NASCAR at Phoenix 2014 Results: Winner, Standings, Highlights and Reaction
The final four is set for the Chase, and Kevin Harvick punched his ticket with a critical victory in Phoenix at the Quicken Loans Race for Heroes 500. Harvick was dominant again on the flat track as he swept this season and secured his fourth win in the last five races in Avondale.
Sunday marked a huge moment for Harvick. He now has a shot to secure a title in his first season with Stewart-Haas Racing.
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Given his history at the track, Harvick came into the race with confidence that he could secure a spot in the final round. In fact, during the race his crew chief, Rodney Childers, noted that earning a victory was what the team had in mind heading to Phoenix, per Jeff Gluck of USA Today:
Harvick also compared the win to another clutch moment in sports, per NASCAR:
A win for Harvick was important, but three other drivers came away nearly as happy. Ryan Newman, Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin all made it to the final four to contend for a championship.
Newman knocked out Jeff Gordon on the last lap, as he bumped Kyle Larson and finished 11th to narrowly advance. Geoffrey Miller of Athlon Sports put Newman's shot at a title into perspective:
Gordon, a four-time champion, was the lone driver for Hendrick Motorsports remaining after Jimmie Johnson, Kasey Kahne and Dale Earnhardt Jr. were eliminated earlier in the Chase.
Both Gordon and Newman shared their thoughts on the finish, per Jenna Fryer of the Associated Press and NASCAR on ESPN:
"Ryan Newman: "I just gave it my all. They paved it down there for a reason. We didn't have the car ... but in the end we fought back hard."
— NASCAR on ESPN (@ESPNNASCAR) November 9, 2014"
Newman also added more about his incident with Larson, via Gluck and Dustin Long of MRN.com:
It's clearly not the finish Gordon wanted, but he still has something to strive for heading to Miami. The late-race accident with Brad Keselowski last weekend and losing to Earnhardt in Martinsville ultimately had a lot to do with him missing out on the final four.
Here's a look at the final order and standings heading into the final race at Homestead Nov. 16. Full results can be found at NASCAR.com.
| 1 | Kevin Harvick | 264 |
| 2 | Jeff Gordon | 0 |
| 3 | Matt Kenseth | 0 |
| 4 | Brad Keselowski | 0 |
| 5 | Denny Hamlin | 24 |
| 6 | Joey Logano | 17 |
| 7 | Kurt Busch | 0 |
| 8 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | 4 |
| 9 | Greg Biffle | 0 |
| 10 | Marcos Ambrose | 0 |
| 11 | Ryan Newman | 0 |
| 12 | Martin Truex Jr. | 0 |
| 13 | Kyle Larson | 0 |
| 14 | Jamie McMurray | 0 |
| 15 | Carl Edwards | 0 |
| 16 | A.J. Allmendinger | 0 |
| 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 0 |
| 18 | Aric Almirola | 0 |
| 19 | Brian Vickers | 0 |
| 20 | Tony Stewart | 0 |
| 1 | Kevin Harvick | 5000 | 4 | 13 | 19 |
| 2 | Ryan Newman | 5000 | 0 | 4 | 15 |
| 3 | Joey Logano | 5000 | 5 | 16 | 22 |
| 4 | Denny Hamlin | 5000 | 1 | 7 | 17 |
Coming into the day, just eight drivers had a shot at making it to Homestead with a chance for a title. One of the racers who was most comfortable was Logano, who came in at the top of the standings.
However, matters quickly changed for "Sliced Bread" as he experienced issues on pit road that set him back. Gluck shared the problems for the Penske Racing driver that caused him to lose ground:
By the end of the race, Logano returned to the top of the leaderboard and was relatively unaffected by the penalty. Thanks to his standing coming into the race, Logano still has a shot at a title and is the final remaining driver from his team.
As hard as Gordon, Keselowski and Matt Kenseth tried to make their way to the final race, none of them were able to change their fate. Carl Edwards also had an up-and-down day prior to missing out on a berth in the top four.
Gordon divulged his thoughts on who will win the championship, via Fryer:
A look at past results gives an idea of how next weekend might shape up for the remaining drivers. Here are the average finishes and other results for the four contenders, via DriverAverages.com.
| Kevin Harvick | 8.08 | 0 | 5 | 11 | 136 |
| Denny Hamlin | 11.22 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 163 |
| Ryan Newman | 17.00 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 143 |
| Joey Logano | 20.80 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
The new Chase format finally comes to a head in Homestead and gives a fair shot for all four drivers. Unlike the Nationwide format that was already locked up prior to the final race, the points are essentially reset prior to next Sunday.
Suffice to say, the final race will be a showdown like no other with some of the biggest names still looking to take home a title.
None of the remaining contenders have ever won a championship, so next Sunday will mark a pivotal moment for one driver. Regardless of who ends up with the title, the race in Miami promises to be one of the best finales in recent memory.
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