Kyle Busch has "One Last Race to Make the Chase" and the make up the 37 points that separates Joe Gibbs Racing's No. 18 car from the 12th and final spot in the Chase for the Sprint Cup as NSCS visits "America's Premier Short-Track" at Richmond International Speedway Saturday night at 7 p.m. 

Gamblers should be aware that Carl Edwards is currently nursing a broken foot and that definitely affected his driving last week. Edwards has finished out of the Top 10 in his last two races and Richmond is not a track that he has done well at. Edwards has never finished in the Top 5 and has only three Top-10 finishes in 10 starts at Richmond. Edwards is set at 15/1 to win and those odds are generous. A total of 122 points separate Edwards (fifth) from Kyle Busch (14th). I'd lay off the No. 99 car on Saturday night even though he is still fighting for a spot in the Chase.

Who will win the 2009 Rock & Roll 400?

Kasey Kahne (set at 18/1 to win this week) won his second race of the season last week at the Pep Boys 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway and cemented his position in the Chase by moving up five spots to sixth place overall in the standings. During the race it looked like there would be a shake-up in the standings, but by the end of the race 11 of the top 13 spots were won by drivers in the Chase. However, Jimmie Johnson, Carl Edwards and Kurt Busch finished 36th, 37th, and 38th, respectively. And while Johnson is a lock to make the Chase, Johnson dropped to third, Busch dropped to seventh and Edwards remained in fifth.

If Kahne makes the Chase it will be the first time that Richard Petty Motorsports will field a car since the Chase began in 2004.  Keep in mind though that while Kahne has won at Richmond in 2005 and has two Top-5s and five Top-10s in Virginia last year he hasn't done well his last two starts, notching a 19th place last September and a 29th in May. While I think Kahne will do enough to make the Chase I don't see him winning or coming in the top-three on Saturday night.   

NSCS leaders Tony Stewart and Keff Gordon are both set at 8/1 while Jimmie Johnson is set at 6/1 to win the Rock & Roll 400. All three are locks to make the Chase so I don't really see the ambition in any of these three drivers to go above and beyond to win, or really even come in the Top 3 in Virginia.  I see theses Top 3 NSCS drivers doing just enough to finish -- perhaps in the Top 10 -- but that might even be a stretch. I am laying off these three public drivers for the last race before NASCAR's playoffs and would advise everyone to do the same despite the juicy odds (that I believe have "sucker" written all over them).

Will he or won't he make the Chase? That has been the question on NASCAR fans' minds for the past month as Kyle Busch tumbled out of the Top 10. Two weeks ago I picked "Rowdy" to win the Sharpie 500 at Bristol and he did. It looked like Busch was going to break the Top 12 but with a fifth place finish at AMS last week combined with 11 Chase drivers finishing in the Top 13, Busch actually lost a spot and dropped to 14th place. The good news is that Busch is well within striking distance of the Chase. If Busch can come out and run a good race, lead a bunch of laps, and then finish first or second, he should make the Chase with 40 bonus points to boot. 

Busch won at Richmond where he led the race three times for 53 laps in the spring race on his birthday (May 2), marking the 14th different track on which Kyle has won a Sprint Cup race. Keep in mind that "Rowdy" has historically done very well at Richmond with seven Top-5 finishes in nine starts. The reality is that Kyle will most likely need to win to make the Chase.

Pick! Kyle Busch, No. 16, (6/1)

2009 Rock & Roll 400 - Lucky Dog Long Odds Special

In a sign of the times Dewalt has vacated the hood of Rousch Fenway Racing's No. 17 car next year. Kenseth currently occupies the 12th and final spot in the Chase, but that could quickly change during the Rock & Roll 400. Kenseth has one win and nine Top-10 finishes in 19 starts at Richmond and has not necessarily contended for wins since the second race of the season at Fontana. Kenseth's fortunes have gone downhill since. Last week at the Pep Boys Kenseth slammed into the wall and was down a lap early in the race. However, his pit-crew fixed the damage and Kenseth made it all the way into the Top 10 before finishing in 12th place; good enough to keep the hard charging Brian Vickers 20-points out in 12th place and Kyle Busch 37-points in 13th place behind him for the final spot in the Chase. Kenseth showed last weekend that he is a gamer with the ability to overcome a lot of setbacks. That same grit will serve him well this week in Virginia, which is why I like him as my Lucky Dog Long Odds pick.        

