This Week in Auto Racing November 13 - 15

This Week in Auto Racing November 13 - 15

Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - The battle for the Sprint Cup Series championship continues at Phoenix International Raceway, while Kyle Busch has an opportunity to clinch the Nationwide Series title and Ron Hornaday Jr. can wrap up the Camping World Truck Series championship there this weekend.

Sprint Cup Series

Checker O'Reilly Auto Parts 500 - Phoenix International Raceway - Avondale, AZ

With just two races to go, several drivers remain in contention to win the "Chase for the Sprint Cup" championship. Jimmie Johnson held a commanding 184- point lead prior to last Sunday's race at Texas, but after wrecking on the third lap, Johnson finished a season-worst 38th and saw his lead trimmed to 73 points over Mark Martin, who finished fourth.

The largest deficit ever overcome with two races remaining occurred in 1992 when Alan Kulwicki trailed by 85 points, but edged Bill Elliott for the Cup title by just 10 points, making it the second closest points battle in series history.

Right now, 178 points separate Johnson from fifth-place Tony Stewart. It's not likely but possible that Johnson could clinch the championship on Sunday at Phoenix. He would need to gain 122 points.

Regardless of any other drivers' performance, Johnson will capture his unprecedented fourth straight Cup title if he averages fourth in the next two races -- Phoenix and the November 22 season-finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

"We're still in a great position," Johnson said. "We'll dust ourselves off. There's really not much we can do, reflect back on this, say it was a bad car, a bad pit stop or something I did wrong. We were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Wrong place at the right time, depends where you want the points to go."

Johnson has won three of the last four races at Phoenix. One year ago, Johnson led 217 of 313 laps, but had to hold off Kurt Busch in a green-white-checkered finish. He left Phoenix with a 141-point advantage over Carl Edwards, who finished fourth. The following week, Johnson finished 15th at Homestead and easily claimed his third consecutive title.

In April, Martin spoiled Johnson's bid for a fourth win in a row at Phoenix. Despite leading a race-high 157 laps, Martin drove past Ryan Newman for the lead just after the final restart with six laps remaining. He then held off Tony Stewart at the finish to end his 97-race winless streak in the series. Johnson finished fourth.

"In Phoenix we led the most laps and won the last time there, and we have no reason to think we can't run strong at Homestead," Martin said. "There could still be swings in the points. There's two races left, and you never know what's going to happen."

The 50-year-old Martin has finished runner-up in points four times (1990, '94, '98 and 2002).

Jeff Gordon finished 13th at Texas and narrowed his gap to 112 points. Gordon, whose last win came in April at Texas, is looking to score his 83rd career victory, which would place him in a tie with Cale Yarborough for fifth on the all-time race winners list.

Kurt Busch kept his championship hopes alive with the victory at Texas. Busch moved up two spots to fourth in Chase points (-171). He won the first spring, night-time race at Phoenix in 2005.

"It's very competitive, no matter who is in the lead, who is behind trying to gather points," Busch said. "We hope it always goes to Homestead and there's five, six guys eligible, like the first year, 2004."

Busch fell way behind in points at Talladega, where he was caught up in the multi-car crash in the final laps.

"I'm kicking myself for what happened to us last week at Talladega," he said. "Running sixth place with a lap and a half to go, I put the car on the hauler at 30th. I didn't do my job there. We find ourselves too far behind, but we're still within a reasonable distance."

Busch and Stewart are long shots to win the championship. Busch won the inaugural Chase in '04, beating Johnson by only eight points in the series' closest battle ever for the title. Stewart captured his second Cup championship the following year.

Forty-six teams are on the preliminary entry list for the Checker O'Reilly Auto Parts 500.

Nationwide Series

Able Body Labor 200 - Phoenix International Raceway - Avondale, AZ

Kyle Busch is on the brink of winning his first NASCAR national touring series championship. Busch won last Saturday's race at Texas and widened his lead to 272 points over Carl Edwards, who finished ninth. If he finishes 15th or better, 16th or higher with at least one lap led, or 18th and the most laps led this weekend at Phoenix, he will wrap up the Nationwide Series title.

