Hamlin wins again at Richmond but Newman steals spotlight

Who is in the Chase?

Denny Hamlin closed out the 2016 Sprint Cup regular season the same way he began it, by winning Saturday night’s race at Richmond International Raceway.

Hamlin handled those decisions masterfully, and on a night when the race to make the Chase was given top billing, he never cracked the door open to the drivers who needed a victory.

Elliott’s spot in the Chase – on points – comes in his first season.

It was Fan Appreciation weekend at Richmond and before drivers took the green flag, all cars lined up four abreast, 10 rows deep in a salute to those in attendance.

UP NEXT: The opening race in the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship on Sunday at Chicagoland Speedway.

Briefly: Brennan Poole started 31st and had raced himself into the top 10 before the race reached the halfway point, even though there was only one caution for seven laps in that time.

Carl Edwards, No. 19 Toyota, 2,006: The second of four members on Joe Gibbs Racing’s powerhouse in the Chase, joining Busch, Hamlin and Kenseth. “You get to do it at home. I was able to get up against the wall and kind of get slowed down before I had a big hit”. “Hopefully now we’ll go on another Chase run”. Truex, Brad Keselowski and Kevin Harvick finished third through fifth, respectively. Kasey Kahne has also won there. McMurray, Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch and Joey Logano completed the top 10.

Keselowski and Kevin Harvick rounded out the top-five finishers.

The fireworks, though, came off the track at Richmond International Raceway, where Ryan Newman angrily chided former boss Tony Stewart after an accident between the two officially ended Newman’s chances to make the playoffs.

But Newman’s sole focus was on Stewart, whom the Richard Childress Racing driver lambasted in a televised interview on NBC Sports Network after being released from the infield care center. “I think I’ve been nervous for the last two or three weeks now”, Dillon said. So we’ll fight and keep fighting like we always do.

“That is not where we wanted to be in qualifying with our CSX Ford Fusion”, Buescher said on Friday. Just disappointing that you’ve got somebody old like that that retired (should be retired) the way he drives.

Not surprisingly, Stewart had a different perspective.

“He’s right, that was the third time he had driven into me”.

“He’s got to do his part, too, to race for a championship”, Stewart said.

“I’m already coming down, so it’s not like I was trying to squeeze him in the infield or something. You have to do what’s best for your team, worry about the consequences when all the dust settles”, he said. It’s just ridiculous. I only hit him in Turn 1 when he cut across my nose.

McMurray, who made the Chase for the second consecutive season after trying – and failing – to race his way in for 12 years, is counting on it. There was once early in the race that nobody saw.

“The 14 vehicle cut across my line and couldn’t control it”, Newman said of Stewart. “He’ll get his wish”. Once we get through that, I’ll worry about Week 2. Dylan Lupton couldn’t avoid the accident and his auto ended up wedged between the wall and on top of Newman’s vehicle when the crashing finally ceased. Teammate Jamie McMurray raced his way into the Chase at Richmond, making it the first time in the history of Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates that the team has ever had both of its drivers in the title hunt.