Phoenix fans got a deal on their tickets.

One ticket gave access to a NASCAR race and a WWE event combined with championship drama and flying language suitable for an “R” rating if it were on the big screen at the cinema.

It was a mash-up of the bloopers from “Days of Thunder”, “Ricky Bobby” and “Last American Hero”…

Throw in the Nationwide Series race the day before and you have championship hopes dashed away by two.

Elliott Sadler in the Nationwide Series and Jimmie Johnson in Sprint Cup had practically the same scenario. Sadler had his hopes dashed away with a wall hit that took the #2 OneMain Financial Chevy out of the Great Clips 200 and left him 20 points out with only Homestead to go.

Jimmie Johnson also had a run with the retaining wall that took the #48 Lowe’s Chevy to the garage long enough to loose several laps and 20 points. Johnson also faces the prospect of one race remaining with the only hope of gaining resting on the potential bad luck of another.

On any race weekend fans would consider themselves lucky to have a seat while a game-changing scenario plays out on the track in front of them.

However… That wasn’t the major scene of the Phoenix drama.

Jeff Gordon and Clint Bowyer entered the ring for a “Retaining Wall Cage Match”. It seems Gordon had been keeping a bit of a grudge on Bowyer bottled up for some time. Post-race Gordon eluded to being fed up with Bowyer and his supposed racetrack contact for quite a while and it came to the front in a metal bash at Phoenix.

At lap 305, Gordon and Bowyer are rounding turns 3 and 4 and as racing goes they got close and the #15 touched up on the #24 and the loose Chevy of Gordon scraped along the wall with a downed tire. Any other day the car on the wall would roll down to the apron and make pit road for tires.

Not today…

Gordon hung back, staying on the track while Bowyer made it back around the mile distance. Bowyer and his spotter were communicating about the best line to get around the slowed #24 and went with a low pass. In retrospect, the #15 should have went high…

Gordon turned the nose of the #24 into the right rear of the #15, turning Bowyer up the wall. Gordon and the #24 slid up with him, collecting the #20 of Logano and the #43 of Almirola. Bowyer’s car is wedged in as Gordon managed to get the #24 rolling and down off the track.

He should have stayed on the wall and taken his chances with Bowyer. On a hot track with NASCAR officials on the way any argument would likely be contained quickly. Gordon, however, chose to get the #24 inside before getting out. He was met with an army of angry 5-Hour Energy crewmembers and a crowd of NASCAR officials, media and anyone else that had a pulse.

Clint Bowyer rolled the #15 down to the apron, climbed out tossing bits everywhere and sprinted to the scene only to be held by NASCAR officials.

Meanwhile, Kyle Busch was caught up in another all too common scenerio. He had the lead for most of the race only to be caught and overtaken by Kevin Harvick moments before the Gordon vs Bowyer main event. They both sat in the cars for a red flag for track clean up.

Brad Keselowski was also stewing a bit after barely missing the #15 and #24.

As if all of this was not enough, the field was set for a green-white-checkered finish. Danica Patrick slid up the wall after Jeff Burton made contact in the same turns 3 and 4 but NASCAR held the caution as Harvick took the win. Behind the leaders, the pack was spinning and crashing into each other on the front stretch collecting Patrick once again even though she was well down on the apron.

It seems the track still had oil from the #15 and #24 and the Ice Capades closed out the day. Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch, Kasey Kahne and Ryan Newman filled out the top 5 while not necessarily facing the same direction.

Post-race interviews were filled with finger pointing, criticisms, hot tempers and language more suited for the bowels of a Merchant Marine vessel.

Fines have been levied. The largest against Jeff Gordon. Bowyer’s team caught some fines for fighting. Rick Hendrick lost some owners’ points.

Brad Keselowski was also fined for having a cell phone inside the #2 Miller Lite Dodge.

What’s the deal with Keselowski and cell phones…?

Now, with only Homestead remaining before the season is done, NASCAR is packed out of Phoenix and shipping the entire show to Florida.

Brad Keselowski is set up to bring the Cup home for Penske Racing ironically for a Dodge as the manufacturer is stepping away. The only way Johnson could take it is if Brad finishes deep in the field.

Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. is set to repeat as Nationwide Series Champion. Elliott Sadler is in the same boat as Johnson. After leading the season, for the most part, Sadler’s hopes hinge on a deep finish of the #6.

Keselowski and Stenhouse, Jr. are not particularly thrilled about having the top spots as a result of their competition having bad luck but that is “racing”, as they say. All four drivers acknowledge that the same luck can go either way at Homestead…

The tickets for Homestead may say “racing” but time will tell if that needs to be blacked out with a Sharpie and replaced with “Cirque Du So-What-The-Heck-Did-We-Just-See?”