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Kevin Harvick wins Dover: Five takeaways

ByCharles Rahrig V|
Oct 4, 2015; Dover, DE, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Kevin Harvick (4) races during the AAA 400 at Dover International Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O
Oct 4, 2015; Dover, DE, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Kevin Harvick (4) races during the AAA 400 at Dover International Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O

Kevin Harvick is moving onto the next round after winning the AAA 400 at Dover.

Sunday, Kevin Harvick defined what a champion is all about. He never gave up despite his long odds heading into the race and put together one of the finest performances as he dominated at Dover. He made it look easy for 400 laps and is now moving onto the chase.

Here’s five takeaways from Dover.

1. Kevin Harvick

Well Kevin Harvick did it. After wrecking at Chicagoland, Harvick had to win a race or his season was over. He saved his best for last at the AAA 400 at Dover and came away with a winner. The determination of Harvick to not give up after things looked bleak and a tough loss last week, shows how serious he is about defending his championship.

Not only is his season still alive after this win, but he is now back in the championship discussion going forward. Harvick has been really good the last two weeks and is finally building momentum at the right time.

The story of Kevin Harvick is becoming one of the best in 2015.

2. Jimmie Johnson’s season is over

Jimmie Johnson had a really bad day at the track he usually dominates. Coming into the race with a comfortable cushion and a chance to move into the second round, Johnson looked like he was going to move onto the second round of the chase.

Well a speeding penalty put Johnson just barely above the cut-line and suddenly the No. 48 had to run a very good race to avoid falling into the bottom four and avoiding elimination.

That didn’t happen.

Issues with his car forced Johnson to come to the garage, which put him 36 laps behind everyone as he tried to regain position. Unfortunately it was too late for Johnson, and now the six-time cup champion has been eliminated from the chase.

The race for a seventh championship will have to wait until next season.

3. Kyle Busch escapes elimination

Last week, Kyle Busch hit the wall at New Hampshire and suddenly found himself in the bottom four drivers. With Busch having to put on a big performance to avoid elimination this week, Busch did just that by finishing top-5 on the day.

He now moves onto the next round and just like he has done all season, Busch continues to overcome the odds. It took a lot for Busch to make the chase and he definitely didn’t want to get eliminated in the first round. Now, he can move onto the second round and know he has a great chance at winning and moving onto the third round.

It was going to take a lot to eliminate Kyle Busch, and on Sunday, Busch avoided just that.

4. Jeb Burton had a bad day

It wasn’t a good day for Jeb Burton at Dover. After bringing out a caution early in the race, Burton was off to a slow start at the AAA 400. Well his bad day got even worse, when his car caught on fire.

The 23-year-old driver learned a valuable lesson on the track Sunday. It can always get worse.

5. And then there were 12

The first round of cuts is in and four very talented drivers are going home after a disappointing first three races in the chase. Under the new rules format, it’s hard to advance in the postseason of racing and 2015 has to proved to be no different this year.

The four drivers that are going home, are Clint Bowyer, Jimmie Johnson, Paul Menard and Jamie McMurray. Of each of those drivers, the biggest surprise is Johnson. In the chase it takes just one bad race to end a season and on Sunday, Johnson proved that theory.

The 12 drivers moving on, are Matt Kenseth, Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano, Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch, Jeff Gordon, Kurt Busch, Ryan Newman, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Martin Truex Jr., Brad Keselowski and Carl Edwards. It’s going to be quite the show during the next three races before the next round of eliminations.

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