Clint Bowyer wins Richmond as Kasey Kahne and Jeff Gordon make Chase

Clint Bowyer wins Richmond as Kasey Kahne and Jeff Gordon make Chase

Sept. 8, 2012 (EDS: Will be updated)

By Reid Spencer

NASCAR Wire Service

RICHMOND, Va. -- Clint Bowyer had a gulp of gas just big enough to win the race. Rick Hendrick had Kasey Kahne and Jeff Gordon as a pair of Chasers.

Bowyer finished 1.198 seconds ahead of Gordon, who knocked Kyle Busch out of the final wild-card spot in the Chase for the Sprint Cup in the closing laps of Saturday night's Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond International Raceway.

The victory was Bowyer's second of the season, his second at Richmond and the seventh of his career. Mark Martin ran third, followed by Tony Stewart and Matt Kenseth, as Hendrick Motorsports fulfilled a preseason goal of putting all four cars in the Chase.

For Busch, it was a failed pit strategy that led to his ouster for the second wild card spot. When a light rain caused the sixth caution on Lap 275, Busch stayed out while others came to pit road for fuel. A slow pit stop under green on Lap 334 did further damage to his chances and allowed Gordon to sneak into the Chase by a three-point margin.