Morning Wrap: Harvick Wins Chase Eliminator; Final Four Set

((ht: foxsports.com))

If you aren't paying attention--and many football fans aren't, NASCAR is in the midst of it's first "Eliminator" chase for the Sprint Cup title.

Each week for the past several, drivers have been eliminated from the chase based up their point totals and finish in races.

Sunday's race at Phoenix was the one to determine your finalists.

And it was won, in dominant fashion by Kevin Harvick

No, there were no fights, though late in the race, Ryan Newman, who also made the final 4, drove Kyle Larson into the wall and managed to move up to 11th place in the race. Which got him the extra point he needed to bump 2nd place finisher Jeff Gordon from the final four.

Confused? We sure are.

Your other finalists: Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano.

The racing season ends this coming week at Homestead Speedway in South Miami. Whomever among the final four places the highest, gets the Cup title--

Here are your Phoenix Highlights:

This Week's NASCAR Fight With Brad Keselowski Where Jeff Gordon Cusses

((HT: NASCAR on ESPN))

And, instead of involving Matt Kenseth, it involves Jeff Gordon with a possible cameo from Kevin Harvick...


The lowdown this time...

Gordon and Jimmie Johnson were going at it and the Blue Deuce wedged his way in between them to make it three wide in a green-white-checkered situation. Gordon ended up a lap down with the damage and in 29th at the restart.

Needless to say, #24 was not happy about it and did you notice that Jamie Little ended up in the middle of it...???

We imagine that everyone involved will be involved in a visit to the Big Red Truck.

PM UPDATE: When asked about Keselowski's behavior, Gordon cussed on live TV
((HT: Jay Busbee's Vine))


Yahoo!Sports Jay Busbee brings up a good point: Will Gordon get fined for his outburst...???

From the Column:

Gordon is about to head into one of the most critical races of his career. If NASCAR were to deduct points from a driver in the midst of a championship hunt for a minor, inconsequential violation, hurled just after a fight, well ... the criticism would be unrelenting. NASCAR is loving the extra press now, but a hammer on Gordon for language would turn every bit of that attention to the negative.

Jeff Gordon Exacts Revenge On Writer In New Pepsi Ad

((HT: PepsiMax their own self))

You remember the first version of dressing up Jeff Gordon in a lot of make-up and freaking out a car salesman...

One writer over at Jalopnik thought the whole thing was a work...

So, PepsiMax comes out with a new ad with Gordon and the writer who went off...

It's classic... and it's revenge...

The Big One Only Waits 42 Laps At Talladega (UPDATED: With Another Big One With 6 To Go And David Ragan Wins)

Kyle Busch gets a push from Marcus Ambrose... He goes into the back of Kasey Kahne to send him around and all hell breaks loose at Talladega... Busch admitted on his in-car communications that it was his fault...

Your victims- Kyle, Kahne, Greg Biffle, Jamie McMurray, Brian Vickers, Casey Mears, Ambrose, Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon, Kevin Harvick, David Stremme, Martin Truex, Junior, and Jeff Burton all either got damage of some sort or are out for the day... 14 of 43...

Not a bad percentage for the haunted speedway to take another chunk out of the sport... a full one-third of the field...

Here's a little bit of it from nascarcrashesmore...


More when we know more...

UPDATE: With 6 laps to go, it all happened again...

It looked like Ricky Stenhouse squeezed JJ Yeley as the cars went four wide and it caused another chain reaction involving Kurt Busch (who was looking to win the race). Ryan Newman ended up with the 78 on top of him. Bowyer, both Labontes, David Stremme, Danica Patrick, Jamie McMurray, and Jeff Gordon were all involved.

Stenhouse called out Yeley in his own in-car communication...
Here's the other big one...


NASCAR, much like Saturday's Nationwide race, only allowed one pass for a green-white-checkered finish. Seven hours after the official start, David Ragan got a big push from his teammate David Gilliand and beat out Johnson, Edwards, and Kenseth.
((HT: NASCAR))


Huzzahs to everyone at Front Row Motorsports for their finish...

When Did Daytona Turn Into Talladega...???

((HT: FoxSports/Speed))

With the new cars, models, and aero packages available for the race at Daytona in a few weeks drivers and their new sponsors and owners got to kick the tires over the weekend...

But when you kick the tires, you run the risk of bumping into each other...

Evidence below among a lot of big names...


