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Wentz gets first comeback win as Eagles defeat Falcons 24-15

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Letter to the Editor: Credit the West Side Career and Technology Center’s hardworking teachers and students

AVONDALE, Ariz. &#8212; After more than three hours of racing, NASCAR&#8217;s championship field was decided over two frenzied overtime restarts.Matt Kenseth probably should have won Sunday to earn an automatic berth into next week&#8217;s title-deciding race. But the first attempt at a two-lap sprint to the finish went haywire and Kenseth collided with Alex Bowman.Just like that, Joey Logano was the new leader and defending NASCAR champion Kyle Busch was second. The two started the day tied in the standings, and any 1-2 finish would put them both in the final four at Homestead-Miami Speedway.Logano won the race &#8212; the second time in this Chase he used a victory in an elimination race to advance &#8212; and will race for his first Sprint Cup title next Sunday. He&#8217;ll be trying to give Roger Penske a season sweep during its 50th anniversary season. Simon Pagenaud won the IndyCar title in September.&#8220;I&#8217;ve never felt this good about a win before,&#8221; Logano said. &#8220;There was so much on the line and everyone brings their A-game when it comes to winning championships and this team did it.&#8220;I feel like I just won the Daytona 500 again.&#8221;Busch finished second and earned a chance to defend last year&#8217;s title. He&#8217;ll meet Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Carl Edwards and Jimmie Johnson, who is seeking a record-tying seventh championship, in Homestead.JGR, which was trying to get all four of its Toyotas into the final, wound up with only two and Busch wasn&#8217;t feeling celebratory. He believed his contact with Bowman triggered the accident that wrecked Kenseth&#8217;s season.&#8220;It&#8217;s really unfortunate and devastating to have the race come down like that,&#8221; Busch said. &#8220;That&#8217;s so frustrating and aggravating, and I feel horrible.&#8221;Eliminated from the playoffs on Sunday were Kevin Harvick, an eight-time winner at Phoenix who had raced in the last two finales, as well as his Stewart-Haas Racing teammate Kurt Busch. Gibbs drivers Kenseth and Denny Hamlin were also knocked out of the field.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.&#8220;I don&#8217;t understand that in the least little bit,&#8221; Johnson said on his radio. &#8220;This is absolutely ridiculous, NASCAR. I have no clue what I did wrong.&#8221;Knaus didn&#8217;t understand either &#8212; &#8220;You&#8217;ll have to get clarification, buddy, I have no clue,&#8221; he told Johnson &#8212; 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 the 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&#8217;s Chevrolet. A pole-winning run for Sunday&#8217;s race helped Bowman lead a race-high 194 laps and was attempting to win the race before the late accident. He faded to sixth.UP NEXT: The season finale at Homestead, where the championship will be decided. Harvick won the race in 2014 to win his championship, and Kyle Busch won last year to claim the title.<table class="mceItemTable"><tbody><tr><th> </th></tr><tr><th> </th></tr><tr><th> </th></tr><tr><th> </th></tr><tr><th> </th></tr></tbody></table><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Joey Logano celebrates in the victory lane after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series auto race at Phoenix International Raceway, Sunday, Nov. 13, 2016, in Avondale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ralph Freso)</div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/web1_LOGANO.jpg</photo0><caption0>Joey Logano celebrates in the victory lane after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series auto race at Phoenix International Raceway, Sunday, Nov. 13, 2016, in Avondale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ralph Freso)</caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta>By Jenna FryerAP Auto Racing Writer</bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta>Sprint Cup Can-Am Results<table class="mceItemTable"><tbody><tr><th> </th></tr><tr><th>At Phoenix International Raceway</th></tr><tr><th>Avondale, Ariz.