Now it’s time to see how crazy this new Chase format can really be.
A caution-filled Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway has scrambled the fight to make the Top 12 and advance to the Contender Round.
And with just one more race remaining in the Challenger Round – this weekend’s AAA 400 at Dover International Speedway – expect the intensity to reach a new level.
“This race is going to be insane,” said Carl Edwards yesterday during a test session at Texas Motor Speedway. “I mean Loudon, you saw how pressure-packed it was and how many folks were pushing it and making mistakes.
“At Dover, I mean you add about 30 to 40 miles-an-hour, a bunch of banking and double the pressure, it’s going to crazy. So we have discussed it, we know what we have to do. We just have to go there and get every spot that we can. ”
Edwards is currently eighth on the Chase Grid at just eight points ahead of the Top 12 cutoff. For him and everyone all the way back to 16th-place Aric Almirola (-10 points behind the cutoff), it’s going to be a hectic 400 miles as they try to keep their championship hopes alive in Delaware.
The “Monster Mile” beckons. Here’s everything you need to know…
DOVER-SPECIFIC STATISTICS
1 – Brad Keselowski (No. 2 Wurth Ford)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 104.1
2014 Rundown
· Five wins, 12 top fives, 15 top 10s; five poles
· Average finish of 12.8
· Led 22 races for 1,418 laps
Dover International Speedway Outlook:
· One win, three top fives, three top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 14.4 in nine races
· Average Running Position of 13.8, 10th-best
· Driver Rating of 87.9, 11th-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 143.620 mph, 11th-fastest
2 – Joey Logano (No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Ford)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 106.8
2014 Rundown
· Four wins, 12 top fives, 17 top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 12.5
· Led 19 races for 794 laps
Dover International Speedway Outlook:
· Two top fives, seven top 10s
· Average finish of 14.7 in 11 races
· Average Running Position of 17.0, 17th-best
· Driver Rating of 81.3, 17th-best
3 – Kevin Harvick (No. 4 Budweiser Chevrolet)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 108.4
2014 Rundown
· Two wins, 10 top fives, 15 top 10s; six poles
· Average finish of 14.0
· Led 20 races for 1,369 laps
Dover International Speedway Outlook:
· Three top fives, 12 top 10s
· Average finish of 15.3 in 27 races
· Average Running Position of 15.8, 14th-best
· Driver Rating of 84.8, 14th-best
· 831 Green Flag Passes, second-most
· 4,556 Laps in the Top 15 (59.9%), ninth-most
· 393 Quality Passes, eighth-most
4 – Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe’s/KOBALT Tools Chevrolet)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 100.1
2014 Rundown
· Three wins, nine top fives, 17 top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 13.8
· Led 15 races for 1,035 laps
Dover International Speedway Outlook:
· Nine wins, 13 top fives, 18 top 10s; three poles
· Average finish of 8.4 in 25 races
· Series-best Average Running Position of 6.6
· Series-best Driver Rating of 122.5
· Series-high 1,069 Fastest Laps Run
· Series-best Average Green Flag Speed of 144.536 mph
· Series-high 6,661 Laps in the Top 15 (87.6%)
· 387 Quality Passes, 11th-most
5 – Kyle Busch (No. 18 Interstate Batteries Toyota)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 90.0
2014 Rundown
· One win, six top fives, 11 top 10s; two poles
· Average finish of 17.4
· Led 13 races for 411 laps
Dover International Speedway Outlook:
· Two wins, nine top fives, 12 top 10s
· Average finish of 14.4 in 19 races
· Average Running Position of 11.8, fifth-best
· Driver Rating of 105.3, third-best
· 413 Fastest Laps Run, fifth-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 144.166 mph, third-fastest
6 – Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 88 National Guard Chevrolet)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 98.2
2014 Rundown
· Three wins, 11 top fives, 17 top 10s
· Average finish of 10.8
· Led 12 races for 220 laps
Dover International Speedway Outlook:
· One win, six top fives, 11 top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 16.2 in 29 races
· Average Running Position of 17.4, 18th-best
