Posted on by Staff Report

A statistical look ahead to the season finale at Homestead

RELATED: Follow your picks in the Chase Battle Grid Presented by Toyota

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (November 10, 2014) – Below is a look at the Championship 4 in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup and beyond at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Homestead, Florida going into the Ford EcoBoost 400 on November 16. ESPN’s coverage begins at 2 p.m. (ET) and the race is scheduled for 3 p.m. (ET).

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HOMESTEAD-MIAMI-SPECIFIC STATISTICS

1 – Denny Hamlin (No. 11 FedEx Express Toyota)

· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 90.7

2014 Rundown

· One win, seven top fives, 17 top 10s; three poles

· Average finish of 14.5

· Led 17 races for 313 laps

Homestead-Miami Speedway Outlook:

· Two wins, four top fives, five top 10s

· Average finish of 11.2 in nine races

· Average Running Position of 14.0, 10th-best

· Driver Rating of 93.4, eighth-best

· 88 Fastest Laps Run, 10th-most

· Series-high 826 Green Flag Passes

· 1,406 Laps in the Top 15 (58.5%), 11th-most

2 – Joey Logano (No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Ford)

· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 106.7

2014 Rundown

· Five wins, 16 top fives, 22 top 10s; one pole

· Average finish of 11.2

· Led 22 races for 993 laps

Homestead-Miami Speedway Outlook:

· One top 10; one pole

· Average finish of 20.8 in five races

· Average Running Position of 19.5, 19th-best

· Driver Rating of 71.2, 22nd-best

3 – Ryan Newman (No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet)

· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 86.1

2014 Rundown

· Four top fives, 15 top 10s

· Average finish of 13.0

· Led 7 races for 41 laps

Homestead-Miami Speedway Outlook:

· One top five, four top 10s

· Average finish of 17.0 in 12 races

· Average Running Position of 13.8, ninth-best

· Driver Rating of 84.8, 13th-best

· 696 Green Flag Passes, eighth-most

· 1,520 Laps in the Top 15 (63.2%), ninth-most

· 426 Quality Passes, third-most

4 – Kevin Harvick (No. 4 Budweiser Chevrolet)

· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 109.9

2014 Rundown

· Four wins, 13 top fives, 19 top 10s; eight poles

· Average finish of 13.3

· Led 26 races for 2,083 laps

Homestead-Miami Speedway Outlook:

· Five top fives, 11 top 10s

· Average finish of 8.1 in 13 races

· Average Running Position of 10.9, fourth-best

· Driver Rating of 99.1, fourth-best

· 83 Fastest Laps Run, 12th-most

· 681 Green Flag Passes, ninth-most

· Average Green Flag Speed of 161.857 mph, fifth-fastest

· 1,805 Laps in the Top 15 (75.1%), fourth-most

· 398 Quality Passes, sixth-most

5 – Brad Keselowski (No. 2 Miller Lite Ford)

· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 103.6

2014 Rundown

· Six wins, 16 top fives, 19 top 10s; five poles

· Average finish of 12.9

· Led 27 races for 1,540 laps

Homestead-Miami Speedway Outlook:

· One top 10

· Average finish of 17.0 in six races

· Average Running Position of 16.8, 14th-best

· Driver Rating of 80.3, 16th-best

6 – Jeff Gordon (No. 24 Drive To End Hunger Chevrolet)

· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 109.4

2014 Rundown

· Four wins, 14 top fives, 22 top 10s; two poles

· Average finish of 10.4

· Led 25 races for 922 laps

Homestead-Miami Speedway Outlook:

· One win, seven top fives, 11 top 10s

· Average finish of 10.6 in 15 races

· Average Running Position of 12.5, sixth-best

· Driver Rating of 96.5, sixth-best

· 91 Fastest Laps Run, ninth-most

· 678 Green Flag Passes, 11th-most

· Average Green Flag Speed of 161.852 mph, sixth-fastest

· 1,734 Laps in the Top 15 (72.1%), sixth-most

· 442 Quality Passes, second-most

7 – Matt Kenseth (No. 20 Dollar General Toyota)

· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 92.8

2014 Rundown

· 13 top fives, 21 top 10s; two poles

· Average finish of 13.4

· Led 20 races for 529 laps

Homestead-Miami Speedway Outlook:

· One win, four top fives, six top 10s; one pole

· Average finish of 16.5 in 14 races

· Average Running Position of 8.6, third-best

· Driver Rating of 109.8, third-best

· 123 Fastest Laps Run, fourth-most

· Average Green Flag Speed of 162.160 mph, third-fastest

· 1,984 Laps in the Top 15 (82.5%), second-most

· 364 Quality Passes, 10th-most

8 – Kyle Busch (No. 18 M&M’s Toyota)

· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 89.7

2014 Rundown

· One win, nine top fives, 15 top 10s; three poles

· Average finish of 17.0

· Led 15 races for 453 laps

Homestead-Miami Speedway Outlook:

· One top five, three top 10s

· Average finish of 21.3 in nine races

· Average Running Position of 14.8, 12th-best

· Driver Rating of 93.4, seventh-best

· 122 Fastest Laps Run, fifth-most

· 1,579 Laps in the Top 15 (65.7%), seventh-most

· 396 Quality Passes, seventh-most

9 – Carl Edwards (No. 99 Fastenal Ford)

· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 81.4

2014 Rundown

· Two wins, seven top fives, 14 top 10s

· Average finish of 14.5

· Led 11 races for 135 laps

Homestead-Miami Speedway Outlook:

· Two wins, five top fives, seven top 10s; two poles

· Average finish of 6.6 in 10 races

· Series-best Average Running Position of 8.0

· Series-best Driver Rating of 115.5

· Series-high 266 Fastest Laps Run

· Series-best Average Green Flag Speed of 162.432 mph

· Series-high 2,057 Laps in the Top 15 (85.6%)

· 382 Quality Passes, eighth-most

10 – Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 88 National Guard Chevrolet)

· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 97.7

2014 Rundown

· Four wins, 12 top fives, 20 top 10s

· Average finish of 12.1

· Led 17 races for 383 laps

Homestead-Miami Speedway Outlook:

· One top five, two top 10s

· Average finish of 20.7 in 14 races

· Average Running Position of 19.1, 18th-best

· Driver Rating of 76.9, 19th-best

· 134 Fastest Laps Run, third-most

· 815 Green Flag Passes, second-most

11 – AJ Allmendinger (No. 47 Hungry Jack Chevrolet)

· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 71.1

2014 Rundown

· One win, two top fives, five top 10s

· Average finish of 19.6

· Led 5 races for 68 laps

Homestead-Miami Speedway Outlook:

· One top five, two top 10s

· Average finish of 15.4 in five races

· Average Running Position of 20.0, 21st-best

· Driver Rating of 77.6, 17th-best

12 – Greg Biffle (No. 16 3M Ford)

· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 78.5

2014 Rundown

· Three top fives, 11 top 10s

· Average finish of 15.7

· Led 7 races for 110 laps

Homestead-Miami Speedway Outlook:

· Three wins, four top fives, five top 10s

· Average finish of 15.2 in 12 races

· Average Running Position of 15.6, 13th-best

· Driver Rating of 88.7, 12th-best

· 103 Fastest Laps Run, seventh-most

· 798 Green Flag Passes, third-most

· Average Green Flag Speed of 161.629 mph, 11th-fastest

· 1,280 Laps in the Top 15 (53.2%), 12th-most

· 302 Quality Passes, 12th-most

13 – Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet)

· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 99.0

2014 Rundown

· Four wins, 11 top fives, 19 top 10s; one pole

· Average finish of 15.5

· Led 17 races for 1,310 laps

Homestead-Miami Speedway Outlook:

· Four top fives, eight top 10s; two poles

· Average finish of 14.8 in 13 races

· Average Running Position of 13.0, eighth-best

· Driver Rating of 96.6, fifth-best

· 84 Fastest Laps Run, 11th-most

· Average Green Flag Speed of 161.978 mph, fourth-fastest

· 1,775 Laps in the Top 15 (73.8%), fifth-most

· 402 Quality Passes, fifth-most

14 – Kurt Busch (No. 41 Haas Automation Chevrolet)

· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 87.8

2014 Rundown

· One win, six top fives, 11 top 10s

· Average finish of 19.2

· Led 14 races for 219 laps

Homestead-Miami Speedway Outlook:

· One win, four top fives, five top 10s; two poles

· Average finish of 19.8 in 13 races

· Average Running Position of 22.9, 25th-best

· Driver Rating of 72.0, 21st-best

15 – Kasey Kahne (No. 5 Great Clips Chevrolet)

· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 87.3

2014 Rundown

· One win, three top fives, 11 top 10s

· Average finish of 17.8

· Led 12 races for 218 laps

Homestead-Miami Speedway Outlook:

· One top five, four top 10s; two poles

· Average finish of 15.2 in 10 races

· Average Running Position of 12.9, seventh-best

· Driver Rating of 90.0, 10th-best

· 106 Fastest Laps Run, sixth-most

· 763 Green Flag Passes, fourth-most

· Average Green Flag Speed of 161.658 mph, 10th-fastest

· 1,470 Laps in the Top 15 (61.1%), 10th-most

· 370 Quality Passes, ninth-most

16 – Aric Almirola (No. 43 Smithfield Foods Ford)

· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 72.1

2014 Rundown

· One win, two top fives, seven top 10s

· Average finish of 21.5

· Led 5 races for 23 laps

Homestead-Miami Speedway Outlook:

· One top five, two top 10s

· Average finish of 15.5 in four races

· Average Running Position of 18.0, 15th-best

· Driver Rating of 80.5, 15th-best

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series 2014 Championship Four at Homestead-Miami Speedway

Rank

Driver

Races

Poles

Wins

Top Fives

Top 10s

DNFs

Average Finish

Driver Rating

1

Denny Hamlin

9

0

2

4

5

0

11.2

93.4

2

Joey Logano

5

1

0

0

1

1

20.8

71.2

3

Ryan Newman

12

0

0

1

4

2

17.0

84.8

4

Kevin Harvick

13

0

0

5

11

0

8.1

99.1

* – Based on last nine races at Homestead-Miami Speedway (2005 – 2013).

Homestead-Miami Speedway:

History

· Groundbreaking for Homestead-Miami Dade Motorsports Complex – as the track was originally named – began Aug. 24, 1993.

· The first race held at Homestead-Miami Speedway was a NASCAR Nationwide Series event on Nov. 5, 1995 – won by NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Jarrett.

· The original configuration was a four-turn, rectangular oval based on Indianapolis Motor Speedway‘s layout.

· The first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Homestead was held on Nov. 14, 1999 – won by Tony Stewart.

· 2002 was the first season of the Championship Weekend at Homestead, with all three of NASCAR’s national series holding their season finale at the same track.

Notebook

· Since the inception of the position-based points system in 1975, only four drivers have made up a points deficit in the season finale: Richard Petty in 1979 (made up two points on Darrell Waltrip), Alan Kulwicki in 1992 (made up 30 points on Davey Allison), Jimmie Johnson in 2010 (made up 15 points on Denny Hamlin) and Tony Stewart in 2012 (made up three points on Carl Edwards).

· There have been 15 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Homestead-Miami Speedway, one per season since 1999.

· 113 drivers have competed in at least one NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Homestead; 89 in more than one.

· Two drivers have made all 15 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Homestead: Jeff Burton and Jeff Gordon.

· David Green won the first Coors Light pole at Homestead in 1999 at a speed of 155.759 mph (34.669 sec.).

· There have been 11 different Coors Light pole winners, led by Kurt Busch, Carl Edwards, Jimmie Johnson and Kasey Kahne with two each.

· Youngest Homestead-Miami pole winner: Joey Logano (11/18/2012 – 22 years, 5 months, 25 days).

· Oldest Homestead-Miami pole winner: Bill Elliott (11/11/2001 – 46 years, 1 month, 3 days).

· Jamie McMurray (November, 2003) and David Reutimann (November, 2008) won their first career Coors Light poles at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

· There have been nine different NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race winners at Homestead-Miami; three have won more than once, led by Greg Biffle and Tony Stewart with three each. Carl Edwards and Denny Hamlin (two each) are the only other drivers with multiple wins at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

· Of the three drivers with multiple wins at Homestead, Tony Stewart is the only driver to win in two different manufacturers: Pontiac (1999, 2000) and Chevrolet (2011).

· Two of the 15 (13.3%) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Homestead-Miami Speedway have been won from the Coors Light pole: Bill Elliott (2001) and Kurt Busch (2002).

· Five of the 15 (33.3%) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Homestead have been won from the front row: two from the pole and three from second-place.

· 10 of the 15 (66.6%) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Homestead have been won from a starting position inside the top 10.

· 5 of the 15 (33.3%) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Homestead have been won from a starting position outside the top 10 – most recently – Jeff Gordon (15th-place starting position; 2012).

· Denny Hamlin won the 2009 race from the 38th-place starting position, the furthest back a race winner has started at HMS.

· Two drivers have won consecutive races at Homestead-Miami: Tony Stewart (1999 – 2000) and Greg Biffle (2004 – 2006, three straight).

· Carl Edwards leads the series in average finish at Homestead with a 6.600; only two other drivers have an average finish inside the top 10: Kevin Harvick (8.078) and Martin Truex Jr. (9.222).

· Roush Fenway Racing leads the series in wins at Homestead with seven, followed by Joe Gibbs Racing with five.

· Youngest Homestead winner: Kurt Busch (11/17/2002 – 24 years, 3 months, 13 days).

