Chase outsider Clint Bowyer finished third behind Jeff Gordon after a determined drive in which he ran as high as second in pursuit of the win he needed to claim one of the remaining shootout places.

It was not enough for the Michael Waltrip Racing driver, and Newman and Biffle officially secured their own places in the Chase thanks to their superior points tallies.

Keselowski led 383 of the 400 laps from pole position, though he did have some competition.

Kevin Harvick closed on the 2012 Cup champion by running a high line early on and took the lead on lap 43.

Officials threw a competition caution after 50 laps to allow the teams to check tyre wear after rain had hit the track earlier on Saturday.

Keselowski reclaimed the lead in the pitstops and pulled away once more prior to being reeled in again by Harvick.

Gordon and Bowyer also closed on the leader before Matt Kenseth brought out the second caution with the only crash of the race.

The #20 Toyota speared into the wall after Kenseth lost the rear of the car while running the perilous high line on lap 120.

Keselowski would not lose the lead again as Harvick and Bowyer had slow stops, allowing Gordon to move into second.

Harvick complained bitterly about the handling of his Stewart-Haas Chevrolet thereafter and eventually faded to fifth, behind Jamie McMurray – another driver desperately seeking a first win that would seal a Chase position.

He made good ground early on, gaining seven places from 15th on the grid in the first 20 laps, but his progress then slowed.

Biffle endured a difficult race that saw him lapped by Keselowski on lap 204 and he had an anxious wait to see if Bowyer would beat him to the final Chase place. He ultimately finished 19th and claimed the spot by just seven points, while ninth sufficed for Newman.

After a long run of 131 laps the third caution came out for more debris on the track. The field had all pitted during the uninterrupted run and the order settled down.

Bowyer seized second on the restart as Keselowski pulled out his lead once more.

Gordon moved back into second on lap 315 before the final caution was thrown 24 laps later due to a spectator attempting to climb the Turn 4 catch fence.

Keselowski pulled away in the final run to the flag as he took Team Penske’s 400th victory across all forms of competition and claimed the top seed heading into the 10-race Chase for this season’s championship.