</th></tr><tr><th>Lap length: 1.0 mile</th></tr><tr><th>(Start position in parentheses)</th></tr></tbody></table>1. (4) Joey Logano, Ford`324 laps, 44 points.2. (19) Kyle Busch, Toyota`324, 39.3. (2) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet`324, 38.4. (6) Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet`324, 37.5. (12) Kurt Busch, Chevrolet`324, 36.6. (1) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet`324, 0.7. (5) Denny Hamlin, Toyota`324, 35.8. (8) Ryan Blaney, Ford`324, 33.9. (3) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet`324, 32.10. (20) Paul Menard, Chevrolet`324, 31.11. (9) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet`324, 30.12. (15) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet`324, 29.13. (13) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet`324, 28.14. (14) Brad Keselowski, Ford`324, 27.15. (25) Tony Stewart, Chevrolet`324, 26.16. (24) Greg Biffle, Ford`324, 25.17. (18) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet`324, 24.18. (22) Casey Mears, Chevrolet`324, 23.19. (11) Carl Edwards, Toyota`324, 22.20. (28) Landon Cassill, Ford`324, 21.21. (10) Matt Kenseth, Toyota`324, 21.22. (27) Aric Almirola, Ford`322, 19.23. (21) Ricky Stenhouse Jr, Ford`322, 18.24. (34) Clint Bowyer, Chevrolet`322, 17.25. (32) Matt DiBenedetto, Toyota`322, 16.26. (36) Michael Annett, Chevrolet`321, 15.27. (29) Regan Smith, Chevrolet`321, 14.28. (23) Trevor Bayne, Ford`321, 13.29. (16) Danica Patrick, Chevrolet`321, 2.30. (33) Brian Scott, Ford`319, 11.31. (31) David Ragan, Toyota,`319, 10.32. (30) Chris Buescher, Ford`318, 9.33. (35) Jeffrey Earnhardt, Ford`318, 8.34. (26) Michael McDowell, Chevrolet`318, 7.35. (39) D.J. Kennington, Chevrolet`316, 0.36. (38) Reed Sorenson, Ford`315, 5.37. (37) Gray Gaulding, Chevrolet, fuelpump`296, 4.38. (17) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet`296, 4.39. (7) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet`289, 2.40. (40) Martin Truex Jr, Toyota, accident`258, 1.___<table class="mceItemTable"><tbody><tr><th>Race Statistics</th></tr></tbody></table>Average Speed of Race Winner: 102.865 mph.Time of Race: 3 hours, 22 minutes, 25 seconds.Margin of Victory: 0.500 seconds.Caution Flags: 9 for 53 laps.Lead Changes: 8 among 5 drivers.Lap Leaders: A.Bowman 1-92; J.Logano 93-119; J.Johnson 120-132; A.Bowman 133; J.Logano 134-156; A.Bowman 157-257; D.Hamlin 258-261; M.Kenseth 262-316; J.Logano 317-324Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Led, Laps Led): A.Bowman, 3 times for 191 laps; J.Logano, 3 times for 55 laps; M.Kenseth, 1 time for 54 laps; J.Johnson, 1 time for 12 laps; D.Hamlin, 1 time for 3 laps.Wins: Ky.Busch, 4; K.Harvick, 4; J.Johnson, 4; B.Keselowski, 4; M.Truex, 4; C.Edwards, 3; D.Hamlin, 3; M.Kenseth, 2; J.Logano, 2; C.Buescher, 1; Ku.Busch, 1; K.Larson, 1; T.Stewart, 1.Top 16 in Points:1. J.Logano, 5000; 2. J.Johnson, 5000; 3. C.Edwards, 5000; 4. Ky.Busch, 5000; 5. M.Kenseth, 2296; 6. D.Hamlin, 2288; 7. Ku.Busch, 2268; 8. M.Truex, 2266; 9. B.Keselowski, 2261; 10. C.Elliott, 2255; 11. K.Harvick, 2250; 12. K.Larson, 2247; 13. J.McMurray, 2195; 14. A.Dillon, 2194; 15. T.Stewart, 2192; 16. C.Buescher, 2152.</factboxMeta></div>

Joey Logano wins Phoenix as he and Kyle Busch complete final 4