· Oldest Homestead winner: Bill Elliott (11/11/2001 – 46 years, 1 month, 3 days).

· Jimmie Johnson and Kevin Harvick lead the series in runner-up finishes at Homestead with two each.

· Jeff Gordon leads the series in top-five finishes at Homestead with seven; followed by Carl Edwards and Kevin Harvick with five each.

· Jeff Gordon and Kevin Harvick lead the series in top-10 finishes at Homestead with 11 each; followed by Jimmie Johnson with eight.

· Eight of the nine NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers who have won at Homestead-Miami participated in at least two or more races before visiting Victory Lane. Tony Stewart (1999) is the only driver to win at Homestead in his first appearance.

· Dale Earnhardt Jr. lead the series among active drivers with the most NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Homestead-Miami Speedway without visiting Victory Lane at 14.

· Since the advent of electronic scoring the closest margin of victory in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Homestead was the (4/10/2010) race won by Greg Biffle with a MOV of 0.017 seconds.

· Danica Patrick became the first female driver to compete in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Homestead-Miami Speedway last season; starting 24th and finishing 20th.

NASCAR in Florida

· There have been 176 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races among eight tracks in Florida.

Track Name

City

NSCS

Daytona International Speedway

Daytona Beach

135

Homestead-Miami Speedway

Homestead

15

Palm Beach Speedway

W. Palm Beach

7

Speedway Park

Jacksonville

6

Five Flags Speedway

Pensacola

1

Golden Gate Speedway

Tampa

1

Titusville-Cocoa Speedway

Titusville

1

· 173 drivers in NASCAR national series history have their home state recorded as Florida.

· There have been 10 race winners from Florida in NASCAR’s three national series.

Driver

NSCS

NNS

NCWTS

Fireball Roberts

33

0

0

LeeRoy Yarbrough

14

0

0

Marshall Teague

7

0

0

Joe Nemechek

4

16

0

Bobby Johns

2

0

0

David Reutimann

2

1

1

Aric Almirola

1

1

2

Shorty Rollins

1

0

0

Rick Wilson

0

2

0

Joey Coulter

0

0

1

Chase For The NASCAR Sprint Cup: Homestead-Miami Speedway

· Homestead-Miami Speedway has been a part of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup since the playoff’s inception in 2004. This season the track will host its 11th Chase event.

· The winner of the Homestead-Miami Chase race has gone on to win the championship during the Chase era once: Tony Stewart (2011).

· Greg Biffle leads the series in Chase race wins at Homestead-Miami with three (2004 – 2006); followed by Carl Edwards with two (2008, 2010).

· The worst finish in a Chase race by the eventual series champion at Homestead-Miami Speedway is 15th (three times), Tony Stewart in 2005, Jimmie Johnson in 2008 and Brad Keselowski in 2012.

· Chase Contenders have won seven of the 10 previous Chase races at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Two non-Chase contenders have won a Homestead-Miami Chase race: Greg Biffle (2004 and 2006) and Denny Hamlin (2013).

· Four of the 10 previous Chase races at Homestead the eventual series champion has finished in the top five.

· Roush Fenway Racing leads the series in Chase race wins at Homestead-Miami Speedway with six, including five consecutive: Greg Biffle (2004 – 2006), Matt Kenseth (2007) and Carl Edwards (2008).

· Ford leads the series in Chase wins at Homestead with six; followed by Chevrolet with two.

· The most dominant performance by a Chase race winner at Homestead-Miami Speedway is Carl Edwards victory in 2010. He posted a Perfect Driver Rating of 150.0 and led 190 of the 267 laps (71.1% of his laps completed) – most by a Chase race winner at Homestead.

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Find out where all 43 cars finished and why

RELATED: Follow your picks in the Chase Battle Grid Presented by Toyota

1. Kevin Harvick, No. 4 Chevrolet, Stewart-Haas Racing. Harvick advanced to the championship round despite entering Phoenix in eighth place among the eight Eliminator Round drivers. He did so by putting together a dominant performance in which he posted a perfect driver rating of 150.0 and led 264 of 312 laps. Harvick won for the sixth time at Phoenix, which is tops among active drivers, and he might be the favorite heading into next week’s leader-take-all title race.

2. Jeff Gordon, No. 24 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports. Gordon did all he could to advance, except win the race. And when Ryan Newman kicked Kyle Larson out of the way on the last lap and picked up two positions, it was enough to end Gordon’s quest for a fifth championship. It was Gordon’s 22nd top-10 finish in 32 races at Phoenix, and in post-race interviews he seemed to disagree with Newman’s tactics. "I’m not going to wreck a guy (Harvick) that’s racing me clean all year long just to make it into the Chase. That’s not what it’s all about for me."

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3. Matt Kenseth, No. 20 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing. Kenseth couldn’t pick up that elusive victory this season, which is what he needed in order to advance. But at least Harvick moved on, meaning Kenseth could let go of the guilt he had from spinning the No. 4 at Martinsville. However, that was probably little consolation to the driver of the No. 20, who missed his chance to compete for a second championship by a measley point.

4. Brad Keselowski, No. 2 Ford, Team Penske. With a wall of Chase drivers in front of him, it became apparent late in the race that Keselowski would need to win to advance. But unlike at Talladega, Keselowski couldn’t pull off the Hail Mary win at Phoenix and missed a chance to go for his second Sprint Cup Series title. Despite the high-pressure situation, Keselowski still was able to play it cool with his crew chief in this late-race exchange: "What’s going on down on pit road?" "Pretty quiet, just hanging out." "You need an ice cream?" "Not yet." For more in-car audio, sign up for RaceView.

5. Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing. Hamlin experienced the first real drama for a Chase driver when after the first caution he had to re-pit because of a flat rear-right tire. That pushed Hamlin back to 37th place, and he fell a lap down by Lap 76. But a debris caution on Lap 96 allowed Hamlin to get back on the lead lap, and slowly but surely he worked his way back into the top 10 and advanced to the championship round.

6. Joey Logano, No. 22 Ford, Team Penske. On Lap 124, Logano’s gas can got stuck in the car and he was penalized on pit road for removing equipment. He dropped to 26th after that incident and eventually fell off the lead lap. He missed being the beneficiary by one spot after a Lap 184 caution, but he was in the free-pass spot on a caution just 17 laps later. From there, Logano worked his way up from 20th place to sixth, and his hopes for a first championship are still alive.

7. Kurt Busch, No. 41 Chevrolet, Stewart-Haas Racing. Busch raced despite being under investigation for alleged domestic assault and had a top-five car for most of the day. But on Lap 222, Busch got into the wall after making contact with the No. 2 of Keselowski. From then on, Busch couldn’t rise higher than seventh.

8. Dale Earnhardt Jr., No. 88 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports. Junior led Laps 84-87, but made contact with AJ Allmendinger on Lap 194. Despite that, Dale Jr. powered on to his 20th top-10 finish of the season. There’s one more race with crew chief Steve Letarte before the Greg Ives era begins.

