Keselowski has lead but fumes after race

AVONDALE, Ariz. – When the fighting stopped, the oil had dried and the last wrecked car was towed away, Brad Keselowski found himself on the brink of a first Sprint Cup title for himself and team owner Roger Penske.

But Keselowski wasn't in a celebratory mood.

He entered Sunday's race at Phoenix International Raceway trailing five-time champion Jimmie Johnson by seven points and had the better car all day. Moments after Keselowski raced his way into the lead, a blown tire caused Johnson to crash and take his battered car to the garage for repairs.

"I wanted to take the points lead by winning a race and not relying on a failure," said Keselowski, who finished sixth in the race and will take a 20-point lead over Johnson into the season finale this weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

It was just the beginning of the drama in the most chaotic race of the year, one some fans will call the best of the season – perhaps for all the wrong reasons.

That's what had Keselowski so upset.

"I'm more just disappointed in the quality of racing that we saw," he said. "It was absolutely ridiculous, and I was ashamed to be a part of it."

Kevin Harvick snapped a 44-race winless streak by beating Kyle Busch on two late restarts and taking the checkered flag ahead of a melee that broke out because NASCAR failed to throw a final caution flag for an oil spill.

It was the exclamation point in a sequence that included Jeff Gordon slowing his car to wait for Clint Bowyer so he could wreck him in retaliation for several weeks of contact between the two.

That led to a brawl inside the garage between the crews for the drivers with Bowyer sprinting from his car to join the fracas. He was held back by NASCAR officials from entering Gordon's hauler.

"It's pretty embarrassing," Bowyer said. "For a four-time champion, and what I consider one of the best this sport's ever seen, to act like this is pretty ridiculous."

Both drivers and their crew chiefs were called to the NASCAR hauler for a meeting with officials, and police officers stood outside on guard.

"Things just got escalated over the year, and I'd just had it," Gordon said. "Clint has run into me numerous times, wrecked me, and he got into me on the back straightaway and pretty much ruined our day. I've had it, fed up with it, and I got him back."

Gordon said he didn't know what penalties might be coming from NASCAR.

"They've got to do what they've got to do, and I guess I had to do what I had to do," he said.

NASCAR vice president of competition Robin Pemberton said the situation would be looked at further this week.

"That was surely a shame," he said.

Keselowski was livid, questioning the double standard a week after he was criticized for racing hard on the final restarts against Johnson at Texas.

"It's the double standard that I spent a whole week being bashed by a half-dozen drivers about racing hard at Texas and how I'm out of control and have a death wish," he said. "These guys just tried to kill each other. … They should be ashamed. It's embarrassing."

Johnson finished 32nd, and his bid for a sixth NASCAR championship took a huge hit. He appeared to have a tire problem 77 laps from the scheduled finish, and his car shot hard into the wall. The crash came seconds after Keselowski moved into the lead.

NHRA in Pomona – Antron Brown became the first black champion in any NHRA pro series when he won the Top Fuel title at the season-ending Finals.

Brown lost in the opening round of eliminations and couldn't celebrate until the final, when Tony Schumacher lost a close race to Brandon Bernstein.

When the win light went on in Bernstein's lane, Brown was mobbed by his teammates, family and friends in a huge celebration at the starting line. He said he felt "so blessed to be in this moment right now, and this is a big, huge moment."

Brown earned six victories in 11 final rounds and was the top qualifier three times.

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