Carl Edwards, driver of the #99 Kellogg’s / Cheez-It Ford, races to the checkered flag to win during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series 56th Annual Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond International Raceway on September 7, 2013
Photo – Chris Graythen/Getty Images

Saturday night in Richmond was expected to be wild, but it turned out to be even crazier than thought possible. It truly came down to the last few laps and one caution changed everything. A Clint Bowyer spin with seven laps to go shook up the Chase positions along with conspiracy-theorists again. Carl Edwards managed to sneak out with the victory and three more bonus points heading into the Chase. This night was far more complicated than imaginable and it will have people talking for a long time.

Jeff Gordon, Brad Keselowski, and Kurt Busch were all looking to secure their Chase spot during the race. During the first part of the night, it looked as though they would succeed in doing so, as each led multiple laps and looked to be the ones to beat for most of the race. They all seemed to be the ones exchanging the lead until a pit stop under yellow on lap 266 moved Clint Bowyer to the top spot.

Bowyer stayed up front for a while, but once he fell from that position, he never climbed back to the front.

Green-flag pit stops were ongoing when the first game-changing yellow-flag was thrown for Jimmie Johnson hitting the wall after blowing a right front tire. Drivers’ pit cycles were thrown a loop now as some were trapped a lap down after making their stops under green.

A new crew was spotted up front on the second to last restart of the race. Carl Edwards led followed by Menard in second and Kurt Busch in third. Edwards got out to a big lead, but one hungry driver began hunting him down. That driver was a determined Ryan Newman whose best bet to make the Chase was to win.

Newman kept gaining ground on Edwards and took the lead, finding himself in the perfect position. Leading with ten laps remaining and knowing a win his part in the Chase was in sight. The conclusion looked bright for Newman until the yellow flag flew for the most controversial spin of the night.

If the caution hadn’t come out, it seemed Newman was going to beat out Martin Truex Jr. for the final wild card position. This caution however, changed everything and the makings of it were quite peculiar.

Truex Jr.’s teammate Clint Bowyer was the one who spun out. At first, it looked as if he had contact with Dale Earnhardt Jr., which Earnhardt Jr. later denied.

“He just spun right out” was how Earnhardt Jr. described the incident in his ESPN interview. “It was crazy” Junior continued to say as obviously, this wasn’t your normal spin.

Bowyer gave a different view of the incident.

“We had a flat tire or something” was what Bowyer told ESPN caused the spin. He also denied that it was at all intentional.

Despite the oddness of the incident, this caution changed the course of the race. Instead of Newman winning and getting into the Chase, it was now up to his pit crew to keep him in that position. The pit stops featured varying strategies and Menard managed to sneak off pit road first. Edwards was second and Newman had fallen back to fifth.

The controversy from the caution carried over to the next restart. This time, Edwards clearly jumped the gun on the restart. He beat Menard, the leader, to the line and was now pacing the field. NASCAR made no call and now drivers made last-ditch efforts at securing their Chase positions.

Ryan Newman charged at second-place Kurt Busch on the final lap since he needed to pass him to get into the Chase. He came close, but didn’t end up doing so and that led to no-Chase for Newman. Disappointment was evident on his face since his Chase berth slipped away in just a matter of laps. He put up a tough fight, but ultimately, didn’t win the prize.

While Newman and Jeff Gordon were out, Joey Logano and Martin Truex Jr. had made it into the Chase by virtue of their finishing positions. Logano squeaked into the top-ten over Jeff Gordon by one point while Truex Jr. took the second wild card, which was a tie with Newman. Truex Jr. owned the tie-breaker giving the Wild Card to the No.56 team.

The Chase field is now set and Jimmie Johnson, Carl Edwards, Clint Bowyer, Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch, Matt Kenseth, Greg Biffle, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kurt Busch, Joey Logano, Kasey Kahne, and Martin Truex Jr will duel it out for the championship.

Saturday night will arguably go down as the most insane race to the Chase conclusion in the Chase’s history. So much changed in so little time and hope turned to disappointment for a few drivers in a matter of laps. The next ten weeks will begin the next chapter in an already thrilling season. Craziness ensued in Richmond and more could be awaiting NASCAR in Chicago.

Results via ESPN.com