Snapshot: Dover Chase Challenger Round finale

On the front row
1. Kevin Harvick, Stewart-Haas Racing No. 4 Chevrolet (162.933 mph)
2. Kyle Busch, Joe Gibbs Racing No. 18 Toyota (162.404 mph)
Full starting lineup

Fastest in practice
First practice: Kevin Harvick, Stewart-Haas Racing No. 4 Chevrolet (163.852 mph).
Second practice: Matt Kenseth, Joe Gibbs Racing No. 20 Toyota (155.649 mph).
Final practice: Harvick (157.089 mph).

Last year’s winner
Jimmie Johnson, Hendrick Motorsports No. 48 Chevrolet.

Driver rating

Best driver rating average at Dover based on past 19 races:
Johnson, 122.5
Kenseth, 108.3

Contender Round clinching scenarios
Only Team Penske teammates Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano have clinched spots in the Contender Round, the next three-race series in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup‘s new postseason system. For the other 14 drivers in the Chase, here are the finishes they’ll need in order to avoid being one of four eliminated drivers after Sunday’s Challenger Round finale, regardless of how other drivers finish:

— Kevin Harvick: 34th or better; or 35th and at least one lap led; or 36th and most laps led
— Jimmie Johnson: 24th or better; or 25th and at least one lap led; or 26th and most laps led
— Kyle Busch and Dale Earnhardt Jr.: 21st or better; 22nd and at least one lap led; or 23rd and most laps led
— Jeff Gordon: 14th or better; 15th and at least one lap led; 16th and most laps led
— Matt Kenseth and Carl Edwards: 2nd; or 3rd and most laps led
— AJ Allmendinger: 2nd
— Kasey Kahne: 2nd and at least one lap led
— Ryan Newman, Denny Hamlin, Greg Biffle, Kurt Busch and Aric Almirola only control their own destiny by winning Sunday at Dover.

Dover dominator: Odds-on favorite Jimmie Johnson carries an impressive portfolio into what will be his 26th start at Dover International Speedway: 9 wins, 3 Coors Light Pole Awards, 18 top-10 finishes and 2,976 laps led. He’ll start eighth Sunday in a bid for his third consecutive victory at the Monster Mile.

Milestone at the Monster: Kurt Busch will embark on his 500th start in NASCAR’s premier series in Sunday’s 400-miler. Busch — the series champion in 2004, the first year of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup — has one Dover victory among the 25 Cup wins in his 14-year career as a full-time driver. His Stewart-Haas Racing No. 41 Chevrolet will carry a special logo and paint scheme commemorating the achievement.

History lesson: The Monster Mile began life as Dover Downs International Speedway, a dual-purpose facility for motor sports and horse racing. The track hosted its first race for NASCAR’s premier series on July 6, 1969 with NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty winning the Mason-Dixon 300 by six laps. Other major developments in the venue’s lifetime include paving with concrete in 1995 and shortening the race distance from 500 to 400 miles in 1997.

They said it I: “The first goal was Chicago. The second goal was Loudon. This is just another box to check and then it all starts over again next week when we get to Kansas. I think you have to be aggressive to be just competitive first off so you can’t just sit on your hands and not race hard. For us, we really haven’t talked about what we are or aren’t going to do; it’s just kind of been the same plan all along: Go out and try to be the fastest in practice, fastest in qualifying and hopefully have a chance to win the race.” — Kevin Harvick, who topped two of the three practices and will start from the Coors Light Pole for the seventh time this season.

They said it II: “You’re always cognizant of that, I think just based off just how this points structure is and how it was to get in the Chase first of all through the first 26 weeks. You’ve got to be mindful of who you’re racing and what’s going on — sometimes of their situation and what’s at stake there. But, for us, it’s a top-20 finish on Sunday and we’re moving on.” — Kyle Busch, on keeping an eye on his fellow Chase competitors in Sunday’s race.

They said it III: “That’s good for me. Have you seen my qualifying this year? That’s a plus right there. Yeah, that’s not where we want to be, but that’s actually a little better than usual.” — Kasey Kahne, after claiming the 12th starting spot in Friday’s Coors Light Pole Qualifying.

Former Dover winners in the field: Jimmie Johnson (9); Jeff Gordon (4); Ryan Newman, Tony Stewart (3); Greg Biffle, Kyle Busch, Matt Kenseth (2); Kurt Busch, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Carl Edwards, Brad Keselowski, Martin Truex Jr. (1).

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