Phoenix NASCAR
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That's it for AUTOSPORT Live this weekend. We'll be back on Friday March 7 at 2.15pm UK time for Rally Mexico, with more NASCAR action from Las Vegas also on next week's schedule. See you then.
Back in the old days, we'd have been saying that Earnhardt's second place allied to his Daytona win would've been great for him in the points - but now, who cares? He's in the Chase already, as is Harvick.
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Earnhardt admits that they probably made it easier than it needed to be for Harvick at the end:
"We got running side by side for second and let Kevin get away. A great job by Kevin and his whole team. We were a little faster at the end, but they were stellar all weekend."
"We got running side by side for second and let Kevin get away. A great job by Kevin and his whole team. We were a little faster at the end, but they were stellar all weekend."
Checkered flag
Result:
1 Harvick; 2 Earnhardt; 3 Keselowski; 4 Logano; 5 Gordon; 6 Johnson; 7 Newman; 8 Edwards; 9 Kyle Busch; 10 McMurray.
1 Harvick; 2 Earnhardt; 3 Keselowski; 4 Logano; 5 Gordon; 6 Johnson; 7 Newman; 8 Edwards; 9 Kyle Busch; 10 McMurray.
Checkered flag
That's his second straight Phoenix win, the fifth there in his Cup career, and a first victory for Stewart-Haas in only his second event with the team.
Trophy
Harvick wins at Phoenix!
Harvick onto the final lap, it's looking very good for him.
Earnhardt is trimming a little from Harvick's lead each time, but a little isn't enough with a half-second lead and three laps left.
Again Harvick has matters in hand. As his rivals fight behind him, he immediately establishes a 0.6s lead.
Gordon drops down onto the apron and sweeps past Newman and Johnson into fifth place as they dice. He's in particularly good shape for fresh tyres and ample fuel.
Logano dodges straight to the inside again but can't take second from Earnhardt. And that allows Keselowski to go right around the outside of his Penske team-mate and have a crack at Earnhardt.
Green flag
It's going to be a nine-lap shootout, give or take any more yellows or a green-white-chequered. No fuel worries now, they can all just go for it. Harvick leads to the flag.
Yellow flag
Remember Kurt Busch's ailing engine? It's just blown up properly. Back to yellow.
Earnhardt comes out on top and reclams second, then it's Logano, Keselowski, and Johnson battling with Newman.
Logano and Earnhardt are banging doors for second place, causing a traffic jam behind and letting Harvick escape. Now Newman and Johnson bounce off each other behind.
Green flag
Back to green, Logano shoves Harvick and briefly gets second from Earnhardt.
Yellow flag
This longer yellow (during which a lot of track debris is being blown away) is helping everyone who had fuel worries and should make it a more straightforward run to the finish.
Order under yellow: 1 Harvick; 2 Earnhardt; 3 Logano; 4 Keselowski; 5 Newman; 6 Johnson; 7 Kyle Busch; 8 McMurray; 9 Bowyer; 10 Gordon.
Crash
That was a left-rear blowing for Gilliland. He held a few big slides then eventually lost it.
Yellow flag
But we're straight back to caution - David Gilliland has a big spin after a tyre blows.
Green flag
Back to green with 32 laps to go and Harvick keeps clearly ahead of Earnhardt, but it's what starts to unfold behind among the host of dirvers with no fuel worries and fresh tyres that will generate interest now.
A few drivers are pitting, including Kenseth, Hamlin, Gordon and Stewart,
Yellow flag
Another yellow for debris, this time at Turn 1. It's lap 278, so we have 34 to go.
Another spot for Johnson, who takes sixth from Kyle Busch.
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Dale Earnhardt Jr
Earnhardt is keeping Harvick's lead at 0.7s. It's fair to summarise Dale Jr's start to 2014 as 'critic-silencing'.
"I never was bothered by being called 'overrated' because it's such a broad term," Earnhardt said this week.
"When people really pick at your determination, your drive, your hunger, that bothered me more than anything else did, because I grew up around the sport and I love it to death.
"I would do anything for NASCAR. I'd do anything for the health of the sport. I'd sacrifice anything for it.
"When you don't run good, it makes you upset, it disappoints you. If you look at how happy I was after winning that race, you'll know how bad I want to win, you'll know how much winning means to me, and you'll know from now on that there's no questioning my killer instinct or drive."
It looked like Kurt Busch was set to park his wilting Chevy, but he's back out of the pits and circulating in 32nd place.
Johnson gains another place by passing McMurray for seventh. He's 4.8s off the lead now, while his team-mate Earnhardt is within 0.7s of first-placed Harvick with 50 laps left.
With his full set of fresh tyres and no fuel worries, Johnson is hammering forward, past Bowyer, Almirola and now Hamlin into eighth.
Logano gives leader Harvick a hefty shove on the green, but stays third as Earnhardt slots in between them.
Green flag
Back to green with 61 laps left, order is 1 Harvick; 2 Earnhardt; 3 Logano; 4 Keselowski; 5 Newman; 6 Kyle Busch; 7 Hamlin; 8 McMurray; 9 Bowyer; 10 Almirola; 11 Johnson
Those losing out due to this yellow: Gordon, Stewart and Kenseth. They were a lap down on Newman due to the timing of their last pitstops, and they now stay a lap behind as the strategy gamblers could take their stops under yellow.
Johnson dives in too, topping up with fuel and gets four fresh tyres. That's going to cost him a few places but put him in very good shape for the run to the finish.
This is ideal for the cars on the alternative strategy who had cycled to the front, they can make their stops and lose less than the leaders did when they had to pit under green a little earlier.
Yellow for debris with 65 laps to go.
So it's Newman, Bowyer, Kyle Busch, McMurray, Almirola and Hamlin in first to sixth places, all out of sequence on pitstops, then Harvick leading Earnhardt and Johnson among those on a more regular strategy.
Kurt Busch slows right down now, his engine might have given up completely.
So now Newman and Bowyer run first and second. They're on an alternative strategy, having topped up under one of the Patrick-related yellows. That means when they do stop again, making it to the finish won't be a problem for them.
Johnson got ahead of Hendrick team-mate Earnhardt during those stops, but Dale Jr redresses the balance on track now.
The last of the frontrunners are making their stops now.
The last of the frontrunners are making their stops now.
Harvick's pitstop is on lap 237 of 312.
Logano is the first of the leaders to pit, and now Johnson is in too.
It's still 79 laps to the finish, that's too far away not to stop again in theory.
Earnhardt pits too, Harvick still out but his crew is setting up.
It's still 79 laps to the finish, that's too far away not to stop again in theory.
Earnhardt pits too, Harvick still out but his crew is setting up.
By: Matt Beer
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