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DOVER, Del. -- To remain in championship contention, Kevin Harvick needed to win the AAA 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Dover International Speedway on Sunday. That mission was accomplished in dominating fashion, as Harvick took the lead on lap 24 of the 400-lap race and led most of the remainder of the day.
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"I'm just so proud of everybody from Stewart-Haas Racing to do everything that we've done the last three weeks, really," Harvick said. "Obviously, we weren't in a great position coming in to today. That's what these guys are made of, and that's what teamwork is all about. ... It's the 750th win for (Chevrolet), and everybody who helps us on this car (deserves thanks). This is what it's all about -- those big-time moments."
Kyle Busch finished second. Dale Earnhardt Jr. came in third after nearly going a lap down in the first half of the race, avoiding that fate by a well-timed caution. Jamie McMurray finished fourth, and Aric Almirola played Chase spoiler by finishing in the top five as a driver not in Chase for the Sprint Cup contention.
"That was a good run for us," Almirola said. "I'm really proud of the guys. That's two top-fives in a row here at Dover. It was a really good job. We just struggled with getting the car in the race track most of the day, and right there at the end, four tires paid off for us."
Despite the top-five finish, McMurray was one of the four drivers eliminated from Chase contention, missing one of the 12 advancing slots by a tiebreaker. The other drivers failing to advance in the Chase were Jimmie Johnson, Clint Bowyer and Paul Menard.
"Real proud of everyone at MWR (Michael Waltrip Racing) for all their hard work to get us in the Chase," said Bowyer, who came in 14th place Sunday. "Just sorry we aren't able to go to the next round."
When rain from Hurricane Joaquin cancelled all on-track activity Friday, the starting grid for Sunday's race was set based on car owner points, putting Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Matt Kenseth and Denny Hamlin on the front row. Harvick started the race 15th, but by lap 24, he took the lead and built a three-second cushion up front by a competition caution on lap 40.
Hamlin beat Harvick off pit road during the caution but was assessed a pit-road speeding penalty, putting Harvick back up front for the restart. It was the first of two pit-road speeding penalties Hamlin received.
By a third caution on lap 112, Harvick was ahead by more than five seconds. When another yellow flag waved on lap 231, Harvick lost the lead on pit road because of pit strategy by Busch and Martin Truex Jr., who took only two tires. On lap 248, Harvick returned to the lead and built up another five-second advantage with 130 laps remaining.
"Well, it's just one of those weekends where the car was really good and they believed," Harvick said. "Everybody wins. That's why they're so great."
Kenseth used the strategy of staying out during the seventh yellow flag with about 45 laps to go to restart with the lead. Harvick got off pit road first after taking two tires. When the race returned to green, Kenseth dropped back while Harvick retook the lead and began pulling away again.
The yellow flag waved one more time on lap 371, putting Harvick and Kyle Larson side by side for the final restart. Busch, who restarted fourth, got up to second when the race returned to green. Busch had four newer tires to Harvick's two, taking four during the previous caution. Even so, Harvick was able to pull away from Busch over the remaining laps.
"I just can't say enough about my team, first of all," Busch said. "Everyone on this whole Interstate Batteries Camry team, they did a great job for me and gave me a great piece with the limited amount of time in practice that we had and the conditions of practice that we had. Adam (Stevens, crew chief) did a great job guessing right and giving me a really great race car for today to run up front like we did."
As Harvick flourished, several fellow Chasers struggled. Johnson headed to the garage on lap 103 and spent significant time there because of a broken axle. By lap 158, Chase drivers Ryan Newman, Menard, Hamlin and Johnson were all off the lead lap. Bowyer joined them after an unscheduled pit stop for a loose wheel, and Brad Keselowski fell off the lead lap by the halfway point of the race.
"Our 5-Hour Energy Toyota was good today, I'd say a top-five car," Bowyer said. "We just had some bad luck with that loose wheel early on. We got two laps down but were able to make those up. No one had anything for that 4 car (Harvick), though."
NOTES: The AAA 400 was Jimmie Johnson's 500th career Sprint Cup Series start. He is the all-time winningest Cup level driver at Dover with 10 wins. ... Kyle Busch has 11 wins at Dover across all three NASCAR national touring series, including two in the Sprint Cup Series. ... Sunday's race at Dover was Clint Bowyer's first without his crew chief. Billy Scott is serving a three-race suspension after Michael Waltrip Racing lost its appeal Wednesday of a penalty from the Sept. 20 race at Chicagoland Speedway. ... Jeff Gordon won last year's AAA 400. Jimmie Johnson won at Dover on May 31.
