Analysis: How an initially dull Dover race evolved into one of the best ever

But you're not.

After the first quarter of the event was complete, Kevin Harvick was running the show, much like he had done during last fall's event at the Monster Mile (Where he led 355 of 400 laps en route to the win).

The race kicked off with everyone racing towards a Lap 40 competition caution. In that short time span, Harvick built up a remarkable seven second advantage for himself. When the field went down pit road for the first time, he lost the race lead to Carl Edwards, but quickly and effortlessly disposed of him on the ensuing restart.

He continued to hold station up front until the next yellow flag period on Lap 120 when Matt DiBenedetto slammed the outside wall out of Turn 2 with a cut right front tire.

Up until that point of the race, there wasn't too much to talk about. The racing was tame and the battle up front was nonexistent. A lamentable start, to be honest.

Harvick once again lost ground on pit road with the Gibbs duo of Edwards and Matt Kenseth pushing him back to third. Some joked on social media that this race's only chance at being exciting would be if the No. 4 team continued losing ground on pit road. 

Track position gains importance

With every lap that clicked away, it seemed like the intensity level was simultaneously raised up another notch.

The complexion of the race had slightly changed with the ball now in JGR's court. Edwards and Kenseth traded the lead between themselves until the next yellow when Martin Truex Jr. did not pit. He was alone in doing so and a sitting duck, one would think. But not quite ... The No. 78 checked out and led all the way until the next yellow, 30 laps later.

Teams took notice to what Truex was able to do and track position suddenly became the name of the game. At this moment, we might as well have taken the running order, put it in a bag and shook it around a few times every time there was a caution. That's essentially what started happening. 

Greg Biffle was now the one staying out. Truex was first off pit road, followed by Joey Logano, Kyle Larson and Jamie McMurray. They all opted for two tires. Early race favorite Harvick was now stuck outside the top ten.

Kyle Larson, who was a lap down not too long ago, picked up the torch and took control of the race until Reed Sorenson crashed (causing Jimmie Johnson to spin) just past the halfway point. Now it was Denny Hamlin's turn to gamble. Like Larson, he too had fallen off the lead lap earlier in the race, but had quickly clawed his way to the front of the pack.

And a new batch of fresh faces just kept showing up near the front with Brad Keselowski restarting second, Dale Earnhardt Jr. third and Kyle Busch fourth after all three went the two-tire path. At this point, we were being given a strong intimation that this was no ordinary race.

15 laps later, Keselowski was now on point and Harvick, who had fallen to 20th after stopping to avoid Johnson's spin, was already back inside the top ten. The Penske driver was left to battle Larson for the race lead, which they did for nearly 50 laps before the Ganassi driver made his way by. Soon after, Keselowski slammed into the back of the slowing No. 3 car (Austin Dillon), throwing debris onto the track and causing the next caution period.

The Big One and three-way fight for the win

The top six with 100 laps to go: Larson, Logano, Edwards, Truex, Harvick, Johnson. To put this all in perspective ... By the checkered flag, only two of those drivers would finish inside the top ten.

Larson and Truex put on quite a show as they battled hard for the top spot with Larson nearly spinning out at one point. Edwards soon joined the fray, making it a three-man fight.

Things eventually settled down and Truex started cruising away. And then another yellow -- This time for Tony Stewart with 57 laps to go. Truex, the race leader, just about wrecked in Stewart's fluid, sliding up the track.

The varying strategies continued with Johnson and Kenseth now the front two, both going the two-tire route. When the green flag flew with just under 50 laps remaining, Miles the Monster woke up.

18 cars were torn up in the mother of all pileups. The shifter locked up on the No. 48 car. Johnson was helpless and no one was waiting for him. He, Truex, Harvick, Logano, KyBusch, Earnhardt, and other notable drivers all sustained damage in the melee.

Mere seconds into the following restart, Edwards was sent head-on into the backstretch wall off the nose of Larson. After 12 cautions, the race restarted on Lap 366 of 400 and went green to the finish ... And it was spectacular.

Kenseth, Larson and Chase Elliott raced their guts out in a thrilling finish. Two young runs yet to reach Victory Lane vs. a proven veteran who has been down on his luck. The margin of victory was just .187 with Kenseth defeating his younger adversaries.

Why such a drastic change from start to finish?

How did this race shift so abruptly from a forgettable snoozefest that had some fans tuning out early into one of the most memorable races in the history of the circuit?

The main culprit for the incessant action has to be the varying strategies teams could run and make it work. It wasn't a race where tires were useless or where tires were paramount either. There was a balance and a constant movement throughout the running order with teams making educated guesses as to what strategy would be most prudent.

And that late-race pileup cleared the way for even more drivers to throw their names into the fight up front. This 400-lapper had everything ... Constant drama, lead changes, battles throughout the entire field, differing strategies, a race-altering wreck, and a battle for the win worth talking about.

How this race naturally evolved from subpar to exceptional was incredibly entertaining to watch and continues the theme of the season. It was like watching a Hollywood film gradually intensify from a monotonous start to a nail-bitting climax.

It also has to make one wonder what would happen if NASCAR took some of the fat out of these 400 and 500 mile races, turning them into 300 milers.

But regardless, Dover was just a prime example of why you should never prematurely touch that remote.