Kurt Busch penalized during the opening laps at Phoenix

Rain initially delayed the start nearly seven hours and turned a day race into a showcase under the lights, and Earnhardt inherited the lead when Kevin Harvick made a routine pit stop.

Advancing to the season finale were reigning series champion Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr.

Gordon was already in the finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway after winning at Martinsville two weeks ago.

A pair of fans sit in the rain as they wait for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series auto race at Phoenix worldwide Raceway, Sunday, November 15, 2015, in Avondale, Ariz.

Edwards ran between sixth and 10th in his Toyota for most of the night but was eventually credited with a 12th-place finish. Kyle Busch leads the points race, with Harvick one point behind him. His teammate, Brad Keselowski, also had his season ended.

Joey Logano, who swept all three races in the Contender round of the Chase, had a disappointing Eliminator round in his attempt to make it into the final four for the second straight year. Ever since then and right after they were given to us, we were trying to figure out how to get them to North Carolina, where to put them, who is going to take care of them, how often we were going to visit with them. Chase for the Sprint Cup competitor Kurt Busch will start next to him on the front row. You can see the complete order of results for the race at

With the final four drivers now set, NASCAR moves to Homestead in Miami for the final race of the 2015 season. I’ve never been great here until that last race before they repaved it. It’s a very fun, exciting, challenging racetrack. Kyle Busch drove a steady race and his finish was good enough to go on to Homestead as will Truex Jr., who didn’t have a spectacular night but his 14th was definitely good enough given the circumstances to advance.

“I don’t know if it’s going to hit me prior to the race or if it’s going to hit me after the race, but it’s going to hit me”, Gordon said.

“I feel like I don’t want to be greedy and be disappointed with how it went today when you look at the big picture”, Harvick said.

Jimmie Johnson captured the pole for today’s race with Kurt Busch in the second spot, Edwards fourth and Truex fifth.

“That’s the way this game is played”, Logano said.

The Phoenix win is the third for Earnhardt Jr. this season.

Harvick – He doesn’t have as many wins as last season but Harvick and the No. 4 team have been just as fast this season as previous year. Race distance: 312 miles, 312 laps.