Monster Mile not easy for hungry Busch regulars

For a mile racetrack that most consider a narrow and difficult circuit and everyone calls "The Monster," it's pretty tough to find someone who says they just absolutely hate Dover.

Then again, nobody said it's easy, either.

"Dover's a tough track, and definitely deserves the name the 'Monster Mile,'" said Shane Huffman, who was introduced to the concrete creature last fall when he started 20th but blew a tire and ended in 36th in Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s No. 88 Chevrolet. "It wasn't too kind to me last year, but I've learned a lot since then."

By the Numbers

Casey Mears has gotten all the attention this week after his first career Cup victory. But he hasn't been a slouch in the Busch Series, either.

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It hasn't been a smoother ride, however. Huffman has just two finishes inside the top 20 over the last six races. He's currently 21st in the standings.

But few Busch drivers have walked tall in the series this season.

Thirteen races into the year and no Busch-only driver has won a race. Regan Smith is the only Busch regular inside the top 10 in points, sitting fifth at 682 points out of the lead. Yet Smith is competing on a limited schedule in the Cup Series, too.

Bobby Hamilton Jr. sits 12th in the standings as the highest non-Cup driver. Marcos Ambrose is behind him.

Dover, however, likely isn't the answer that's going to turn things around.

The last three races have been won by Cup drivers, and in dominating fashion. Ryan Newman nearly led wire-to-wire to win the fall 2005 race, running up front for all but seven laps. Last June it was Jeff Burton returning to Victory Lane for the second time in a resurgent season. And in the fall it was Clint Bowyer who broke back into the win column for the first time all season.

Of those, only Burton will be racing in Saturday's Dover 200 (2:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2).

"That was a late-race battle we had with Matt Kenseth that worked out for us," he said of last year's victory. "That was a heck of a race. We were two-wide and then three-wide. There was a lot of excitement. That was a really gratifying day." (Continued)