Pick! Matt Kenseth, No. 17, (20/1)

2009 Rock & Roll 400 - Odds for Top 3 Finish

If you like feuds (and I do) keep an eye on Kyle and Vickers during the race because there are sure to be some fireworks between both as they try to make the Chase. Red Bull Racing's Vickers will return to the track where the feud started with Kyle Busch. Back in May Busch started it by pushing Vickers up the track and Vickers continued it by pushing back. Guess you could say Busch won round won as he finished the race first. Their feud hit the zenith in August in Michigan where after Vickers won he called Busch a "cry-baby" and said it must be tough for the younger Busch to live with such anger. Don't think Busch has forgotten that. Vickers won the pole in the spring race but finished the race 15th on the grid. If Vickers makes the Chase it will because he finished in front of Busch, but I don't necessarily see that happening as Vickers has only one Top-10 finish in 10 starts, but I wouldn't be surprised to see Vickers dueling it out with Kyle Busch to the finish.

Pick! Brian Vickers, No. 83, (8/1)

Odds to finish in the Top 3 - 2009 Chevy Rock & Roll 400
Sat, Sept. 12, 7 p.m.  Richmond International Raceway

A.J. Allmendinger 30/1 
Bobby Labonte 30/1 
Brian Vickers 8/1 
Carl Edwards 9/2 
Casey Mears 30/1 
Clint Bowyer 7/2 
Dale Earnhardt Jr. 5/1 
David Ragan 30/1 
David Reutimann 9/1 
David Stremme 30/1 
Denny Hamlin 9/5 
Elliott Sadler 30/1 
Greg Biffle 11/2 
Jamie McMurray 30/1 
Jeff Burton 9/1 
Jeff Gordon 12/5 
Jimmie Johnson 9/5 
Joey Logano 12/1 
Juan Pablo Montoya 15/2  
Kasey Kahne 11/2 
Kurt Busch 9/2 
Kyle Busch 9/5 
Marcos Ambrose 30/1 
Mark Martin 12/5 
Martin Truex Jr. 10/1 
Matt Kenseth 6/1 
Michael Waltrip 30/1 
Reed Sorenson 30/1 
Ryan Newman 6/1 
Sam Hornish Jr. 30/1 
Scott Speed 30/1 
Tony Stewart 12/5 
Field (Any Other Driver) 15/1

Odds to Win the 2009 Chevy Rock & Roll 400
Sat, Sept. 12, 7 p.m.  Richmond International Raceway

A.J. Allmendinger 100/1 
Bobby Labonte 100/1 
Brian Vickers 25/1 
Carl Edwards 15/1 
Casey Mears 100/1 
Clint Bowyer 12/1 
Dale Earnhardt Jr. 16/1 
David Ragan 100/1 
David Reutimann 30/1 
David Stremme 100/1 
Denny Hamlin 13/2 
Elliott Sadler 100/1 
Greg Biffle 18/1 
Jamie McMurray 100/1 
Jeff Burton 26/1 
Jeff Gordon 8/1 
Jimmie Johnson 6/1 
Joey Logano 40/1 
Juan Pablo Montoya 25/1 
Kasey Kahne 18/1 
Kevin Harvick 20/1 
Kurt Busch 15/1 
Kyle Busch 6/1 
Marcos Ambrose 100/1 
Mark Martin 8/1 
Martin Truex Jr. 35/1 
Matt Kenseth 20/1 
Michael Waltrip 100/1 
Reed Sorenson 100/1 
Ryan Newman 20/1  
Sam Hornish Jr. 100/1  
Scott Speed 100/1 
Tony Stewart 8/1 
Field (Any Other Driver) 50/1