, but tomorrow’s Federated Auto Parts 400 here is primed to go down in history as perhaps the most ruthless.

“I expect some pretty ruthless racing if a guy has an opportunity,” said defending race champ Carl Edwards. “I think you’re going to see that not just here but at the third race of the Chase, the sixth and the ninth race and definitely in Homestead.

“NASCAR has done a good job of putting us in a position where a lot can depend on one pass, one lap, on restart. Everything can depend on that and I think for us as drivers sometimes that is frustrating, but it will definitely create some excitement.”

Methinks Cousin Carl has a flair of understatement.

Long story short, if any one of the guys on the outside of the Chase tomorrow night has a chance to win the race, it’s going to be one of those nights where you just don’t have enough speedy dry to go around. If it comes down to it, you’ll see a driver crash another to get to the finish line for it.

“If you start knocking cars out of the way from sixth up to the lead, I wouldn’t say that’s acceptable,” said Greg Biffle, one of those guys who is nominally in the Chase but not really in, not yet. “I wouldn’t say that is acceptable but people are going to race hard for the win. We’ve seen the 18 take out the 88, probably not on purpose, but we have seen a lot of stuff happen. 

“You’ll try to do the bump and run, or try to move a guy out of the way, but you still have to keep it within reason.”

Ryan Newman is like Biffle, nominally in but not quite. He’s concerned about how wild it’s going to be in the closing laps.

“I think it’s a concern,” he said. “I would be naïve if I said it wasn’t. But I think after what happened last year, the magnifying glasses are getting a little bit tighter than they used to be and that we’ll have a good race that will be good for our sport to not have what happened last year in any form or fashion happen this year.”

Get all that? 

Newman was asked how he was going to handle the tension of the race on Saturday.

“I’m going to go see my palm reader tonight and just kind of get a forecast of what I’ve got going on tomorrow and see what laps the cautions are going to be and make sure we stay away from those windows so we don’t pit under green and keep myself in the same position,” he said, deadpan.

It’s probably not at that level, but it is a bit of a bother for some, even those already in the Chase. Dale Earnhardt Jr. was the first one to make the Chase in February, winning at Daytona.

“We haven’t been carrying around a backpack of tension and pressure, but when the Chase starts, it’ll be right back on us,” he said.

We’ll see who has the backpack on when lap 350 hits tomorrow night and just how big that is.