Leaders bunch up with one race to go

Four times Jimmie Johnson came to the Arizona desert in November, and four times he left with either a win or another strong finish that propelled him to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship.

Johnson did not win Sunday, but he still might have the momentum yet again in his “drive for five” -- five consecutive titles, that is -- courtesy of Denny Hamlin and Hamlin’s Joe Gibbs Racing team.

Hamlin dominated for most of the Kobalt Tools 500 at Phoenix International Raceway, only to see a victory slip away when he was forced to pit his No. 11 Toyota for fuel with 14 laps left in the 312-lap race.

Carl Edwards managed to stretch the fuel mileage of his No. 99 Ford and win the race, ending a 70-race winless streak. Johnson and Kevin Harvick also went the distance and finished in the top six, further tightening NASCAR’s Chase for the Cup title playoff with one race remaining.

Hamlin leads Johnson by 15 points and Harvick by 46 in the title standings heading into the season finale this weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Florida. The nine other drivers in the 10-race Chase have been mathematically eliminated.

Johnson and Harvick finished Sunday’s race in fifth and sixth, respectively, and Hamlin finished 12th.

After the race, Johnson talked about “putting all that pressure right on the 11” and said “I would love to come back and win [the title] from behind.” And Edwards said, “I still feel Jimmie Johnson is the guy to beat” for the championship.

“He’s been through this kind of pressure a number of times,” said Edwards, who drives for Roush Fenway Racing and also won here Saturday in NASCAR’s second-level Nationwide Series race.

Hamlin, meanwhile, was crestfallen. At his postrace news conference, the somber-looking Virginian said he did not know why his car didn’t get the same fuel mileage as the other leaders’ cars, but he vowed to bounce back this weekend.

“It hurts,” he said. “It’s just one of those days that happens in racing. Strategy is part of it.

“I have to leave Phoenix in Phoenix,” said Hamlin, who did gain five valuable points by leading the most laps (190) Sunday. “I’m going to move on and try to figure out how to win next week.”

Ryan Newman finished second in the race, Hamlin’s teammate Joey Logano was third and Edwards’ teammate Greg Biffle was fourth.

It appeared Harvick’s title hopes had been dashed just past the halfway point when his crew left a lug nut off one of his wheels during a pit stop while he was running in the top 10. That forced his No. 29 Chevrolet back to the pits, dropping him to 18th. But he also got enough fuel to go the distance.

“I was down” about the setback at first, Harvick said, but “I kind of got over it after about 15 laps and just started driving the car again, and it all worked out in the end.

“An hour ago I would have told you we were done,” but in the end “[we] still have a shot,” he said.

So does Hamlin, of course, especially because he won at Homestead-Miami last season. Johnson and Harvick have never won at the 1.5-mile track.

Johnson said he didn’t even ask his crew chief, Chad Knaus, whether Hamlin or anyone else needed to pit late in the race because “I didn’t want to let my emotions get the best of me.” Instead, he just started conserving fuel on Knaus’ instructions.

“Chad had it all along in his mind, talked to me early about saving fuel,” said Johnson, a four-time Phoenix winner who did not lead a lap Sunday. Neither did Harvick.

But none of the three Chase contenders raced defensively, especially Hamlin, who charged toward the front from within the first 50 laps after starting 17th.

Edwards, who won nine races in 2008 before going into his winless drought, stayed close to Hamlin throughout the race and was ready to pounce when Hamlin made his late pit stop.

“At the end, to be able to make the fuel stretch ... that was a little stressful, but it worked,” Edwards said.

james.peltz@latimes.com

--

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)

Sprint Cup battle

Points leaders with one race remaining. Standings, C5

*--* Driver Pts. 1. Denny Hamlin 6,462 2. Jimmie Johnson 6,447 3. Kevin Harvick 6,416 4. Carl Edwards 6,198 5. Matt Kenseth 6,151 *--*

--

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)

Standings

Points standings in the Chase for the Sprint Cup:

*--* PL DRIVER PTS 1. Denny Hamlin 6,462 2. Jimmie Johnson 6,447 3. Kevin Harvick 6,416 4. Carl Edwards 6,198 5 Matt Kenseth 6,151 6. Jeff Gordon 6,124 7. Kyle Busch 6,115 8. Greg Biffle 6,113 9. Tony Stewart 6,074 10. Kurt Busch 6,033 11. Clint Bowyer 6,028 12. Jeff Burton 5,958 *--*