By Ryan - Posted on August 18, 2010

Kevin Harvick held off Denny Hamlin and three Roush drivers to win at Michigan, and clinch a spot in the Chase.  The win was the 14th of his career – his 3rd this season -  and made Harvick a solid favorite to win the championship this year.

A yellow flag on lap 167 brought some of the field to the pits, but Harvick stayed out on old tires. He restarted second behind Tony Stewart, who also stayed out rather than pitting, with Hamlin in 3rd place.  Within 10 laps, Hamlin passed both Harvick and Stewart to take the lead. Harvick followed him as he passed Stewart, then he passed Hamlin on lap 190.

Harvick was understandably pleased with the win – his first on a track this year that was not a restrictor-plate race (Talladega or Daytona). "The biggest concern I had was the tires. Once we got through those first three or four or five laps, the new tires kind of evened out. Our car was so good up on the top. We were a little off on the restarts, but what a great day. This hasn't been the best track for us," he said.

Jack Roush’s stable of drivers continued their strong finishes, with Carl Edwards in 3rd place, Greg Biffle in 4th, and Matt Kenseth in 5th. The top 10 was rounded out by Tony Stewart, Juan Montoya, Martin Truex, Elliott Sadler, and Joey Logano.

Harvick’s win gave him a significant lead in the points. He is now 293 points ahead of second place Jeff Gordon.

With only three races left before the Chase begins, there is significant jockeying around for the spots in the bottom half of the top 12. A scrape with the outside wall early damaged Mark Martin’s car, and his 28th place finish puts him just outside the Top 12. Kurt Busch blew an engine and finished 40th, which dropped him from 4th in points to 10th.  

The main driver feeling the heat in the Chase standings is Clint Bowyer, who is currently in the 12th spot. Mark Martin and Ryan Newman are chasing him, and with a couple of good finishes, Jamie McMurray, Kasey Kahne, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. could bring themselves into the mix. Matt Kenseth, Kurt Busch, and Greg Biffle, sitting in 9th, 10th, and 11th places respectively, seem to be able to breathe a little easier, as they have a little bit of a cushion on 12th, but you can never tell. Next on the schedule is the Bristol night race, which is notorious for major points shake-ups.