9. Greg Biffle, No. 16 Ford, Roush Fenway Racing. Biffle made a mad dash to his 11th top-10 finish of the season. He closed 14 places with 32 laps to go (from 23rd to ninth).

10. Marcos Ambrose, No. 9 Ford, Richard Petty Motorsports. Tony Stewart gave the outward-bound Aussie a parting gift, one more bump on pit road when the two cars came together after a Lap 31 caution. Despite taking some left-front damage, Ambrose posted his seventh top-10 of the season and had a race-high 70 green-flag passes.

11. Ryan Newman, No. 31 Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing. Newman did what he felt he needed to do by running Kyle Larson up the track and out of the way on the final lap to grab just enough track position to qualify for the championship round. In a bit of foreshadowing, Logano’s crew chief said earlier, "You’re guaranteed in if you finish in the top 12, but the 31 is on the borderline. He’s going to be aggressive, so be careful." For more in-car audio, sign up for RaceView.

12. Martin Truex Jr., No. 78 Chevrolet, Furniture Row Racing. Truex had to make an unscheduled pit stop on Lap 213 after Kyle Busch made contact with his left-rear fender. That cost Truex valuable track position and put a top-10 finish just out of his reach.

13. Kyle Larson, No. 42 Chevrolet, Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates. Larson was in the wrong place at the wrong time as Newman, in a desperate move to make the final round of the Chase, pushed him up the track and out of the way on the last lap. Larson still finished 13th as the top rookie and is a virtual lock to win Sunoco Rookie of the Year.

14. Jamie McMurray, No. 1 Chevrolet, Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates. McMurray fought through a couple of issues, such as a pit road penalty on Lap 124 and a spinout on Lap 244. Despite all that, McMurray posted his 11th top-15 in the past 15 races.

15. Carl Edwards, No. 99 Ford, Roush Fenway Racing. Edwards fell short of his goal to bring Jack Roush a championship on his way out the door before he heads to Joe Gibbs Racing. The magic from a week ago when he managed a top-10 finish disappeared as the No. 99 struggled to get the speed necessary to advance.

16. AJ Allmendinger, No. 47 Cheverolet, JTG Daugherty Racing. Allmendinger improved eight spots from where he started the race and was as high as 12th during the later stages. For the sixth time in the nine Chase races, he was better than his season-long average finish of 19.6.

17. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 17 Ford, Roush Fenway Racing. Stenhouse matched his car number with this finish and was racing at his best toward the end. Earlier, however, he caught the ire of Logano, who while racing Stenhouse said, "What the (expletive)! He’s on my (expletive)!" For more in-car audio, sign up for RaceView.

18. Aric Almirola, No. 43 Ford, Richard Petty Motorsports. Almirola posted his best finish since his sixth-place showing at Loudon in the second Chase race. After starting 23rd, he moved up to the top 20 by Lap 60, which is where he stayed for the rest of the day.

19. Brian Vickers, No. 55 Toyota, Michael Waltrip Racing. Vickers started ninth, but by Lap 45 had dropped to 25th. He snuck into the top 10 again by Lap 225 but couldn’t hold on to the position.

20. Tony Stewart, No. 14 Chevrolet, Stewart-Haas Racing. After a top-five at Martinsville and an 11th-place finish at Texas on a weekend when he hit the 200-mph mark in qualifying, Stewart settled back into what has become the norm for him this season.

21. Kasey Kahne, No. 5 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports. Kahne started 22nd, finished 21st and continued to go quietly into the end of the season. Since winning at Atlanta to qualify for the Chase, Kahne has just one top-10 finish (Charlotte) in the past 10 races.

22. Danica Patrick, No. 10 Chevrolet, Stewart-Haas Racing. Patrick finished on the lead lap for the first time in three races, which she admitted was an accomplishment. After 34th- and 36th-place finishes at Martinsville and Texas, respectively, this performance was closer to her season-long average finish of 23.8.

23. Paul Menard, No. 27 Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing. The 1-mile Phoenix oval can present some tight racing quarters, and Paul Menard found that out when he tangled with Clint Bowyer midway through the event. Bowyer evidently wasn’t pleased with Menard, and showed his displeasure by running the No. 27 Chevrolet up the track. It halted Menard’s momentum, sending the veteran to a 23rd-place finish — same as the spring race here.

24. David Gilliland, No. 38 Ford, Front Row Motorsports. Gilliland tied his best Phoenix finish over the past seven races in the desert, and he finished four spots better than his overall average finish in all of 2014. Being the first finisher for Front Row Motorsports is nice, too.

25. David Ragan, No. 34 Ford, Front Row Motorsports. Ragan notched his second top-25 since the Chase begin, with Phoenix serving as his second-best showing of the past nine races. No, it doesn’t measure up to his 10th-place finish at Martinsville, but it matched his best finish at the track since 2010.

26. Michael Annett, No. 7 Chevrolet, Tommy Baldwin Racing. Annett finished a lap down but managed to lead a lap for only the fifth time this season. His 26th-place finish was an improvement over his 30th-place starting position.

27. Ty Dillon, No. 33 Chevrolet, Circle Sport Racing. The second Sprint Cup Series race of Dillon’s career ended in a slightly worse position than earlier this season in Atlanta. But Dillon gained valuable experience for the future.

28. Reed Sorenson, No. 36 Chevrolet, Tommy Baldwin Racing. Sorenson followed his normal rhythm at Phoenix and finished as close as he could to his average position of 28.2. Sorenson was two laps down at the end of the race, only completing 310 out of 312 laps. The last time Sorenson completed a race at Phoenix was in 2009.

29. Landon Cassill, No. 40 Chevrolet, Hillman Racing. Cassill saw his best finish at Phoenix in two years despite being involved in a wreck with Mike Wallace on Lap 297 in Turn 4. Cassill’s finish was better than his average of 33.8 in eight Sprint Cup Series starts.

30. JJ Yeley, No. 83 Toyota, BK Racing. Yeley’s 17th Sprint Cup Series race of the season ended with his third top-30 of the year. In the "Dumb & Dumber To" car, Yeley nearly topped his season-best finish of 29th in his seventh race driving the No. 83.

31. Michael McDowell, No. 95 Ford, Leavine Family Racing. A 31st-place finish after starting 31st marked the third time this season McDowell finished where he started. It’s also the first time in 18 starts this year he finished 31st specifically.

32. Alex Bowman, No. 23 Toyota, BK Racing. A 32nd-place finish may be palatable for this team, considering two of the past three races ended in finishes of 43rd and 42nd.

33. Joey Gase, No. 32 Ford, Go FAS Racing. Gase finished 37th in all three of his previous Sprint Cup starts, so coming in 33rd and just four laps down is progress for the 21-year-old.

