Kevin Harvick earns Phoenix win in thrilling finish

AVONDALE, AZ - MARCH 13: Kevin Harvick, driver of the #4 Jimmy John's Chevrolet, takes the checkered flag ahead of Carl Edwards, driver of the #19 Stanley Toyota, to win the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Good Sam 500 at Phoenix International Raceway on March 13, 2016 in Avondale, Arizona. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
AVONDALE, AZ - MARCH 13:  Kevin Harvick, driver of the #4 Jimmy John's Chevrolet, takes the checkered flag ahead of Carl Edwards, driver of the #19 Stanley Toyota, to win the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Good Sam 500 at Phoenix International Raceway on March 13, 2016 in Avondale, Arizona.  (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
AVONDALE, AZ – MARCH 13: Kevin Harvick, driver of the #4 Jimmy John’s Chevrolet, takes the checkered flag ahead of Carl Edwards, driver of the #19 Stanley Toyota, to win the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Good Sam 500 at Phoenix International Raceway on March 13, 2016 in Avondale, Arizona. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

Kevin Harvick proved he was the king of the desert Sunday. But it wasn’t one of the dominate wins like he has had in the past, instead Harvick’s win was not only one most exciting and thrilling finishes in recent memory, it was the closest finish in NASCAR Sprint Cup history in 40 races at Phoenix International Raceway.

The Stewart-Haas Racing driver beat Carl Edwards to the line as the two banged and bumped exiting turn 4 of the final lap to win his 8th race at Phoenix by .010 of a second.  It marked the second time this season for finishes that close, after the thriller in the season opening Daytona 500 that tied Sunday’s result. The margin of victory was tied for the seventh closest in series history since the advent of electronic timing and scoring in 1993.

“I knew he (Edwards) was better through (Turns) 3 and 4,” Harvick said.

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Greg Engle
About Greg Engle 7421 Articles
Greg is a published award winning sportswriter who spent 23 years combined active and active reserve military service, much of that in and around the Special Operations community. Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.