NASCAR Boasts Closest Battle in Chase History With One To Go

Half predicting, half declaring next week's NASCAR season finale will be "one hell of a show," Jimmie Johnson emerged from his fifth-place finishing No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet smiling and feeling good about his chances for an unprecedented fifth consecutive NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship.

You'd have thought he won the race. He's not even leading the standings.

That designation belongs to the unhappiest of Sunday afternoon drivers, Denny Hamlin, who, after leading a race-best 190 laps, had to pit for fuel with 14 laps remaining at Phoenix International Raceway.

Hamlin heads to next week's final showdown at Homestead-Miami Speedway a scant 15 points ahead of Johnson in the closest championship fight since the Chase playoff format was installed in 2004. Third place Kevin Harvick is still very much in the thick of things, 46 points behind Hamlin.

The in-car television camera showed Hamlin yanking off his driving gloves and throwing them one by one against the dashboard of his 12th place No. 11 FedEx Toyota after the race's cool-down lap. Sitting on pit wall immediately after the race, he threw a water bottle and sullenly awaited his television interview.

"Yeah, it's pretty disappointing,'' Hamlin said, taking a long pause before answering questions. "We were in a good position there to look pretty good going into next week.

"It's tough to not be happy having a points lead going into the last race but. ... I was sitting pretty.''

Hamlin's car looked like the class of the field all day. At one point he held a three-second plus lead and was still pulling away. Johnson meanwhile, was a solid top-five car but nothing spectacular; fuel mileage and an unusually long final green flag run made the difference for him, while Hamlin had to pit for that splash of gas.

Harvick had the only miscue of the three championship contenders, needing to make an extra pit stop late in the race to put a missing lug nut on the left rear wheel. He dropped from the top five all the way back to 19th. But when another yellow flag came out 10 laps later, Harvick pitted to top off his gas, having nothing to lose after falling back in the field. But that gave him the extra fuel he needed to be able to stay out while Hamlin had to pit for fuel later.

"We're just lucky to be here, '' said Harvick, who finished sixth in the No. 29 Shell-Pennzoil Chevrolet. "I was pretty down there for a while and thought, 'there it went.'

"We dodged one for sure. But we still have a chance next week and that's all you can ask for.''

This is the first time Johnson hasn't led the standings entering the final race since his historic string of championships began in 2006. But he cut his deficit in half thanks to his eighth consecutive top-five finish at Phoenix.

"We made chicken salad out of chicken-you-know-what today,'' said an animated Johnson, sounding more like he was preparing for a heavyweight title fight.

"And the biggest thing we have working for us right now is putting pressure on that 11 car. I hope he (Hamlin) has a helluva time sleeping all week.''

"We have one heckuva points race. I'm pumped.''

Hamlin can clinch his first Cup championship by either finishing second at Homestead and leading the most laps or by winning the Ford 400.