Jimmie Johnson reminded NASCAR nation that he is the two-time defending Sprint Cup champion with his win at California last weekend as he will try to grab the last 10 bonus points before the Chase field is set on Saturday night at 7:45 p.m. at Richmond, the last race before the Chase begins.

If you follow trends you should be aware that Chevrolet has won at Richmond the last five races and seven out of the last 10.The only time Kyle Busch endured a four-race winless drought this season he won the fifth race; this weekend is his fifth race.

Who will win the Rock and Roll 400?

Richmond won't only set the grid for the Chase but it will be a tale of two races. The race for the final three of nine spots in the Chase and the race for the first three spots in the Chase--although one is significantly more meaningful than the other. I am going to try to use the fact that there are a few drivers a lot more motivated to win at Richmond than others. While it's easy to focus on the top three drivers in the Chase I think the real competition we'll see Saturday night is the battle for 10th, 11th and 12th place.

The way the Chase is set up once the grid is set the points are reset to 5,000 each with 10 points awarded per victory. Obviously Kyle Busch, with eight wins this year, will get 80 points putting him in first place regardless of what the outcome is at Richmond. This is due to the fact that Edwards, currently with six wins this season, was fined 10 points by NASCAR earlier in the season. As it stands now Edwards will begin the Chase with 30 fewer points than Busch.

Then there is Jimmy Johnson, who has been quiet all year, winning a modest three races this year, but coming on strong when it counts. This makes Richmond that much more interesting for the No. 48 driver. Winning the last race of the season would give him 10 more bonus points at the points reset, cutting Busch's lead in half. Johnson's won last weekend and last year he swept both races at Richmond, once as the pole sitter. Of the top three Chase drivers I can see Johnson going for the win for the bonus points alone rather than just managing the race and finishing in a top-10 slot.

Dale Earnhardt, Jr., despite his critics this year, is currently in fourth place in the Chase, 432 points behind the leader. Junior will even start the Chase with 10 bonus points for his sole win of the year at Michigan International Speedway and the LifeLock 400. Baring a serious accident Junior will start the Chase 70 points behind the leader. That is the great part about the Chase. Even if Junior is fourth going in, if he finishes in the top-five consistently over the next 12 races he has a shot of winning. Realistically, however, you can't expect Junior to start doing during the Chase what he has not been able to do all year.

This said, Kyle Busch has not gone more than four races without a win this season and with his remarkable 5.6 average finish at Richmond he is well poised to pick up another 10 bonus points. Kyle is a competitor who most likely forgets he's locked up first in the Chase as soon the Rock and Roll 400 starts. His last three finishes at Richmond were all second; this time look for Busch to win.

Pick! Kyle Busch, No.18, (4/1)

Solid Gold Picks

Sportsbook.com has listed many matchups on the Rock and Roll 400 this weekend. The No. 48 car took us to the woodshed as Johnson killed both our matchups against the +1.20 'dog Matt Kenseth. Kenseth was never in the race and the Pole sitter Johnson showed why he's the two-time defending Chase Champion. Now my record Over-the-Wall stands at 13-14 and +1.30 units on the season after 25 of 36 Sprint Cup races completed.

Long Odds Pick

Clinging to 12th place in the standings is Clint Bowyer by virtue of his 10th place finish at California; he will most likely make the Chase with a solid race at Richmond. Bowyer is 76 points behind 11th place Denny Hamlin, who will likely be hard to overtake. The best Bowyer can hope for is to fend off David Ragan who is 17 points behind him at 13th and Kasey Kahne who is 48 points behind him, but Kahne will have to win at Richmond and have Bowyer finish worse than 15th to make the Chase. While stranger things have happened, I think Bowyer is in a good position to go for it all. He does really well at Richmond and won the Spring race for his only win of the season. Bowyer's average finish is 8.8 at Richmond and in his last three races he's finished first, 12th and ninth. I think Bowyer and his crew will be one of the most motivated on the track on Saturday night as he tries to keep hold of the last spot for the Chase.

Pick! Clint Bowyer, 07, (20/1)

Square Tire Pick

Greg Biffle, No. 16 (-1.15) vs. Kasey Kahne, No. 9, (-1.15)

Kahne needs to win at Richmond or he'll take his two Sprint Cup wins and miss the Chase. All Biffle needs to do is show-up and start his engine and he makes the Chase. The once-hot Kahne has cooled down considerably since earlier in the season, but there is a sliver of hope if he wants to move up two places in the standings and make the Chase. While he might not be able to do it, I am backing the driver with a trunk-load of motivation.

Pick! Kahne, No. 9, (-1.15)

Chevy Rock and Roll 400 Odds*
Richmond International Raceway, Richmond VA
Sat, Sept 6th (7:45 p.m. EST)

A.J. Allmendinger 100/1
Bobby Labonte 100/1
Brian Vickers 40/1
Carl Edwards 6/1
Casey Mears 100/1
Clint Bowyer 20/1
Dale Earnhardt Jr. 12/1
Dave Blaney 100/1
David Gilliland 100/1
David Ragan 30/1
David Reutimann 100/1
Denny Hamlin 6/1
Elliott Sadler 75/1
Greg Biffle 12/1
Jamie McMurray 100/1
Jeff Burton 30/1
Jeff Gordon 15/1
Jimmie Johnson 6/1
Joey Logano 50/1
Juan Pablo Montoya 100/1
Kasey Kahne 15/1
Kevin Harvick 12/1
Kurt Busch 50/1
Kyle Busch 4/1
Mark Martin 30/1
Martin Truex Jr. 35/1
Matt Kenseth 15/1
Paul Menard 100/1
Reed Sorenson 100/1
Ryan Newman 40/1
Sam Hornish Jr. 100/1
Tony Stewart 10/1
Travis Kvapil 100/1
Field (Any Other Driver) 50/1

*odds courtesy of Bodog