Phoenix NASCAR: Dale Earnhardt Jr wins in rain as Chase quartet set

The race was delayed over six hours by a series of showers, ending up running under the Arizona track's floodlights, and was then abandoned after 219 of the scheduled 312 laps when the rain returned in earnest.

Reigning champion Harvick - winner of the last three Cup races at Phoenix - had commanded most of the running that did take place, but he fell behind Hendrick driver Earnhardt during a pitstop sequence that was unfolding just as the yellow came out for a crash involving Joey Gase.

The weather turned during that caution, meaning the results were set with Earnhardt - no longer a title contender - winning ahead of Harvick and Joey Logano.

Like his Penske team-mate Brad Keselowski in ninth, Logano's third place was not sufficient to haul him into the crucial top four, as non-Chase men Jimmie Johnson and Earnhardt's wins in the last two rounds meant three of the four championship shootout positions were decided by points standings rather than race victories.

Fourth and 14th were sufficient to get Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr into the title decider, both shock results given that Busch had missed three months of racing with a broken leg and Truex drives for the underdog single-car Furniture Row team.

Carl Edwards narrowly missed out by finishing 12th, which was insufficient to edge ahead of Truex in the points, leaving Busch as Joe Gibbs Racing's only championship contender.

Kurt Busch was also eliminated, and was furious at a penalty for jumping the race start after qualifying on the front row. He could only recover to seventh.

Early leader and poleman Johnson was also hit by a penalty, in his case for pitlane speeding, and finished fifth ahead of Hendrick team-mate Gordon.

RESULTS - 219 LAPS:

CHASE STANDINGS: