DOVER, Delaware — 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 race.
Kyle Busch finished second and Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished third after nearly going a lap down in the first half of the race but 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.
Despite the top-five finish, McMurray was one of the four drivers eliminated from Chase contention, missing one of the 12 advancing slots by tie-breaker. Other drivers failing to advance in the Chase included Jimmie Johnson, Clint Bowyer and Paul Menard.
When rain from Hurricane Joaquin canceled 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 up a three-second cushion up front by a competition caution on lap 40.
Denny Hamlin beat Harvick off pit road during the caution but was assessed a pit road speeding penalty, putting Harvick back up for the restart. It was the first of two pit road speeding penalties Hamlin received.
By a third caution on lap 112, Harvick was up 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 lead by 130 laps remaining.
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. Kyle Busch, who restarted fourth, got up to second when the race returned to green. Busch had four newer tires to Harvicks two, taking four during the previous caution. Even so, Harvick was still able to pull away from Busch over the remaining laps.
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, Denny 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.
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. 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.