Harvick dominates at Phoenix
Kevin Harvick made up for his second-place finish in yesterday's Busch race by dominating the Checker Auto Parts 500 at Phoenix International Raceway
Harvick led over 250 of the race's 312 laps as he fought off a late challenge by points leader Jimmie Johnson, who finished the race in second place.
Denny Hamlin took third place after passing Jeff Gordon for the place on the final lap of the race, with Carl Edwards completing the top five.
Drivers in the Chase for the Championship dominated the top ten, with Mark Martin sixth, Kasey Kahne seventh, Dale Earnhardt Jr ninth and Jeff Burton tenth, taking eight of the top ten places.
With the final round next weekend at Homestead, only six drivers can still win the title, the other four drivers mathematically eliminated after today's race, including Jeff Burton, who led the Chase at the halfway point.
Jimmie Johnson remains the points leader, 63 ahead of Matt Kenseth, a twelfth place finish for Johnson good enough to secure him the title no matter what else happens. 27 points behind Kenseth are 2006 Busch champ Kevin Harvick and rookie Denny Hamlin.
The only other driver with a realistic chance of winning the title is Dale Earnhardt Jr, 115 points behind Johnson. Jeff Gordon can still win the title from 167 points behind Johnson, but it would require Johnson not starting the race to even be possible, a very unlikely scenario.
Pos Driver Make Laps 1. Kevin Harvick Chevrolet 312 Chase 2. Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet 312 Chase 3. Denny Hamlin Chevrolet 312 Chase 4. Jeff Gordon Chevrolet 312 Chase 5. Carl Edwards Ford 312 6. Mark Martin Ford 312 Chase 7. Kasey Kahne Dodge 312 Chase 8. Kurt Busch Dodge 312 9. Dale Earnhardt Jr Chevrolet 312 Chase 10. Jeff Burton Chevrolet 312 Chase 11. Brian Vickers Chevrolet 312 12. Martin Truex Jr Chevrolet 312 13. Matt Kenseth Ford 312 Chase 14. Tony Stewart Chevrolet 312 15. Ryan Newman Dodge 312 16. David Gilliland Ford 312 17. Elliott Sadler Dodge 312 18. David Stremme Dodge 312 19. Joe Nemechek Chevrolet 312 20. J.J. Yeley Chevrolet 312 21. Tony Raines Chevrolet 312 22. Scott Riggs Dodge 312 23. Dave Blaney Dodge 312 24. Ken Schrader Ford 312 25. Kyle Petty Dodge 312 26. Casey Mears Dodge 312 27. Bobby Labonte Dodge 311 28. Ward Burton Chevrolet 311 29. Reed Sorenson Dodge 310 30. Travis Kvapil Chevrolet 310 31. Bill Elliott Dodge 309 32. Clint Bowyer Chevrolet 307 33. Robby Gordon Chevrolet 307 34. Greg Biffle Ford 306 35. Chad Chaffin Dodge 306 36. Sterling Marlin Chevrolet 303 37. Jeff Green Chevrolet 298 38. Kyle Busch Chevrolet 291 Chase 39. Dale Jarrett Ford 289 40. Jamie McMurray Ford 272 41. Mike Bliss Dodge 262 42. Michael Waltrip Dodge 234 43. Brandon Whitt Chevrolet 123 The Chase for the Cup: Pos Driver Change Points 1. Jimmie Johnson 6332 2. Matt Kenseth 6269 - 63 3. Kevin Harvick +2 6242 - 90 4. Denny Hamlin 6242 - 90 5. Dale Earnhardt Jr -2 6217 -115 6. Jeff Gordon 6165 -167 7. Jeff Burton 6107 -225 8. Mark Martin +1 6059 -273 9. Kasey Kahne +1 6013 -319 10. Kyle Busch -2 5973 -359
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