AVONDALE, Ariz. -- Matt Kenseth figured he would be in good shape even after a caution with two laps to go. Stay in the lead or at least ahead of the other Chase drivers and he would be one of four drivers in the final round of the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship.A mistake on the restart cost Kenseth his shot at the championship.Thinking he was clear heading into the first turn, Kenseth tried to get the inside line and was clipped from behind, sending him into the wall and out of the Chase playoffs.Disappointing would be the way to put it lightly, Kenseth said Sunday at Phoenix International Raceway. Finish that race five minutes before, looked like we had a chance to go race for a championship.Kenseths misfortunes capped a topsy-turvy day for Joe Gibbs Racing.The team had hoped to get all four of its Toyotas into the final at Homestead, but Hendrick Motorsports Jimmie Johnson claimed one spot with his victory at Martinsville two weeks ago for a shot at his seventh series title.JGR already had one driver in the final after Carl Edwards, who had been last in the standings, won at Texas to claim the second spot with Johnson.Kenseth, Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin all had legitimate shots at joining Edwards, entering Phoenix with two points separating them. Busch, the reigning series champion, was tied with Joey Logano entering Sunday.Only one more got in.Logano won the Phoenix race to earn a spot in the final and Busch joined him after finishing second, though wasnt exactly thrilled about the circumstances that got him there.Thats because Busch believed he triggered the collision that took out Kenseth.Its really unfortunate and devastating to have the race come down like that, he said. Thats so frustrating and aggravating, and I feel horrible.The twist of events came when the race went to overtime after Michael McDowell spun his car into the wall. Needing to stay ahead of Logano and Busch, Kenseth appeared to be in good shape, taking the lead on the restart from the outside.As Kenseth reached the first turn, his spotter said the coast was clear, so he started to drive toward the inside.Only the coast wasnt clear.Alex Bowman, who started on the inside, appeared to spin his tires on the restart and was bumped from behind by Busch. Thinking Bowman was farther back, Kenseth started to drop to the inside and was clipped, sending him into the wall.In a matter of seconds, his championship chase was over.Apologies to EVERY (at)mattkenseth fan out there for ending our chase hopes today! Kenseths spotter, Chris Osborne, said on Twitter. Obviously this 1s on me!!Kenseth refused to blame his spotter, despite his disappointment.Its a team effort. Win as a team, lose as a team, he said. I cant blame Chris. I didnt see what happened. He said I was clear, so I started looking toward the corner and got turned around. Things happen in a hurry.Hamlins bid to make the final came down to a pit decision that backfired.It came during a caution with 55 laps left. While all the leaders came into the pits to get gas and tires, Hamlin stayed out, figuring his No. 11 Toyota had enough fuel to make it to the end.It didnt, thanks to the late caution, but that wasnt the problem.Tires were what hurt Hamlin. He had old ones, the leaders had four fresh ones and they started passing him. Hamlin still managed to finish fifth, but it wasnt enough to get him into the final four.I still thought we were OK, Hamlin said. We got the second caution and got caught on the bottom and just got shuffled from there. I knew it was going to be an uphill climb. We performed well in this round, just not great and you needed to be great to advance.Just like JGRs bid for the final: Two is good, four would have been great. Eddie George Jersey . MLS Commissioner Don Garber and Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez also will attend the session, which was announced Monday. The league has discussed placing its next two expansion teams in Miami and Atlanta. Curley Culp Youth Jersey . "I was fortunate to play many years at this level with a great organization and unbelievable teammates," said Hejduk in a statement. http://www.titansstoreonline.com/Black-98-Jeffery-Simmons-Womens-Jersey/ . After the whistle, Thornton skated the length of the ice, pulled Orpik to the ice from behind and punched him in the face several times. Bruce Matthews Jersey . Louis Cardinals. Victorino is batting sixth and playing right field after missing two games because of back tightness. Steve McNair Youth Jersey . -- Teemu Selanne scored the first goal of his 22nd NHL season, and the Anaheim Ducks extended the best start in franchise history with their fifth straight victory, 3-2 over the Calgary Flames on Wednesday night. This story is part of ESPN The Magazines Oct. 31 NBA Preview Issue. Subscribe today!Charlotte HornetsOverall: 27 Title track: 104 Ownership: 54 Coaching: 42 Players: 37 Fan relations: 40 Affordability: 8 Stadium experience: 58 Bang for the buck: 18 Change from last year:?+56The buzz is officially back. In the second season since they reclaimed their bug-eyed identity from New Orleans, the Hornets finished with the highest win total (48) since pro basketball returned to Charlotte more than a decade ago. Their playoff run lasted but one round, but the future remains bright, and the teams jump of 56 spots from last year was the second-largest in sports.Whats goodThe Hornets missed out on being the cheapest ticket in basketball by a measly 40 cents (at $30.60 a ticket, theyre a hair more expensive than the Pelicans). But add $5 parking and a free program, and the Hornets are the best deal in the sport, especially considering they went 30-11 at home last year (good for a bang for the buck ranking of 18th overall and fifth in the NBA). Although the team still doesnt feature a true superstar, it does have Steve Clifford, who has pieced together a top-10 defense in each of his three seasons and has rightfully earned a reputation as one of the brightest minds in coaching (at 42nd overall, hes up 46 spots).Whats badThe on-court product is finally worth the modest price of admission, and the fan base has warmly embraced the return of Hugo & Co., but fans still arent convinced this team has a title in it (104th in title track).dddddddddddd Twenty-two other NBA fan bases gave their squads better scores than the Hornets in expectancy to win a title during their lifetimes. Another blow to the Hornets fan relations and stadium experience (40th and 58th, respectively): The NBA pulled the 2017 All-Star Game over objections to North Carolinas House Bill 2.Whats newIn the summer of 2015, the Hornets took heed of the machine forming out in Oakland and loaded up on players boasting similar profiles: offensively skilled, versatile shooters. The resulting roster -- ranked 37th overall by the fans, up an astonishing 64 spots -- didnt place the team on quite the same fast track to a title, but this squad was right on the cusp of a breakthrough postseason before it squandered a 3-2 series lead to the Miami Heat. A 25-spot jump in stadium experience is in part thanks to a new, state-of-the-art scoreboard above center court that is both pricey ($7 million) and enormous (42.8 feet wide and 25.2 feet tall on the sideline, 31.3 feet wide and 18 feet tall on the baseline). The Hive will now be the biggest living room, likely, in Charlotte, Pete Guelli, the teams executive vice president and chief marketing officer, recently told the Charlotte Observer.Next: Boston Celtics?| Full rankings ' ' '