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2014 AAA 400

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2014 AAA 400
Race details[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10]
Race 29 of 36 in the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Layout of Dover International Speedway
Layout of Dover International Speedway
Date September 28, 2014 (2014-09-28)
Location Dover International Speedway in Dover, Delaware
Course Permanent racing facility
1 mi (1.6 km)
Distance 400 laps, 400 mi (643.737 km)
Weather Mostly sunny with a temperature of 76 °F (24 °C); wind out of the southeast at 5 miles per hour (8.0 km/h)
Average speed 130.541 mph (210.085 km/h)
Pole position
Driver Stewart-Haas Racing
Time 22.095
Most laps led
Driver Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing
Laps 223
Winner
No. 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports
Television in the United States
Network ESPN & MRN
Announcers Allen Bestwick, Dale Jarrett and Andy Petree (Television)
Joe Moore and Jeff Striegle (Booth)
Mike Bagley (Backstretch) (Radio)
Nielsen Ratings 2.3/5 (Final)
2.1/5 (Overnight)
3.786 Million viewers[11]

The 2014 AAA 400 was a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race that was held on September 28, 2014, at Dover International Speedway in Dover, Delaware. Contested over 400 laps, it was the 29th race of the 36 race 2014 Sprint Cup Series championship, and the third race in the Chase for the Sprint Cup. Jeff Gordon won the race, his fourth win of the season and first at Dover since 2001. Brad Keselowski finished second while Jimmie Johnson, Joey Logano and Matt Kenseth rounded out the top five. The top rookies of the race were Kyle Larson (6th), Austin Dillon (24th), and Justin Allgaier (29th).

Previous week's race

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Joey Logano took off on the first Green-White-Checker attempt to score his fourth victory of the season. “It feels good to go into the next one,” Logano said. “We’ve got to keep doing what we’re doing though. We’ve got to keep our eye on the prize and think about the big trophy at the end.”[12]

Report

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Background

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The track, Dover International Speedway, is a four-turn short track oval that is 1 mile (1.6 km) long.[13] The track's turns are banked at twenty-four degrees. The front stretch, the location of the finish line, is banked at nine degrees with the backstretch.[13] The racetrack has seats for 113,000 spectators.[13] Jimmie Johnson was the defending race winner from 2013.

Despite his name being on the entry list for this weekend's race, Ryan Truex was released from BK Racing on September 23. Sources within the team stated the change stemmed from unhappiness with the amount of feedback from the rookie driver. Travis Kvapil is expected to drive the car for the rest of the season.[14]

Eight days after sending the case to a grand jury, Ontario County district attorney Michael Tantillo announced on September 24 that Tony Stewart would not be charged in the death of Kevin Ward Jr. The grand jury could not find sufficient reason to indict Stewart on any charges.[15] “This has been the toughest and most emotional experience of my life, and it will stay with me forever," Stewart said in the statement. "I'm very grateful for all the support I’ve received and continue to receive. I respect everything the District Attorney and Sheriff’s Office did to thoroughly investigate this tragic accident. While the process was long and emotionally difficult, it allowed for all the facts of the accident to be identified and known. While much of the attention has been on me, it's important to remember a young man lost his life. Kevin Ward Jr.’s family and friends will always be in my thoughts and prayers.”[16] NASCAR's Chief Communications Officer Brett Jewkes also released a statement. “There are no winners in tragedy,” it said. “Our thoughts and prayers remain with the Kevin Ward Jr. family and Tony Stewart as they all cope with this tragic incident.”[17]

Entry list

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The entry list for the AAA 400 was released on Monday, September 22, 2014, at 8:48 a.m. Eastern time. Forty-three drivers were entered for the race.

