KEVIN HARVICK/No.29 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet won the AdvoCare 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Race at Phoenix International Raceway, his fourth win this season. Harvick took the lead when hapless CARL EDWARDS/No.99 Roush-Fenway Racing Ford ran out of gas while victory was in sight. It was heartbreaking for him and his team.
While still third in the Chase standings, Harvick cut his points gap to 34 from 40.
KASEY KAHNE/No.5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet ran hard and led laps, but finished second.
Although Pole Sitter JIMMIE JOHNSON/No.48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet got snookered at the start, he ran well enough to finish third and stretch his Chase lead to 28 points ahead of MATT KENSETH in No.20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. Johnson said he was “glad to be back out West and thanked all the 48 fans up in the stands.”
Kenseth had mechanical issues and fell back to twenty-third place, one lap down. He said “I’m disappointed obviously. We hope to go down to Homestead and score some points. It’s been an amazing season, and we’ve still got one week left.”
Fourth and fifth finishers were DALE EARNHARDT Jr/No.Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet and KURT BUSCH/No.78 Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet.
