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Bobby Labonte has made a habit of climbing into a racecar.By the Numbers: Dover
Labonte reaches milestone, but keeps on digging
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Dover marks Round 2 of the 10-race Chase for the Nextel Cup, and perhaps nobody knows that more than Jeff Gordon.
After heading to Richmond two weeks ago with a 317-point lead, he had it all erased and left with a 20-point deficit once the Chase standings were reset and bonus points were rewarded. Now he's evened the score, pulling into a tie with teammate Jimmie Johnson atop the charts heading into Sunday's Dodge Dealers 400 at Dover (1 p.m. ET, ABC).
Yet one driver continues to chase Gordon week after week in a quest that may one day prove to be all for naught because each time Bobby Labonte gets one step closer, Gordon takes one step farther away.
Interesting Fact
499Consecutive starts for Bobby Labonte entering Sunday's race at Dover. Jeff Gordon is the only active driver who has more consecutive starts in the Cup Series with 500.
Fun Fact
2States in which the town of Delmar lies: Delaware and Maryland. Its nickname is the "little town too big for one state."
All the Facts (Top 20 at Dover, June '07)
1Martin Truex Jr.'s first career victory eventually led to three consecutive top-three finishes, and four in a five-race stretch. The run moved Truex from 16th to ninth in the standings, setting him up for a lock in the Chase. Average finish: 9.7 (three starts).
2Ryan Newman scored the first of consecutive runner-up finishes with his strong performance (135 laps led) at Dover in June. It was also the swing race of a three-event stretch of three consecutive poles. He's won three times at Dover with eight top-10s. Average finish: 8.4 (11 starts).
3Carl Edwards' last two visits to Dover have resulted in a second-place finish last fall and a third in the June race this year, clearly his best performances at the track. He's been privy to concrete this year, winning at Bristol and cruising on the white-surfaced Busch Series tracks. Average finish: 10.5 (six starts).
4Denny Hamlin's Dover performance came amid a streak in which he recorded 10 top-10 finishes in 12 races. His worst finish at Dover is 11th in the 2006 June race, yet he's never led at the mile track. Average finish: 8.0 (three starts).
5Matt Kenseth has been hit or miss at Dover. In his career he has 10 top-10s yet he also has six finishes of 15th or worse. A victory in 2006 has started a string of three consecutive top-10 runs at the track. Average finish: 14.2 (17 starts).
6Greg Biffle shined one of his few bright stars at Dover earlier this year, one of seven top-10s on the season. In his last six races at the concrete oval, he's finished no worse than 13th, including a victory in 2005. Average finish: 14.0 (10 starts).
7Mark Martin is one of just two drivers on Dover's entry list who has four victories at the track (Jeff Gordon is the other). It's Martin's top-10s that set him apart. He has 26, tied with Ricky Rudd, who is not racing this week. Average finish: 12.9 (42 starts).
8Clint Bowyer's finished eighth at Dover in his last two trips there, leading two laps in June's event. Since then, he's finished worse than 20th just one time (New Hampshire, July). Average finish: 11.0 (three starts).
9Jeff Gordon's early-summer shine began to wind down with his ninth at Dover in June. He won the following week, but hasn't visited Victory Lane since. He has won four times at Dover, including three consecutive. Two top-10s in the last two races there snapped a slide of four 12th-or-worse finishes in five races. Average finish: 12.4 (29 starts).
10Robby Gordon notched one of his two top-10s this season when the series visited Dover in June (his other was a fifth at Watkins Glen). Otherwise, the track has been rough on Gordon, including a stretch of five consecutive finishes of 29th or worse before his June run. Average finish: 24.1 (12 starts).
11Kasey Kahne led 28 laps at Dover in June, one of only five races he has put the No. 9 up front this season. Kahne has more DNFs at Dover (four) than finishes (three) and has scored just one top-10. Average finish: 24.3 (seven starts).
