For a while, Dover International Speedway had another nickname outside of its longtime handle of the “Monster Mile.” The mile-long track’s promoters dubbed it “White Lightning” as a nod to its concrete racing surface.
Both of them apply very well to Dover. At only a mile long and with banking all the way around (24 degrees in the turns, nine degrees on the straights), drivers indeed go Lightning-quick on the concrete.
But with high speeds come big accidents and thanks to that banking, it’s not uncommon to see a car hit the outside wall and then slide into the inside wall for another impact.
The result is a car that looks like it’s been literally chewed up and spit out by a Monster.
Courtesy of NASCAR’s public relations and statistics teams, here’s what you need to know going into Sunday’s FedEx 400 benefiting Autism Speaks – Round 13 of the 2014 Cup championship.
DOVER-SPECIFIC STATISTICS
Greg Biffle (No. 16 3M Ford)
· Two wins, six top fives, 11 top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 12.3
· Average Running Position of 10.7, fourth-best
· Driver Rating of 101.0, fifth-best
· 434 Fastest Laps Run, fourth-most
· 772 Green Flag Passes, fourth-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 143.808 mph, fourth-fastest
· 5,443 Laps in the Top 15 (75.6%), fourth-most
· 497 Quality Passes (passes of cars in the top 15 under green), third-most
Clint Bowyer (No. 15 Cherry 5-Hour Energy for Special Ops Warrior Foundation Toyota)
· One top five, nine top 10s
· Average finish of 12.6
· Average Running Position of 12.5, eighth-best
· Driver Rating of 91.6, eighth-best
· 178 Fastest Laps Run, 12th-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 143.580 mph, seventh-fastest
· 4,654 Laps in the Top 15 (72.7%), eighth-most
· 379 Quality Passes, ninth-most
Kurt Busch (No. 41 Haas Automation Chevrolet)
· One win, six top fives, eight top 10s
· Average finish of 18.2
· Average Running Position of 13.2, ninth-best
· Driver Rating of 92.5, seventh-best
· 275 Fastest Laps Run, seventh-most
· 762 Green Flag Passes, fifth-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 143.525 mph, eighth-fastest
· 4,284 Laps in the Top 15 (59.5%), 10th-most
· 399 Quality Passes, sixth-most
Kyle Busch (No. 18 M&M’s Peanut Butter Toyota)
· Two wins, nine top fives, 12 top 10s
· Average finish of 12.8
· Average Running Position of 10.8, fifth-best
· Driver Rating of 106.0, third-best
· 396 Fastest Laps Run, fifth-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 143.914 mph, third-fastest
· 5,574 Laps in the Top 15 (77.4%), third-most
· 471 Quality Passes, fifth-most
Carl Edwards (No. 99 Subway Ford)
· One win, eight top fives, 12 top 10s
· Average finish of 10.0
· Average Running Position of 10.4, third-best
· Driver Rating of 101.3, fourth-best
· 487 Fastest Laps Run, second-most
· 734 Green Flag Passes, eighth-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 143.732 mph, sixth-fastest
· 5,239 Laps in the Top 15 (72.7%), sixth-most
· Series-high 498 Quality Passes
Jeff Gordon (No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet)
· Four wins, 17 top fives, 24 top 10s; four poles
· Average finish of 11.6
· Average Running Position of 12.5, seventh-best
· Driver Rating of 93.7, sixth-best
· 261 Fastest Laps Run, eighth-most
· 759 Green Flag Passes, sixth-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 143.735 mph, fifth-fastest
· 5,415 Laps in the Top 15 (75.2%), fifth-most
· Series-high 498 Quality Passes
Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe’s Patriotic Chevrolet)
· Eight wins, 12 top fives, 17 top 10s; three poles
· Average finish of 8.7
· Series-best Average Running Position of 6.8
· Series-best Driver Rating of 121.1
· Series-high 990 Fastest Laps Run
· Series-best Average Green Flag Speed of 144.276 mph
· Series-high 6,261 Laps in the Top 15 (86.9%)
· 376 Quality Passes, 10th-most
Matt Kenseth (No. 20 Dollar General Toyota)
· Two wins, 13 top fives, 19 top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 13.4
· Average Running Position of 9.1, second-best
· Driver Rating of 107.9, second-best
· 452 Fastest Laps Run, third-most
· 695 Green Flag Passes, 12th-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 144.018 mph, second-fastest
· 5,827 Laps in the Top 15 (80.9%), second-most
· 480 Quality Passes, fourth-most
Brad Keselowski (No. 2 Miller Lite Ford)
· One win, two top fives, two top 10s