The money quote to Fox Sports Lee Spencer came from Brad Keselowski who said it was “unfortunate, but sometimes you got to wreck 'em to learn.”

There's that...

Now, That's A Way To End A NASCAR Race... (UPDATED with Penalties)

((HT: NASCAR on ABC/ESPN/youtube))

Going into today, there were only two races left in the NASCAR season...
Phoenix and Homestead...

Now, there's only one...

And there should be a lot of bad blood that carries over from the end of the race when Clint Bowyer tried to pass Jeff Gordon below the yellow line...

Let's just say there were a lot of guys in helmets taking swings at each other that, probably, only know how to do it by watching movies...


Oh, Kevin Harvick won the race...
Brad Keselowski now has a points lead that will take a lot of elfin' magic for Jimmy Johnson to get title number six in Homestead next week...

MONDAY UPDATE: NASCAR has decided to come up with some punishments on a few fronts after the Phoenix race...

From NASCAR their own selves:

Jeff Gordon, driver of the No. 24 car, was found to be in violation of Sections 12-1 (actions detrimental to stock car racing) – altercation with another competitor on the race track during the race – and has been fined $100,000, docked 25 championship driver points and put on NASCAR probation until Dec. 31. Rick Hendrick, owner of the No. 24 car, has also been penalized with the loss of 25 championship owner points. Alan Gustafson, crew chief of the No. 24 car, also was found to be in violation of Section 9-4A (at all events, crew chief assumes responsibility of his driver, car owner and team members) and has been placed on NASCAR probation until Dec. 31.

Brian Pattie, crew chief of the No. 15 car, violated Sections 12-1 and 9-4A and has been fined $25,000 and placed on NASCAR probation until Dec. 31.

Brad Keselowski, driver of the No. 2 car, has been fined $25,000 and placed on probation until Dec. 31 for violating Sections 12-1 and 20-6.7A (cars and drivers will not be permitted to carry onboard computers, automated electronic recording devices, electronically actuated devices, power distribution modules, power conditioners, micro-processors, recording devices, electronic digital memory chips, traction control devices, digital readout gauges and the like, even if inoperable or incomplete) – driver had a cell phone in his possession onboard the race car.

Robin Pemberton, VP of Competition, also sayeth the following:

“Following a thorough analysis of the actions that took place during Sunday’s race at Phoenix International Raceway, we have issued penalties based upon our review. The decisions announced today cover NASCAR’s full assessment of penalties for the incidents that occurred.

“There’s no doubt that a unique set of circumstances combined with a championship battle on the line resulted in raw emotions coming into play. We consider the penalties appropriate and those involved understand our decision and we expect them to abide by them.”

So, they're gonna get Keselowski for a cell phone in the car...???
Interesting...

It's not like he was ordering a pizza... if memory serves, he's more than happy to Tweet and promote the sport while the race is going on- when he can...

So NASCAR doesn't want that now, either...???

One Dead, 9 Injured After Lightning Strike At Pocono

((HT: thepoconos))

The rain-shortened race at Pocono Speedway yesterday gave Jeff Gordon his second rain-aided win in the last five years.

In post-race interviews Gordon admitted that he even heard the thunder associated with a lightning strike on the property that would kill one and injured nine.

Here's the announcement by Pocono CEO Brandon Igdalsky


Track spokesman Bob Pleban said nine of the ten fans were injured from a strike that occurred in a parking lot behind the main grandstand. Another strike occurred near Gate 3 between Turns 1 and 2 and accounted for injury ten.

Reutimann Causes Caution, Newman Wins Martinsville

((HT: NASCAR on Fox/NASCAR.com/youtube))

Okay... weird doesn't begin to describe the ending of the Martinsville race Sunday afternoon.

Here's the short version...


Reutimann would go on the post-race show and apologize profusely saying that he would never intentionally come to a dead stop on the track. But his car gave up the ghost and he had missed the entrance to pit road before he could get back around to get fixed.

AJ Allmendinger was runner-up...

NASCAR Shootout Ends Up With People On The Roof Again...

And this time it was Jeff Gordon...

When you only have 25 cars going after a big purse and there are only a few laps left in the event- you know that all bets are off, your friend is not your friend and you better drive for you and everyone else...

The remaining guys in last night's 75-lapper from Daytona didn't get the message...
Here's the short version of the whole thing...
((HT: NASCAR Images/NASCAR on Fox))


And here's the last "big one" from the evening...
((HT: Foxsports.com/NASCAR on FOX/NASCAR Images))