Larson arrived at Phoenix 49 points clear and left with five. A miserable afternoon, a blown tire and a Chevrolet in the wall have turned his comfortable Chase into a tree-race fight for survival.
Six months without a win was apparently long enough. Tyler Reddick used two tires, one perfectly timed restart and a little aggression to reclaim Victory Lane while the Chase standings went completely bonkers.
Love won by 0.128 seconds, took a 36-point championship lead and left Phoenix grinning. Three races remain, and the next one takes place at Talladega. What could possibly go wrong?
Ryan Blaney took pole at Phoenix as five of Kyle Larson’s closest championship rivals swept the top five spots. Larson? He’ll start 22nd. Suddenly, things get interesting.
Christopher Bell says he and Kyle Larson aren’t friends. After years of battling for trophies on dirt and asphalt, apparently mutual respect is quite enough.
Last week, Kaden Honeycutt watched Layne Riggs celebrate. Friday night at Phoenix, Honeycutt got his revenge, won his fourth race of the season and padded his championship lead.
Corey Day made a mistake on pit road, recovered, then drove three-wide to steal the lead. He’s won two straight Chase races, and the championship leader may want to check his mirrors.
Hamlin survived pit road misery, a safety violation and a trip to 31st before charging to fifth. Sadly, the championship points went the way of Kyle Larson, because racing is cruel like that.
Christopher Bell nearly stole the show on the final lap, but Chase Briscoe held his nerve, his line and the checkered flag in a Charlotte thriller.
One moment in Turn 2 turned a battle for fifth into a three-car wreck, ending the afternoons of Bubba Wallace, Alex Bowman and William Byron.