Two rookies entered Saturday night’s NASCAR race at Richmond in position to make the Chase for the Sprint Cup field.
Both did just that – Chase Elliott by virtue of maintaining a points position inside the top 16, and Chris Buescher by staying in the top 30 in the standings.
They’ll be the first rookies contending for the title since Denny Hamlin, who won Saturday at Richmond, did so in 2006.
Twelve drivers entered Saturday night’s race knowing they were locks in the Chase. Another had a win but needed to move up in points. And a few more were battling for points.