Kyle Larson pulled away in the final stage and won the playoff race Sunday at Dover International Speedway to snap a 75-race winless streak and earn an automatic berth in the next round.
Larson had nine runner-up finishes in the No. 42 Chevrolet since his last win Sept. 9, 2017, in Richmond, but got the coveted playoff victory he needed at Dover.
Larson has six career Cup victories and his first one in the playoffs.
Denny Hamlin Hamlin led 219 laps before fading in a race where playoff drivers Chase Elliott and reigning series champion Joey Logano both fell out of contention.
NASCAR playoff drivers took the top six spots: Martin Truex was second, followed by Alex Bowman, Kevin Harvick, Hamlin and Kyle Busch.
NASCAR heads to Talladega Superspeedway where Aric Almirola is the defending race winner.