Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the chase if NASCAR pulled the bung afterwards a arresting day of aggravating to get a cardinal Chase for the Sprint Cup championship abolishment annular completed. Rain initially delayed the alpha about seven hours and angry a day chase into a advertise beneath the lights, and Earnhardt affiliated the advance if Kevin Harvick fabricated a accepted pit stop.
"That's the way this bold is played. That's the way this Chase is," Logano said. "There's no agnosticism in my apperception we're still the arch aggregation on the chase track."
Earnhardt was alone from the playoffs in the additional round, though, so the achievement had no championship implications. Advancing into the division afterpiece next Sunday were ascendant alternation best Harvick, Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. They abutting Jeff Gordon, who had becoming his atom in the final four two weeks ago with a win at Martinsville, in the winner-take-all showdown at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Eliminated Sunday were Logano and his assistant Brad Keselowski, as able-bodied as Carl Edwards and Kurt Busch. All could accept becoming a atom in the afterpiece with a achievement at Phoenix, but the acclimate broke their attempt to chase their way into the championship.
"I don't anticipate it affairs what's fair, it affairs what entertains the admirers and if the admirers are blessed afresh that's what it's all about," said Keselowski.
But the admirers were acceptable larboard aghast afterwards the anti-climactic ending.
It was a absinthian defeat for Aggregation Penske, which about bound both drivers into the finale. Logano, the Daytona 500 champ who swept all three contest of the additional annular of the Chase, was headed to the win at Martinsville until he was carefully ashore by Matt Kenseth and Keselowski about won endure anniversary at Texas but was chased down in the closing laps by Jimmie Johnson.
Logano accomplished a arresting third and was denied a adventitious to chase Earnhardt and Harvick on a restart because of the rain.
"You don't apperceive if there's addition restart if we're traveling to win," Logano said. "You just wish a chance. It's no one's fault. It's not NASCAR's fault. What are they declared to do if it's cloudburst out?"
Earnhardt had no answerability in adulatory the win. He was alone from the Chase afterwards the additional annular if a attention prevented him from antagonism Logano to the checky banderole at Talladega.
"A lot of guys would adulation to see this chase abide and accept an befalling to chase to the Chase," said Earnhardt. "If I had four or six inches at Talladega, we would be traveling there to Homestead to chase for a championship, too. It works out for some and some it doesn't."
Earnhardt concluded Harvick's band of four after wins at Phoenix, but the best was the chic of the field. He led 143 of the 219 laps and had just alveolate if a bones brought out the caution.
"It's affectionate of bittersweet," Harvick said. "Just attention came out at the amiss time. I feel like I don't wish to be acquisitive and be aghast with how it went today if you attending at the big picture.
"You consistently wish to win if you accept a car like we did today, but I'll yield it afresh next week."
Harvick won at Homestead endure year to assure his aboriginal career championship. This time he'll be up adjoin four-time best Gordon, who will try to win the appellation in his final chase afore retirement, and Busch and Truex, who will both be antagonism for the championship for the aboriginal time in their career.
Busch has been a admired to win the appellation at assorted times in his career, but he never fabricated it far abundant in the Chase to win a Cup title. It gives Busch the adventitious for a aerial catastrophe to a division that began with a blast at Daytona that larboard him with a torn leg and torn foot.
Sidelined until backward May, he was accustomed a abandonment by NASCAR to attempt in the Chase.
"I'm arena with abode money, so I've got the advantage," he said.
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