NASCAR final four
Chase Elliott, left, among those facing must-win
Chevrolet drivers have won seven of the last eight Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races at Phoenix Raceway.
Chevy teams will need help from that history in Sunday’s Can-Am 500 (2:30 p.m. ET, NBC) as five drivers wrestle for the last spot in the final four at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Florida.
Toyota drivers Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. have qualified for the Homestead championship run along with Ford’s Kevin Harvick. Chevrolet’s only remaining playoff drivers are Chase Elliott and Jimmie Johnson, and they are at the bottom of the playoff standings entering the 312-mile race, the final event in the third round.
Elliott trails points leader Truex by 49 points, and Johnson, clinging to hope that he can win a record eighth championship, is 51 behind. Both Chevy drivers almost certainly need a win to advance to the Homestead playoff group.
“I know we’re building a better race car and taking a few new ideas to Phoenix, and we’ll go there and fight as hard as we can,” Johnson said.
Johnson has won four times at Phoenix, but his playoff experience this year has been very non-Johnson-like. He was a tepid 27th last weekend in Texas.
Elliott, still seeking his first series win after a string of good runs but no victory lanes, has finishes of eighth, ninth and 12th at Phoenix.
Ford driver Brad Keselowski has a leg up in the competition for the fourth playoff spot. He is 19 points above fifthplace driver Denny Hamlin. Keselowski has not won at Phoenix but has eight top-10 finishes in 16 races.
A win by any of the playoff drivers advances him to the Homestead finale. If someone other than a playoff candidate wins, the leader in points advances.
Busch and Harvick earned Homestead spots with race wins, while Truex, the dominant driver for much of the season, locked in a slot via points.
Xfinity and Camping World Truck Series playoff drivers also will race for Final Four positions at Phoenix.