Kasey Kahne took Team Red Bull to victory lane Sunday, winning the Kobalt Tools 500 at the Phoenix International Raceway. It is Kahne's first win since the September 2009 event at the Atlanta Motor Speedway and the second-ever victory for the Red Bull team after Brian Vickers win at Michigan in 2009.
The championship battle will go down to the final race of the year with the same margin seperating Carl Edwards and Tony Stewart that stood between them before the race. Edwards finished second to Kahne, while Stewart placed third. Edwards' one-point gain was negated by Stewart's dominant early performance that allowed him to lead the most laps. Three points still separate the duo headed to Homestead-Miami Speedway, a track at which Edwards is the defending race champion.
The top-five was rounded out by Jeff Burton and Ryan Newman. A.J. Allmendinger, David Reutimann, Marcos Ambrose, Paul Menard, and Clint Bowyer completed the top-10.
Jimmie Johnson - along with everyone else behind Stewart - was officially eliminated from championship contention with a rather disappointing 14th place finish. His streak of five-straight Sprint Cup titles will come to an end when Edwards or Stewart hoist the trophy next week.