CONCORD, N.C. – It’s the final race before the Chase.
And entering Saturday night’s race at Richmond International Raceway, Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr. are locked into the Chase – and Jeff Gordon and Kasey Kahne are within reach of a postseason berth.
Tune in to Saturday night’s race on NBCSN to see who the final Chase contestants of the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will be. But before you do, here is a read-up on everything you should know:
BROADCAST INFORMATION: Saturday's race will air live on NBCSN at 7:30 p.m. ET. Can’t make it to a television? Tune into MRN or SiriusXM to catch the Richmond radio coverage. This weekend’s qualifying session will take place Friday evening on NBC Sports Network. Tune in to this weekend’s two practice sessions also on NBC Sports Network this Friday. Here is the full broadcast schedule:
Friday, September 11:
10 a.m. ET, Sprint Cup Series Practice, NBC Sports Network
1 p.m. ET, Sprint Cup Series Final Practice, NBC Sports Network
5:45 p.m. ET, Sprint Cup Series Qualifying, NBC Sports Network
Saturday, September 12:
7:30 p.m. ET, Sprint Cup Series Race, NBCSN/ MRN/ SiriusXM (7:43 p.m. ET green flag)
THIS WEEK’S PAINT SCHEMES: This weekend, Kahne will compete in the No. 5 HendrickRideAlong.com Chevrolet SS, while Gordon returns to the No. 24 3M Chevrolet SS. Johnson and Earnhardt will race the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet SS and No. 88 Nationwide Chevrolet SS, respectively, in this Saturday’s race under the lights.
HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS AT RICHMOND: At Richmond International Raceway, Hendrick Motorsports has 10 wins, 17 pole positions, 54 top-five finishes and 97 top-10 finishes. Johnson earned the three most recent wins for the organization at the track -- a sweep in 2007 and another trip to Victory Lane in 2008.
KAHNE AT RICHMOND: According to NASCAR's loop data statistics, Kahne ranks sixth in fastest laps run (378 laps), seventh in green-flag passes (1,071 passes) and ninth in green-flag speed (116.068 mph) among all drivers in the past 10 years at Richmond. Kahne has collected two of his 17 career Cup wins and three of his 27 pole positions on short tracks.
GORDON AT RICHMOND: The 44-year-old driver leads active drivers in pole positions, top-five finishes, top-10 finishes and laps led at the Virginia short track. The four-time NASCAR Cup Series champion has finished inside the top 11 in his last six starts at Richmond, including three runner-up finishes.
JOHNSON AT RICHMOND: According to NASCAR's loop data statistics, Johnson has the 10th-best driver rating at Richmond with a score of 89.5 during the past 10 years at the track.
EARNHARDT AT RICHMOND: Among active drivers, Earnhardt is one of four competitors tied for second with three Cup victories at Richmond. Earnhardt most recently went to Victory Lane at Richmond on May 6, 2006, after leading 47 laps.