The penultimate race of the 2015 NASCAR season is the Quicken Loans Race for Heroes 500 from Phoenix International Raceway on Sunday afternoon, an elimination race in the Chase for the Sprint Cup.
The eight drivers still alive in The Chase will be pared down to just four after Sunday in Phoenix. Kevin Harvick, who finished third last week at Texas, enters Sunday third in points. He’s just three points behind leader Jeff Gordon, who already has a spot in next week’s championship in Miami thanks to a win two weeks ago at Martinsville.
A good finish at Phoenix will put Harvick on strong footing toward advancing to Miami as well.
Harvick is a four-time winner of this race, including each of the last three years, and Gordon, set to retire after this season, will be racing on a track that on Sunday will be temporarily renamed the Jeff Gordon Raceway, so he’s got that going for him.
Joey Logano, who won three straight races earlier in the playoffs, finds himself in dire straits after finishing 37th and 40th at Martinsville and Texas, respectively, in the past two weeks. Logano needs a win on Sunday at Phoenix to advance. His Penske teammate Brad Keselowski doesn’t technically need a win on Sunday, but realistically he does. He’ll need a lot of help to stay alive for Miami if he doesn’t take the top spot at Phoenix.
If Keselowski and Logano both get eliminated on Sunday, Keselowski has a preference for the 2015 champion in Martin Truex Jr., currently in fourth place.
Heck of a job. Pleasure racing hard with you as well. If @Team_Penske can’t win the championship, I hope you do. https://t.co/tnZHAifcDs
— Brad Keselowski (@keselowski) November 9, 2015
NBC will televise the race from Phoenix on Sunday beginning with a pre-race NASCAR America Sunday show at 1:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN, then moving to NBC at 2 p.m. with Countdown to Green with Krista Voda, Kyle Petty and Dale Jarrett.
Full race coverage begins at 2:30 p.m. on NBC, with Rick Allen calling the action alongside analysts Steve Letarte and Jeff Burton, with Marty Snider, Mike Massaro, Kelli Stavast, Dave Burns and Nate Ryan contributing from the track.
The race can be followed online and via mobile devices through NBC Sports Live Extra.
Quicken Loans Race for Heroes 500 info
Location: Phoenix International Raceway
Pre-race coverage: 1:30 p.m. ET on NBSCN, then 2 p.m., NBC
Race coverage: 2:30 p.m., NBC
Green flag: 2:41 p.m. (approximately)
TV: NBC
Online: NBC Sports Live Extra
Radio: Motor Racing Network and Sirius XM channel 90