· Driver Rating of 82.5, 16th-best
· 232 Fastest Laps Run, 10th-most
· 748 Green Flag Passes, 10th-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 143.547 mph, 12th-fastest
7 – Jeff Gordon (No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 109.5
2014 Rundown
· Three wins, 10 top fives, 18 top 10s; two poles
· Average finish of 10.3
· Led 19 races for 571 laps
Dover International Speedway Outlook:
· Four wins, 17 top fives, 24 top 10s; four poles
· Average finish of 11.7 in 43 races
· Average Running Position of 12.1, sixth-best
· Driver Rating of 94.5, sixth-best
· 289 Fastest Laps Run, eighth-most
· 783 Green Flag Passes, eighth-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 143.994 mph, fourth-fastest
· 5,815 Laps in the Top 15 (76.5%), third-most
· Series-high 521 Quality Passes
8 – Matt Kenseth (No. 20 Home Depot Husky Toyota)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 93.0
2014 Rundown
· 10 top fives, 17 top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 14.1
· Led 16 races for 465 laps
Dover International Speedway Outlook:
· Two wins, 14 top fives, 20 top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 13.0 in 31 races
· Average Running Position of 8.8, second-best
· Driver Rating of 108.3, second-best
· 461 Fastest Laps Run, third-most
· 726 Green Flag Passes, 12th-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 144.261 mph, second-fastest
· 6,224 Laps in the Top 15 (81.9%), second-most
9 – Carl Edwards (No. 99 Fastenal Ford)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 82.4
2014 Rundown
· Two wins, six top fives, 11 top 10s
· Average finish of 15.0
· Led 9 races for 133 laps
Dover International Speedway Outlook:
· One win, eight top fives, 12 top 10s
· Average finish of 10.2 in 20 races
· Average Running Position of 10.8, third-best
· Driver Rating of 100.0, fourth-best
· 491 Fastest Laps Run, second-most
· 786 Green Flag Passes, sixth-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 143.927 mph, sixth-fastest
· 5,374 Laps in the Top 15 (70.7%), sixth-most
· 519 Quality Passes, second-most
10 – AJ Allmendinger (No. 47 Hungry Jack / ACME Chevrolet)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 70.4
2014 Rundown
· One win, two top fives, four top 10s
· Average finish of 20.6
· Led 5 races for 68 laps
Dover International Speedway Outlook:
· Three top 10s
· Average finish of 22.8 in 13 races
· Average Running Position of 21.7, 27th-best
· Driver Rating of 75.4, 21st-best
11 – Kasey Kahne (No. 5 Farmers Insurance Chevrolet)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 88.6
2014 Rundown
· One win, three top fives, 10 top 10s
· Average finish of 16.4
· Led 10 races for 204 laps
Dover International Speedway Outlook:
· One top five, five top 10s
· Average finish of 21.0 in 21 races
· Average Running Position of 16.5, 16th-best
· Driver Rating of 80.4, 18th-best
· 311 Fastest Laps Run, sixth-most
· 792 Green Flag Passes, fifth-most
· 4,101 Laps in the Top 15 (53.9%), 12th-most
12 – Ryan Newman (No. 31 Quicken Loans “Design A Scheme” Chevrolet)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 84.9
2014 Rundown
· Two top fives, 10 top 10s
· Average finish of 14.3
· Led 4 races for 24 laps
Dover International Speedway Outlook:
· Three wins, six top fives, 12 top 10s; four poles
· Average finish of 13.6 in 25 races
· Average Running Position of 12.8, eighth-best
· Driver Rating of 88.1, 10th-best
· 4,978 Laps in the Top 15 (65.5%), seventh-most
· 375 Quality Passes, 12th-most
13 – Denny Hamlin (No. 11 FedEx Freight Toyota)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 90.4
2014 Rundown
· One win, six top fives, 12 top 10s; two poles
· Average finish of 15.7
· Led 12 races for 195 laps
Dover International Speedway Outlook:
· Three top fives, six top 10s; two poles
· Average finish of 19.6 in 17 races
· Average Running Position of 15.8, 15th-best
· Driver Rating of 83.3, 15th-best
14 – Greg Biffle (No. 16 Post-It Ford)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 79.8
2014 Rundown
· Three top fives, 10 top 10s
· Average finish of 15.6
· Led 6 races for 109 laps
Dover International Speedway Outlook:
· Two wins, six top fives, 11 top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 13.4 in 24 races
· Average Running Position of 11.8, fourth-best
· Driver Rating of 98.9, fifth-best
· 434 Fastest Laps Run, fourth-most
