Best part of the Chase is the night that creates it

Apologies to Daytona, the sport's biggest race, which now ends after dark even though it should conclude in bright Florida sunshine.

Apologies to Darlington, which was reborn under the lights.

Apologies to Bristol, the annual carnival of chaos played out beneath an August moon.

Apologies to Homestead, where a champion is crowned under the stars.

They're all great events. But the single best night of racing on the Sprint Cup calendar comes every September at Richmond International Raceway, when the looming Chase creates the 400 most pressure-packed laps of the season. The best part about NASCAR's year-end playoff isn't the playoff at all, which can seem anticlimactic when compared to the one evening that spawns it. No, the best thing about the Chase is that race at Richmond, when throats get dry, knuckles get white, and an entire season of work and preparation comes down to one night.

While the level of drama has varied in the now five years since the Chase was implemented, Richmond is never short on subplots. In 2004, Jeremy Mayfield needed to win at Richmond to get into the Chase, and did just that. The next year, wrecks and misfortune left Jamie McMurray, Elliott Sadler, and Jeff Gordon on the outside, while Jack Roush put all five of his cars in. In 2006 it was Tony Stewart coming up short, last season it was Dale Earnhardt Jr. Saturday night Clint Bowyer, David Ragan and Kasey Kahne go to Richmond with 48 points separating them, and only one of them likely to get in.

The Chase has its share of detractors, from people who don't like how the points are reset to those who see wiping out a lead after the first 26 races as inherently unfair. But Saturday night at Richmond almost makes it all seem worthwhile, because without the Chase the sport would be denied an evening that brims with drama and theatre. For those handful of teams still vying for those handful of spots, the pressures can be suffocating, and the memories painful. Just ask Sadler, who still remembers every detail of his 2005 bid, which ended when he spun with 115 laps to go. (Continued)