Clint Bowyer's title hopes in need of Hail Mary at Phoenix

  Clint Bowyer knows the feeling of trying to make water run uphill -- it's been that kind of Chase so far for the third-place driver in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series title hunt. Despite consistently solid efforts in NASCAR's 10-race playoffs, Bowyer will need more good fortune on his side this weekend at Phoenix International Raceway in Sunday's AdvoCare 500 (3 p.m. ET, ESPN) to keep his title hopes alive. He'll also need some misfortune on the parts of points leader Jimmie Johnson and second-place Brad Keselowski, both of whom have enjoyed stratospheric performances in the Chase. "We just have to do what we can do," said Bowyer, who ranks 36 points behind Johnson and 29 off Keselowski's pace. "We certainly don't want to wish bad luck on anybody, but for us to be able to close the gap in this deal, it's going to take some good performances by us and some bad luck from both of the other two guys in front of us. That isn't highly likely, ...