· Average finish of 16.0
· Average Running Position of 14.7, 10th-best
· Driver Rating of 84.9, 12th-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 143.297 mph, 11th-fastest
Ryan Newman (No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet)
· Three wins, six top fives, 12 top 10s; four poles
· Average finish of 12.9
· Average Running Position of 12.3, sixth-best
· Driver Rating of 89.4, 10th-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 143.328 mph, 10th-fastest
· 4,891 Laps in the Top 15 (67.9%), seventh-most
· 367 Quality Passes, 11th-most
Martin Truex Jr. (No. 78 Furniture Row Chevrolet)
· One win, one top five, six top 10s; two poles
· Average finish of 17.0
· Average Running Position of 14.9, 12th-best
· Driver Rating of 89.4, ninth-best
· 243 Fastest Laps Run, ninth-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 143.396 mph, ninth-fastest
· 3,995 Laps in the Top 15 (62.4%), 12th-most
· 363 Quality Passes, 12th-most
Dover International Speedway Data
Season Race #: 13 of 36 (06-01-14)
Track Size: 1-mile
Banking/Turn 1 & 2: 24 degrees
Banking/Turn 3 & 4: 24 degrees
Banking/Frontstretch: 9 degree
Banking/Backstretch: 9 degree
Frontstretch Length: 1,076 feet
Backstretch Length: 1,076 feet
Race Length: 400 laps / 400 miles
Top 10 Driver Ratings at Dover
Jimmie Johnson…………………… 121.1
Matt Kenseth……………………….. 107.9
Kyle Busch…………………………. 106.0
Carl Edwards………………………. 101.3
Greg Biffle………………………….. 101.0
Jeff Gordon………………………….. 93.7
Kurt Busch……………………………. 92.5
Clint Bowyer…………………………. 91.6
Martin Truex Jr………………………. 89.4
Ryan Newman……………………….. 89.4
Note: Driver Ratings compiled from 2005-2013 races (18 total) among active drivers at Dover International Speedway.
Qualifying/Race Data
2013 pole winner: Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 157.978 mph, 22.788 secs., 05-31-13
2013 race winner: Tony Stewart, Chevrolet, 123.172 mph, (03:14:51), 06-02-13
Qualifying record: Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, 161.849 mph, 22.243 secs., 09-27-13
Race record: Mark Martin, Ford, 132.719 mph, (03:00:50), 09-21-97
Dover International Speedway History
· The official opening of Dover International Speedway, then called Dover Downs International Speedway, was in 1969.
· The first NASCAR Sprint Cup race was held on July 6, 1969 – won by Richard Petty.
· The first two races at Dover were 300 miles. The race length was changed to 500 miles in 1971.
· The track surface was changed to concrete in 1995.
· The race length was changed to 400 miles beginning with the second race in 1997.
· The track name was changed to Dover International Speedway in 2002.
Dover International Speedway Notebook
· There have been 88 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Dover International Speedway, one race in 1969 and 1970, two races per year since 1971.
· 375 drivers have competed in at least one NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Dover International Speedway; 271 in more than one.
· Ricky Rudd leads the series in starts at Dover with 56. Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers with 42 starts; followed by Joe Nemechek with 39.
· David Pearson won the inaugural Coors Light pole at Dover in 1969 with a speed of 130.430 mph.
· 37 drivers have Coors Light poles at Dover, led by David Pearson with six. Jeff Gordon and Ryan Newman lead all active drivers in poles with four each.
· Nine drivers have won consecutive Coors Light poles at Dover. David Pearson holds the record for most consecutive poles at Dover with three; from 1973 to the spring race of 1974.
· Two active drivers have posted consecutive Coors Light poles at Dover: Ryan Newman (fall 2005 and spring 2006), and Denny Hamlin (fall 2012 and spring 2013).
· Youngest Dover pole winner: Jeff Gordon (06/04/1995 – 23 years, 10 months, 0 days).
· Oldest Dover pole winner: Mark Martin (06/01/2012 – 53 years, 4 months, 23 days).
· 34 different drivers have won at Dover International Speedway, led by Jimmie Johnson with eight wins (2002 sweep, fall 2005, 2009 sweep, 2010 fall, spring 2012 and fall 2013).
· 12 drivers have posted consecutive wins at Dover International Speedway, including three consecutive by David Pearson (fall 1972 and 1973 sweep), Rusty Wallace (fall 1993 and 1994 sweep) and Jeff Gordon (fall 1995 and 1996 sweep).
· Youngest Dover winner: Kyle Busch (06/01/2008 – 23 years, 0 months, 30 days).
