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:

Tony Stewart Speaks Publicly For 1st Time Since Ward Incident

NASCAR Sprint Cup driver and team owner Tony Stewart spoke publicly Monday morning for the first time since the August incident that changed his life.

Stewart has been mostly a recluse since a dirt track car he was driving collided with driver Kevin Ward Jr. who got out of his car after a spin out at an upstate New York track.

There were tons of questions as to whether Stewart deliberately hit Ward or if it was just an accident. Ontario County, New York prosecutors investigated what happened and presented their evidence to a Grand Jury and that Jury came back just last week and said they could not move forward with charges.

A subdued Stewart sat alone at a podium and took questions from a large group of assembled media types:

--Stewart: "I know what happened and I know it was an accident"

--Stewart said he would like to talk to the Ward family, but does not think he needs to because he has closure in the matter. Though he added he would make himself available at any time if the family wants to talk.

--He described the awkward feeling of not doing anything other than going from the track to his track motorhome to his office and his home and nothing else. And that he ran the smaller tracks for fun, it helped keep him energized and he misses that.

--He's not done any fan appearances or corporate appearances since the incident, though he does feel like he will begin to do some in the near future.

--He also talked at length about realizing there is more to life than just racing and that he needs to round things out and do more of things he's put on hold because of his devotion to racing.

--Stewart said he avoided reading reports of what happened for a long time but has eventually started reading. He talked about the wrongness of "picking sides" at what happened. He said it's about an accident that cost a man his life adding "picking sides" takes away from Ward and himself.

--"There's been nothing normal about my life the past 7-weeks". Stewart describing what he's been doing and his interaction with his race team and others.

--Stewart was asked his thoughts on toxicology reports stating Ward was "under the influence"--"It didn't matter to me a young driver lost his life and that's all that mattered".

No huge revelations in the press conference and we did not expect any. A somber Stewart related what he's been going through and it's VERY clear this has made a huge impact on his life.

While he says what happened has not impacted the back half of his race season, the fact is it had to have some impact.

It's very clear, at least to us, Stewart has been struggling with this. He's also having to deal with Ward's family calling for more action and insisting that what happened was intentional.

Coming out and addressing the issue at hand at one time was perhaps the best thing he and his team could have done. We know he's been avoiding having to talk about it, and doing it with everyone in the building limits him having to be chased and asked about it in perpetuity.

It was very interesting to see...and hear.

Edwards Heading To Joe Gibbs From RFR For 2015

((HT: ESPN/NASCAR))

The worst kept secret in stock car racing is official...

Carl Edwards is jumping from Roush Fenway Racing to Joe Gibbs for the 2015 season.

Here's the announcement


The larger news from Joe Gibbs is their dealings through the Drivers Through Diversity program. The squad signed Daniel Suarez for their Nationwide and truck programs.

The #3 Car is Your Daytona Pole Sitter

For all the Dale Earnhardt fans that follow NASCAR, this is going to a look a little strange.

Yes, that's right, the #3 car is back on the Sprint Cup circuit. It's going to be driven this season by rookie Austin Dillon, grandson of RCR racing team owner Richard Childress who by the way was the owner of Earnhardt's car (#3) back in 2001, the day of Earnhardt's fatal crash. The #3 has not been seen in NASCAR Sprint Cup circles since.

And more importantly, the #3 car is going to be sitting in the Daytona 500 pole position next weekend.

Dillon qualified 1st Sunday at a speed on 196.019 mph Sunday afternoon, fast enough to wrest the pole away. Along side him will be Richard Childress Racing (RCR) teammate Martin Truex Jr.

Your video proof from Fox Sports:

NASCAR Adds 24 Car To Chase, Penske And Front Row On Probation

Adding fuel to the collusion fire from last week's race at Richmond, NASCAR has added Jeff Gordon to the Chase roster and placed both Penske Racing and Front Row Motorsports on probation.

Gordon was 10th in the chase going into the Chicago race. NASCAR says they determined Clint Bowyer's alleged spin-out with 7 laps to go, cost Gordon his opportunity to qualify.

NASCAR says the radio evidence of collusion between Penske and Front Row to allow Joey Logano to pass David Gilliland during the end of the race, allowed Logano to claim that 10th slot.

Logano, driver of the 22 car for Penske, openly defended his position at Chicagoland in media interviews this week, but it appears the scanner traffic that went public forced the hand of the governing body.

We now have 13 in the Chase and three race owners in deep doo-doo.

More when we know more...

