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Dover Preview

Will it be Jimmie Johnson celebrating again like he did after winning the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.  [Matt Sullivan/Getty Images]

by Dan Margetta and John Wiedemann

The “Monster Mile” marks the halfway point of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series regular season as the Dover International Speedway hosts the FedEx 400 Benefiting Autism Speaks Sunday afternoon.

FedEx 400 Benefiting Autism Speaks
Dover International Speedway
400 miles (400 laps)
Sunday, June 1, 1 pm ET
FOX, 12:30 p.m. (ET)
MRN, Sirius XM Ch. 90
The one mile Dover track features high banked turns and fast intense racing leading some to label it a larger version of the Bristol Motor Speedway.

With the fast speeds, track position should be key as passing should be at a premium and the pressures could be on the pit crews to perform on the crucial final stop of the race.

Plus, the season is halfway to the start of the Chase and time will begin to run out soon for those still waiting to punch their ticket to the dance.

Here are some drivers to watch Sunday as the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series takes on the “Monster Mile” at Dover…

Matt Kenseth

Dan Margetta:  Last week Jimmie Johnson finally took his spot in the Chase by winning at Charlotte and this week it’s Matt Kenseth’s turn to join him.  Opening up in Vegas at 8-1 odds, he has a history of racing well at Dover and earlier this season he led laps and ran strong at Bristol. Kenseth and the #20 team have raced at the front of the field every week but have yet to close the deal on a victory. Last week he led late only to be run down by Jimmie Johnson and now the “when are you going to win?” questions are going to be directed his way. Dover is the place for Matt Kenseth to put those questions to rest and claim his first victory of the season.

Jimmie Johnson

John Wiedemann:  I said last week that I wouldn’t pick Jimmie Johnson until he won.  Well, guess what?  I’m picking Jimmie Johnson this week.  I also said that once he won, he could rattle off a number of victories.  This week’s event really is a great place for Johnson to make it two wins in a row.  With eight victories in eleven years, Johnson can get it done at Dover.  Johnson won his first two races at the track in his rookie season and won last fall’s event as well.  Right now, with an average finish of 8.7, no one runs Dover better than Johnson.  Throw in Pocono next week and we could be looking at three in a row for Johnson, but I’m getting ahead of myself – I’ll start with picking Johnson for the win this weekend.

Kyle Busch

DM:  A 7-1 shot to win this week, Kyle Busch takes a solid resume into Dover, topped off by two victories. More impressive is the fact he has finished no worse than seventh in seven of his last nine races here. Kyle Busch seems to shine on fast high banked race tracks like Dover and Bristol, where he also owns victories. Dover can be an intimidating circuit, but Kyle Busch seems to take the fight to these type of tracks and he should be considered a favorite this week.

Jeff Gordon

JW:  At one point last weekend it looked like Jeff Gordon could be in contention for his second win of the season.  Settling for a top ten when all was said and done, Gordon is having a banner year and should be considered a favorite week in and week out.  I would pick him this weekend as a solid top five finisher with a good shot at being in contention for a possible fifth win at Dover.  Gordon finished third and fourth at the two races in Dover last season and should be expected to accomplish the same results in 2014.

Carl Edwards

DM:  Carl Edwards has a single victory at Dover, coming back in 2007, but earlier this year, he claimed the top honors at Bristol. Las Vegas tabs him at 15-1 odds which seem a bit high considering his track record at concrete tracks like Dover, earning him the nickname “Concrete Carl.” Despite perceptions on the team’s performance and questions on Edward’s future, this team has nonchalantly gone about their business and rattled off some strong races including a fourth place finish last week at Charlotte.  Just when everyone thinks the #99 team is down and out, they seem to bounce back and surprise everyone. They could have another one of those surprises up their sleeve on Sunday and Carl Edwards could celebrate his second “concrete” victory of the season.

Dale Earnhardt Jr.

JW:  Dale Earnhardt Jr has kind of quietly faded from the top of the charts and currently is placed in fifth in the standings.  Solid consistent finishes have been the name of the game for Earnhardt and he can still bank on his Daytona 500 win to get him into the Chase.  But, Dover is a place where Junior can make some noise.  Earnhardt has two top fives and a finish no lower than eleventh in the last four races at Dover.  Last fall he scored the pole and finished second to teammate Johnson.  Will he win this weekend?  I would say no (I am sticking with Johnson).  Will he be in contention? Definitely.

Tony Stewart

DM:  There hasn’t been a lot of good things to write about Tony Stewart so far this year as the results haven’t been spectacular. However, his best race of the season was at Bristol where he finished fourth and Stewart brings the same chassis raced then to Dover this week. He’s listed at 30-1 odds to win and recently drove a sprint car for the first time since the accident that injured him. In the past, Stewart seemed to find his groove during the summer run which begins this week at Dover. A Tony Stewart victory would be extremely popular and with the 4th place Bristol chassis on a similar race track at Dover, it’s not out of the question.

Ryan Newman

JW:  Ryan Newman has three wins at Dover, which would make you think he should be in contention this week.  Although statistically he is in the top ten of active drivers, recently he has not run as well at the one mile track.  Those three wins came in the first six of the twenty-four races he has run at Dover.  What is really impressive is his average starting position, which is a solid top ten including four poles.  Now running with Richard Childress Racing, it will be interesting to see if Newman can return to some of his glory years at the Monster Mile.  I predict a top ten run for Newman this weekend.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

DM:  Quick question… we all know Carl Edwards won at Bristol, but who finished second? The answer is Ricky Stenhouse Jr. who also brings the same chassis to Dover this week. He’s a long shot at 100-1 odds to win but the Roush-Fenway cars have historically performed well at Dover and the track suits his hammer down driving style. If you’re looking for a sleeper pick for Dover this week, consider Stenhouse who could be tough at the “Monster Mile.”

Brian Vickers

JW:  Looking for another sleeper pick?  How about Brian Vickers?  When you look at his Dover stats, nothing jumps out at you.  He only led seven laps in his first race at the track in 2004 and hasn’t led a lap since.  Vickers best finish is fifth in the 2011 fall race and then he didn’t race at the track again for two years until last season when he finished twelfth.  But I just have a feeling that Vickers is going to run good this weekend.  Currently Vickers is eighth in the point standings and is having a career year with five top tens and an average finish of 13.8.  Watch Vickers in the #55, he’ll be in the mix.

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