It ended with rain. Yet again, what a Cinderella story that would be for that team to pull off what would have to rank as one of NASCAR’s biggest upsets of all time, if they could win it all Sunday.
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They sure didn’t seem happy on social media after Talladega and Phoenix, where the finishes – if you can call them that – were completely unsatisfactory. In fact, Truex – who is racing for the single-car Furniture Row team out of Denver – has thrived in the us-against-the-world role. “The three guys that I’m racing with, it’s so cool the storylines that you’re going with there….” “I’m very proud to have had a championship in the past and I wanted to help bring one to these guys who have worked so hard for it”. There was no frantic jockeying for the final three slots in the title-deciding finale, no opportunity for Joey Logano or Kurt Busch or Carl Edwards to flex any muscle in a push for the checkered flag.
When asked about the ongoing weirdness for him during this year’s Chase – including the Phoenix round – Logano stuck to a positive spin.
Harvick dominated the race after getting off pit road first courtesy of a two-tire stop during a competition caution on lap 40. Gordon clinched his advancement to the final round of the Chase with his win at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway on November 1. “Polish and polish and polish – that’s all I kept doing this whole year”. “Our auto performed really well and we were able to lead a lot of laps. We feel like we have the team to do it and the speed to do it, and that’s what it’s all about”.
Earnhardt was trying to stave off elimination with a win, but when Harvick refused to cede position as his engine failed, he triggered a race-ending accident that bounced NASCAR’s most popular driver from the playoffs.
“I had a great season”.
“That kind of situation happens, but everybody makes mistakes and Matt [Crafton] made one tonight”, said Jones.
“I don’t even think it was a penalty”, Kurt Busch said after the race ended. “It’s cool for them, but I wish I had another restart”.
The Chase field for next weekend’s season finale is set. When it finally stopped raining, the race began 6 hours, 42 minutes later. But the way this Chase has gone, Phoenix was the most ideal embodiment of NASCAR these days. “We kept adjusting on it, but it’s a short race and who knows?” We’ve run up front, we’ve run strong.
Kyle Busch has been a favorite to win the title at various times in his career, but he never made it far enough in the Chase to win a Cup title.
The race was scheduled for early Sunday afternoon, but a rain shower before the start spoiled the day.
That sent Busch to the rear of the field. (14th) will join Jeff Gordon (sixth; he already had advanced with a Martinsville Speewday win) in racing for the championship. But eight laps into event, all that mattered was Busch returning to contention.
Little E won by virtue of the odd – but fair – rule that scores the leader during a caution by who gets to the start-finish line at the middle of the pit road first. After the cars cycled out he was 12th but passed Paul Menard on Lap 148 for 10th.
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Busch protested over the radio once the penalty was announced after a brief review, and he eventually served his penalty on Lap 8, stripped of leading the opening laps and left to rally from last place to an eventual seventh-place result.