We know more--

NACAR President Brian France said "There were too many things that altered the event and gave an unfair advantage to Jeff and his team, who would have qualified"

From NASCAR's press release on the issue:

“Based on all of our findings this week, we determined both Front Row Motorsports and Penske Racing organizations would be placed on probation for the remainder of this season,” said Brian France, NASCAR Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “Additionally, based upon the totality of our findings, to be fair and equitable we decided that adding a 13th car to this year’s Chase is the appropriate action.

“Beginning with our decision Monday, which resulted in an unprecedented team penalty, and continuing with further examination of actions involving two other race teams, it is clear to us that attempts to manipulate the results impacted the Chase field.

“The integrity of our sport remains the cornerstone of NASCAR, and our actions this week speak to our commitment to ensure a level playing field for all competitors.”

Additionally, NASCAR will conduct a mandatory meeting with drivers, owners, crew chiefs and other team personnel tomorrow to address this issue moving forward.

Kerry Tharp--NASCAR Communications

Logano Answers Gilliland Collusion

((HT: ESPN))

Joey Logano, just before the Chase starts this weekend decided that a good defense is a good offense when it comes to addressing the issues in and around the possible collusion between Penske Racing and Front Row Motorsports making sure that the 22 car made it into the final ten races as one of the wild card participants...

First, here's the chatter...
((HT: Fox Sports))


And here's Logano with Marty Smith...


What say you...???

So, Now Did Gilliland And Logano Have A Deal...???

((HT: NASCAR))

With all the talk of Michael Waltrip Racing, Clint Bowyer, spins- intentional or otherwise, Martin Truex Junior, Ryan Newman, and everyone who did or didn't make The Chase...

Here's another element that is being considered about Joey Logano making The Chase- thanks to David Gilliand and Front Row Motorsports. Logano needed Gilliland's position on the track and needed to make up a lot of ground to make that happen...

Here's the conversation with Gilliland and his crew deciding what to do...


So...
Whaddya think...???

The HQ thinks NASCAR is making deals just like Formula 1...

And the decision by NASCAR on Logano and Gilliland may have to come to the fore in time for the race at Chicagoland or The Chase may get all scrambled before it even gets underway...

Bowyer Does The Carwash, Denies Spin Intentional

((HT: ESPN))

First, let's look at the nine minutes that Clint Bowyer spent with Jade McCarthy and Ricky Craven...

It's both uncomfortable and intense...


NASCAR couldn't prove that the spin by the 15 was intentional...

They went by the radio traffic (the somewhat confused radio traffic) between Brian Vickers and his crew chief over "needing" to pit to give Joey Logano a point...

Michael Waltrip stands by his team, his drivers, and the sport...

And "the itch" in question...???

Bowyer admits that he was treating poison oak under his suit...

MWR addresses the penalties in an interview with Bob Dillman in a friendly fire situation this evening on FoxSports1...

NASCAR at Richmond: Carl Edwards Wins But Conspiracy Theories Abound

((sports.yahoo.com))

For those of you not glued to College Football games Saturday night, there was a NASCAR Sprint Cup race that took place at the Richmond International Speedway.

And that race, the last before the Race for the Chase ends and the Top 12 drivers go after the Sprint Cup title, was won by Carl Edwards, but ended with what many believe could be a conspiracy.

That conspiracy appears to have been triggered by Clint Bowyer.

With 6 laps left, Ryan Newman was leading and appeared headed for the win. A victory would have gotten him into the Race for the Chase. The win would bump Bowyer's Michael Waltrip racing teammate Martin Truex Jr out of said Chase.

That's when things got crazy.

A radio conversation between Bowyer and his spotters was over-heard. The conversation apparently was apparently to let Bowyer know Newman was in the lead. He was then asked how his arm was feeling.

Shortly thereafter, Bowyer, unprompted, spun out causing a caution flag to be raised.

The ensuing pit stop was bumbled by Newman's pit crew, he didn't win and Truex held on to the final spot in the Chase.

Read the entire story by Yahoo Sports RIGHT HERE

If this is true, and it will be tough to prove, someone should be penalized. Heavily.

Sure, Bowyer may have been taking one for his team...which is great. But it's also really poor sportsmanship.

Yeah, you could argue Newman's pit crew cost him his chance at winning, and you may or may not have been wrong. But that situation would have been avoided if Bowyer and his team played honest and let the chips fall where they may.

We will see if NASCAR takes a closer look at this and actually finds anything (we be they will and won't find a thing)

Here's video of Bowyer's in car camera--with Radio Conversation and ESPN reporter Jamie Little cut straight to the question at hand: