Phoenix race results from November 12, 2017 featuring the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Today, the NASCAR Cup Series goes short track racing, sort of. The stock car racing series lands at Phoenix International Raceway in Phoenix, Arizona. A sellout crowd is on hand to watch the show.
View full 2017 Phoenix race results below.
It’s the second to last race of the season. There’s a championship on the line. 3 drivers are locked in. 5 drivers will fight for the single remaining position in the championship 4. Brad Keselowski, Denny Hamlin, Ryan Blaney, Chase Elliott and Jimmie Johnson will fight for that last position.
Ryan Blaney and Denny Hamlin lead the field to green. 75 laps in stages 1 and 2. 162 laps in stage 3. 312 total laps around Phoenix Raceway. Parade laps, we’re going green. Blaney selects the outside lane.
Stage 1
Green flag, Blaney leads the field into turn 1. Hamlin is fighting on the bottom.
Still under him in turn 3, Blaney holds him off. Hamlin slips up, Elliott looks under him. Kyle Larson takes the shortcut, 3 wide for 2nd into turn 3. Elliott holds the position.
Lap 12, Chase Elliott is late under braking in turn 1. He closes right to the rear bumper. Chase Elliott looks under Blaney at the exit of turn 2. New leader at Phoenix, Chase Elliott. The #24 is in a must win situation. Hamlin moves around the outside of Blaney, he’s up to 2nd.
Lap 26, Denny Hamlin has been looking to the outside of Elliott. Hamlin had a run on the outside of turn 4, Elliott shuts the door. Hamlin gives him a bump under the flag stand. Hamlin diamonds turn 1, he under Hamlin. New leader, Hamlin.
Back in turn 1, Chase Elliott puts the bumper to him. Light contact, Hamlin dances up the track and Elliott is back to the lead. Hamlin fights back, on the outside, he takes the lead. Elliott falls to 3rd as Larson works his way by.
12 to go in stage 1, Kyle Busch is testing lane 3 in turns 3 and 4. It’s working for him as he rolls through the field. He’s up to 6th.
Larson is also running that high line. He’s running down Denny Hamlin. Larson has a run off turn 4, Hamlin thought about shutting the door but he left it open. He didn’t block the run, like Chase Elliott did to him earlier. Hamlin put the bumper to Chase when he did that.
Kyle Larson wins stage 1! Only 21 cars are on the lead lap.
Stage 1 Results: 1. Kyle Larson; 2. Denny Hamlin; 3. Chase Elliott; 4. Matt Kenseth; 5. Kevin Harvick; 6. Kyle Busch; 7. Erik Jones; 8. Martin Truex Jr; 9. Ryan Newman; 10. Jimmie Johnson;
Stage 2
The field hits pit road. 4 tires for all. Larson has trouble. Hamlin and Matt Kenseth lead the field off pit road.
Green flag, Hamlin selects the outside lane. It works, Hamlin leads out of turn 2. Kyle Busch looks to the outside of Kenseth. Busch wins that fight, Larson follows him through.
Lap 104, Kyle Larson is heading to pit lane. The hood is going up. Larson was running down Hamlin for the lead, just 10 laps prior. Larson is going to the garage.
Denny Hamlin is running away with the show. 3 laps remains, he leads Kenseth by 1.3 seconds.
Trouble for Jimmie Johnson! He was running 11th, a lap away from the stage completion. “I blew a tire,” Johnson radio. Chad Knaus was trying to persuade him into running the high line, all race. Johnson finally went up there to experiment, that’s exactly when it blew.
Related: Jimmie Johnson comments after being eliminated
Under caution, Denny Hamlin wins stage 2.
Stage 2 Results: 1. Denny Hamlin; 2. Matt Kenseth; 3. Erik Jones; 4. Martin Truex Jr; 5. Kyle Busch; 6. Kevin Harvick; 7. Jamie McMurray; 8. Ryan Newman; 9. Chase Elliott; 10. Clint Bowyer;
Stage 3
No changes in position on pit road. However, there’s a lot of changes to the cars. Many drivers are wanting adjustments. The track is now running differently than it has all weekend.
Green flag, Hamlin runs the high lane, Kenseth hangs with him. Desperation from Chase Elliott, he takes a huge chunk out of the shortcut at the dog leg. It works though, Elliott picks up a few positions. Denny Hamlin leads out of turn 4.
Lap 195, Denny Hamlin has now led 155 of the total laps. He leads Matt Kenseth by .7 seconds. Heading into Phoenix, Hamlin had a 15 point deficit to Keselowski for the final transfer spot. Hamlin has already collected +20 points, winning stages 1 and 2.
