One week after crashing at Texas Motor Speedway and having his championship lead cut in half, Jimmie Johnson re-established himself and all but locked up this year's title.
After Kurt Busch led 69 of the race's first 89 laps, Johnson took control of the event. The three-time defending champion went on to lead 238 of 312 laps en route to the win. Included in that was a stretch that saw the race stay under green flag conditions for the final 125 laps of the race, with Johnson leading all but four of those laps.
Johnson entered the race with a 73-point lead over Hendrick Motorsports teammate Mark Martin. With his victory and Martin's fourth-place finish, Johnson's lead now stands at 108 points with just one race left in the season.
All Johnson needs to do is finish 25th or better at the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway and he will win his fourth straight series championship. The final race will be held this coming Sunday at 2:30 p.m. ET on ABC.
Kevin Harvick (Camping World Truck) and Carl Edwards (Nationwide) won the NASCAR support races at Phoenix this weekend. In the truck race, Harvick won the race but his team driver, Ron Hornaday Jr., locked down his fourth career championship with a fourth-place finish. Edwards led 109 of 200 laps to win the Nationwide race. Kyle Busch, ninth at Phoenix, must just start the season finale at Homestead to win his first NASCAR championship.
