McDowell became the 14th different this year and the 13th to lock themselves into the playoffs.
After an early caution for Justin Haley, the race went completely green until the finish. There was plenty of contact, but never anything that required another restart.
Daniel Suarez led from pole position, but it was McDowell out front by the end of Stage 1. Denny Hamlin ran long and snatched the Stage 2 win.
A slow stop pushed Suarez out of contention for the win late, leaving Elliott and McDowell to battle it out in the end.
Elliott closed in, but was unable to catch McDowell in the final laps. The win is McDowell’s first since his dramatic victory in the 2021 Daytona 500, where Elliott also finished second.
Suarez brought home third-place, now 28pts behind Bubba Wallace and the final playoff spot.