Jeff Gordon won the third race in the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship for an automatic spot in the 12-driver field that advanced to the next round.
Gordon was in control in the closing laps of the AAA 400 Sunday at Dover (Del.) International Speedway and joined Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano as the three drivers who were guaranteed a berth in the next Chase round with victories.
"It wasn't about the points. It wasn't about just squeezing by to get to the next round," Gordon said after his fourth win of the season and 92nd overall. "It was about making a statement. I don't know how you make a bigger statement than what this team just did right there."
Kurt Busch, AJ Allmendinger, Greg Biffle and Aric Almirola were eliminated from championship contention. Four more drivers will be eliminated in the next three-race segment that starts next week at Kansas Speedway.
