Dover NASCAR: Kevin Harvick dominates, Jimmie Johnson out of Chase
Reigning NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Kevin Harvick dominated at Dover Speedway to take the win needed to progress through to the next round of the Chase
After low finishes at Chicagoland and New Hampshire, the Stewart-Haas driver was quick from the start, controlled restarts well and withstood pressure from Joe Gibbs Racing's Kyle Busch to avoid going out early.
Busch, who also needed a high finish to secure his place in the next round of the Chase, did have a spell in the lead but was unable to keep Harvick behind, finishing second ahead of Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Paul Menard and Clint Bowyer never looked like making the grade for the next Chase stage but the biggest scalp of the round was claimed when six time Cup champion Jimmie Johnson finished the race 36 laps down in 42nd.
Johnson was going well in fourth but when a rear axle seal came loose on lap 106 of 400, the repairs required meant that the Hendrick Motorsports driver was relying on attrition to help him progress.
When that didn't happen, it safeguarded the Chase positions of everyone in the top 11 in the points, leaving Earnhardt and Jamie McMurray to contest the final Chase spot and third on the road.
Hendrick Motorsports driver Earnhardt spent much of the race vying with McMurray on track but when he squeezed ahead of the Chip Ganassi driver, McMurray was deposited out of the Chase on a points tiebreak.
The race also highlighted how competitive the grid is this year as non-Chase drivers Aric Almirola and Kasey Kahne finished fifth and sixth, the former challenging McMurray on the final lap.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr finished eighth ahead of Kyle Larson in ninth who tried to help team-mate McMurray late on, letting him by to challenge Earnhardt, but fell behind at the final restart.
Penske driver Joey Logano rounded out the top 10.
The already-advanced Matt Kenseth and Denny Hamlin finished seventh and 18th respectively, with the latter being penalised twice for speeding in the pitlane.
RESULTS - 400 LAPS:
| Pos | Driver | Team | Car | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Chevrolet | 3h20m13.s |
| 2 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 2.639s |
| 3 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 3.884s |
| 4 | Jamie McMurray | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 5.847s |
| 5 | Aric Almirola | Richard Petty Motorsports | Ford | 6.034s |
| 6 | Kasey Kahne | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 7.512s |
| 7 | Matt Kenseth | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 9.978s |
| 8 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 10.260s |
| 9 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 11.741s |
| 10 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 12.019s |
| 11 | Martin Truex Jr. | Furniture Row Racing | Chevrolet | 12.591s |
| 12 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 13.039s |
| 13 | Greg Biffle | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 13.440s |
| 14 | Clint Bowyer | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota | 13.899s |
| 15 | Carl Edwards | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 14.320s |
| 16 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 14.489s |
| 17 | Kurt Busch | Stewart-Haas Racing | Chevrolet | 14.736s |
| 18 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 18.765s |
| 19 | Ryan Newman | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 1 Lap |
| 20 | Sam Hornish Jr. | Richard Petty Motorsports | Ford | 2 Laps |
| 21 | Danica Patrick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Chevrolet | 2 Laps |
| 22 | David Ragan | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota | 2 Laps |
| 23 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 2 Laps |
| 24 | Casey Mears | Germain Racing | Chevrolet | 3 Laps |
| 25 | Paul Menard | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 3 Laps |
| 26 | Tony Stewart | Stewart-Haas Racing | Chevrolet | 4 Laps |
| 27 | Justin Allgaier | HScott Motorsports | Chevrolet | 5 Laps |
| 28 | Cole Whitt | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 6 Laps |
| 29 | A.J. Allmendinger | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 6 Laps |
| 30 | David Gilliland | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 6 Laps |
| 31 | Trevor Bayne | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 7 Laps |
| 32 | Alex Bowman | Tommy Baldwin Racing | Chevrolet | 7 Laps |
| 33 | Reed Sorenson | Phil Parsons Racing | Ford | 9 Laps |
| 34 | Matt DiBenedetto | BK Racing | Toyota | 9 Laps |
| 35 | J.J. Yeley | BK Racing | Toyota | 10 Laps |
| 36 | Josh Wise | Go FAS Racing | Ford | 11 Laps |
| 37 | Michael Annett | HScott Motorsports | Chevrolet | 13 Laps |
| 38 | Alex Kennedy | Circle Sport | Chevrolet | 14 Laps |
| 39 | Timmy Hill | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet | 20 Laps |
| 40 | Landon Cassill | Hillman Smith Motorsports | Chevrolet | Engine |
| 41 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 36 Laps |
| 42 | Brett Moffitt | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | Accident |
| 43 | Jeb Burton | BK Racing | Toyota | Accident |
CHASE STANDINGS:
| Pos | Driver | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kevin Harvick | 3000 |
| 2 | Matt Kenseth | 3000 |
| 3 | Kyle Busch | 3000 |
| 4 | Joey Logano | 3000 |
| 5 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | 3000 |
| 6 | Denny Hamlin | 3000 |
| 7 | Kurt Busch | 3000 |
| 8 | Carl Edwards | 3000 |
| 9 | Brad Keselowski | 3000 |
| 10 | Martin Truex Jr. | 3000 |
| 11 | Ryan Newman | 3000 |
| 12 | Jeff Gordon | 3000 |
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