Chase Elliott Surprise Nascar Winner at Dover International Speedway
Sunday's Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Dover International Speedway ended up with a surprising finish. It was an event that reminds us that it's never over until it's over.
For much of Sunday afternoon, it was all about Kevin Harvick. It was clear that he was most likely going to win this race. Harvick led 286 of the 404 laps in the #4 Ford. He won the first two stages in the car that was the best one out there. It looked like he was going to repeat what he did at this very track earlier in the year back in June.
But that all changed when problems with a left rear tire from a flying lug nut ripping a valve stem sent him to pit road. Harvick recovered from the lap he lost, but couldn't get back up front.
Then Aric Almirola hit the outside wall on the back straightaway on a restart that triggered a chain reaction wreck that caused damage to multiple cars. This brought out a red flag and the race went into four laps of overtime.
The key to the victory on top of all this, was Chase Elliott's crew chief making the wise choice to keep Elliott out on the track when most everyone else pitted.
Elliott put Denny Hamlin behind him on the final restart and went on for the victory. The win puts Elliott into the Round of 8 in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs. Hamlin came in second. See where your driver finished.
Next up is Talladega on Sunday (10/14). Take a look at the NASCAR Playoffs leader board.