NASCAR at Richmond 2015 Results: Winner, Standings, Highlights and Reaction – Bleacher Report

Matt Kenseth took the checkered flag in the Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond International Speedway in the last race of the regular season Saturday night. It was Kenseth’s third win in the past six races as he moved into a tie for first place in the Sprint Cup standings.

With its being the last opportunity to get into the Chase for the Sprint Cup, 20 drivers began the night vying for the last five spots of the final 16.

Let’s take a look at the race results:

Kenseth led 352 of the 400 laps Saturday night in a dominant showing, as NASCAR finally has its field set for the Chase. NASCAR provided a look at Kenseth crossing the finish line:

.@mattkenseth holds off the field and wins his FOURTH race of 2015! #NASCARreplay

http://t.co/UunGbIo7rO http://t.co/4PlXGEtXBa

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) September 13, 2015

Here are the updated standings, with these 16 drivers officially qualifying for the playoffs.

Those five available spots at the beginning of the night immediately sank to four, as all Jamie McMurray had to do to clinch his place in the Chase was start the race, which he did successfully. It’s the first time in his career that he has made the Chase.

Yahoo Sports’ Jay Busbee jokingly stated that McMurray could take the rest of the night off:

Jamie McMurray clinches his spot in the Chase, keeps on driving right out of the track and goes to get a burger.

— Jay Busbee (@jaybusbee) September 12, 2015

Of course, he didn’t do that, finishing 13th on the evening.

Navigating such a short track, a loaded field of 43 drivers was sure to create plenty of congestion, as NASCAR showed:

Rubbin’ is racin’

#Federated400 pic.twitter.com/vycFFzJQ6H

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) September 13, 2015

Joe Gibbs Racing seemed to enjoy the friendly confines at Richmond. Kenseth saw teammates Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin and Carl Edwards finish second, sixth and 11th, respectively. NASCAR’s Matthew Dillner was impressed by JGR’s outing:

If @mattkenseth is en fuego ?, than how can you describe @JoeGibbsRacing as a whole? Their stable is showing extreme ??
#NASCAR

— Matthew Dillner (@MatthewDillner) September 13, 2015

Joey Logano, starting the night ranked second in the points standings, swept the poles at Richmond this season and started in first Saturday night. He led the first 14 laps of the race before being overtaken by Kenseth, who used a higher line to take advantage of his quicker car. 

Logano didn’t stray from the top of the pack, finishing his night in third behind Kenseth and Busch.

After winning the race off pit road at the competition caution nearing the 40th lap, Kenseth was able to hold off Logano on the restart and build up a two-second lead on the rest of the field. It was smooth sailing for Kenseth, as NASCAR Stats discovered that it was already a record-setting night for him, and the race wasn’t even halfway over:

That’s 141 laps led for Matt Kenseth tonight.

That’s a career-best for Kenseth at Richmond.

— NASCAR Stats (@NASCARStats) September 13, 2015

His lead kept building, moving up to four seconds ahead of a second-place Denny Hamlin, who was racing injured Saturday night. The driver of the FedEx No. 11 car decided to delay surgery on a torn ACL in order to compete in the Chase. 

There’s no denying that he’s a gamer, as he even led 14 laps starting on Lap 126. Here’s a look at Hamlin taking the lead, per NASCAR:

.@dennyhamlin goes three wide for the lead! #NASCARreplay

MORE :http://t.co/UunGbIo7rO http://t.co/8yEEV5vPGg

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) September 13, 2015

He relinquished the lead back to Kenseth, who looked like he would not be denied. Hamlin wound up finishing sixth.

A caution on Lap 212 brought the field back together, and Kenseth, who had been solid on the restarts, was passed by Kyle Busch, who stormed into the lead. But Busch’s restart looked to be illegal, as he changed lanes before the start line. NASCAR, however, did not penalize him. 

While NASCAR’s replay does not show the restart at the line, watch how wide Busch went compared to the rest of the field:

.@KyleBusch goes three wide with his @JoeGibbsRacing teammates for the race lead! #Federated400 pic.twitter.com/RitUlm7fZ9

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) September 13, 2015

Busch seemed to ease off nine laps into his lead, allowing Kenseth to retake the top spot on Lap 228, though. Kenseth looked unstoppable, lapping almost half the field. He hit his 300th leading lap at the Lap 348 mark. 

A caution with 25 laps to go provided one final test on the restart as those desperate to make the Chase had one more chance to make a move. Aric Almirola skipped fuel on the final pit stop during the caution to give him a decent position for a top finish. 

He came out of the pit in third, dropping to fourth on the restart. He wound up finishing there and missing the Chase. Kenseth kept the lead with a huge acceleration on the restart, though it might have been a tad early. NASCAR looked at the restart and said no penalty would be enforced. 

The last four to make it to the Chase were Jeff Gordon (7th), Ryan Newman (20th), Paul Menard (26th) and Clint Bowyer (10th). With the field set looking toward some meaningful races, the next 10 weeks will be a tough stretch for this year’s best racers.

A dominant win for Kenseth will give him plenty of confidence moving forward, as he made quite a statement during his win at Richmond.