· 786 Green Flag Passes, sixth-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 143.959 mph, fifth-fastest
· 5,497 Laps in the Top 15 (72.3%), fifth-most
· 505 Quality Passes, third-most
15 – Kurt Busch (No. 41 Haas Automation Chevrolet)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 86.7
2014 Rundown
· One win, six top fives, eight top 10s
· Average finish of 19.4
· Led 11 races for 181 laps
Dover International Speedway Outlook:
· One win, six top fives, eight top 10s
· Average finish of 18.2 in 28 races
· Average Running Position of 13.4, ninth-best
· Driver Rating of 91.6, eighth-best
· 292 Fastest Laps Run, seventh-most
· 816 Green Flag Passes, fourth-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 143.741 mph, ninth-fastest
· 4,415 Laps in the Top 15 (58.1%), 10th-most
· 415 Quality Passes, sixth-most
16 – Aric Almirola (No. 43 Nathan’s Famous Ford)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 74.1
2014 Rundown
· One win, two top fives, seven top 10s
· Average finish of 20.4
· Led 5 races for 23 laps
Dover International Speedway Outlook:
· One top 10
· Average finish of 15.4 in five races
· Average Running Position of 17.7, 20th-best
· Driver Rating of 77.2, 20th-best
Dover International Speedway Track Data
Race 29 of 36
Oval, 1-mile
24 degrees of banking, turns
9 degrees of banking, straights
Straightaway Lengths: 1,076 feet, front and back
Race Length: 400 laps/400 miles
Top 10 Driver Ratings at Dover
*Compiled from 2005-2014 races among active drivers
Jimmie Johnson – 122.5
Matt Kenseth – 108.3
Kyle Busch – 105.3
Carl Edwards – 100.0
Greg Biffle – 98.9
Jeff Gordon – 94.5
Clint Bowyer – 92.1
Kurt Busch – 91.6
Martin Truex Jr. – 89.3
Ryan Newman – 88.1
Qualifying/Race Data
2013 pole winner: Dale Earnhardt Jr., 161.849 mph, 22.243 secs., 09.27.2013
2013 race winner: Jimmie Johnson, 130.909 mph (3 hours, 3 mins, 20 secs), 09.29.2013
Track qualifying record: Brad Keselowski, 164.444 mph, 21.892 secs., 06.01.2014
Track race record: Mark Martin, 132.719 mph (3 hours, 0 mins, 50 secs), 09.21.1997
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 89 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Dover International Speedway, one race in 1969 and 1970, two races per year since 1971.
· 381 drivers have competed in at least one NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Dover International Speedway; 274 in more than one.
· Ricky Rudd leads the series in starts at Dover with 56. Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers with 43 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.
· 38 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 nine wins (2002 sweep, fall 2005, 2009 sweep, 2010 fall, spring 2012, fall 2013 and spring 2014).
· 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 Motorsports has the most wins at Dover in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with 16: Jimmie Johnson (nine), 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 35 victories; followed by Ford with 25.
· 13 of the 89 (14.6%) 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 89 (31.4%) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Dover have been won from the front row: 13 from the pole and 15 from second-place.
· 70 of the 89 (78.6%) NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Dover have been won from a top-10 starting position.
· Five of the 89 (5.6%) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Dover have been won from a starting position outside the top 20 – most recently: Tony Stewart, spring 2013 (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 9.240.
· Jimmie Johnson leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in average finishing position at Dover with an 8.360.
· 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.
· Among the 12 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 27.
· 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 89 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Dover International Speedway have 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 2,976 laps led in 25 starts.
· If Jimmie Johnson leads 24 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.
NASCAR in Delaware
- There have been 89 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 the eight have recorded a victory in NASCAR national series competition.
