As the Can-Am 500 went into overtime Sunday at Phoenix International Raceway, four Chase drivers were among the top five in the running order, vying for two remaining Chase spots in next Sunday’s championship race in Homestead.
MORE: Ford EcoBoost 400: Schedule, times, TV info
It gets even better, though — the lone driver mixed into that Chase pack, Alex Bowman, had dominated the race and had his sights set on his first career Sprint Cup victory.
After race leader Matt Kenseth crashed on the first overtime attempt, Joey Logano held off Kyle Busch to claim his 17th career victory and advance to the final race. Busch, the defending series champion, also advances to the championship event. They join Jimmie Johnson and Carl Edwards, who had won in the Chase Round of 8 at Martinsville and Texas, respectively, to punch their tickets to the Championship 4.
“Man, this is just so good,” Logano told NBC Sports after the race. “I never felt this good about a win before. There was just so much on the line.”
Kyle Larson finished third, while Chase drivers Kevin Harvick (fourth), Kurt Busch (fifth) and Denny Hamlin (seventh) will not advance.
Yet no one felt worse afterward than Kenseth, who took that first overtime attempt as the leader on the outside row with Bowman underneath. Bowman went down to try to block a pass by Kyle Busch, and Kenseth, thinking he was clear headed into the corner, went down and made contact with Bowman, sending Kenseth into the wall.
“It was a tough 15 minutes,” Kenseth told NBC.
Bowman, making his ninth start in the No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet in relief of Dale Earnhardt Jr., dominated the race (leading a race-high 194 laps). He finished sixth after the contact with Kenseth.
“I’m not sure if he thought he was clear,” Bowman said. “It’s real unfortunate. You never want to ruin a Chase guy’s day. … I hate that for Matt.”
Logano certainly went home happy — and ready to race for his first series championship Nov. 20 at Homestead.
“I’m speechless,” he said. “I feel like I just won the Daytona 500 again.”
Can-Am 500 Finishing Order
Finish (Car No.) Driver
- (22) Joey Logano 2. (18) Kyle Busch 3. (42) Kyle Larson 4. (4) Kevin Harvick 5. (41) Kurt Busch 6. (88) Alex Bowman 7. (11) Denny Hamlin 8. (21) Ryan Blaney 9. (24) Chase Elliott 10. (27) Paul Menard 11. (1) Jamie McMurray 12. (31) Ryan Newman 13. (5) Kasey Kahne 14. (2) Brad Keselowski 15. (14) Tony Stewart 16. (16) Greg Biffle 17. (47) AJ Allmendinger 18. (13) Casey Mears 19. (19) Carl Edwards 20. (38) Landon Cassill 21. (20) Matt Kenseth 22. (43) Aric Almirola 23. (17) Rickey Stenhouse Jr. 24. (15) Clint Bowyer 25. (83) Matt DiBenedetto 26. (46) Michael Annett 27. (7) Regan Smith 28. (6) Trevor Bayne 29. (10) Danica Patrick 30. (44) Brian Scott 31. (23) David Ragan 32. (34) Chris Buescher 33. (32) Jeffrey Earnhardt 34. (95) Michael McDowell 35. (55) D.J. Kennington 36. (98) Reed Sorenson 37. (30) Gray Gaulding 38. (48) Jimmie Johnson 39. (3) Austin Dillon 40. (78) Martin Truex Jr.
