Joey Logano captures Can-Am 500 to qualify for Chase finals

AVONDALE, Ariz. -- Joey Logano won the Can-Am 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Phoenix International Raceway on Sunday to join Jimmie Johnson and Carl Edwards as drivers advancing to the championship four of the Chase for the Sprint by virtue of round of eight race wins.

"I love it," Logano said. "We just got back from Texas and had a very fast car there, and it is the same tire and a very similar race track (Homestead-Miami Speedway, site of the Nov. 20 season-finale). I can't wait for next week."

Kyle Busch finished second to round out the championship four.

Kyle Larson was the only non-Chaser to finish in the top-five, finishing third. Stewart-Haas Racing teammates Kevin Harvick and Kurt Busch finished fourth and fifth, respectively, but their efforts fell short of advancing them to the final round of the Chase.

"We just started way too far off on Friday," Harvick said. "We never got a handle on the race car. They made it a ton better in the race and we were in contention there at the end and just came up sure. Just really proud of everybody for the effort that they put in. It was a very challenging Chase for us for all the mechanical failures and situations that we had going on."

Other drivers eliminated from the Chase were Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Matt Kenseth and Denny Hamlin.

After a dominant performance from Alex Bowman, Hamlin stayed out to inherit the race lead during a caution with just under 60 laps remaining. When the race restarted on lap 261, Kenseth took the lead and ran up front until Michael McDowell hit the wall, bringing out the eighth yellow flag of the race on lap 311 of the race that was scheduled for a 312-lap distance.

Kenseth wrecked as the race leader on the restart, though, bringing out the yellow flag again. As a result, Logano inherited the lead and had Kyle Busch alongside in second for a two-lap sprint to the finish.

"It was incredible," Logano said. "What a fun race. That last restart was crazy. I knew it was going to be, and there were a ton of scenarios playing out with the 4 (Kevin Harvick) and 18 (Kyle Busch) and myself and the restart before that with the 20 (Matt Kenseth) up there. Everyone was racing for a championship."

Johnson and Logano led laps in the first half of the race, amid Bowman's dominance. Logano became the first driver other than Bowman to lead when he took his first lead on lap 93. Johnson then passed Bowman and Logano in a single lap to take the lead on lap 120.

Johnson's race began heading south when he pitted from the lead during a debris caution on lap 132. After leading 13 laps, he was penalized a lap for passing the pace car while entering the pits. His day went from bad to worse when he was collected in an Austin Dillon spin on lap 218, resulting in a trip to the garage to replace his radiator.

"In the 15 years I've been here, that has never been officiated that way," Johnson said of his penalty. "The leader has always had the ability to pull up and maintain whatever gap they had to the cars behind them. They have never penalized the leader and make the leader stay alongside the pace car. On the majority of the tracks we compete at, you just naturally progress in front of the pace car. So, now to all of a sudden officiate this is mind-blowing to me."

Martin Truex Jr. also suffered a severe pit penalty. After racing from the back into the top 10, he went two laps down after being held by NASCAR on pit road because he accelerated past the pace car. Also like Johnson, Truex's day got worse when he wrecked as a result of contact with Ryan Newman.

When Johnson received his penalty, Logano inherited the lead. Logano was credited with a total of 50 laps led before and after Johnson's stint up front before Bowman reassumed the lead with a pass on Logano just past the halfway point of the race.

"It was a really fun day," Bowman said. "Greg (Ives, crew chief) and all the guys made great changes all day. We had the best car all day long."

NOTES: Kyle Busch won the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Phoenix International Raceway on Saturday after leading 190 of the 200 laps that made up the race. Austin Dillon and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. finished second and third. ... Martin Truex Jr. wrecked his primary car in practice on Friday. After going to a backup car, his No. 78 Furniture Row Racing team had trouble getting the car through inspection, preventing Truex from making a qualifying attempt. As a result, he started the race last. ... Kevin Harvick won at PIR earlier this season. He has eight wins at PIR, including five in the last six races prior to Sunday's race. ... Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the 2015 Can-Am 500. With Earnhardt still sidelined by a concussion, Bowman continued as substitute driver of the No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. He started on the pole for the first time in his career.