Mash The Gas: Dover

Brad Keselowski and Kyle Busch lead the field at the start of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series FedEx 400 Benefiting Autism Speaks at Dover International Speedway. [Credit: Sean Gardner/NASCAR via Getty Images]

by Dan Margetta and John Wiedemann

The first half of the “regular” NASCAR Sprint Cup season comes to an end Sunday afternoon with the FedEx 400 at Dover International Speedway.

The FedEx 400 is the 13th race of the season marks the halfway point to the start of the Chase for the Sprint Cup.

With nine drivers already finding victory lane in 2015 only seven Chase spots remain. Those without a win this season will have to tame Dover’s Monster Mile which is not an easy task on the one mile high banked oval.

Here are some drivers to watch Sunday in the FedEx 400.

Jimmie Johnson (Dan Margetta)

Jimmie Johnson is the king of Dover, having won a total of 9 times in his career. Johnson is coming off a disappointing run at Charlotte last week and he and the #48 team should be extra focused this week. Traditionally Jimmie Johnson follows up a not so stellar race with a strong performance and Dover is one of his best tracks performance wise. Look for Jimmie Johnson to be near the front on Sunday.

Jeff Gordon (John Wiedemann)

This weekend should be a great place for Jeff Gordon to capture his first win of the season and position himself well for the Chase. Gordon has five wins and has finished in the top five in over 40% of his starts at the “Monster Mile”. Gordon won the fall race at Dover and has four top four finishes in the last five events at Dover and seven top ten runs in the last nine points races this season. Look for the #24 to be mixing it up at the front of the pack.

Matt Kenseth (DM)

Last week Matt Kenseth said he “stole” his 4th place finish at Charlotte. Dover is one of Kenseth’s favorite tracks and he shouldn’t have to worry about snookering the field for a good finish. Dover is where Kenseth made his Cup debut with an impressive 6th place finish 17 years ago and he has since won multiple races on the Monster Mile. The Toyotas have shown some speed in recent weeks and Kenseth should be a contender on Sunday.

Greg Biffle (JW)

Greg Biffle has shown a light at the end of the tunnel for Roush Fenway Racing in the last couple weeks. At Charlotte, Biffle won a segment in the Sprint Showdown and finished second last weekend in the Coca-Cola 600. While that runner-up showing was based a bit on fuel mileage, Biffle was in the mix throughout the race. This week running at a track where he has won twice should be a good spot to showcase where the team and Biffle is at.

Martin Truex Jr. (DM)

The best driver and team without a victory in 2015 has been Martin Truex Jr. and the #78 Furniture Row team. This group had just been too good this year to not find victory lane despite losing out on potential wins late in races. Dover is where Truex captured his first Cup win and it’s been one of his better tracks. Sunday could be the day Martin Truex Jr. Finally breaks into the win column in 2015.

Kyle Busch (JW)

The only Sprint Cup Series driver for Joe Gibbs Racing yet to get a win this year is Kyle Busch. To be fair, he has only raced one points race this year. Coming back quickly from his injuries in the Daytona Xfinity Series race, Kyle finished 11th at Charlotte last weekend and in true Kyle Busch fashion, was not happy about the result. Kyle even noted in the interview that he was the only JGR driver not to be in the win column as teammate Carl Edwards celebrated in victory lane. Busch has two wins at Dover and with his fire to return to the series burning hot, I believe he will get another win this weekend. Busch’s stats show that in 20 starts he has finished in the top five 45% of the time and top ten 65% of the time. Busch is back and ready to do what it takes to make the Chase, he just needs a win and 169 points.

Kyle Larson (DM)

Kyle Larson hasn’t had the head-turning runs he had a year ago so far in 2015 but Dover might be the place he turns things around. The high banks of Dover could provide Larson a strong “cushion” to rim-ride around the Monster Mile. Time is running out on those drivers still without a win this season and Larson will look to finally score his elusive first Sprint Cup win on Sunday.

Tony Stewart (JW)

Speaking of making the Chase, Tony Stewart is all but out of even thinking about it. Currently 30th in points and nowhere near a win, his best finish was 6th at Bristol, Stewart has not figured out how to get this year’s car working on the track. Stewart has three wins at Dover with the first two coming in 2000 and the last one in the fall race of 2013, which was the last time he won a Sprint Cup Series race. Stewart’s issues in the last two seasons have been well documented but it is perplexing that this season has seen him fall so far off the mark. Looking at his drivers, Kevin Harvick is clearly the favorite to repeat as series champion, Kurt Busch has a win and is set for the Chase even after missing three races, and Danica Patrick is flirting with making the top sixteen in the standings- currently 18th. Dover should be a track where the entire Stewart-Haas team runs well. We will have to see if their owner can make a comeback this weekend.

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