The Race to the Chase is the 26-race schedule that determines who makes the Chase for the Sprint Cup in the Sprint Cup Series. It is during this critical time that drivers must jockey to stay within the top-10 in points or 400 points behind the leader. Since the series started in 2004, Daytona has hosted the first race (Daytona 500) and ended at the fall Richmond race. If a driver is locked out of the Chase for the Championship after Richmond, he can not earn his way into it. For more info see: Chase for the Sprint Cup