An additional pitstop for a loose wheel dropped the Penske Ford down the order early on, but going into the closing stages he joined two other drivers on comeback runs in the battle for the win.

Long-time race leader Kevin Harvick had overcome exactly the same pit problem as Keselowski, while Ganassi’s rookie Kyle Larson fought through from last to first after a practice crash forced him to switch to his back-up Chevrolet.

Having narrowly missed out on a Chase spot, Larson looked capable of beginning the title shootout by defeating all the championship contenders, as he battled with Harvick on what turned out to be the penultimate restart.

But Keselowski was right behind them, and with 17 of the 267 laps to go he surged through the middle of the two Chevrolets while they diced and started to get away.

Another yellow, caused by Danica Patrick and Ricky Stenhouse Jr colliding, prompted a final restart with six laps left, but Keselowski had no trouble pulling clear for his fifth win of 2014 and an early pass straight through to stage two of the Chase.

Jeff Gordon, another lead contender all afternoon, came forward to fight Larson for second, with the pair swapping places incessantly as Larson favoured a bold high line.

He eventually went too high and brushed the wall, allowing Gordon to secure the runner-up spot.

Harvick fell back to fifth behind Joey Logano as both chased Larson over the line.

Chase contenders filled most of the top 15 spots, with Denny Hamlin sixth ahead of Busch brothers Kyle and Kurt – who survived contact with each other in the closing laps. Both Kurt and 10th-placed Matt Kenseth also managed to spin in the pit entry during the race.

The only non-Chase interlopers in the top 10 were the two Ganassi cars. Larson’s team-mate Jamie McMurray led in the early stages and finished ninth, despite all slapping the wall during the race.

The first Chase runner to hit major trouble was title underdog Aric Almirola, whose Richard Petty Ford blew its engine while running a strong sixth 37 laps from the finish.