Lap 227, Dale Earnhardt Jr was making quick laps on the high side. He was running high in 3-4 but he was running higher than anyone on the race track in 1-2. He was just about to pass Brad Keselowski but the right front tire blew, entering turn 1. Same issue as his teammate. Earnhardt Jr hits pit road, still green.
Trouble for Trevor Bayne! Just a lap after Earnhardt, Bayne has blown a tire exiting turn 4. He went straight into the wall, massive impact. “That hurt so bad,” Trevor Bayne radio.
81 to go, the field hits pit road. Matt Kenseth wins the race off pit road! Truex almost got him too. The crew dropped the jack on the #11 before the tire changers were done, Hamlin might have a loose wheel shortly.
Green, Kenseth is clear by 2 car lengths into turn 1.
Caution, it’s the 4th one of the day. This one is for debris. There’s a braking hose on the track in turn 1. Keselowski hit pit road.
Green, Kenseth didn’t get as great of a restart this time. Hamlin hangs with him but Kenseth confirms the lead off turn 4. Truex moves around Hamlin. Truex is looking for the lead. He slips, Hamlin moves back around Truex.
Chris Buescher is in the wall, caution number five. He bangs the wheel in frustration. His right front brakes exploded heading into turn 3. Buescher looped it and backed the car hard into the wall.
The walls on fire! Quick correction, fires! Plural fires between the wall. Several pieces of the brake rotor got in behind the wall and caught fire. Red flag, crews will need to fix the wall.
Green flag, Matt Kenseth has checked out. Chase Elliott is looking aggressive. He works hard on the high side, he’s trying to get to the right rear fender of Hamlin and take the high line away. He’s there, Hamlin leaves room. Truex looks low on Hamlin, 3 wide into turn 3. Elliott takes the 2nd position!
Cole Whitt is in the wall, flat left front. Caution #6 is out.
Green, lots of games on the front row of this restart. Kenseth is clear before turn 1. Truex has a fender on Chase Elliott, he’s around on the outside. Hamlin takes the shortcut through the dogleg, he slides Elliott in turn 3. Elliott puts the bumper to him. He bumps him again in turn 1.
Chase Elliott has a run off turn 2. Chase Elliott sends another bump in turn 3. Elliott is nearly clear on the bottom off turn 4. He takes the position anyway! Elliott rubs Hamlin and puts into the wall down the front straight! The crowd erupts! Hamlin has a tire rub.
Related: Denny Hamlin vs Chase Elliott at Martinsville (video)
37 to go, trouble for Hamlin! Blown tire, he’s in the wall in turn 3. The crowd erupts again. Before this last restart, Hamlin was +3 over Brad Keselowski in the battle for the final transfer spot. Hamlin has climbed from the car.
Related: Is Denny Hamlin worried about retaliation?
Green, more trouble! Erik Jones missed a gear. Newman was just behind him, he hits the brakes and Kurt Busch slams him. Newman bounces off the wall but they all continue, no caution.
Elliott puts the bumper to the #78 at the exit of turn 2. Truex slides up the track, Elliott takes the inside lane through the dogleg. Elliott to 2nd!
He’s not done! Elliott has another run off turn 2. He’s looking low in turn 3, he drives it deep into turn 3. Elliott takes the lead!
12 to go, Matt Kenseth has run down Chase Elliott. Kenseth runs the dogleg, they are even heading into turn 3. Kenseth takes the lead off turn 4.
Matt Kenseth wins at Phoenix Raceway!
2017 Championship 4
NASCAR Cup Series
1. Kyle Busch
2. Kevin Harvick
3. Martin Truex Jr
4. Brad Keselowski
Phoenix Race Results
November 12, 2017
NASCAR Cup Series
Related: Phoenix starting lineup
1. Matt Kenseth
2. Chase Elliott
3. Martin Truex Jr
4. Erik Jones
5. Kevin Harvick
6. Jamie McMurray
7. Kyle Busch
8. Ricky Stenhouse Jr
9. Aric Almirola
10. Dale Earnhardt Jr
11. Ty Dillon
12. Joey Logano
13. Clint Bowyer
14. Austin Dillon
15. Paul Menard
16. Brad Keselowski
17. Ryan Blaney
18. Daniel Suarez
19. Kasey Kahne
20. Ryan Newman
21. Kurt Busch
22. Michael McDowell
23. AJ Allmendinger
24. Landon Cassill
25. Danica Patrick
26. DJ Kennington
27. Matt DiBenedetto
28. David Starr
29. Jeffrey Earnhardt
30. Joey Gase
31. Corey LaJoie
32. Derrike Cope
33. David Ragan
34. Kyle Weatherman
35. Denny Hamlin
36. Cole Whitt
37. Chris Buescher
38. Trevor Bayne
39. Jimmie Johnson
40. Kyle Larson