"It's pretty cool," Busch said. "I wish I could have gotten it done as soon as possible, but as soon as possible is going to come [this] week."

However, his championship scenario at Phoenix could change, depending on the outcome of a rules infraction that occurred during last Friday's pre-race inspection at Texas. Busch's No.18 Toyota was found to have improperly secured weight. His Joe Gibbs Racing team faces a potential points penalty for the violation.

Busch once again will attempt to win all three of NASCAR's races this weekend. He won the Nationwide and Camping World Truck Series events at Texas, but finished 11th in Sunday's Sprint Cup race after running out of fuel and giving up the lead to his brother, Kurt, with less than three laps to go.

Kevin Harvick and Kevin Conway also will pull triple duty at Phoenix.

Busch has finished 10th or better, including two victories, in the last four races at Phoenix. He also has led a least one lap in three of those four races there.

Edwards won at Phoenix one year ago. The Roush Fenway Racing driver led the final 78 laps and held off a hard-charging Denny Hamlin in an over-time finish. Busch finished fifth.

Greg Biffle has the most wins at Phoenix with three. Biffle, whose third victory there came earlier this year, is not entered in Saturday's race.

Forty-six teams are on the preliminary entry list for the Able Body Labor 200.

Jason Bowles, the 2009 Camping World Series West champion, will make his series debut at Phoenix, driving the No.61 Ford. Bowles will miss his championship awards banquet, held in Concord, NC on Saturday, in order to race.

"For this weekend in my first start, my goals are to first finish the race, and I think a top-20 finish is reasonable," Bowles said. "The biggest thing I need to show is that I am capable of running at this level and taking care of the equipment."

Camping World Truck Series

Lucas Oil 150 - Phoenix International Raceway - Avondale, AZ

While Kyle Busch attempts to clinch the Nationwide Series title at Phoenix, Ron Hornaday Jr. is looking to wrap up his record-setting fourth Camping World Truck Series championship. Hornaday currently holds a 197-point lead over Matt Crafton. If he leaves Phoenix with a 195-point advantage over the second-place driver, he takes the title.

Last year, Hornaday was engaged in a tight points battle with Johnny Benson heading into Phoenix. Benson held just a slim six-point lead over Hornaday with two races to go.

Hornaday was involved in an opening lap crash, but rebounded for a 25th-place finish and moved to within three points of Benson before the season-ending race at Homestead. Benson also crashed early at Phoenix and settled for a 26th-place run.

Benson barely won his first Truck Series title after finishing seventh at Homestead. Hornaday finished eighth and ended the 2008 season just seven points behind the champion.

Hornaday will clinch if he has a 22nd-place average finish in the next two races. While he sits in a comfortable spot in the drivers' standings, the battle for the owners' championship continues to be a good one. Kyle Busch picked up his seventh victory of the season last Friday at Texas, as Billy Ballew Motorsports cut Kevin Harvick Inc.'s lead in the owners' points to just 75.

"To me right now we are just focused on two more races," Hornaday said. "I don't look at the championship until Homestead. The No.33 team is not only racing for the driver's championship, but we want to make sure Kevin and DeLana [Harvick] win the owner's championship as well. I don't go into it looking at how many points we are ahead. I know that we just need to win the last two races. That's what I want to go do and then the points will take care of themselves."

Busch has won the last five races he's entered with Ballew's No.51 Toyota. He won at Phoenix in 2007.

Hornaday is a two-time race winner at Phoenix.

"I have been pretty successful at Phoenix International Raceway over the years," he said. " I have had a lot of great races there and have two wins there in 1998 and 1999."

He also has finished second there twice (2005 and '07).

Kevin Harvick has won at Phoenix three times, including last year's race there. Harvick is competing in this weekend's race.

Thirty-five teams are on the preliminary entry list for the Lucas Oil 150.

Mike Bliss will replace Terry Cook in the No.25 Toyota at Phoenix. HT Motorsports and Cook parted ways after Texas.