At Dover, a little 'Big One' always looms as possibility (cont'd)

When cars in front of a driver spin, there's often no place to go. Kasey Kahne learned that last year, when Tony Stewart went sideways and pinned the No. 9 car against the wall. The aftermath of that accident wasn't nearly as entertaining as one at Dover in 1996, when NASCAR officials had to pull a screaming Jimmy Spencer away from Wally Dallenbach's car window after the two made contact and ignited a pileup behind them.

"It's one of those places that if you make a mistake, you're going to hit something most likely twice," said Kevin Harvick, 10th in the standings. "So it's not a forgiving racetrack, but it's a fun place to race."

Why so much action at a facility that at first glance seems so benign? "The corners are below the level of the straightaway, so you're launching off into the corner and then trying to get the car to slow down and turn, and then driving back up onto the straightaway. It's really an entertaining track, a fun track to drive on, but you're on the ragged edge, and that's why it's such a dangerous track," said reigning series Jimmie Johnson, tied with Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jeff Gordon at the top of the Chase standings.

"And then the track is a self-cleaning track as I've heard mentioned, and if you get in trouble and you lose it, you're going to hit something. It's a place that is very challenging. The risk-reward thing, you've got to risk every lap, and there's a chance you're going to bust your butt, so the reward is very small for a lot of guys. It's one of my favorite tracks. I really, really enjoy running there."

Strangely enough, so does everybody else. Dover's high speeds and claustrophobic quarters make for a unique challenge for drivers. Those in the Chase see it as a fitting obstacle for a potential champion to overcome.

"I'm glad that track is in the Chase," Burton said. "What's important for the Chase is a good cross-section of racetracks that we run at during the year. Dover is the kind of racetrack that is very demanding physically, emotionally and structurally for the racecar. I think it fits in the Chase. It's an example of a racetrack that demands the most out of everything, and I think that is what racing is all about."