No. Driver Team Manufacturer
1 Jamie McMurray Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet
2 Brad Keselowski (PC2) Team Penske Ford
3 Austin Dillon (R) Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
4 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet
5 Kasey Kahne Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
7 Michael Annett (R) Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet
9 Marcos Ambrose Richard Petty Motorsports Ford
10 Danica Patrick Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet
11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
13 Casey Mears Germain Racing Chevrolet
14 Tony Stewart (PC3) Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet
15 Clint Bowyer Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota
16 Greg Biffle Roush-Fenway Racing Ford
17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Roush-Fenway Racing Ford
18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
20 Matt Kenseth (PC5) Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford
23 Alex Bowman (R) BK Racing Toyota
24 Jeff Gordon (PC6) Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
26 Cole Whitt (R) BK Racing Toyota
27 Paul Menard Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
31 Ryan Newman Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
32 J. J. Yeley (i) Go FAS Racing Ford
33 David Stremme Hillman-Circle Sport LLC Chevrolet
34 David Ragan Front Row Motorsports Ford
36 Reed Sorenson Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet
37 Mike Bliss (i) Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet
38 David Gilliland Front Row Motorsports Ford
40 Landon Cassill (i) Hillman-Circle Sport LLC Chevrolet
41 Kurt Busch (PC4) Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet
42 Kyle Larson (R) Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet
43 Aric Almirola Richard Petty Motorsports Ford
44 Timmy Hill Team XTREME Racing Chevrolet
47 A. J. Allmendinger JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet
48 Jimmie Johnson (PC1) Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
51 Justin Allgaier (R) HScott Motorsports Chevrolet
55 Brian Vickers Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota
66 Mike Wallace (i) Identity Ventures Racing Toyota
78 Martin Truex Jr. Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet
83 Travis Kvapil BK Racing Toyota
88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
98 Josh Wise Phil Parsons Racing Chevrolet
99 Carl Edwards Roush-Fenway Racing Ford
Official entry list
Key Meaning
(R) Rookie
(i) Ineligible for points
(PC#) Past champions provisional

Practice

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First practice

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Kevin Harvick was the fastest in the first practice session with a time of 21.971 and a speed of 163.852 mph (263.694 km/h).[18] Landon Cassill blew an engine in the first practice session.

Pos No. Driver Team Manufacturer Time Speed
1 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 21.971 163.852
2 2 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford 21.988 163.726
3 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 22.010 163.562
Official first practice results

Qualifying

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Qualifying for the race

Harvick won the pole with a time of 22.095 and a speed of 162.933 mph (262.215 km/h). "It’s been an amazing year for everybody," Harvick said of his team. "They do a great job in preparing the racecars and put a lot of effort into qualifying, and it’s translated into a lot of good finishes." "This is the most important race of my career," Hamlin said. "This is the most important race now because it's in the present. If we’re going to live to race another day, we’ve got to get past this weekend. If not, we become somewhat irrelevant."[19] Forty-three cars were entered so no one failed to qualify.

Qualifying results

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Pos No. Driver Team Manufacturer R1 R2
1 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 22.129 22.095
2 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 22.278 22.167
3 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 22.266 22.188
4 2 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford 22.220 22.203
5 1 Jamie McMurray Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 22.314 22.231
6 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 22.248 22.281
7 42 Kyle Larson (R) Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 22.295 22.297
8 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 22.250 22.319
9 15 Clint Bowyer Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 22.317 22.410
10 3 Austin Dillon (R) Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 22.331 22.429
11 55 Brian Vickers Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 22.183 22.431
12 5 Kasey Kahne Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 22.321 22.473
13 10 Danica Patrick Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 22.333
14 20 Matt Kenseth Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 22.342
15 14 Tony Stewart Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 22.358
16 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 22.377
17 9 Marcos Ambrose Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 22.387
18 99 Carl Edwards Roush Fenway Racing Ford 22.401
19 27 Paul Menard Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 22.411
20 31 Ryan Newman Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 22.413
21 43 Aric Almirola Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 22.418
22 41 Kurt Busch Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 22.426
23 51 Justin Allgaier (R) HScott Motorsports Chevrolet 22.437
24 17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Roush Fenway Racing Ford 22.441
25 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 22.444
26 78 Martin Truex Jr. Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet 22.480
27 16 Greg Biffle Roush Fenway Racing Ford 22.510
28 47 A. J. Allmendinger JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 22.519
29 26 Cole Whitt (R) BK Racing Toyota 22.540
30 13 Casey Mears Germain Racing Chevrolet 22.613
31 38 David Gilliland Front Row Motorsports Ford 22.624
32 98 Josh Wise Phil Parsons Racing Chevrolet 22.749
33 36 Reed Sorenson Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet 22.760
34 23 Alex Bowman (R) BK Racing Toyota 22.772
35 7 Michael Annett (R) Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet 22.789
36 40 Landon Cassill Hillman-Circle Sport LLC Chevrolet 22.910
37 34 David Ragan Front Row Motorsports Ford 22.922
38 33 David Stremme Hillman-Circle Sport LLC Chevrolet 23.024
39 32 J. J. Yeley Go FAS Racing Ford 23.052
40 37 Mike Bliss Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet 23.071
41 66 Mike Wallace Identity Ventures Racing Toyota 23.074
42 83 Travis Kvapil BK Racing Toyota 23.456
43 44 Timmy Hill Team XTREME Racing Chevrolet 23.629
Official qualifying results

