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Earnhardt Can't Keep Up With the Chase
Dale Earnhardt Jr., front, who started 21st on Saturday night in Richmond, will depart Dale Earnhardt Inc., the race team founded by his late father, having failed to claim a Cup championship.
(AP)
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Gordon led four times for 191 laps.
Carl Edwards also had a fast car and was leading on Lap 182 when his engine blew up, sending smoke billowing from underneath the rear end of the No. 99 Ford and ending his day.
"Hopefully, this is the bad luck now that we don't have in the next 10 races," Edwards said.
Local favorite Denny Hamlin of nearby Chesterfield, Va., also was in contention for most of the night. In fact, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver was leading when his car was tapped by Clint Bowyer on Lap 201. Though the No. 11 Chevrolet suffered almost no damage, he struggled to get back up front and wound up sixth.
On Lap 244, Ryan Newman spun, taking out Busch and Juan Pablo Montoya. Montoya's No. 42 Dodge burst into flames as it slid to a stop on the infield. Busch, meanwhile, suffered sheet metal damage to the rear of the No. 2 Dodge.
"Our heart was beating 100 miles per hour," Busch said. "Thankfully, everything was okay."
Harvick went onto the grass to avoid the wreck, picking up grass with his Car of Tomorrow splitter. The grass got stuck in his radiator and his engine began to overheat. After an eight-minute-long red flag, he came into the pits and had the grass removed from the front end.
"This isn't near as exciting as winning the Daytona 500, but we needed to get into the Chase," Harvick said. "Now we've just got to get it together the next 10 weeks."
