By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support local journalism.
The Art of Racing 9-16
Attention turns to the Chase
Placeholder Image
Special to the Standard
Updated: Sep 15, 2016, 9:39 PM
Published: Sep 15, 2016, 10:39 PM

The final race for the regular season was last week in Richmond, Va. It was very interesting to watch the “must win” drivers maneuver their way through the field, but when it was all over, Denny Hamlin was the victor. 
It was Hamlin’s third win this season. Eight of the top 10 positions were filled by regular season winners, with Kasey Kahne and Jamie McMurray finishing sixth and seventh. Kahne failed to make the Chase grid but McMurray managed to get one of the three spots available by points.
All Chase teams had their points adjusted with each team getting 2,000 points plus 3 bonus points for each win this year.
The 16 teams making the Chase are: Kyle Busch (2,012), Keselowski (2,012), Hamlin, Harvick, Edwards, Truex Jr., Kenseth and Johnson, all receiving 2,006 points. Logano, Larson, Stewart, Kurt Busch, and Buescher received 3 bonus points. The three drivers getting in on points are Elliott, Dillon and McMurray, each receiving 2,000 points.
The Chase is basically the same as last year with only one change. Instead of using names such as Challanger Round, NASCAR made it a lot easier to follow the Chase by designating each round with the number of Chase teams competing in each race. 
Round of 16 involves races in Chicagoland, New Hampshire and Dover. After those three races, the field will be reduced to 12 teams. Any win by a Chase driver will automatically put them into the round of 12.
Round of 12 involves races in Charlotte, Kansas and Talladega. Once again, any team with a win goes to the next round, and the lowest four teams will be cut.
Round of 8 involves races in Martinsville, Texas and Phoenix. After Phoenix, NASCAR will cut the lowest four teams leaving four teams left.
The final race of the season will be at the Homestead, Miami Speedway. The final four teams will battle it out for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship. All it will take is for one of the four teams to finish ahead of the other three. They don’t have to win the race, just finish ahead of the other three.
Joe Gibbs Racing has four teams plus Truex in the Chase. Stewart/Haas has three teams. Penske Racing, Hendrick Motorsports, and Chip Ganassi have qualified two teams each, and Richard Childress and Front Row Motorsports each have one team in the Chase.
Two rookie drivers are in the Chase – Buescher and Dillon.
The Chase could get interesting to see if teamwork among the teams takes place. It has in the past so it gives the Joe Gibb drivers the edge.
Where Did That Come From? - Beat a path to someone’s door
Stan St. Clair
Stan St. Clair
Published: Apr 7, 2025, 1:52 AM

This idiom is most usually used to mean that a large number of people are anxious to discover or obtain something, and will come in droves. It also can mean that anyone who wants something badly enough will not let anything stop him or her from going to a particular place.

The earliest known usage is in the saying about building a better mousetrap, and is attributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882). Since at least the early 20th century, however, beating a path to someone’s door (or other locale) has been commonly used for numerous other things. The September 26, 1916 edition of Kentucky newspaper, The Mount Sterling Advocate, carries the following citation in ‘Merchants Try This,’ on page 6, column 1:

“Advertising will get the people to a store that is worth going to, but the merchant and his own goods must do the selling. Step up gentlemen. What merchant in this town wants the people to beat a path to his store?”