Harvick Dominates Dover, Twelve Advance To Round 2 of Chase

Forced to win at Dover International Speedway to keep his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship hopes alive Sunday, Kevin Harvick did just that, dominating Sunday’s AAA 400 to stave off elimination from the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

In a virtual carbon copy of last year’s Chase race at Phoenix, where the 2014 premier series champion had to win to advance to the Championship Round at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Harvick led 355 of 400 laps (a career best at any track) in winning for the third time this year and the 31st time in his career.

"I think we’re better than we were last year, just because of the experiences and things that we’ve had," Harvick said after the race. "I think when we look at everything that’s gone on over the last couple of years, it’s just been a lot of fun.

"So, it’s just that never-quit attitude. That’s what (team co-owner) Tony Stewart said when we went to Homestead last year. He said, ‘Whatever you do, do not quit until they throw that checkered flag.’"

After a restart with 24 laps left, he pulled away to a 2.639-second victory over Kyle Busch, who likewise secured a berth in the 12-driver Contender Round with his second-place run.

Jimmie Johnson, whose shocking ouster from the playoffs took place at the Monster Mile where he holds a record 10 victories. The six-time series champion took his No. 48 Chevrolet to the garage on Lap 106 after a rear axle seal failed.

Johnson lost 36 laps while his team replaced the rear end housing and was credited with a 41st-place finish, leaving him 12 points shy of the Chase cutoff, which came down to a tiebreaker for the 12th and final spot between third-place finisher Dale Earnhardt Jr. and fourth-place Jamie McMurray.

Joining Johnson and McMurray on the Chase sidelines were Paul Menard (25th Sunday) and Clint Bowyer, who like Harvick faced a win-or-bust scenario at the one-mile concrete track.

CONTENDER ROUND: Narrowed to 12, the field for the Contender Round now includes Challenger Round winners Matt Kenseth (Chicago), Denny Hamlin (New Hampshire) and Harvick, as well as Carl Edwards, Martin Truex Jr., Kurt Busch, Jeff Gordon, Brad Keselowski, Kyle Busch, Newman and Earnhardt.

IOWA DRIVERS: It was a rough day for the Iowa drivers as all of them experienced trouble. Michael Annett (Des Moines) bested the other Hawkeye Hot shoes with a 37th place finish. Landon Cassill (Fairfax) finished 40th, and Brett Moffitt (Grimes) ended his day in the grage with a 42nd place finish.

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Race - AAA 400
Dover International Speedway
Dover, Delaware
Sunday, October 04, 2015

1. (15) Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 400, $263590.

2. (13) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 400, $206191.

3. (12) Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, 400, $157175.

4. (11) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, 400, $156691.

5. (18) Aric Almirola, Ford, 400, $155336.

6. (17) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, 400, $116640.

7. (1) Matt Kenseth, Toyota, 400, $145901.

8. (27) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ford, 400, $102215.

9. (19) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 400, $119673.

10. (4) Joey Logano, Ford, 400, $134273.

11. (9) Martin Truex Jr., Chevrolet, 400, $116285.

12. (10) Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 400, $132571.

13. (20) Greg Biffle, Ford, 400, $117818.

14. (16) Clint Bowyer, Toyota, 400, $119493.

15. (3) Carl Edwards, Toyota, 400, $85035.

16. (8) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 400, $128351.

17. (7) Kurt Busch, Chevrolet, 400, $97710.

18. (2) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 400, $97480.

19. (6) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, 399, $115080.

20. (26) Sam Hornish Jr., Ford, 398, $109600.

21. (24) Danica Patrick, Chevrolet, 398, $90480.

22. (28) David Ragan, Toyota, 398, $109394.

23. (21) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 398, $118866.

24. (22) Casey Mears, Chevrolet, 397, $107838.

25. (14) Paul Menard, Chevrolet, 397, $89405.

26. (25) Tony Stewart, Chevrolet, 396, $108369.

27. (30) Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet, 395, $105138.

28. (31) Cole Whitt, Ford, 394, $94488.

29. (23) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 394, $107338.

30. (32) David Gilliland, Ford, 394, $96577.

31. (29) Trevor Bayne, Ford, 393, $121930.

32. (35) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet, 393, $77155.

33. (40) Reed Sorenson, Ford, 391, $77005.

34. (37) Matt DiBenedetto #, Toyota, 391, $78330.

35. (42) JJ Yeley(i), Toyota, 390, $76605.

36. (41) Josh Wise, Ford, 389, $76437.

37. (38) Michael Annett, Chevrolet, 387, $76501.

38. (36) Alex Kennedy #, Chevrolet, 386, $71402.

39. (43) Timmy Hill(i), Chevrolet, 380, $67330.

40. (33) Landon Cassill(i), Chevrolet, Engine, 365, $63330.

41. (5) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 364, $107266.

42. (34) Brett Moffitt #, Ford, Accident, 346, $55330.

43. (39) Jeb Burton #, Toyota, Accident, 186, $51830.