KANSAS CITY, Kan. _ Kevin Harvick won Sunday's Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway, clinching a spot in NASCAR's Chase round of eight.
Harvick, who finished 1.2 seconds ahead of Carl Edwards, joins Jimmie Johnson as automatic qualifiers in the semifinals. The third and final race of the postseason's second round is next week at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway. Harvick has advanced through each round of the playoffs in the two-plus year history of this version of the Chase.
Harvick, whose chances of advancing took a hit after a 38th-place finish last week at Charlotte Motor Speedway, took the lead from Edwards on a restart with 30 laps remaining and never trailed after that. Joey Logano finished third, Johnson fourth and Kyle Busch fifth.
Five drivers will head to Talladega in need of a victory or a strong performance to stave off elimination _ Logano and Austin Dillon (sixth Sunday) are tied for eighth in the standings and one point behind Martin Truex Jr. in seventh. Denny Hamlin (15th), Brad Keselowski (38th) and Chase Elliott (31st) ranking 10th through 12th.
