Harvick was in control a good portion of the day, leading for 139 of the race’s 300 laps.
Advertisement
Denny Hamlin, who recovered from 26th following an uncontrolled tire during the first caution on Lap 54, finished third followed by Kyle Busch and Earnhardt. He and Edwards have a contentious history including a 2008 scuffle that saw Edwards grab Harvick by the throat and Edwards placed in a headlock.
What fans experienced on Sunday was one driver’s dominant performance almost be stolen away from another driver’s will to go for the victory at all costs. Edwards was all smiles on the track after the race, joking about not wanting to wreck the series champ.
The Joe Gibbs Racing driver was edged by Kevin Harvick in an overtime finish and was forced to settle for second in the season’s second photo finish.
“We had a really good vehicle today and we ran upfront for a bunch of the race”, he said. “You know what I mean?”
The race ran without caution for the final 99 laps, and on lap 172, Jones caught Busch in traffic and pulled alongside.
“They crossed the line, and I felt like we won, and then I looked up at the monitor and it said we won, but then they were waiting to look at the camera, and I’m like, you just hold your breath and hope it’s the best”. “And I was just so thankful for when I came off the wall that feet, legs, arms, wrists, head was all fine and nothing was hurting”.
Harvick, though, found a way to win at what’s become nearly his personal track. Had Edwards caused a wreck, or simply spun Harvick out, it may have tarnished how the race ended.
“If we had one more lap, I could have passed him clean”, Edwards said.
Logano is the only driver not named Kevin Harvick, who has five straight top 10 finishes in Phoenix.
The final shootout was set up with Harvick, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Austin Dillon as the only cars to not pit following a Kasey Kahnecrash.
When Brad Keselowski finally pitted with 13 laps left, Busch took the lead for good and secured his ninth Xfinity Series win in 20 races at Phoenix. He had led for a majority of the race and had one of, if not the, most dominant auto in the field.
“I feel like I was good through (Turns) 1 and 2 and at times, was good through (Turns) 4 and 4, but it was very edgy”. Asked Sunday if he’s headed to another Indy 500 win, Montoya indicated he’s taking each race one at a time.
“We were really tight and I was having to use too much break and I think we got the tyres hot and once we did that the right front gave out from having to use too much brake”, explained Stenhouse. “At a flat track, you really don’t get to keep your momentum up”. Honestly, it makes it where I can’t wait to get to the next race – Auto Club Speedway in Fontana – our fifth completely different track for the low-downforce package.
What: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, fourth of 36 races.
Advertisement
Busch was the only driver to take only two tires under the caution, but he was able to maintain his lead over drivers with four new tires until being overtaken by Earnhardt. With three victories to its credit, the No. 18 JGR Camry leads the owners’ standings by seven points over the No. 88 JR Motorsports all-star vehicle driven by Elliott on Saturday.
