NASCAR at New Hampshire 2016 Results: Winner, Standings, Highlights and Reaction

Kevin Harvick utilized an excellent restart in the final few laps to take the lead and eventually earn first place in Sunday's Bad Boy Off Road 300.

Matt Kenseth led 105 laps, compared to just eight for the winner, but he had to settle for second place after being passed late.

Harvick's win clinched a spot in the round of 12 in the Chase for the Sprint Cup, where he'll join Martin Truex Jr. after his win last week.

Here is a look at the finish from New Hampshire Motor Speedway:

The race unsurprisingly played an important role in the Chase standings, with the top eight finishers all in the hunt for the championship.

Here is a look at the standings after two playoff races:

Harvick was far from dominant on a day when he was barely competitive until the end. In fact, for most of the day, the race seemed as though it was destined for a head-to-head showdown between Kenseth and Truex.

Still, NASCAR continually shows fans the most important lap to lead is the last one.

Carl Edwards began the day in charge after earning the pole. Not only did he hold the lead for the first 30 laps, but he also separated himself from the rest of the field, per Jeff Gluck of USA Today:

Eventually, Truex took over the lead for a significant portion of the race.

As New Hampshire Motor Speedway showed, he was by himself for a while:

In a smooth race with few cautions, Truex was able to stay ahead for 100-plus laps with little resistance.

Former NASCAR driver Kenny Wallace was impressed by Truex's consistency:

There wasn't another change until the second half of the race, when Kenseth was finally able to move to the front, as NASCAR showed:

Kenseth and Truex battled up front for a while, but the race came down to a caution and a restart with six laps to go.

Kenseth was in the lead, but Harvick quickly took over. Fellow driver William Byron was impressed by the effort:

That was enough for Harvick to stay ahead and earn the checkered flag, via NASCAR:

Harvick followed the victory up with a classic burnout to celebrate, courtesy of New Hampshire Motor Speedway:

It was clear Harvick didn't have the best car over the course of the day, but consistency was the key. He made his move when he needed to and came away with the surprising victory.

Two spots in the round of 12 are now set. The rest of the field will be decided next week at the Citizen Soldier 400 at Dover International Speedway, after which four drivers will be cut from the Chase.

We could end up seeing a lot of aggressive driving as the competitors try to remain alive in the hunt for the championship.

Post-Race Reaction

Harvick is saving his best performances for the end of the season, just as he did at the end of this race. He discussed his ability to come through in big moments after the win, per Gluck:

The veteran driver also spoke on the restarts that ended up being the key to victory.

"We talk about that stuff all the time," Harvick told NBCSN following his win. "I think for me it was just a smooth restart; I just didn’t want to spin the tires. I don’t know what happened to (Kenseth) or if I just timed it right but, [it] worked out good when we got to Turn 1."

The pressure is off for him heading into Dover, but he has once again established himself as a threat for the championship.

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