By the Numbers: Dover

By Josh Pate, NASCAR.COM
May 31, 2007
10:28 AM EDT

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Dover International Speedway is a place for change.

Matt Kenseth dominated both races last year, winning the June race and leading 215 laps in the fall before running out of gas. It was at Dover where he made his Cup debut, back in 1998.

Kyle Petty is fresh off a third-place finish in last week's Coca-Cola 600, his first top-five since 1997. And now he heads to Dover, site of his last Cup victory.

Ryan Newman is looking to get back on track. He's been winless in the Cup Series for more than a year, but at Dover he's got three victories. It's also the site of the sixth race in the Car of Tomorrow, a machine in which Newman has scored back-to-back top-10s.

But the biggest change that may be made at Dover this weekend is before Sunday's Autism Speaks 400 (1 p.m. ET, FOX) even begins.

On Saturday, following the Busch Series race, the fourth annual Track Walk will be held where fans can walk the surface of the speedway to help raise money for the NASCAR Foundation. Among the charities dedicated to raising awareness and funds for autism are the Hermie and Elliott Sadler Foundation and the Jamie McMurray Foundation.

In addition, Dover International Speedway will donate $5 to the Autism Speaks organization from each ticket purchased with a Visa card.

Autism Facts

1 in 150Children in America that have autism spectrum disorder, according to a 2007 Centers for Disease Control report.

4Males are four times more likely to have autism than females.

5Percent of families with one autistic child will have a second child with the disorder.

20-30Percent of children with autism develop epilepsy by the time they reach adulthood.

1.5 millionAmericans and their families are affected by autism.

$35 billionDollars annually it costs the U.S. to fight and successfully treat autism.

(Sources: Autism Society of America, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Strokes)

Interesting Fact

42Races at Dover in which Ricky Rudd has been running at the finish in his series-high 55 starts there. Only one other driver entered in Sunday's race has more than 42 starts at the track: Kyle Petty.

All the Facts

0Chevrolet drivers who have an average running position of better than 10th in the last four Dover races. Clint Bowyer's 10.253 is the best among bow tie drivers.

2Drivers who have led more than 2,000 laps there: Jeff Gordon (2,198) and Bill Elliott (2,047).

3Consecutive victories for Roush Fenway Racing in the June race at Dover: Mark Martin (2004), Greg Biffle (2005) and Matt Kenseth (2006).

4Consecutive Dover races that Tony Stewart has finished 15th or worse. In his 12 starts prior to that, he had 11 top-10 finishes and two victories.

6Different drivers have won the last six Dover races. Ryan Newman is the most recent repeat winner (both 2003 races and fall 2004).

6.635Average starting position for winners at Dover.

6.75Average finish for Greg Biffle in the last four Dover races. He won this race two years ago and hasn't finished worse than 13th since.

10Victories by Hendrick Motorsports at Dover, although Jimmie Johnson's win in 2005 was the only one by the team in the last eight races there. Hendrick has won all five COT races this season.

12Worst finish for Jeff Burton in the last four races at Dover, which he registered in the spring 2005 race. Since then, he's finished 11th, fourth and first at the Monster Mile.

14Former Dover winners who are on the entry list for Sunday's race, including four-time winners Bill Elliott, Jeff Gordon, Mark Martin and Ricky Rudd.

19Starting position for winners Matt Kenseth and Jeff Burton in last year's Dover races.

25.6Average finish for Casey Mears at Dover. His best showing came in the fall 2005 race when he was 10th. Mears won his first career race last week at Charlotte.

31Age Jamie McMurray will turn on Sunday.

59Races at Dover that have been won from a top-10 starting position of the 74 that have been run there.

181Green-flag passes by Kyle Petty in the past four Dover races, more than any other driver. Dover will be Petty's final race in the No. 45 before stepping into the broadcast booth for five of TNT's six races. He will drive and broadcast at Sonoma.

215Laps led by Jeremy Mayfield at Dover, more than any other driver who has not won there.

374Races since Kyle Petty's last victory, which came June 4, 1995, at Dover. Petty led 271 laps that day and beat Bobby Labonte. Petty's third-place finish in Sunday's Coca-Cola 600 was his best in 10 years.

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Winners (active drivers)

Year	Season	Driver	Make	Start

1985	S	Bill Elliott	Ford	4
1986	F	Ricky Rudd	Ford	11
1987	F	Ricky Rudd	Ford	13
1988	S	Bill Elliott	Ford	17
1988	F	Bill Elliott	Ford	3
1990	F	Bill Elliott	Ford	1
1991	S	Ken Schrader	Chevrolet	19
1992	F	Ricky Rudd	Chevrolet	6
1995	S	Kyle Petty	Pontiac	37
1995	F	Jeff Gordon	Chevrolet	2
1996	S	Jeff Gordon	Chevrolet	1
1996	F	Jeff Gordon	Chevrolet	3
1997	S	Ricky Rudd	Ford	13
1997	F	Mark Martin	Ford	1
1998	S	Dale Jarrett	Ford	4
1998	F	Mark Martin	Ford	1
1999	S	Bobby Labonte	Pontiac	1
1999	F	Mark Martin	Ford	8
2000	S	Tony Stewart	Pontiac	16
2000	F	Tony Stewart	Pontiac	27
2001	S	Jeff Gordon	Chevrolet	2
2001	F	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	Chevrolet	3
2002	S	Jimmie Johnson	Chevrolet	10
2002	F	Jimmie Johnson	Chevrolet	19
2003	S	Ryan Newman	Dodge	1
2003	F	Ryan Newman	Dodge	5
2004	S	Mark Martin	Ford	7
2004	F	Ryan Newman	Dodge	2
2005	S	Greg Biffle	Ford	2
2005	F	Jimmie Johnson	Chevrolet	5
2006	S	Matt Kenseth	Ford	19
2006	F	Jeff Burton	Chevrolet	19