Practice (post-qualifying)

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Second practice

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Matt Kenseth was the fastest in the second practice session with a time of 23.129 and a speed of 155.649 mph (250.493 km/h).[20]

Pos No. Driver Team Manufacturer Time Speed
1 20 Matt Kenseth Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 23.129 155.649
2 47 A. J. Allmendinger JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 23.255 154.805
3 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 23.405 153.813
Official second practice results

Final practice

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Kevin Harvick was the fastest in the final practice session with a time of 22.917 and a speed of 157.089 mph (252.810 km/h).[21]

Pos No. Driver Team Manufacturer Time Speed
1 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 22.917 157.089
2 2 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford 23.021 156.379
3 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 23.084 155.952
Official final practice results

Race

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The race viewed from turn 3

The race was scheduled to begin at 2:15 p.m. Eastern time but started at 2:19 p.m. when Kevin Harvick led the field to the green. Debris in turn four brought out the first caution of the race on lap 62. The race restarted on lap 68. Caution flew for the second time on lap 75 after Ricky Stenhouse Jr. made contact with the wall in turn 2. The race restarted on lap 80. Debris on the backstretch brought out the third caution of the race on lap 125. The race restarted on lap 130.

After leading the first 147 laps, Harvick surrendered the lead to Brad Keselowski on lap 148. He was dealing with a problem with the left-front suspension.[22]

J. J. Yeley brought out the fourth caution on lap 171 after brushing the wall in turn 2. Keselowski traded the lead with Harvick on pit road thanks to pitting before the start/finish line. Harvick retained the lead off pit road.[23]

The race restarted on lap 176. Kevin Harvick ducked onto pit road on lap 249 and handed the lead to Matt Kenseth. Kenseth made his stop the next lap and handed the lead to Clint Bowyer. Bowyer made his stop the next lap and handed the lead to Jamie McMurray.

Harvick cut his left front tire and brought out the fifth caution of the race on lap 254. Keselowski assumed the lead as a result.[24]

The race restarted on lap 261. Jeff Gordon took the lead on lap 305. Gordon made his final pit stop on lap 328 and handed the lead to Matt Kenseth. Kenseth made his final stop on lap 329 and handed the lead to Carl Edwards. Edwards made his final stop on lap 330.

Jeff Gordon cycled back to the lead and kept it to score his 92nd career win. “I knew we could compete with the 2 car [Keselowski],” Gordon said. “The 2 was really good on short runs but we could run them down. He made us work for it there at the end... He got to me and I was really, really tight in traffic there at the end, so I didn't know if we were gonna pull it off.” Kevin Harvick, who led a race high 223 laps before cutting a left-front tire, finished 13th one lap down. "I don't know what happened to Kevin Harvick," Gordon said. "That was unfortunate for him. He was the class of the field. ... I was really tight in traffic there at the end. I didn't know if we were going to pull it off." "We can beat every car on the race track. We just need some good luck," Harvick adds. "We'll win races and have a shot at the championship."[25] Kasey Kahne secured the twelfth and final spot in the points to advance to the Contender Round. “I had to push hard,” Kahne said. “I'm glad NASCAR just let us go and let us race for it. It was pretty interesting, but I'm glad we made it. We had to fight hard, and I think we had a Top-2 or 3 car today – just didn't get to show it.” With this being the final race of the Challenger Round, A. J. Allmendinger, Kurt Busch, Greg Biffle and Aric Almirola were the bottom four drivers in points that were eliminated.[26]

