Jimmie Johnson passed Brad Keselowski with 5 laps remaining and went on to win the AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway on Sunday. Keselowski led for 312 of the race’s 334 laps, but Johnson had the best car at the end and pulled out the victory.
Behind Johnson and Keselowski on Sunday were defending series champion Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards. Each is involved in the Chase for the Sprint Cup Championship.
Keselowski now finds himself in a position of needing to win next Sunday at Phoenix in order to have an opportunity to win the Sprint Cup. He is too far behind in points to earn a spot in the top four for the final race on November 22 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Johnson, who was eliminated from the Chase for the Sprint Cup after the first round, played more than the role of spoiler for Keselowski. Putting Keselowski, a serious contender, on the brink of elimination, significantly improves the chances of Johnson’s teammate, Jeff Gordon, who finished 9th on Sunday.
Gordon, who is in the final two races of his career, became the first of four drivers eligible to win the Sprint Cup with his win at Martinsville last week. The final three will be determined next Sunday at Phoenix International Raceway.
Joey Logano, the favorite to win the Cup two weeks ago, had a tire problem and finished in 40th position, 66 laps behind the leader. Logano was poised to win at Martinsville last week before he was taken out by Matt Kenseth. Like Keselowski, Logano also needs a victory at Phoenix to advance.
Kurt Busch, who finished seventh on Sunday, is the third driver who needs a win next Sunday. Positions 2-5 are separated by only 11 points.
With so much at stake next Sunday, the race at Phoenix will see some aggressive driving. There should not be a dull moment.
The order of finish for Sunday’s race can be found here.