12Jeff Burton came close to his 13.6 average finish this season with a 12th-place run at Dover in June. As for the fall race, he's the defending winner. He has five consecutive finishes of 12th or better at Dover. Average finish: 17.3 (27 starts).
13Casey Mears followed his Coca-Cola 600 victory with a 13th-place run at Dover earlier this year. He then rolled off consecutive fourth-place finishes, all of which helped move him from 35th to 15th in the standings. His best Dover finish is 10th in 2005. Average finish: 24.2 (nine starts).
14David Ragan made his Cup Series debut in this race a year ago, crashing his way to a 42nd-place finish. The June result was much better, albeit a lap down, with a 14th-place showing. Average finish: 28.0 (two starts).
15Jimmie Johnson could mark Dover as a mid-summer catalyst for mediocrity. Including his 15th, he earned just two top-10s in an eight-race span. He does, however, have three Dover victories (two in his first two starts there) and seven top-10s. Average finish: 11.7 (11 starts).
16Sterling Marlin scored one of just five top-20 finishes this season before ultimately losing his ride before the DEI/Ginn merger. Marlin's finish was the second-best of the season. He is not entered in Sunday's race. Average finish: 20.4 (43 starts).
17Kyle Busch's Dover race was a jump-start to his Chase push. After Dover, he went 12 consecutive races -- and 13 of 14 -- without a finish worse than 13th. Prior to the June race and last fall's 40th-place DNF, Busch had three consecutive top-fives at Dover. Average finish: 13.2 (five starts).
18Bobby Labonte has finished in the top 20 each Dover race since moving to Petty Enterprises in 2006, scoring a seventh-place finish in this race a year ago. He's got 11 top-fives and 14 top-10s and has led 143 laps. Average finish: 15.6 (30 starts).
19Brian Vickers' top-20 finish at Dover was one of seven in his 17 starts this season. In his Dover career, he has one top-10 finish, a sixth-place run in the 2005 June race. Average finish: 21.7 (seven starts).
20Kevin Harvick has led 133 laps at Dover, all of them coming in the 2003 fall race when he started third and finished fourth. He has just two top-five finishes at Dover. Average finish: 17.8 (13 starts).
All the Facts (Notables at Dover, June '07)
28Michael Waltrip finished five laps down in 28th in just his second start of the season (13th race on the schedule). Average finish: 21.4 (43 starts).
32Johnny Sauter led his first lap of the season at Dover. He's led three laps this year, and five in his 58-race Cup Series career. Average finish: 26.0 (two starts).
37J.J. Yeley has the highest average Dover finish among drivers entered in Sunday's race. Average finish: 33.5 (four starts).
40Tony Stewart earned his worst finish this year aside from the season-opening Daytona 500 when he finished 43rd after a crash. Average finish: 10.7 (17 starts).
42Kurt Busch was parked on Lap 273 after making on-track contact with Tony Stewart, then intentionally hitting Stewart's parked car on pit road during the caution. Average finish: 20.1 (14 starts).
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Dover International Speedway
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 |
| 2007 | S | Martin Truex Jr. | Chevrolet | 26 |
Nextel Cup Series
Official Standings
| Pos. | +/- | Driver | Points | Behind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | -- | Jimmie Johnson | 5210 | Leader |
| 2. | -- | Jeff Gordon | 5210 | Leader |
| 3. | -- | Tony Stewart | 5200 | -10 |
| 4. | +8 | Clint Bowyer | 5195 | -15 |
| 5. | +4 | Kyle Busch | 5175 | -35 |
| 6. | +1 | Martin Truex Jr. | 5170 | -40 |
| 7. | +1 | Matt Kenseth | 5156 | -54 |
| 8. | -4 | Carl Edwards | 5147 | -63 |
| 9. | -3 | Denny Hamlin | 5128 | -82 |
| 10. | +1 | Kevin Harvick | 5122 | -88 |
| 11. | -1 | Jeff Burton | 5119 | -91 |
| 12. | -7 | Kurt Busch | 5108 | -102 |
• Complete Standings click here
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