Bakersfield's Kevin Harvick finished fifth in Sunday's NASCAR AdvoCare 500 in Atlanta, solidifying his place in the Sprint Cup Chase.
Harvick had the 24th start position. He had the lead for much of the 327 laps of the race. The winner was Denny Hamlin, who won his second straight Sprint Cup race.
Hamlin made a wise move to stay out of the pits after a crash late in the in race, and it paid off as he passed other drivers. Hamlin was also the first one out of the pits after another crash with three laps to go.
The 12-driver Chase starts after next weekend's race in Richmond, Va., and Hamlin is in prime position to go in as the leader.
Jeff Gordon, Brad Keselowski and Martin Truex Jr. finished second, third and fourth. Truex was in position to win until the latest crash, and he came out of the pits behind Hamlin.
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