DOVER, Del. -- It only took one trip to the high banks of Dover International Speedway for Jimmie Johnson to fall in love with the Monster Mile.
To most, it’s one of the more monstrous of tracks. To Johnson, it was "heaven." "I remember (fellow competitor) Gary St. Amant looking at me and his eyes were like pancakes," Johnson recalled Friday. "And he was like 'We shouldn't be here. This is too fast. This is crazy. Jumping into the turns and jumping off the turns.' "And I'm like dude, I'm in heaven. This is awesome. So, since my first laps here in an ASA car, I fell in love with it." RELATED: Johnson: We're victims of our own success Thus began a 15-year love affair with the Delaware track that has produced 11 Miles the Monster winner trophies for Johnson. It also is coincidently the site of Johnson's last win in the Monster Energy Series, marking nearly a year since the No. 48 has tabbed a win. If there's any place to snap a winless streak for Johnson & Co., it's at the Monster Mile, where Johnson says he can "relax a little bit more" with his prowess. But he may have competitors within his own group, particularly with his teammate Chase Elliott, who nearly grabbed his first Monster Energy Series win at Dover last fall after leading 138 laps. His other teammates Alex Bowman and William Byron could also be in the mix to bring much-needed rain to Hendrick's recent drought. RELATED: Elliott on past success at Dover Which will tame the Monster? Let's take a look at each of the Hendrick Motorsports drivers' outlooks and odds heading into Sunday's race. Jimmie Johnson: Johnson has the best driving rating (118.0) at the Monster Mile and has led more than 3,000 laps around the 1-mile oval. With his dirt background, Johnson knows better than anyone in the field how to get around the Monster's slick curves; the key for him is the car, which he addressed as being "important" to winning at Dover. He surprisingly qualified just 19th, but given Johnson's track prowess and the track constantly changing throughout the weekend, that shouldn't be too much of a factor. If Johnson likes his car Sunday, his odds at snapping a losing streak increase dramatically. A favorite to win Sunday? Yes. Chase Elliott: Last year's near-win wasn't a fluke for the No. 9 driver; he's finished every Monster Energy Series race that he's run at Dover in the top five, giving him a wild average finish of 3.3. In his four events run, he's also spent 93.5 percent of laps run in the top 15. A strong average starting position (sixth) on his side, Elliott should be able to get up front -- and quickly. With the thought of avenging last year's heartbreak, the young driver could turn a string of career runner-ups into his first-ever Monster Energy Series win by taming the Monster at Dover. A favorite to win Sunday? Yes. William Byron: This marks Byron's first trip to Dover International Speedway in a Monster Energy Series car. He finished 18th at Bristol (the most similar track to Dover on the circuit) earlier this year and both of his Xfinity starts at the Monster Miles resulted in top-six finishes. The No. 24 has shown increased speed throughout the weekend; after qualifying 17th, he placed in the top 10 in final practices. He also ranked sixth on the 10-lap average chart in the pair of final practices, suggesting long-run speed. But Dover is tricky and tough for a rookie that doesn't know how to quite get around the concrete surface in a Cup car. A favorite to win Sunday? No. Alex Bowman: Bowman nabbed a season-best fifth-place at Bristol earlier this year and has an average finish of 10.75 at tracks 1 mile or less in length. Sunday will be the 25-year-old's first start at the Monster Mile behind the wheel of a Hendrick Motorsports-owned vehicle, so there are still plenty of unknowns. Despite the 15th-place starting position (second-best among his teammates), his team appeared to struggle a bit in final practice, ranking 23rd after 47 laps. A favorite to win Sunday? No. MORE: Is this the week Chevrolet finds speed?