· Oldest Dover winner: Harry Gant (05/31/1992 – 52 years, 4 months, 21 days).
· Hendrick Motorsportshas the most wins at Dover in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with 15: Jimmie Johnson (eight), Jeff Gordon (four), Geoff Bodine (one), Ken Schrader (one) and Ricky Rudd (one).
· Nine different manufacturers have won in the NSCS at Dover; led by Chevrolet with 34 victories; followed by Ford with 25.
· 13 of the 88 (14.7%) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Dover have been won from the Coors Light pole; the two most recent were Jimmie Johnson in 2009 and 2010.
· The second-place starting position is the most proficient starting position in the field, producing more winners (15) than any other starting position at Dover International Speedway.
· 28 of the 88 (31.8%) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Dover have been won from the front row: 13 from the pole and 15 from second-place.
· 69 of the 88 (78.4%) NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Dover have been won from a top-10 starting position.
· Five of the 88 (5.6%) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Dover have been won from a starting position outside the top 20 – most recently: Tony Stewart, spring2013(22nd-place starting position)
· The deepest in the field that a race winner has started at Dover was 37th, by Kyle Petty in the spring of 1995.
· Mark Martin leads the series in runner-up finishes at Dover with eight; followed by Dale Earnhardt with five. Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers with four.
· Mark Martin leads the series in top-five finishes at Dover with 24; followed by Dale Earnhardt with 19. Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers with 17.
· Mark Martin leads the series in top-10 finishes at Dover with 33; followed by Richard Petty and Ricky Rudd with 26 each. Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers with 24.
· Ryan Newman leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in average starting position at Dover with a 9.042.
· Jimmie Johnson leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in average finishing position at Dover with an 8.667; Carl Edwards (10.000) is the only other active driver with an average finish in the top 10.
· 11 of the 12 active NASCAR Sprint Cup Series winners at Dover International Speedway participated in at least one or more races before visiting Victory Lane. Jimmie Johnson won at Dover in his first two appearances.
· Jeff Burton competed at Dover International Speedway 25 times before winning in the fall of 2006; the longest span of any the 16 active NASCAR Sprint Cup Series winners.
· Among the 16 active NSCS Dover winners Kurt Busch (22) and Matt Kenseth (14) made 10 or more attempts before their first win.
· Joe Nemechek leads the series among active drivers with the most NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Dover without visiting Victory Lane at 39; followed by Kevin Harvick with 26.
· Since the advent of electronic scoring the closest margin of victory (MOV) in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Dover International Speedway was the September 25, 2005 race won by Jimmie Johnson over Kyle Busch with a MOV of 0.08 second.
· There has been one NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race resulting with a green-white-checkered finish at Dover International Speedway (Scheduled No. of Laps/Actual No. of Laps): fall of 2005 (400/404).
· Not one of the 87 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Dover International Speedway has been shortened due to weather conditions.
· Qualifying has been cancelled due to weather conditions in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Dover International Speedway five times: fall of 1984, spring of 2001, fall of 2003, spring of 2005 and spring of 2011.
· Three NASCAR Sprint Cup Series active drivers have made their first career start at Dover International Speedway: Matt Kenseth (9/20/98), Kurt Busch (9/24/00) and David Ragan (9/24/06).
· Two active drivers have posted their first career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coors Light pole at Dover International Speedway: Matt Kenseth (06/02/02) and Michael Waltrip (06/03/1991).
· One active NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver has posted his first career win at Dover International Speedway: Martin Truex Jr. (06/04/07).
· Jimmie Johnson leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in laps led at Dover with 2,704 laps led in 24 starts.
· If Jimmie Johnson leads 296 laps or more this weekend he will surpass the 3,000 laps led mark at Dover International Speedway, becoming the seventh driver in series history to lead 3,000 or more laps at a single track. Jeff Gordon is the only other active driver to accomplish the feat (Martinsville – 3,593 laps led).
· Two female drivers have competed at Dover International Speedway in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: Janet Guthrie and Danica Patrick…Guthrie: 1976 – Started 11th, finished 33rd, 1977 – Started 15th, finished 11th; Patrick:
Fall 2012 – Started 38th, finished 28th, Summer 2013 – Started 39th, finished 24th, Fall 2013 – Started 31st, finished 29th.
NASCAR in Delaware
· There have been 88 NASCAR Sprint Cup races in Delaware, all at Dover International Speedway.
· Eight drivers in NASCAR national series history have their home state recorded as Delaware. None of them have earned a NASCAR national series victory.