Jeff Gordon earns playoff spot in the rain at Richmond

RICHMOND, Va. - Four-time series champion Jeff Gordon felt his hopes were dead in the water when NASCAR red-flagged his last chance to get into the playoffs because of rain at Richmond International Raceway.

His car wasn't running well, and the chance seemed to be slipping away on Saturday night.

But just as major adjustments made by his crew started to pay off for Gordon and he began to challenge for the lead, a gamble by Kyle Busch's team failed in the biggest way possible: Gordon, not Busch, grabbed the last spot in the Chase for the Sprint Cup - by finishing second in the race to Clint Bowyer - by a margin of just three points.

When the last caution flew on Lap 277 for rain, Gordon, who was a lap down, pitted for tires and fuel and got back on the lead lap. Busch's crew chief, Dave Rogers, told his driver to stay out. It was a calculated risk that the rain might linger and end the race early.

Instead, the weather cleared and Gordon's car was suddenly among the fastest on the track. Busch was among the drivers on old tires who became sitting ducks for most of the cars on fresh tires.

MONZA, Italy - McLaren driver Lewis Hamilton won the Italian Grand Prix, and Formula One leader Fernando Alonso of Ferrari finished third to extend his overall lead. It was Hamilton's 20th career victory.