Kahne, Harvick top final speed charts at Dover

“We came here to win”.

Kyle Busch, who is one point behind Earnhardt and now out of a transfer spot, was 19th fastest in opening practice but improved to seventh in the second session.

Saturday’s biggest problem among Chase drivers came for Jeff Gordon.

“We had a second-place auto and we finished second with it; nothing to hang our heads about”.

“I’m backing up the corner; it’s real nice”, Earnhardt radioed to crew chief Greg Ives. It was a really good job. “I think when we look at everything that’s gone on over the last couple of years, it’s just been a lot of fun”. Clint Bowyer, Paul Menard, Jimmie Johnson and Jamie McMurray are now eliminated from the Chase. “We’re just concentrating on things that we need to right now”.

When rain from Hurricane Joaquin cancelled all on-track activity Friday, the starting grid for Sunday’s race was set based on vehicle owner points, putting Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Matt Kenseth and Denny Hamlin on the front row.

Gordon was among the drivers who praised NASCAR’s decision to double the restart zone for this weekend’s race from 70 feet to 140 feet. He has two wins and a series-best 18 top-fives, but has busted out in the Chase. Now, they all have to deal down the stretch with a driver who has led 571 of 700 laps run the past two weeks. “They really slow-rolled for a few reason, both of them”, Earnhardt said. “Everybody wins. That’s why they’re so great”. After battling Gordon for second on the restart, Hamlin took the lead from Busch. Harvick dominated New Hampshire almost like a man possessed. He’s won three of the past four races and seven of the last 13.

Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 Interstate Batteries Toyota, pits during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series AAA 400 at Dover global Speedway on October 4, 2015 in Dover, Delaware. Harvick was in danger of playoff elimination after experiencing two disappointing finishes in the previous races.

Harvick indicated that even though he was outside, he felt that area should be treated as private.

“I just held my line and the 48 just slammed into the side of my door”.

As Harvick flourished, several fellow Chasers struggled.

Johnson, a six-time Cup champion and 10-time victor at Dover, saw his Chase end when his car’s rear end failed.

Brad Keselowski has 8/1 odds today and he starts in eighth position. They have known each other since the early days of their careers, which began in California before the two crossed the country to North Carolina to take a crack at making it in NASCAR. Harvick’s vehicle suffered the most damage – a tire rub. A broken rear axle seal resulted in a 41st place finish dropping outside of the top-12. He was runner-up to Johnson in May in the first Dover race.Harvick thrives on pressure and took the checkered flag in must-win races last season at Phoenix and Homestead to take the championship.“Its just really part of sports and thats what makes it exciting, ” Harvick said.The only excitement Friday was found inside Dovers media center. Dover has been one of his worse tracks through the years and he entered Sunday’s AAA 400 without having a Dover win on his resume’. Billy Scott is serving a three-race suspension after Michael Waltrip Racing lost its appeal Wednesday of a penalty from the September 20 race at Chicagoland Speedway…. He returned with a vengeance, winning four races and launching himself into the Chase.

Johnson won championships in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2013, putting him one shy of matching Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt for most on the career list.