Race results

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Pos Grid No. Driver Team Manufacturer Laps Points
1 6 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 400 47
2 4 2 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford 400 43
3 8 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 400 41
4 16 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 400 40
5 14 20 Matt Kenseth Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 400 40
6 7 42 Kyle Larson (R) Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 400 38
7 26 78 Martin Truex Jr. Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet 400 37
8 20 31 Ryan Newman Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 400 36
9 9 15 Clint Bowyer Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 400 36
10 2 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 400 34
11 18 99 Carl Edwards Roush Fenway Racing Ford 400 34
12 3 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 400 32
13 1 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 399 33
14 15 14 Tony Stewart Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 399 30
15 11 55 Brian Vickers Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 399 29
16 19 27 Paul Menard Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 399 28
17 25 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 399 27
18 22 41 Kurt Busch Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 399 26
19 24 17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Roush Fenway Racing Ford 399 25
20 12 5 Kasey Kahne Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 399 24
21 27 16 Greg Biffle Roush Fenway Racing Ford 399 23
22 5 1 Jamie McMurray Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 398 23
23 28 47 A. J. Allmendinger JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 398 21
24 10 3 Austin Dillon (R) Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 398 20
25 13 10 Danica Patrick Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 398 19
26 17 9 Marcos Ambrose Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 398 18
27 30 13 Casey Mears Germain Racing Chevrolet 397 17
28 21 43 Aric Almirola Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 397 16
29 23 51 Justin Allgaier (R) HScott Motorsports Chevrolet 395 15
30 29 26 Cole Whitt (R) BK Racing Toyota 395 14
31 37 34 David Ragan Front Row Motorsports Ford 395 13
32 33 36 Reed Sorenson Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet 394 12
33 31 38 David Gilliland Front Row Motorsports Ford 393 11
34 34 23 Alex Bowman (R) BK Racing Toyota 391 10
35 36 40 Landon Cassill Hillman-Circle Sport LLC Chevrolet 391 0
36 40 37 Mike Bliss Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet 391 0
37 38 33 David Stremme Hillman-Circle Sport LLC Chevrolet 389 7
38 42 83 Travis Kvapil BK Racing Toyota 389 6
39 39 32 J. J. Yeley Go FAS Racing Ford 387 0
40 41 66 Mike Wallace Identity Ventures Racing Toyota 384 0
41 35 7 Michael Annett (R) Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet 361 3
42 32 98 Josh Wise Phil Parsons Racing Chevrolet 197 2
43 43 44 Timmy Hill Team XTREME Racing Chevrolet 11 1

Race statistics

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  • 10 lead changes among different drivers
  • 5 cautions for 23 laps
  • Time of race: 3:03:51
  • Jeff Gordon won his fourth race in 2014

Media

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Television

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ESPN
Booth announcers Pit reporters
Lap-by-lap: Allen Bestwick
Color-commentator: Dale Jarrett
Color commentator: Andy Petree
Jerry Punch
Dave Burns
Vince Welch
Jamie Little

Radio

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MRN Radio
Booth announcers Turn announcers Pit reporters
Lead announcer: Joe Moore
Announcer: Jeff Striegle
Backstretch: Mike Bagley Winston Kelley
Steve Post
Alex Hayden
Woody Cain

Standings after the race

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References

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  1. ^ "2014 Sprint Cup Series Schedule". ESPN. Retrieved September 14, 2014.
  2. ^ "Dover International Speedway". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. January 3, 2013. Retrieved September 20, 2014.
  3. ^ "Entry List". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. September 23, 2014. Retrieved September 23, 2014.
  4. ^ "First Practice Results". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. September 26, 2014. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved September 26, 2014.
  5. ^ "Qualifying Results". Jayski.com. Jayski, LLC. September 26, 2014. Archived from the original on September 29, 2014. Retrieved September 26, 2014.
  6. ^ "Second Practice Results". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. September 27, 2014. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved September 27, 2014.
  7. ^ "Final Practice Results". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. September 27, 2014. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved September 27, 2014.
  8. ^ "AAA 400 Results". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. September 28, 2014. Retrieved September 28, 2014.
  9. ^ "Points Standings". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. September 28, 2014. Retrieved September 28, 2014.
  10. ^ "Manufacturer Standings". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. September 28, 2014. Retrieved September 28, 2014.
  11. ^ Paulsen (September 30, 2014). "Sprint Cup TV Ratings: Slight Drop For Chase From Dover". SportsMediaWatch.com. Sports Media Watch. Retrieved October 1, 2014.
  12. ^ Long, Dustin (September 21, 2014). "Logano Triumphs at New Hampshire". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. Archived from the original on September 22, 2014. Retrieved September 21, 2014.
  13. ^ a b c "The Dover International Speedway". Dover International Speedway. Archived from the original on July 29, 2018. Retrieved May 27, 2013.
  14. ^ Moody, Dave (September 23, 2014). "Sources: Truex Will Not Return To BK Racing". GodfatherMotorsports.com. Godfather Motorsports. Retrieved September 23, 2014.
  15. ^ Gluck, Jeff; Ryan, Nate (September 24, 2014). "Tony Stewart not charged in death of Kevin Ward Jr". usatoday.com. Gannett Satellite Information Network, Inc. Retrieved September 24, 2014.
  16. ^ Pockrass, Bob (September 24, 2014). "Tony Stewart cleared by grand jury in Kevin Ward Jr. death". SportingNews.com. Sporting News. Retrieved September 24, 2014.
  17. ^ Utter, Jim (September 24, 2014). "N.Y. grand jury declines to charge NASCAR driver Tony Stewart". ThatsRacin.com. The Charlotte Observer. Retrieved September 24, 2014.[permanent dead link]
  18. ^ Estrada, Chris (September 26, 2014). "Kevin Harvick fastest in first Sprint Cup practice at Dover". motorsportstalk.nbcsports.com. NBC Sports. Retrieved September 26, 2014.
  19. ^ Long, Dustin (September 26, 2014). "Harvick Grabs Dover Pole". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. Archived from the original on September 27, 2014. Retrieved September 26, 2014.
  20. ^ Estrada, Chris (September 27, 2014). "Matt Kenseth fastest in Saturday AM Cup practice at Dover". motorsportstalk.nbcsports.com. NBC Sports. Retrieved September 27, 2014.
  21. ^ Estrada, Chris (September 27, 2014). "Kevin Harvick still strong, tops final Sprint Cup practice at Dover". motorsportstalk.nbcsports.com. NBC Sports. Retrieved September 27, 2014.
  22. ^ Bronkowski, Jerry (September 28, 2014). "Harvick overcomes front end issue, back in front at halfway mark of Sprint Cup race in Dover". motorsportstalk.nbcsports.com. NBC Sports. Retrieved September 28, 2014.
  23. ^ Utter, Jim (September 28, 2014). "Jeff Gordon wins AAA 400 at Dover, advances in Chase". ThatsRacin.com. The Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on December 4, 2014. Retrieved September 28, 2014.
  24. ^ Owens, Jeff (September 28, 2014). "Jeff Gordon wins, Kasey Kahne survives Chase race at Dover". SportingNews.com. Sporting News. Retrieved September 28, 2014.
  25. ^ Pistone, Pete (September 28, 2014). "Gordon Back at Dover". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. Archived from the original on October 1, 2014. Retrieved September 28, 2014.
  26. ^ Gluck, Jeff (September 28, 2014). "Gordon wins at Dover; Kahne gets final Chase transfer slot". usatoday.com. Gannett Satellite Information Network, Inc. Retrieved September 28, 2014.


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