Harvick, who ran out of fuel in the final laps after leading most of the race a week ago at New Hampshire, was facing a must-win scenario to continue the defense of his 2014 title. He kept his gas tank full this time and advances to the Contender Round of the Chase.

MORE: Tony Stewart’s most memorable moments | Classic photos of Kevin Harvick

“Obviously we weren’t in a great position coming into today, but this is what it’s all about — these big-time moments,” Harvick said in victory lane, via USA Today. “I think we’re better than we were last year just because of all the experiences we’ve had,” the reigning Sprint Cup Series champion added.

Matt Kenseth, Joey Logano, Denny Hamlin, Carl Edwards, Martin Truex Jr., Kurt Busch, Jeff Gordon, Brad Keselowski, Kyle Busch, Ryan Newman, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kevin Harvick all advanced to the next round.

Six-time champion Jimmie Johnson wasn’t so fortunate.

Johnson, a 10-time winner at Dover, suffered a mechanical error on Lap 104 that effectively ended his day and his season. He returned to the race on Lap 140 after his crew fixed a broken rear axle seal, trailing 36 laps, and finished in 41st place.

Johnson entered the race fifth in the points standings and was thought to be a shoe-in for the next round. But he instead joins Clint Bowyer, Paul Menard and Jamie McMurray as the drivers whose seasons ended Sunday.

“It’s not the way we wanted to end the season,” Johnson said. “With this format, a bad finish can take you out, end your chances. You’ve got to be on for 10 races. This is definitely not what we wanted or hoped, but that’s racing.”

NASCAR Sprint Cup AAA 400 at Dover Results

  1. Kevin Harvick 2. Kyle Busch 3. Dale Earnhardt Jr. 4. Jamie McMurray 5. Aric Almirola 6. Kasey Kahne 7. Matt Kenseth 8. Ricky Stenhouse 9. Kyle Larson 10. Joey Logano 11. Martin Truex Jr. 12. Jeff Gordon 13. Greg Biffle 14. Clint Bowyer 15. Carl Edwards 16. Brad Keselowski 17. Kurt Busch 18. Denny Hamlin 19. Ryan Newman 20. Sam Hornish Jr. 21. Danica Patrick 22. David Ragan 23. Austin Dillon 24. Casey Mears 25. Paul Menard 26. Tony Stewart 27. Justin Allgaier 28. Cole Whitt 29. AJ Allmendinger 30. David Gilliland 31. Trevor Bayne 32. Alex Bowman 33. Reed Sorenson 34. Matt Dibenedetto 35. JJ Yeley 36. Josh Wise 37. Michael Annett 38. Alex Kennedy 39. Timmy Hill 40. Landon Cassill 41. Jimmie Johnson 42. Brett Moffitt 43. Jeb Burton