When Michael McDowell pulled in front of Tony Stewart during Friday's practice session at Richmond International Raceway, it ruined Stewart's mock qualifying run, maybe his mood, too. Two-time NASCAR champion Stewart, who finished the practice session 30th on the speed chart, had words with McDowell before heading toward his team debrief. In between was his weekly media briefing, and the temperamental Stewart was just a little testy about his prospects for making the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship. “The pressure is all the media standing here, we're doing the same thing we always do every week,” Stewart snapped. For a guy trying to downplay being under pressure, Stewart sure seemed stressed. But that's to be expected heading into Saturday night's race, the final chance for 14 drivers to lock down the final four spots in the 12-driver field. Under a new wild-card format this season, NASCAR will give the final two Chase berths to drivers ranked outside the top 10 who have the most wins. Stewart is ranked 10th in points, and should he finish 18th or higher Saturday night, he'll be just fine. He'll start 22nd in the race. But he's got Brad Keselowski closing quickly on him in the standings, and should Stewart fall outside the top 10, he'll miss the Chase for the second time since its inception in 2004. He wasn't the only one on edge, either. Dale Earnhardt Jr. goes into Saturday night ranked ninth in points and needs to only finish 20th or higher to ensure his spot in the Chase. But he's not been running well for almost three months and the pressure is on NASCAR's most popular driver to make it back to the Chase for the first time since 2008. Across the garage, the one guy who really is under the gun seemed rather relaxed. Denny Hamlin goes into Saturday night ranked 12th in points and holding tight onto the second wild-card slot. He's got one win in his pocket and has several different scenarios to get into the Chase. A win would guarantee it, but a good run should be enough.
