Chase Elliott pulls away after Kevin Harvick is derailed and earns an automatic berth for the third stage of the playoffs.

DOVER, Del. — Chase Elliott had been burdened by lofty expectations that come as the son of a Hall of Fame driver and the replacement of a four-time NASCAR champion.

As the close calls and frustrating finishes mounted and wins eluded him, the 22-year-old Elliott could feel the pressure tighten each time he slipped into the No. 9 Chevrolet.

But once Elliott raced to his first Cup win, the second victory wasn’t far behind, and now the Hendrick Motorsports star pegged as NASCAR’s next most popular driver is thinking championship.

“There isn’t any reason why we can’t make a run at this deal,” Elliott said.

Elliott stayed off pit road during a late caution and avoided similar disasters that struck the Stewart-Haas Racing drivers as he pulled away and won in overtime Sunday at Dover International Speedway. Elliott earned an automatic berth into the next round of the NASCAR Cup playoffs.

Eight races after his first win at Watkins Glen, Elliott was back in Victory Lane again – another needed dose of good news for NASCAR following the rousing success of the “roval” race last week at Charlotte.

Elliott bounded over the wall and high-fived Jeff Gordon, the driver he replaced in 2016, and shared a big hug with team owner Rick Hendrick. A year ago at Dover, Elliott coughed up the lead with two laps left to Kyle Busch in what he called the most crushing defeat of his career.

He left that race 0 for 70 in the Cup Series. Elliott rubbed his head and leaned against his car, crestfallen as he replayed the final laps in his mind. Jimmie Johnson walked over to offer some encouragement and let Elliott vent.

Sunday was one big celebration.

“When he won the race at Watkins Glen, it was like the world was lifted off his shoulders,” Hendrick said.

Bill Elliott did not attend the race, but with more races like this one, it’s not hard to imagine son eventually eclipsing dad’s mark of one Cup championship.

“I think this only elevates his game,” Gordon said.

Elliott’s win means he can breathe a bit easier as the series shifts to treacherous Talladega, where anything can happen on the superspeedway. The top eight drivers after the next two races move on to the next round, and Aric Almirola, Clint Bowyer, Kyle Larson and Alex Bowman are stuck below the cutoff.

“We’ve had so many opportunities and been so close and had the car to win and been in position, and I don’t know, it just seems to not come through,” Almirola said.

Denny Hamlin was second, followed by playoff driver Joey Logano. NASCAR playoff drivers took 10 of the top 15 spots.

Harvick led 286 laps and was on pace to sweep the Dover races until tire issues derailed his run and he finished sixth. Almirola, who led 64 laps late and had his second career Cup win in sight, was running sixth off a restart when he got loose and connected with Brad Keselowski. That triggered a multi-car wreck that collected championship contenders and brought out the red flag to force overtime.

Almirola lost the lead when Bowyer wrecked. Elliott was third before crew chief Alan Gustafson kept him on the track under caution, and he led the final 11 laps.

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