RELATED: Full Dover race results | Updated Chase Grid | Series standings
DOVER, Del. -- It was a second-half battle between Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jamie McMurray and it wasn't settled until the final lap of Sunday's AAA 400 at Dover International Speedway.
It wasn't for the win. But, in this scenario, it was just as important.
Earnhardt Jr. finished third in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event, McMurray finished fourth and that order determined the final spot in the 12-driver lineup for the Contender Round of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.
The two drivers finished tied in the final points standings after the three-race Challenger Round, but Earnhardt Jr. earned the final transfer position based on having the better finish of the two drivers (his Dover result) in this opening round.
A fast restart by McMurray's Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates Chevrolet inside the final 100 laps of the 400-lap event took Earnhardt Jr. by surprise -- "I didn't see that kind of speed in his car all day," Earnhardt said -- and had some wondering if Earnhardt would be the second Hendrick Motorsports to fail to advance.
Teammate Jimmie Johnson, felled by a broken rear axle seal, finished 41st and dropped from Chase contention.
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It was a final caution, the result of oil put down by the No. 40 of Landon Cassill on Lap 373, that gave Earnhardt Jr. his opportunity.
"Jamie was trying to squeeze down in front of Matt (Kenseth) into Turn 3 and get to the bottom, and they really slow‑rolled that corner for some reason, both of them," he said. "I just went to the outside because it was about the only shot I had to pinch anybody down, pinch Jamie down if I could get to his quarter panel, and that's how it worked out.
"I thought we were about the third- to fifth-best car, and we just fought all day for track position, and we passed a lot of cars and had a lot of fun."
The No. 88 crew chief, Greg Ives said having the two earlier wins was fortunate but that "we shouldn't even be in this position right now.
"Running out of fuel (at Loudon), we ran well enough to finish in the top three (there)," he said. "This is not indicative of where our team is; the heart and the fight we had today showed where this team is at."
Earnhardt had finished 12th in the Chase opener at Chicagoland Speedway, then ran out of fuel in the waning laps at New Hampshire Motor Speedway to wind up 25th. He came into Sunday's cutoff race 12th in points and just one point ahead of Joe Gibbs Racing's Kyle Busch.
"I feel like we've got pretty good speed," Earnhardt said. "We lost a little ... over the summer and I think we're gaining a little bit on it. We've still got some more to find."
McMurray was disappointed in the outcome -- he was making his first appearance in the Chase -- but was pleased with what his team accomplished this season.
"Our goal at the beginning of the year was to make it into the Chase," he said. "The unfortunate part is we didn't run well enough the first two races; we ran great today. We got a lap down and then Matt (McCall, crew chief) did a really good job adjusting the car and getting it back to where we had a top five car; our pit crew did an awesome job, our team did a tremendous job today; we just didn't run well enough the first two races."
Finishes of 16th and 14th in the first two Chase races put McMurray 11th in points headed into Dover, one point ahead of Earnhardt.
Kevin Harvick dominated the race to vault his No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing team into the Contender Round. Busch, Earnhardt, McMurray and Aric Almirola completed the top five.
"I really thought just being consistent would get us in and it was close, we just needed one more point," said McMurray.
Bonus points for race wins, awarded for during the first 26 races and used to help determine seeding for the opening round, are not awarded after the first round. Therefore, the 12 drivers advancing into the Contender Round each have 3,000 points heading into next weekend's race at Charlotte Motor Speedway.