Mammoth Blog

-The race: Chevy Rock & Roll 400

-The place: Richmond International Raceway

-The time/date: 6:30 p.m. Saturday

-The track: .75-mile oval

-The distance: 400 laps/300 miles

-TV: ESPN

-2007 winner: Jimmie Johnson

-2007 pole winner: Jimmie Johnson

1 The television crawl. It will tell you, lap by lap, who is in and who is out of the Chase.

2 The Nationwide race. The tension, the frayed nerves, the bad feelings, the name calling. Isn't a close points race wonderful?

3 Chicagoland Speedway. The IndyCar championship will be decided there on Sunday. You have to wonder who will notice on such an important NASCAR weekend.

Chevrolets have won the last five Sprint Cup races at Richmond International Raceway. Who was driving the last non-Chevy to win there?

Stremme promoted

Penske Racing announced that David Stremme will take the seat being vacated by Ryan Newman next season. Stremme, 31, has been a test driver for Penske this year and also drove Nationwide cars for the team owned by Rusty Wallace.

It will mark Stremme's second go-round in Cup. He started 74 races for Chip Ganassi Racing.

Penalties reduced

NASCAR has changed its penalties against Joe Gibbs Racing Nationwide series drivers Tony Stewart and Joey Logano. The two have been taken off probation.

They had been on probation until Dec. 31 after a postrace inspection of their cars at Michigan on Aug. 16 revealed that shims had been placed under the gas pedals prior to dyno tests.

Seven crew members from the teams were suspended after the incident, points were stripped from drivers and owners, fines were issued and the drivers were placed on probation.

Gibbs officials appealed the driver probation portion of the penalties.

Kasey Kahne won the fall race at Richmond in 2005. He was driving a Dodge.

-Friday: Nationwide practice, 9 a.m., ESPN2

-Friday: Sprint Cup practice, 10 a.m., ESPN2

-Friday: Nationwide qualifying, 3 p.m., ESPN2

-Friday: Sprint Cup qualifying, 5 p.m., ESPN2

-Friday: Nationwide race, 7 p.m., ESPN2

-Saturday: Craftsman Truck qualifying, 10:30 a.m., Speed Channel

-Saturday: Craftsman Truck race, 1:30 p.m., Speed Channel

-Saturday: Sprint Cup race, 7:30 p.m., ABC

-Sunday: IndyCar race, 2:30, ABC source>>>