Gordon chases down Chase spot

Four-time series champion Jeff Gordon felt like his hopes were dead in the water when NASCAR red-flagged his final chance to get into the playoffs because of rain at Richmond International Raceway in Virginia.

His car wasn’t running like it needed to be, and the chance seemed to be slipping away.

But just as major adjustments made by his crew started to pay off for Gordon and he began racing up to even challenge for the lead, a gamble by Kyle Busch’s team failed in the biggest way possible: Gordon, not Busch, grabbed the final spot in the Chase for the Sprint Cup — the playoffs that begin Sunday at Chicagoland in Joliet, Ill.

The victory margin? Three points.

“I felt like I won the race,” Gordon said early Sunday morning after finishing second to Clint Bowyer. The race was interrupted three times by rain, including a red-flag stoppage. “When that was over, and they told me I was in the Chase, we made it, I mean, I was ecstatic. I was going nuts.”

Gordon, once the dominant driver in the sport, hasn’t claimed a series title since 2001. He has missed qualifying for the playoffs just once, but never had to scrap his way into the field like this time.

“Went from last week being the most disappointed I’ve ever been to finish second to this week being the most excited I’ve ever been to finish second,” he said. “Wow! What a race for us!”

Busch was left feeling the opposite after a nondescript race, especially for him at Richmond, where he had won four times, and claimed his only victory of this season on the series’ first visit in May.

Other race

Italian Grand Prix: McLaren driver Lewis Hamilton won in Monza, and Formula One leader Fernando Alonso of Ferrari finished third to extend his overall lead. Hamilton put speculation about his future and a possible switch to Mercedes behind him to claim his first victory at Monza and the 20th of his career. It’s unlikely to have much impact on the championship after an impressive race from Alonso, much to the delight of the fans at Ferrari’s home track. Alonso had started from 10th on the grid after technical difficulties in qualifying. Sergio Perez was second, 4.3 seconds behind Hamilton after starting 12th.