NASCAR Nationwide Series at Phoenix 2014 Results: Winner, Standings and Reaction

Brad Keselowski used a late pass to steal a victory in Saturday's DAV 200 at Phoenix International Raceway, but 18-year-old Chase Elliott stole the headlines by clinching his first NASCAR Nationwide Series championship.

Kyle Busch incredibly led 187 of the 200 laps in  Avondale, Arizona, but a green-white-checkered finish allowed Keselowski to make a power move near the end of the race, according to NASCAR Nationwide on Twitter:

Even Keselowski himself acknowledged Busch's dominance throughout Saturday's race, per NASCAR on ESPN:

"

Brad: "That was kind of a shame. (Kyle Busch) had that race won until the caution came out. I wouldn't blame him if he was mad." #NASCAR

— NASCAR on ESPN (@ESPNNASCAR) November 8, 2014"

Elliott wasn't a factor to win Saturday, but his fifth-place result was enough to win the points title and make him the youngest champion in the history of NASCAR's three major series:

Elliott took to Twitter to speak about the win:

NASCAR on ESPN provides more of Elliott's comments on the result:

"

Chase Elliott: "Honestly, disbelief. I don't know what to think. I've never been part of anything like this. ... It's been a blessing 2 me."

— NASCAR on ESPN (@ESPNNASCAR) November 8, 2014"

Here is a rundown of the top-10 finishers with the full listing of results available at NASCAR.com:

Position	Driver	Car No.
1	Brad Keselowski	22
2	Kyle Busch	54
3	Elliott Sadler	11
4	Ty Dillon	3
5	Chase Elliott	9
6	Erik Jones	20
7	Brian Scott	2
8	Brendan Gaughan	62
9	Trevor Bayne	6
10	Regan Smith	7

Also, with just one race remaining in the Nationwide season, the points standings look like this, per NASCAR.com:

Position	Driver	Points Behind	Wins
1	Chase Elliott	Champion	3
2	Regan Smith	-52	1
3	Brian Scott	-65	0
4	Elliott Sadler	-66	1
5	Ty Dillon	-74	1
6	Trevor Bayne	-133	0
7	Chris Buescher	-210	1
8	Brendan Gaughan	-246	2
9	Ryan Reed	-313	0
T10	Dylan Kwasniewski	-343	0
T10	James Buescher	-343	0

The two biggest storylines entering Saturday's race focused on Elliott's pursuit of a title as well as the involvement of Sprint Cup regulars Busch and Keselowski.

While neither Busch nor Keselowski was eligible to earn points, both drivers were hungry to score a victory at Phoenix.

Busch was of particular interest, as he secured the pole and broke his own track record in the process:

The 29-year-old star's career record at Phoenix is impeccable, particularly as part of the Nationwide Series. Busch had picked up three consecutive Nationwide victories at Phoenix entering Saturday's race and seven on his career as a whole.

Busch and Keselowski had monetary gains on the line Saturday, but Elliott was in search of something much more prestigious. He knew he had an opportunity to lock up the Nationwide championship due to his sizable lead over Regan Smith, but he insisted that it wasn't a talking point entering the race, per Bob Pockrass of SportingNews.com.

"I don't think we have sat (as a team) and discussed the points situation one time throughout this whole season," Elliott said. "I don't think there is any need starting to now. We just want to try to step up and get to where we can battle for a win."

Elliott didn't win the race ultimately, but he would go on to win something much sweeter.

Things got a bit wild on the 36th lap when Brennan Newberry and his No. 77 car hit the wall. While it seemed like a routine caution at first, the vehicle burst into flames when NASCAR personnel attempted to tow it from the track:

The first half of the race was predictably dominated by Busch and Keselowski, with Elliott stalking close behind. Smith hung around in the top 10 as well, but he knew that he needed a strong finish to keep his slim title hopes alive for another week.

His car wasn't doing him any favors, as he had to battle it when entering turns, according to JR Motorsports:

With that said, Smith had a great pit stop after the yellow flag waved for a caution on Lap 82, which put him in the lead when green-flag racing resumed. That was short-lived, though, as both Busch and Keselowski surpassed him a few laps later.

Once the midway point of the race emerged, Busch's superiority was apparent, as he led 90 of the first 100 laps.

While Busch remained in control, the focus shifted toward Elliott attempting to chase down Smith. The latter was able to maintain an advantage throughout the second half of the race, and Elliott struggled to keep pace due to issues with his car setup:

Smith seemed to have things under control in terms of prolonging the title chase after a late pit stop. He soon ran into trouble and dropped to 10th place, though, while Elliott moved into the sixth position and widened his points lead with 25 laps left:

In typical NASCAR fashion, the drama reached a fever pitch when a caution on Lap 198 meant that there would be a green-white-checkered finish to determine the race winner as well as the fate of the points title.

Busch had a picture-perfect restart, but Keselowski's persistence allowed him to make a pass just prior to the final lap. He was able to hold off Busch and secure the win as well.

As for Elliott, he held steady in fifth place, while Smith dropped to 10th, which allowed him to clinch the title.

While the championship was essentially inevitable barring a major catastrophe in one of the final two races, Elliott saved himself some stress by battling back and overtaking Smith.

Some race fans may be disappointed since it means there won't be much on the line during next week's finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. At the same time, though, Elliott has developed into a fan favorite. He has all the makings of a future star in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, and this championship solidifies the notion that the future is approaching very quickly.

On a day when Busch and Keselowski were in control from start to finish, fifth place never felt so good for the son of racing legend Bill Elliott.

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