Sunday was EXACTLY what NASCAR racing has needed to be for a while now. Maybe part of it is because of the new rules package, and maybe part of it is driver will to win, but it combines to create the exact excitement one desires.
What fans experienced on Sunday was one driver’s dominant performance nearly be stolen away from another driver’s will to go for the victory at all costs.
Phoenix International Raceway for a long time has become a track that has been practically owned by Kevin Harvick. Entering Sunday, the driver of the No. 4 Chevrolet already had seven victories under his belt, more than any active driver.
Sunday, Harvick had to fight to get to the lead, not taking the lead until after the halfway point.
But when he did get out front, he dominated in every aspect. But, the late caution to set up NASCAR’s second use of the new “overtime” procedures gave the fans a finish they deserved.
Harvick got the lead on the restart, while Dale Earnhardt Jr. fell back from his inside point, yielding to Carl Edwards, who pitted to get new tires on the right side of his Toyota. Already past the overtime line, whatever happened afterwards was going to end the race. The final lap, Edwards could see he was closing in on the lead, and in the final two corners he went for it. His move to the inside meant a bump and run, which he executed.
But Harvick bumped back, and it was a streak to the line for each. Edwards tried one more time to cut off the momentum of the Chevrolet to his outside, but it was not to be.
The margin of victory: one one-hundredth of a second. The closest finish in the history of Phoenix International Raceway, and the second photo finish in four races thus far this season.
Sure, some fans were upset at seeing Harvick win again at this track, but it wasn’t exactly a runaway like past events. This one he had to fight for. The bent sheet metal on the front corners of both Harvick’s Jimmy John’s Chevrolet and the Stanley Toyota of Edwards proved they were each not yielding one bit.
They battled to the end, but never wrecked one another. That is what makes a great finish. Had Edwards caused a wreck, or simply spun Harvick out, it may have tarnished how the race ended.
Instead, both Edwards and Harvick battled right to the flag, and shook hands afterward in a sign of respect. That is what a great finish is really made of. Not a wreck, not an argument, and not the wonder of “what might have been,” but rather it was made of respect, tough racing, and two men simply not giving up.
RESULTS: 1-Harvick 2-Edwards 3-Hamlin 4-Kyle Busch 5-Earnhardt Jr. 6-Kurt Busch 7-Kenseth 8-Elliott 9-Dillon 10-Blaney
NOTABLE FINISHES: 11-Johnson 14-Truex Jr. 18-Logano
CAUTIONS: 5 for 30 laps. Lap 53-59 (#31 Accident-T3); 107-112 (#27 Accident-T3); 164-168 (#17 Accident-T1); 227-234 (Debris [83]); 308-311 (#5 Accident-T3).
LEAD CHANGES: 7 among 4 drivers. Kyle Busch 1-74; D. Earnhardt Jr. 75-108; C. Edwards 109-163; Kyle Busch 164; C. Edwards 165-168; K. Harvick 169-228; C. Edwards 229-234; K. Harvick 235-313.
TIME OF RACE: 2 Hrs, 45 Mins, 53 Secs.
AVERAGE SPEED: 113.212 MPH
MARGIN OF VICTORY: 0.01 Seconds
CHASE GRID: 1. Harvick, 154 points (1 win); 2. Johnson, 140 points (1 win); 3. Hamlin, 131 points (1 win); 4. Keselowski, 110 points (1 win); 5. Kyle Busch, 154 points; 6. Kurt Busch, -17 (Behind 1st); 7. Edwards, -18; 8. Logano, -27; 9. Dillon, -32; 10. Truex Jr, -37; 11. Earnhardt Jr, -39; 12. Blaney, -50; 13. Almirola, -54; 14. Kahne, -58; 15. McMurray, -60; 16. Kenseth, -64.