Carl Edwards is the defending race winner at Richmond, but this is the last regular season race before the chase for the champion begins. With 4 spots yet to be secured, will someone surprise the field and secure their place with a win?

Any driver in the top 30 in points can get in the chase with a win, including the #5 of Kasey Kahne, the #16 of Greg Biffle, and even the #10 of Danica Patrick. The only car with a win that hasn't locked in a spot is the #34 of Chris Buecher. He needs to run well and can get in with a top 7 finish or to stay ahead of the 31st place #7 of Regan Smith. He needs to race the track and avoid any crashes that could spell disaster for the Front Row Racing team.

The #24 of Chase Elliot, the #3 of Austin Dillon, and the #1 of Jamie McMurray hold down the final chase spots and will need solid runs to stay in. Look for the cars just outside the top 16 to take some chances and pull out all the stops to get in with a win. I expect the #31 of Ryan Newman to take a shot like he did last week and the #5 of Kasey Kahne to do the same.

It will be interesting to see who wins the chess match and secure the final 4 spots, but as for the win, I'll take the #11 of Denny Hamlin.

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