NASCAR at Dover 2014 Results: Race Order, Final Times and Twitter Reaction
In one of the most critical races of the Chase, Kevin Harvick will be at the top of the pack in Dover after taking the pole on Friday. Harvick paced the field with a final time of 22.095 seconds and speed of 162.933.
NASCAR passed the news along after it became official:
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The pole was Harvick's seventh of the year, one more than he had throughout his career coming into the 2014 season. Ironically enough, the Stewart-Haas Racing driver has won from the pole one time at Darlington in April.
Earlier this week, Harvick noted that winning is not of the utmost importance in the Chase, per Mike Hembree of USA Today:
"I think the unique part of that (Keselowski's win) is that you're in, but it all starts over in two weeks. It's a short-term relief. Obviously, the next two weeks are different from last week. ... But the reality is that you want to move on, and consistency for the majority is more important than one winner.
In the end, the main goal is to move on. There are a lot of things to play out.
"
Finishing behind Harvick was Kyle Busch, who had an accident in the first race this season at Dover to finish 42nd. But Busch has a history at the track, having 12 top-10 results and two wins during his 19 starts.
Rounding out the top five was Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski and Jamie McMurray, making four of the top five Chase contenders. Here's a look at the top 20 from the qualifying round.
| 1 | Kevin Harvick | Leader |
| 2 | Kyle Busch | -.072 |
| 3 | Denny Hamlin | -.093 |
| 4 | Brad Keselowski | -.108 |
| 5 | Jamie McMurray | -.136 |
| 6 | Jeff Gordon | -.186 |
| 7 | Kyle Larson | -.202 |
| 8 | Jimmie Johnson | -.224 |
| 9 | Clint Bowyer | -.315 |
| 10 | Austin Dillon | -.334 |
| 11 | Brian Vickers | -.336 |
| 12 | Kasey Kahne | -.378 |
| 13 | Danica Patrick | N/A |
| 14 | Matt Kenseth | N/A |
| 15 | Tony Stewart | N/A |
| 16 | Joey Logano | N/A |
| 17 | Marcos Ambrose | N/A |
| 18 | Carl Edwards | N/A |
| 19 | Paul Menard | N/A |
| 20 | Ryan Newman | N/A |
Full results can be found at NASCAR.com.
Heading into the final race of the Challenger Round, myriad drivers are feeling the pressure to perform.
Of the contenders for the Sprint Cup title, many missed out on the final round of qualifying. Joey Logano, who recently won at New Hampshire, did not need a strong run on Friday, but drivers like Kurt Busch and Aric Almirola did.
Fox Sports: NASCAR notes the top-16 racers who missed out on the final round of qualifying:
A.J. Allmendinger is in the worst position at 28th, but the man just ahead of him is in a more desperate situation.
Greg Biffle, who currently sits at 14th in the Chase standings, will be starting 27th on Sunday. Not having a good run would lead to him missing out on the first 12 positions, meaning he will be one of the first cuts ever in the history of the Chase.
As for Hamlin, Sunday is setting up well despite being 13th in the standings. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver is starting third and will need to remain near the top of the leaderboard just to move ahead of Ryan Newman, who he trails by six points.
Hamlin referenced the importance of the Dover race, per Jeff Gluck of USA Today:
He isn't the only driver hoping to make the next round, but Hamlin clearly has a strong chance of doing so with a top-five start. Just 10 points separate the No. 15 and 8 contenders, so nothing is secured for any of those on the bubble.
For Harvick, Sunday appears to be business as usual as he starts from the pole already third in the standings. With a lot on the line for every driver in the Chase that's not part of Team Penske, Sunday is shaping up to be one of the best races of the season.
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