34. Kyle Busch, No. 18 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing. Busch had a top-10 car and was as high as second place before he got loose after a restart and hit the outside wall in Turn 2 on Lap 212. Busch’s car careened down the track, was hit by Clint Bowyer‘s machine, and the No. 18 never recovered.

35. Casey Mears, No. 13 Chevrolet, Germain Racing. Mears was in the top 15 for the first 75 laps, but his right-rear tire went down on Lap 80. That caused him to spin and brought out a caution. He couldn’t get higher than 35th after the incident.

36. Mike Wallace, No. 66 Toyota, Jay Robinson Racing. Wallace tangled with Cassill during a wreck on Lap 297 and finished only 303 of 312 laps. He couldn’t follow up his season-best 26th-place finish at Martinsville with another top-30 run.

37. Justin Allgaier, No. 51 Chevrolet, HScott Motorsports. Allgaier played bumper cars on pit road with Jimmie Johnson after the first caution. That led to some damage and eventually snapped a string of three straight top-20s for Allgaier.

38. Austin Dillon, No. 3 Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing. Dillon was in the top 25 until he blew a tire and was busted for two pit road penalties on Lap 184. That sent him to the tail of the field and eventually to his worst finish of the season.

39. Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports. Johnson had alternator problems and kept burning out batteries. Then on Lap 236, he felt a rotor blow up and went into the wall in Turn 1. He headed to the garage, the fourth time this season his race ended early because of a crash.

40. Clint Bowyer, No. 15 Toyota, Michael Waltrip Racing. Bowyer wrecked with Kyle Busch on Lap 212 and had too much damage to continue. It was the third time in the past nine races that Bowyer had to make an early exit because of engine issues or a crash.

41. Josh Wise, No. 98 Chevrolet, Phil Parsons Racing. Wise spun on Lap 206 to bring out a caution that allowed Hamlin to get back on the lead lap. For Wise, it was his first crash since the Charlotte race in May.

42. Cole Whitt, No. 26 Toyota, BK Racing. Whitt spun on Lap 212 shortly after Bowyer and Kyle Busch made contact for the race’s fifth caution. It was the first time since Watkins Glen that Whitt wasn’t running at the end of the race.

43. Mike Bliss, No. 37 Chevrolet, Tommy Baldwin Racing. Bliss went to the garage after 16 laps because of a brake issue. It was the sixth time in eight races that he wasn’t running at the finish.

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Despite poor pit stop, Hamlin earns top-five finish

RELATED: Full race results | Updated series standings
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AVONDALE, Ariz. — It was difficult for Matt Kenseth to be too disappointed about his elimination from the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

Kenseth doesn’t have a victory this season, and his No. 20 Toyota hasn’t been consistently as fast as the front-running cars of Kevin Harvick, Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano and Jeff Gordon.

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When his third-place finish in Sunday’s Quicken Loans Race for Heroes 500 at Phoenix International Raceway left him three points shy of the total he would have needed to advance to the final four-driver championship shootout next Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Kenseth was philosophical about the result.

"We were no match for the 4 (race winner Kevin Harvick)," Kenseth said. "He’s been lights-out here the last couple years or the last few years — whatever. But other than that, we were pretty good, so we had good short run speed, good restarts. I thought we did everything right, good strategy, good pit stops, all that stuff.

"Best we’ve ran here in a while. So overall, it was a great day for us. It wasn’t good enough to get us to the next round, but after last week (a 25th-place finish at Texas), I knew that that was going to be tough. We were probably going to have to come here and win, and we just didn’t have enough speed to do that."

In reality that was the story of Kenseth’s season, one where his entire Joe Gibbs Racing organization spent much of the year searching for speed.

"From my side of it, I feel like we haven’t necessarily performed at a championship level," Kenseth said. "I think my team has, in the pit stops and the strategy and the car prep and the morale — all that has been there, but we haven’t had the speed in our race cars.

"To still be in it all the way to the second to last race was a good feeling, to keep getting another shot. I wish we had one more."

Hamlin’s pit crew has redeeming stop

Denny Hamlin’s championship hopes were in dire jeopardy early in Sunday’s race, when the rear tire changer’s air gun knocked off the valve stem and flattened the tire, forcing Hamlin to return to the pits.

Hamlin twice went a lap down to race winner Kevin Harvick, only to get the laps back as the “lucky dog,” the highest-scored lapped car.

But when Hamlin needed a strong performance from his crew late in the race, the over-the-wall gang was up to the challenge.

On Hamlin’s final pit stop, Hamlin’s pit crew gained three positions for the driver of the No. 11 Toyota, boosting him from 11th to eighth in the running order and giving Hamlin the working margin he needed to advance to the season finale at Homestead with championship eligibility.

Ultimately, Hamlin came home fifth and had nothing but praise for his crew in the aftermath of a stressful race.

"They’re probably the reason that we’re in this position anyway,” Hamlin said. "I’ve been riding their coattails for most of the year. What they do for me on pit road, and obviously law of averages, every now and then, that stone is going to hit you, and it hit you that first pit stop, and luckily it was the first one. If it was later in the day, we were not going to overcome it.

"But you know, yeah, it’s crazy that that mistake is what put us back there, but they made up for it tenfold throughout the entire day with great stops. It’s great to have them on your side, knowing that you’ve got the fastest pit crew on pit lane going into a one race shootout. I like my chances."

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Harvick, Hamlin, Logano and Newman make up final four Chasers

RELATED: Race results | Updated series standings

AVONDALE, Ariz. — A victory at Phoenix—and a dominating one at that—was exactly what Kevin Harvick needed to keep his hopes for a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship alive.

But a second-place finish in Sunday’s Quicken Loans Race for Heroes 500 did Jeff Gordon no good, thanks to a final-lap banzai run by Ryan Newman, who passed rookie Kyle Larson for the 11th position on the final lap to eliminate Gordon from the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup by a single point.

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Polesitter Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano, who shared the Chase lead entering the Eliminator Round’s final event, both recovered from bizarre errors on pit road to join Harvick and Newman in next Sunday’s championship race at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

The driver who finishes highest among those four will claim the 2015 series title.

“Wow, I guess that’s what it feels like to hit a walk-off in extra innings there,” said Harvick, who completed the season sweep at Phoenix with his fourth victory in the last five races there. “I could tell that we were probably going to have to win, because everybody was running up in the front of the pack that we were racing against. That was our goal coming in here and that’s really the goal every time you come to Phoenix.

“This place has just been phenomenal for me personally and for this team this year. To do that in front of all your almost hometown fans (Harvick is from Bakersfield, Calif.) and all these people who have been rooting for me since the mid-‘90s is pretty unbelievable. Man, I think this says a lot about our team. I think we have been through a lot this year. They put our backs against the wall. We put it in Victory Lane and get to go on.”

As such, Harvick goes from desperation mode — needing a victory at Phoenix to advance to the season finale — to the role of favorite at Homestead, given the speed his cars have shown all season long.

