AVONDALE, Ariz. — After more than three hours of racing at Phoenix International Raceway, NASCAR’s championship field was decided by two frenzied overtime restarts.

Matt Kenseth probably should have won Sunday to earn an automatic berth into the final four for next week’s title-deciding race. But the first attempt at a two-lap sprint to the finish went haywire, and Kenseth collided with Alex Bowman.

Joey Logano celebrates after he kept his Sprint Cup championship hopes alive with a victory Sunday at Phoenix International Raceway. Associated Press/Ralph Freso

Just like that, Joey Logano was the new leader and defending champion Kyle Busch was second. The two started the day tied in the standings, and any 1-2 finish in any order was enough to put both drivers in the final four at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Logano won the race – the second time in this Chase he used a victory in an elimination race to advance – and will race for his first Sprint Cup title next Sunday. He’ll be trying to give Roger Penske a season sweep during its 50th anniversary season; Simon Pagenaud won the IndyCar title in September.

“I’ve never felt this good about a win before,” Logano said. “There was so much on the line and everyone brings their A-game when it comes to winning championships, and this team did it.

“I feel like I just won the Daytona 500 again.”

Busch finished second and will join Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Carl Edwards in the final four, along with Jimmie Johnson, who is seeking a record-tying seventh championship.

JGR, which was trying to get all four of its Toyotas into the final, wound up with only two, and Busch wasn’t feeling celebratory. He believed his contact with Bowman triggered the accident that wrecked Kenseth’s season.

“It’s really unfortunate and devastating to have the race come down like that,” Busch said. “That’s so frustrating and aggravating, and I feel horrible.”

Kevin Harvick, an eight-time winner at Phoenix, was eliminated, as was his Stewart-Haas Racing teammate, Kurt Busch. Gibbs drivers Kenseth and Denny Hamlin were also knocked out.

PIT ROAD PENALTIES: NASCAR picked Sunday to enforce a rule against passing the pace car when a driver dips onto pit road for a stop. Martin Truex Jr. and Jimmie Johnson were both penalized for the infraction, and the punishment was holding the car for a lap on pit road.

Johnson and crew chief Chad Knaus were incredulous.

“I don’t understand that in the least little bit,” Johnson said on his radio. “This is absolutely ridiculous, NASCAR. I have no clue what I did wrong.”

Knaus didn’t understand either – “You’ll have to get clarification, buddy, I have no clue,” he told Johnson – and he asked NASCAR to deliver an explanation to his pit box.

BOWMAN OUT FRONT: Alex Bowman badly wants a job for next year, and his continued strong pace as a replacement driver for Dale Earnhardt Jr. is giving him a solid case to present to prospective employers.

Bowman had led just nine laps in his first 79 career Sprint Cup races. Six of those laps were earlier this year driving Earnhardt’s Chevrolet. A pole-winning run for Sunday’s race helped Bowman lead a race-high 194 laps, and he was attempting to win the race before the late accident. He finished sixth.

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