Elliott, Blaney hope to add fresher faces to NASCAR’s finale

AVONDALE, Ariz. — There’s no denying the rapid changing of the guard in NASCAR, and this year’s playoffs proved how quickly the young new drivers can make their way in this sport.

Chase Elliott, Ryan Blaney, Austin Dillon and Kyle Larson claimed four of the 16 playoff positions — a glimpse of the future of NASCAR.

Blaney and Elliott are the only two drivers still in the playoffs, and the two are among five drivers racing today in the Can-Am 500 at Phoenix Raceway for one spot in next week’s championship deciding finale. Blaney will start from the pole , and Elliott will start fourth.

Their competition? Seven-time and defending NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson, 2012 champion Brad Keselowski and Denny Hamlin, probably the most successful active driver without a title.

A win by any of the five earns them an automatic berth into the finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Already qualified for the title race are 2015 champion Kyle Busch, 2014 champion Kevin Harvick and Martin Truex Jr., the most dominant driver this season.

Blaney is ready to roll.

“I don’t really feel a lot of pressure in any situation,” he said after winning the pole. He also noted that by points, he’s not currently eligible for the fourth spot. Should none of the contenders win at Phoenix, the final spot at Homestead will go to the highest-ranked driver, and that is currently Keselowski.

“We’re really not under any pressure right now. We’re out,” Blaney said. “If we were in right now, if we were like in a spot where we could get bumped out, that would be pressure.”

Elliott likened his situation to the closing laps of the Daytona 500, when he ran out of gas while leading. Opportunities come and go.

“This is my second time in the playoffs, we are still a part of it right now and that is more than I could say a year ago,” said Elliott.

XFINITY: Justin Allgaier, William Byron, Elliott Sadler and Daniel Hemric took the four spots for next week’s Series championship race. All four berths in the championship were on the line Saturday at Phoenix Raceway, where Byron raced to his fourth victory of the season. The other three drivers made it into the Homestead-Miami finale on points.

GP: In Sao Paulo, Valtteri Bottas claimed pole position for the Brazilian Grand Prix from a qualifying session in which Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton crashed on the first lap on Saturday.