Asked to handicap the championship race, Gordon was emphatic, and for good reason. He chased Harvick to the finish line and fell 1.636 seconds behind in the final 12-lap run.

“I like Harvick,” Gordon asserted. “Yeah, I think Harvick looks really good… the guy has led the most laps all year long, guys. It’s not me that’s saying this. I do think that Denny won that race (at Homestead) last year, so he can be really, really strong there.

“But Kevin looked good there in the test (in late October), and, man, they’ve just been so strong lately, and it seems like they’ve gotten some of the bugs worked out in their team that they had early in the year. And I think if they do that next week, they’re going to be really tough to beat like they were today.”

In winning for the fourth time this season and the 27th time in his career, Harvick led 264 of 312 laps, 40 more circuits than he led in a dominating win at the one-mile track on Mar. 2.

In addition to Gordon, third-place finisher Matt Kenseth, fourth-place Brad Keselowski and 15th place Carl Edwards failed to advance to the final race with their title eligibility intact. Kenseth fell three points short of Newman in the final tally.

Conversely, Hamlin and Logano overcame potential Chase-ending mistakes to claim their positions in the final race.

On Hamlin’s first pit stop, under caution on Lap 30, the rear tire changer’s air gun inadvertently knocked the valve stem off and flattened the tire. Hamlin returned to the pits and restarted 36th. Twice during the race, he fell a lap down to Harvick but took advantage of two free passes as the highest-scored lapped car and ultimately finished fifth.

The crew gained three positions for Hamlin on his final stop, from 11th to eighth, even though five drivers stayed out on older tires. Hamlin parlayed his improved track position into a top five.

Logano was penalized when he dragged a fuel can that had not disengaged from the coupler out of his pit stall under caution on Lap 123. Like Hamlin, Logano lost a lap to Harvick but took advantage of a “lucky dog” before a restart on Lap 206 and rallied to finish sixth.

Those comebacks gave Logano and Hamlin more than enough margin to qualify for the championship race.

“I think Denny and I had the exact same day out there,” Logano observed. “Both of us had a little issue on pit road and got stuck back there, went down a lap, (and) we recovered and we finished fifth and sixth. We really kept our cool throughout the day. I think that was important. We were able to get the lucky dog, then had some damage avoiding the 18’s (Kyle Busch’s) crash, was able to fix that and recover again to get ourselves back in.

“Definitely a drama filled day for sure, not what we wanted. We were hoping for just a normal, uneventful day to just get a nice top 10 is all we needed—which we ended up doing, but it was definitely eventful along the way. Proud of my team, proud of everyone to get us to this point, and we’ll have some fun next week, go for a championship.”

Amidst all the uncertainty, one thing is guaranteed at Homestead: with Harvick, Hamlin, Logano and Newman competing for the title, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will have a first-time champion.

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Miss Sprint Cup to chat with four championship contenders, Wednesday 7 p.m. ET

RELATED: Follow your picks in the Chase Battle Grid Presented by Toyota
MORE: Full coverage of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup format changes | Official news release | Changes explained | Chase Facts and FAQ

Excitement is building for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship, and you can be part of the action.

Submit a question to Miss Sprint Cup via Twitter at the hashtag #AskMSC, and she could use it when she chats with all four Chase contenders: Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick, Joey Logano and Ryan Newman on Wednesday, starting at 7 p.m. ET in Miami.

Ask away and then come back on Wednesday to watch the live chat at 7 p.m. ET. It figures to be a fun way to get the final Chase weekend underway.

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Moments that changed the course of the 35th race of the 2014 season

HARVICK WINS HIS WAY INTO CHAMPIONSHIP CONTENTION

A victory at Phoenix — and a dominating one at that — was exactly what Kevin Harvick needed to keep his hopes for a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship alive.

"Wow, I guess that’s what it feels like to hit a walk-off in extra innings there," said Harvick, who completed the season sweep at Phoenix with his fourth victory in the last five races there. "I could tell that we were probably going to have to win, because everybody was running up in the front of the pack that we were racing against. That was our goal coming in here and that’s really the goal every time you come to Phoenix.

"This place has just been phenomenal for me personally and for this team this year. To do that in front of all your almost hometown fans (Harvick is from Bakersfield, California) and all these people who have been rooting for me since the mid-‘90s is pretty unbelievable. Man, I think this says a lot about our team. I think we have been through a lot this year. They put our backs against the wall. We put it in Victory Lane and get to go on."

As such, Harvick goes from desperation mode — needing a victory at Phoenix to advance to the season finale — to the role of favorite at Homestead, given the speed his cars have shown all season long.

UPS

NEWMAN BUMPS LARSON TO MAKE CHAMPIONSHIP RACE

A second-place finish in Sunday’s Quicken Loans Race for Heroes 500 did Jeff Gordon no good, thanks to a final-lap banzai run by Ryan Newman, who passed rookie Kyle Larson for the 11th position on the final lap to eliminate Gordon from the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup by a single point.

"I did what I had to do as clean as I could do it," Newman said. "I’m not the kind of guy to turn somebody, so I just drifted as much as I could to get in there. My Cat Mining Chevy stuck on the apron and we made it.

"I just gave it my all. They paved that down there I guess for a reason. They didn’t make any rules that said we couldn’t use it. A great team effort today, we did not have the race car."

Amidst all the uncertainty, one thing is guaranteed at Homestead: with Harvick, Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano and Newman competing for the title, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will have a first-time champion.

HAMLIN, LOGANO OVERCOME PIT MISCUES TO ADVANCE IN CHASE

Polesitter Hamlin and Logano, who shared the Chase lead entering the Eliminator Round’s final event, both recovered from bizarre errors on pit road to join Harvick and Newman in next Sunday’s championship race at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

The driver who finishes highest among those four will claim the 2015 series title.

Hamlin and Logano overcame potential Chase-ending mistakes to claim their positions in the final race.

On Hamlin’s first pit stop, under caution on Lap 30, the rear tire changer’s air gun inadvertently knocked the valve stem off and flattened the tire. Hamlin returned to the pits and restarted 36th. Twice during the race, he fell a lap down to Harvick but took advantage of two free passes as the highest-scored lapped car and ultimately finished fifth.

The crew gained three positions for Hamlin on his final stop, from 11th to eighth, even though five drivers stayed out on older tires. Hamlin parlayed his improved track position into a top five.

Logano was penalized when he dragged a fuel can that had not disengaged from the coupler out of his pit stall under caution on Lap 123. Like Hamlin, Logano lost a lap to Harvick but took advantage of being a beneficiary before a restart on Lap 206 and rallied to finish sixth.

Those comebacks gave Logano and Hamlin more than enough margin to qualify for the championship race.

"I think Denny and I had the exact same day out there," Logano observed. "Both of us had a little issue on pit road and got stuck back there, went down a lap, (and) we recovered and we finished fifth and sixth. We really kept our cool throughout the day. I think that was important. We were able to get the lucky dog, then had some damage avoiding the 18’s (Kyle Busch’s) crash, was able to fix that and recover again to get ourselves back in.

"Definitely a drama filled day for sure, not what we wanted. We were hoping for just a normal, uneventful day to just get a nice top 10 is all we needed — which we ended up doing, but it was definitely eventful along the way. Proud of my team, proud of everyone to get us to this point, and we’ll have some fun next week, go for a championship."

The NASCAR Wire Service contributed to this report.

Posted on by Staff Report

Find out who advanced to NASCAR’s Championship Round

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The final four in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup is set for next weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway after four of the eight drivers remaining in contention during Sunday’s Quicken Loans Race for Heroes 500 at Phoenix International Raceway were eliminated.

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CHASE BUBBLE

Pos. Driver +/-
1 Denny Hamlin +10
2 Joey Logano +9
3 Ryan Newman +1
4 Kevin Harvick 0*
5 Jeff Gordon 0
6 Matt Kenseth -1
7 Brad Keselowski -5
8 Carl Edwards -6

* = Advances on tiebreaker because of win at Phoenix

Advancing to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship:

Denny Hamlin had to re-pit after he had a flat right-rear tire early in the race and fell back to 36th on the restart, but he rebounded for a fifth-place finish. With eighth-place and 10th-place finishes at Martinsville and Texas, respectively, it was enough for him to advance to the final round.

Joey Logano also experienced trouble on pit road at Phoenix when the gas can lodged in his car and led to a penalty. But Logano eventually got back into a good position and finished sixth. Logano finished fifth at Martinsville and 12th at Texas and his five wins this season are the most among the four championship contenders

Ryan Newman pushed Kyle Larson out of the way on the final lap at Phoenix to qualify for the championship. Newman has yet to win a race this year, but it hasn’t mattered. His 11th-place finish at Phoenix follows up runs of third place and 15th place at Martinsville and Texas.

Kevin Harvick did the equivalent of hitting a walk-off home run with his win at Phoenix. He increases his total of most Cup wins among active drivers at Phoenix to six. Harvick managed to rebound from a 33rd-place finish at Martinsville earlier in the Eliminator Round.

Eliminated from contention:

Jeff Gordon finished second at Phoenix and tied with Harvick for fourth place in points, but because of Harvick’s win at Phoenix, the No. 4 advanced to the championship round and the No. 24 did not. Gordon finished second at Martinsville and Phoenix, but his 29th-place finish at Texas ultimately did him in from attempting a run at a fifth Sprint Cup Series championship this season.

Matt Kenseth finished third at Phoenix but fell just one point shy of advancing. He finished sixth at Martinsville, but a 25th-place showing at Texas put him just a little too far behind.

Brad Keselowski finished fourth at Phoenix, but ultimately couldn’t make up for his 31st-place showing at Martinsville. And that was despite his third-place finish at Texas following the controversial move that cut down Gordon’s tire and led to a post-race melee.

Carl Edwards couldn’t make it to the championship round in his final run with Roush-Fenway Racing. His 15th-place finish at Phoenix followed a 20th place at Martinsville and a ninth place at Texas.

NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship:

Of the final four drivers still in contention, the highest finisher in next Sunday’s Ford EcoBoost 400 (3 p.m. ET, ESPN) will win the championship. There will be no bonus points awarded for laps led or most laps led to the contending drivers in the final race.

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The 25th Troops to the Track program of 2014 welcomes Luke Air Force Base

RELATED: NASCAR teams, tracks commemorate Veterans Day photo gallery
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This weekend at Phoenix International Raceway, NASCAR plays host to its 25th Troops to the Track program of 2014, presented by Bank of America in partnership with the Armed Forces Foundation, when it welcomes service members from Luke Air Force Base to the finale of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Eliminator Round, the Quicken Loans Race for Heroes 500 (Sunday, 3 p.m. ET, ESPN).

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The Marine detachment at the base provides general and engineering support to the Marine Expeditionary Force. The group provides survivability, counter-mobility and mobility enhancements, as well as general supply support to the handling, storage and distribution of bulk class water and fuel.

NASCAR Troops to the Track is a season-long initiative that honors members of the military for their services and treats them to customized experiences at a NASCAR race. Celebrating its fifth anniversary in 2014, the year-round recreational group therapy program honors service men and women, veterans, and military families at races throughout the country.

Last November, NASCAR and the USO hosted the family of Technical Sgt. Chad Boley, who was stationed at Ramstein Air Base in Germany, where he flew wounded soldiers from the Southwest Asia theater to either Germany or stateside. Separated from his family for two years, the USO and NASCAR brought Technical Sgt. Boley home to surprise his wife Stephanie, sons Austin and Cameron and daughters Gwendolyn and Noelle. You can watch the video of their reunion above.

NASCAR has a long-standing tradition of supporting the brave men and women who devote their lives to protecting our nation. In addition to the seasoning Troops to the Track effort, "NASCAR: An American Salute" has become an annual summer tradition. During this special time period from May 25-July 5 this year, the industry expressed its reverence, respect and gratitude to the millions of members of the United States Armed Forces for the sacrifices they have made in defending our nation.

"Honoring our nation’s military is a long-standing tradition in our sport," NASCAR President Mike Helton said. "The NASCAR: An American Salute platform truly enables us to collectively express our gratitude to the millions of members of the U.S. armed forces and their families for the sacrifices they have made in defending our nation."

During the seven-week span, teams, tracks, partners and fans showed their thanks through various activities on and off the track. The wider NASCAR community showed its gratitude by visiting www.NASCAR.com/Salute and using the hashtag #NASCARsalutes on Instagram and Twitter.

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Get the on-track times for the final weekend of NASCAR action in 2014

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All times ET

COMPLETE TV LISTINGS / BUY TICKETS FOR HOMESTEAD / WEEKEND TRACK EVENTS

This week, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, NASCAR Nationwide Series and the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series head to Homestead-Miami Speedway for a championship weekend tripleheader to wrap up their 2014 seasons.

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 12:

SPECIAL EVENTS
— 6 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship Round Media Day (Watch live)
— 7:20 p.m.: Miss Sprint Cup live chat with Championship Round drivers (Watch live)

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 13:

ON TRACK
— 1-2 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series practice (Get results)
— 2:30-4 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series final practice (Get results)

PRESS CONFERENCES (Watch live)
— 11 a.m.: NASCAR Nationwide Series/NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Media Day

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 14:

ON TRACK
— 11:30 a.m.-12:20 p.m.: NASCAR Nationwide Series practice, FOX Sports 1 (Get results)
— 12:30-2 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice, FOX Sports 1 (Get results)
— 2:45 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Keystone Light Pole Qualifying, FOX Sports 1 (Get results)
— 4-5:55 p.m.: NASCAR Nationwide Series final practice, FOX Sports 1 (Get results)
— 6:15 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying, ESPN2 (Get results)
— 8 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Ford EcoBoost 200 (134 laps, 201 miles), FOX Sports 1 (Get results)

GARAGECAM PRESENTED BY MOBIL 1 (Watch live)
— 11 a.m.: Nationwide Series
— noon: Sprint Cup Series

PRESS CONFERENCES (Watch live)
— 11 a.m.: NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France
— 2:30 p.m.: NASCAR Hall of Famers Dale Jarrett and Rusty Wallace talk Championship 4
— 7:15 p.m. (approx): NSCS Post Qualifying Press Conference with all Championship 4 drivers
— 10:15 p.m. (approx.): NCWTS Post Race Press Conference

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 15:

ON TRACK
— noon-12:50 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice, FOX Sports 1 (Get results)
— 1:15 p.m.: NASCAR Nationwide Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying, FOX Sports 1 (Get results)
— 3-3:50 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series final practice, FOX Sports 2 (Get results)
— 4:30 p.m.: NASCAR Nationwide Series Ford EcoBoost 300 (200 laps, 300 miles), ESPN2 (Get results)

PRESS CONFERENCES (Watch live)
— 11 a.m.: Daytona Rising update with Joie Chitwood III
— 11:30 a.m.: FDOT announcement
— 1 p.m.: Jim Campbell (Vice President, Performance Vehicles and Motorsports, Chevrolet), Jamie Allison (Director, Ford Racing) and David Wilson (President and General Manager, Toyota Racing Development)
— 7:30 p.m. (approx.): NNS Post Race Press Conference

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 16:

ON TRACK
— 3 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Ford EcoBoost 400 (267 laps, 400.5 miles), ESPN (Get results)

DRIVER’S MEETING
— 1 p.m.: (Watch live)

PRESS CONFERENCES (Watch live)
— 6:45 p.m. (approx.): NSCS Post Race Press Conference

POST-CHASE LIVE SHOW (Watch live)
— 8 p.m. (approx): Charlotte and Homestead-Miami

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Posted on by Zack Albert

The four drivers eliminated from the Chase reflect on their final run at the title

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AVONDALE, Ariz. — Last weekend, Brad Keselowski and Jeff Gordon were the central figures in a post-race rumble on pit road. Sunday, after a tense final stretch at Phoenix International Raceway, the former pugilists were interlocked not in a physical altercation but by heartbreak, both among the four drivers knocked out of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup playoffs.

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Gordon and Keselowski joined Matt Kenseth and Carl Edwards on the short end of the Eliminator Round finale, halting their title eligibility ahead of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship race next Sunday (3 p.m. ET, ESPN) at Homestead-Miami Speedway. All four drivers led the Sprint Cup Series standings for multiple weeks during the season, but they will compete for fifth place at best next weekend.

Gordon’s fall from Chase grace came by the narrowest of margins on two counts. For one, he finished second to race winner Kevin Harvick by 1.636 seconds, missing out on the automatic berth to the championship round. That shortfall only amplified the hit Gordon took in the standings last weekend, when late-race contact with Keselowski sent him spiraling to a 29th-place finish at Texas Motor Speedway.

"Kevin Harvick was in another zip code. I’m not going to wreck a guy that’s racing me clean all year long just to make it into the Chase," Gordon said after his second runner-up finish in the Eliminator Round, the other coming last month at Martinsville. "That’s not what it’s all about for me. You’re not going to go win the championship next week by doing that. So, it’s just unfortunate. It’s just unfortunate. We did everything so good this year. That one race, that one race is going to stick with me for a little while. I got over it this week, knowing that we could come here and compete like this. Now it makes it sting that much more."

The second factor contributing to Gordon’s demise came when Ryan Newman nudged rookie Kyle Larson out of the way on the final lap; his one-position gain snatched the last slot among the final four by a single point. Just 10 laps before the checkered flag, Harvick, Gordon and Ryan Newman were all tied for third place on the cut-off line for the final four, but Newman’s last-ditch move meant a virtual end to Gordon’s magical four-win season and his drive for a fifth title.

Gordon’s incident with Keselowski last weekend was treated as a postseason barometer for testing the code of what’s out of bounds and what’s not. Sunday, Gordon said Newman’s maneuver was within the limits of race-day decorum with what was at stake. With all the championship pressure, Gordon and Keselowski raced each other fair and square within the top five at Phoenix, a point he hoped resonated with his Texas rival.

"We have a lot to hold our heads up high about; the way that we raced this race and this whole Chase and the whole season," Gordon said. "We raced hard. We raced together as a team. But I hope we taught somebody that you can race clean and still go out there and give it your best. You don’t have to wreck people to make it in the Chase or win the championship. I’m afraid if it was that ugly these last couple of weeks it’s going to get really ugly next week."

Keselowski started second, but faded slightly after the drop of the green flag, grappling with the handling on his Team Penske No. 2 Ford. Though he had one of the faster cars, Keselowski was never quite able to dent Harvick’s Phoenix dominance or overcome the points deficit caused by his 31st-place performance in the Eliminator Round opener at Martinsville Speedway.

The fourth-place finish left him seventh in the standings, just seven points shy of keeping his bid for a second Sprint Cup title intact.

"We were a little bit short," Keselowski said. "I’m obviously a little disappointed. I’m not disappointed with the effort, just disappointed it didn’t work out. We just couldn’t overcome the Martinsville hurdle. We had a decent day, but we needed a win to overcome the week we had at Martinsville where we broke the gear. We just weren’t quite fast enough to pull that off the last two weeks and that’s what it was going to take."

Kenseth recorded his best finish in any of the three Eliminator Round races with a solid third-place run, but the sour taste of a sixth at Martinsville and a subpar 25th at Texas offset his progress at Phoenix, leaving him just two points out of the final transfer spot. He’ll have a chance to salvage a silver lining next weekend, looking for his first victory of the season.

"I was pleasantly surprised that we’ve been able to advance from round to round because we just haven’t been that fast and we’ve had a lot of bad things happen," said Kenseth, the 2003 series champion. "We got wrecked out of Loudon and had a lot of things happen here or there. Glad we were in and wish we were still in it."

Edwards won twice during the regular season, but his last title pursuit for Roush Fenway Racing ended with a 15th-place finish at Phoenix. Combined with his 20th-place finish at Martinsville and a ninth at Texas, Edwards wound up last among the eight drivers in the Eliminator Round standings, 14 points short of advancing to the championship race.

He’ll make his final drive for car owner Jack Roush next weekend at Homestead before joining Joe Gibbs Racing in 2015.

"We just didn’t have enough speed, so that’s how it goes," Edwards said. "These guys dug deep and worked hard. I’ve never been a part of something like this where everybody just doesn’t give up. This means the world."

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