NASCAR at Texas 2014 Results: Winner, Standings, Highlights and Recap

Hendrick Motorsports may have just one driver left in contention in the Chase, but that hasn't stopped the team's drivers from dominating. Jimmie Johnson was the latest to drive to Victory Lane in the Eliminator Round with a win at Texas on Sunday.        

It was the third AAA Texas 500 win in a row for Johnson, as he held on late for the win over Brad Keselowski and Kevin Harvick.
The strategy for Johnson was simple: With a late lead, he just went all in for the win. During a late restart, several drivers went in for new tires, but Johnson remained out to maintain the race lead.
Johnson spoke about the bold move prior to the restart, per Team Lowe's Racing:
Jeff Gordon was able to pass Johnson following the restart, and it was Johnson who halted the path of both Keselowski and Harvick. Those blocking tactics were all for naught as a late wreck brought out a green-white-checkered finish.
Jeff Gluck of USA Today explained just how important the final restart was for every driver:
Unfortunately, a disastrous turn of events took place for Gordon as he had a tire go down on the restart. Brad Keselowski made contact with Gordon, which upset the No. 24 driver, as Jenna Fryer of The Associated Press and Gluck shared:
The situation after the race escalated quickly, as Gordon confronted Keselowski and Harvick joined the brawl. Gordon was held off initially by Keselowski's pit crew, but the two traded blows, and Gordon called Keselowski a "dips**t" on the ESPN broadcast after the altercation.
Nate Ryan of USA Today noted what happened after the race:
The Buzzer on Fox also took a look at the aftermath:
The new Chase format has clearly heated up emotions for drivers, as post-race altercations continue to take place. Keselowski was involved in a brawl with Matt Kenseth and Denny Hamlin in Charlotte and continues to have controversy surrounding him on the track.
Regardless of the issues following the races, all three of the main drivers involved have a shot at contending for a title with just one race remaining in the Eliminator Round.
Here's a look at the results from the AAA Texas 500 and a recap of the race. Full results can be found at NASCAR.comPrior to the Hendrick domination in Texas, it was Kenseth who blistered the field early.
The Joe Gibbs Racing driver started from the pole Sunday and stayed at the top for 53 laps at the beginning. Even without a win, Kenseth has still been one of the most consistent drivers in the Sprint Cup and remained in the Chase.
However, Kenseth experienced a rough stretch prior to Texas, per Jim Utter of The Charlotte Observer:
Shortly after the run by Kenseth to start the race, it was dominated by Johnson for a long stretch. The Hendrick driver got past Kenseth and never looked back. He remained near the top of the leaderboard throughout the remainder of the race.
Being out front is nothing new for Johnson, as Marty Smith of ESPN notes:
Johnson's solid run at Texas comes a week after a win for teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr. at Martinsville. Both Hendrick drivers were knocked out of the Chase prior to the Eliminator Round, so a win is purely for pride at this point.
The recent surge by Earnhardt and Johnson sparked talk of a potential rule change by Brant James of ESPN.com:
That might be a rule change Jr. Nation can get behind, but it's simply a dream scenario at this point.
Even with Johnson's blistering pace, Gordon traded off the lead multiple times with him. Gordon is still in contention for the Chase, so he was the Hendrick driver more in need of a win to secure a championship.
Alan Cavanna of NASCAR.com passed along a humorous conversation between Johnson and crew chief Chad Knaus about how fast Gordon was driving:
It wasn't all great news for drivers on Sunday, though, as some experienced issues on the track. Kyle Busch fell a lap behind due to a wreck and was unable to recover.
Busch, who was looking to go 3-of-3 after winning the trucks and Nationwide races, experienced tire issues that ended any hope of that trifecta. Smith pointed out what happened for the JGR driver:
One huge change at the end of the race looked to change the entire outlook of the race. NASCAR allowed teams to get one more set of tires for their drivers because of the high number of cautions.
The irony in the situation was it came immediately after Keselowski stayed out to take over the race lead and save a set of tires. Keselowski had three sets remaining, while most other race leaders had just two.
Earnhardt offered his take on the change, per Gluck:
That change ended up actually hurting Keselowski's teammate Joey Logano more during a late pit stop. Logano's crew changed his tires, but glue had not set on the lug nuts, and he dropped from fourth to 23rd with 35 laps to go.
NASCAR on ESPN noted the situation for the No. 22 car after the unfortunate mistake:
Tire issues for Logano continued after the restart as he had to stop again following a right rear tire going flat. He still finished strong, but any hopes of earning a win was all but lost with the late tire problems.
Moving forward, the final race in the Eliminator Round might cue a huge shakeup in the standings. Phoenix will be the site for the penultimate event with just four spots remaining prior to heading to Homestead for the championship.
Kevin Harvick has won the last two races and three of the last four in Arizona, making him the favorite for next Sunday. With several drivers in need of a victory to advance, holding off Harvick looks like a difficult task in Phoenix.