CONCORD, N.C. — Audio and recap by Managing Editor Jacob Seelman for Speed77 Radio and Race Chaser Online — Sarah Glenn/Getty Images photo — The Closer finally closed one.

Kevin Harvick, who six times prior had lead the most laps and failed to win in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, took the lead for the final time at lap 318 of Saturday night’s Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway and survived a late-race caution and final restart with two laps to go to score his 26th career Sprint Cup victory and lock himself into the Eliminator Round of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

Harvick led 162 of the 334 laps en route to the checkered flag.

The victory is Harvick’s third of the season and third at Charlotte, following two prior Coca-Cola 600 triumphs. It also ties him with NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee Fred Lorenzen for 25th on the all-time series win list.

“(This win means) I won’t be anorexic and throwing up all week,” Harvick joked immediately following the race. “I really didn’t even know how we were going to prepare for next week because of how much out of your control (Talladega) is. This is the round we prepared most for, in my opinion — we tested for here and put a lot into this. All in all, we just hit a home run tonight and put it all together. We parked it in victory lane tonight and that’s what it’s all about.”

Harvick said he was not worried about the bad luck that had continued to bite the team after all the laps they had led this season.

“I knew that everything that had gone wrong couldn’t keep haunting us forever,” Harvick said. “I preach that to these guys all the time. In the end, it’s not about what you do in one single race — the ultimate goal is to put that (championship) trophy in the back of your truck and drive away from Homestead.”

Jeff Gordon, who led 74 laps and was the only other consistent contender at the front of the field, finished as the runner-up while Jamie McMurray charged through to take third after the final dash. Joey Logano rebounded from having an evil-handling car for most of the event to finish fourth and polesitter Kyle Busch rounded out the top five.

Leading Sunoco rookie Kyle Larson faded to sixth, tagging the wall on lap 291 after taking the lead and looking like he had the car to beat in the closing stages.

“I just got high and hit the wall,” Larson said simply in the media center. “It was all me.”

Overall though, Larson says he’s happy with how his season has progressed.

“I think it’s been a good rookie year for me; I’ve definitely gotten better throughout the year,” Larson said. “Aside from missing the Chase, it’s truly been about as good a rookie year as you can have honestly. It’s been a good battle with Austin and the rest of them and I’m glad we came out on top again tonight. We probably wouldn’t have had it not been for that last caution bunching things up.”

Aside from Harvick’s win and the frontrunners’ performances, however — there was major drama back in the pack.

Brad Keselowski, Denny Hamlin and Matt Kenseth all made contact on the final restart and Kenseth ended up in the wall — but that was only the beginning.

Hamlin brake-checked Keselowski on the cool-down lap before Keselowski tried to spin him out. Following that, the 2012 champion hit Kenseth on pit road after the race and then was backed into by Tony Stewart, who was caught up as an innocent bystander in the melee.

And oh, by the way? Then, Kenseth tackled Keselowski in the alley next to his hauler following all of that.

Each one had a different view on the sequence of events.

“We knew (Brad) was going to be aggressive because it was his only shot and he ran into us and knocked us up the race track,” Hamlin said after the event on ESPN. “I showed my displeasure on the cool down lap and I brake-checked him down the backstretch to give everyone the whole story. And then he tried to spin us out. Then, we got to pit lane and he plowed into the 14 and the 20.”

“He’s just out of control,” Hamlin added. “We got to think about us here going forward, that’s the important thing. He cost us six spots tonight, but what goes around comes around.”

“He knew I was out there on that restart,” Kenseth added. “I guess I should not have went out there. And really, I was trying to get the safety (message) across to him. I don’t know if he was mad at me. But I had my HANS and my seat belts and everything off. He clobbered me at 50 (mph). … It’s unexcusable — there is no excuse for that. He’s a champion. He’s supposed to know better than that.”

Keselowski saw the whole situation in a different light — that he was just returning what had been already given out.

“When the last yellow came out, (Kenseth) got the wave around and came back and swung at my car and tore the front of the car off,” the Team Penske driver explained. “We started in fifth with no front, we fell back to 16th and it ruined our day and gave us a big deficit in the Chase.”

“For some reason after the race, the No. 11 stopped in front of me and tried to pick a fight. I don’t know what that was about,” Keselowski said. “He swung and hit at my car and I figured ‘If we’re going to play car wars, I’ll join too’. You know, those guys can dish it out but they can’t take. And I gave it back to them and now they want to fight. I don’t know what’s up with that.”

Race winner Harvick said Saturday night was largely a product of the new elimination-style Chase format.

“When you see Matt Kenseth in a fight, you know (this new format) is intense,” Harvick said. “You know that NASCAR has done the right thing for this Chase because guys are rooting and gouging for every position they can get every single lap.”

Asked if he thought NASCAR would penalize any of the drivers involved, Harvick shook his head emphatically.

“No way. They (the fans) love it,” Harvick expressed. “In the car, you make a decision. You see somebody coming, you put them in the wall, you keep going. It’s just how you think behind the helmet.”

In addition to the post-race scrum, eight cautions, including four for motor or mechanical issues, slowed the race for 39 laps. Clint Bowyer was one of the drivers who was parked early after his motor expired on lap 95.

“We have good cars, just seems like something always happens when we get rolling. Something in the motor got us tonight,” Bowyer said in the garage area. “It’s just frustrating man.”

Ryan Newman and Danica Patrick were involved in the race’s only major accident on lap 247, after Patrick got a nudge from Logano in turn four. Newman went for a long slide but kept the car out of the wall and rallied to finish seventh.

Jimmie Johnson had a strong car at times but fell back to finish 17th, while Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s shifter broke inside the cockpit, souring his night and relegating the three-time season winner to a 20th place finish. Both Hendrick drivers now go to Talladega in a virtual must-win scenario for either one to advance in the Chase.

So, with all of the chaos that unfolded at Charlotte, what did Harvick say he’d like his strategy to be at Talladega now that he knows he’s assured a spot in the Eliminator Round?

“I’d park it,” Harvick said with a smile. “Because it’ll be one hell of a race to watch.”

Additional audio with race winner Kevin Harvick:

Post engine-issue audio with Josh Wise:

Post engine-failure audio with Paul Menard: