Denny Hamlin saw a win—and possibly a lock on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship—slip away Sunday when he was forced to make a late fuel stop and Carl Edwards won the race at Phoenix International Raceway.
Johnson, the four-time defending NASCAR Sprint Cup champion, didn’t lead a lap.
Lost in the commotion of the title race was Edwards’ first win since the 2008 season finale. He ended that year as the popular pick to unseat Johnson, but endured a miserable 2009 and went almost two full years without a win.
His breakthrough came on a rare “perfect weekend” in NASCAR — Edwards won the pole, led every practice session and won the race. He also won the Nationwide Series event on Saturday.
“A win is very important to us. It’s a very big accomplishment for us,” Edwards said. “I think it’s something that we needed for our confidence. We needed it as a payoff for all the hard work the guys have put in at the shop, the engine department.
“But to go into the offseason knowing that we’re getting better, looks like we have a legitimate shot to finish fourth in the points, to be in the All-Star Race next season, to have that energy going forward, all those things are good.” The Associated Press
Edwards crossed the finish line 4.77 seconds ahead of runner-up Ryan Newman to break a winless streak of 70 races, dating to Homestead in November 2008.
Joey Logano and Greg Biffle, finished third and fourth, respectively, followed by Johnson and Harvick. Matt Kenseth, Mark Martin, Kurt Busch and Jamie McMurray completed the top 10.
“We had a good run, but had bad strategy at the end,” a frustrated Hamlin said. “We let those guys right back in there. We just got to go in next week and try to beat them.”
Jimmie Johnson, who had won the fall race at Phoenix the last three years, managed to cross the finish line in fifth after he, too, gambled on fuel.
The 15-point margin between Hamlin and Johnson is the closest between the top- two drivers heading into the final Chase race of the season since NASCAR began its playoff format for its top-tier series in 2004.
“We did a good job of closing the gap today and putting all that pressure right on the 11 [Hamlin’s team], said Johnson, who is attempting to win his record-extending fifth straight championship. “That’s the best we could have hoped for today, if not being ahead, that would have been a little bit better, but either way we got a lot of pressure on those guys.” American Chronicle
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NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: Kobalt Tools 500 at Phoenix - Race Results
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