In its sixth year of using a playoff format to combat sagging fan interest at the beginning of the football season, NASCAR is about to vroom into the postseason.
Sprint Cup’s 26-race regular season, which began Feb. 14 at Daytona, Fla., ends Saturday at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway. The final 10-race stretch will decide the champion, and just two of the 12 playoff spots are up for grabs heading into the 400-lap affair at Richmond’s .75-mile bullring.
Points leader Kevin Harvick leads a clinched playoff pack that includes four-time defending series champion Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart and the Busch brothers, Kyle and Kurt.
Johnson is the sport’s first driver to win four consecutive titles, and he appears primed to extend the record to five. He will treat Saturday’s race as the playoff opener.
“You’re trying to find something to build your team around that sends them off into the Chase like warriors ready to go and charged up for whatever is out there for them,” Johnson told . “We all find those things and try to build the team around it and go from there.”
Five drivers are on the playoff fence, including Greg Biffle and Clint Bowyer on the preferred side. Ryan Newman (13th place), Jamie McMurray (14th) and Mark Martin (15) are 117, 128 and 147 points behind the 12th-place Bowyer, respectively, and can only hope to win the race, lead the most laps and watch Biffle and Bowyer wreck early.
The standings will be reseeded based on regular-season victories after the Richmond race. Harvick, who has three wins, will begin no better than third, because Johnson and Denny Hamlin are tied with a series-most five wins. Each win serves as a 10-point bonus.
Denver’s Furniture Row Racing and driver Regan Smith are out of the playoff picture but wanting to finish the season strong. Smith is 30th in the points, a whopping 1,476 points behind Harvick.
Still, Furniture Row is having its best season, having qualified for all 25 races.
“We’ve been showing improvement in many areas this season,” said Smith, who finished 17th at last weekend’s race in Atlanta. “The progress we’ve made has been a lot of fun. . . . Our goal is to return to Richmond at this time next year and be a contender for a Chase position.”
Mike Chambers: 303-954-1357 or mchambers@denverpost.com
Sprint Cup points
The top 15 drivers by points heading into Saturday’s race:
1. Kevin Harvick, 3,585
2. Jeff Gordon, 3,366
3. Kyle Busch, 3,325
4. Tony Stewart, 3,302
5. Carl Edwards, 3,288
6. Jeff Burton, 3,261
7. Jimmie Johnson, 3,247
8. Kurt Busch, 3,228
9. Matt Kenseth, 3,225
10. Denny Hamlin, 3,147
11. Greg Biffle, 3,110
12. Clint Bowyer, 3,066
13. Ryan Newman, 2,949
14. Jamie McMurray, 2,938
15. Mark Martin, 2,919
AROUND TOWN
Rams host volleyball tournament.
The inaugural Rams Volleyball Classic takes place today and Saturday at Colorado State’s Moby Arena, where the 15th-ranked Rams host Texas Tech, Northeastern and Illinois State. The tournament features six matches, including CSU games against Texas Tech (tonight, 7 p.m.), Northeastern (Saturday, noon) and Illinois State (Saturday, 7 p.m.). The complete schedule:
Today: Illinois State vs. Northeastern, 4:30 p.m.; CSU vs. Texas Tech, 7 p.m. Saturday: Illinois State vs. Texas Tech, 10 a.m.; CSU vs. Northeastern, noon; Northeastern vs. Texas Tech, 4:30 p.m.; CSU vs. Illinois State, 7 p.m.
STAY ON THE COUCH
Living on Tebow-time.
The Broncos begin the season Sunday at Jacksonville, and we’re pretty sure everyone in Florida and Colorado, not to mention the rest of the football world, would like to see Tim Tebow make his NFL debut in his hometown.
Tebow, the affable rookie quarterback from the University of Florida, is expected to serve as Kyle Orton’s backup and possibly play in goal-line or wild-horse situations. If Broncos coach Josh McDaniels goes the unpopular route, Brady Quinn will be second on the depth chart and Tebow will suit up only as the emergency QB.
Game time is 11 a.m. MDT (KCNC-4).
GET OFF THE COUCH
Coors is calling.
The rolling Rockies continue their playoff push at Coors Field with a three-game weekend series against the Diamondbacks, who have the second-worst record in the National League.
Only the Pirates have fewer wins in the NL, but those guys managed to take two of three from the Rockies in July at Coors Field. The games with the D-backs are at 7:10 tonight, 6:10 p.m. Saturday and 1:10 p.m. Sunday.
WHAT WE’D LIKE TO SEE
Patriotism on display.
The atmosphere at Saturday’s BYU-Air Force game at the academy figures to feature some spine-tingling moments. Any Air Force home game is special, but the way the campus was locked down after the events of 9/11 is a reminder of the intense training that goes on at the academy.
To recognize the ninth anniversary of the World Trade Center and Pentagon terrorist attacks, AFA will hand out 20,000 mini-American flags and 10,000 U.S. Constitutions, and a giant flag covering the entire field will be unveiled at halftime. Also, a steel girder from the Trade Center will be on display at the stadium’s east entrance.
With none of the other major-college teams playing in town Saturday, this is an event worth going to.
