Kyle Busch won Sunday’s Cup playoff elimination race at ISM Raceway to clinch a spot in the Championship 4 at Miami.
Busch claimed the victory in a 12-lap shootout to the finish, beating Brad Keselowski, Kyle Larson, Aric Almirola and Kevin Harvick.
The Championship 4 will consist of Busch, Joey Logano, Harvick and Martin Truex Jr.
Busch led 117 laps on the way to his eighth win of the season, tying his career-best total.
“We had a rough start to the early part of this weekend,” Busch told NBC at the start-finish line. “It’s cool to put it where we need to right here right now in Victory Lane. ... Man, what a day, what a race.”
The win is Busch’s first in Phoenix since 2005.
The race saw two red flags in the last 50 laps.
STAGE 1 WINNER: Chase Elliott
STAGE 2 WINNER: Kyle Busch
WHO HAD A GOOD RACE: Kevin Harvick placed in the top five after a flat tire with three laps left in Stage 1 sent him to pit road. He started Stage 2 a lap down ... Aric Almirola earned his first top five in 16 Phoenix starts ... Matt Kenseth placed seventh for his first top 10 in 14 starts this season with Roush Fenway Racing ... Bubba Wallace placed 10th for his third top 10 of the season.
WHO HAD A BAD RACE: Joey Logano finished 37th after he wrecked from a flat tire on Lap 96 … Clint Bowyer wrecked after he lost his left-rear tire on Lap 134. He finished 35th …. Kurt Busch and Chase Elliott’s chances to reach the Championship 4 ended in a four-car wreck out of Turn 2 on a restart with 44 laps to go .. Tanner Berryhill finished 31st in his Cup debut after causing two cautions.
NOTABLE: William Byron clinched the Rookie of the Year with his ninth-place finish ... Kyle Busch tied Kevin Harvick with eight wins. This is the first time since 2008 (Carl Edwards - nine; Busch - eight) two drivers have won at least eight races. It’s just the second time since 1982 ... Kyle Busch has now won on every track but the Charlotte Roval in a Toyota.
QUOTE OF THE DAY: “You look at all the teams we’re racing and they’ve got four, five, six, seven years working together, so what we’ve accomplished in one year is a hell of a lot, but right now all I can think about is being inside of Kyle (Busch) down there in the new (Turns) 1 and 2 and just not being able to get the power down to get up beside him. It’s bittersweet.” - Aric Almirola on being eliminated from title contention
WHAT’S NEXT: Season finale in the Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway at 2:30 p.m. ET on Nov. 18 on NBC