Chat with race fans as all three series head to the Monster Mile this weekend
Vehicles in all three national series to sport organization’s decal
Race Centers: Sprint Cup | XFINITY | Camping World Truck
For the first time since the season-opening races at Daytona International Speedway, all three national series — NASCAR Sprint Cup, XFINITY and Camping World Truck — will race on the same weekend at Dover International Speedway this Friday through Sunday.
Heading into Sunday’s FedEx 400 benefiting Autism Speaks (1 p.m. ET, FOX Sports 1, MRN, SiriusXM), 63 teams across all three series will proudly display the Autism Speaks puzzle piece decal on their vehicles throughout the weekend.
Denny Hamlin, driver of the No. 11 FedEx Cares Toyota, will also include Autism Speaks artwork on his car’s primary FedEx Cares paint scheme. Hamlin and his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Matt Kenseth have launched a text-to-pledge campaign to help raise awareness for Autism Speaks. Through Sunday, fans are encouraged to make a donation by texting RACING to 30644 to get started. Visit www.AutismSpeaks.org/Racing for more information.
In total, 27 drivers from the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, 16 drivers from the NASCAR XFINITY Series and 20 drivers from the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series are participating:
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Jamie McMurray – No. 1 McDonald’s/Cessna Chevrolet
Austin Dillon – No. 3 DOW Chevrolet
Kevin Harvick – No. 4 Ditech Chevrolet
Alex Bowman – No. 7 Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet
Sam Hornish Jr. – No. 9 Twisted Tea Ford
Danica Patrick – No. 10 GoDaddy Chevrolet
Denny Hamlin – No. 11 FedEx Cares Toyota
Tony Stewart – No. 14 Code 3 Associates/Mobil 1 Chevrolet
Clint Bowyer – No. 15 AAA Insurance Toyota
Greg Biffle – No. 16 Safety-Kleen Ford
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – No. 17 Ford Ecoboost Ford
Kyle Busch – No. 18 Skittles Toyota
Matt Kenseth – No. 20 Dollar General Toyota
JJ Yeley – No. 23 Dr. Pepper Toyota
Jeb Burton – No. 26 Maxim Fantasy Sports Toyota
Paul Menard – No. 27 Pittsburgh Paints/Menards Chevrolet
Ryan Newman – No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet
Brian Scott – No. 33 ACME/Kraft Singles Chevrolet
Kurt Busch – No. 41 Haas Automation Chevrolet
Kyle Larson – No. 42 Target Chevrolet
Aric Almirola – No. 43 WinField Ford
Michael Annett – No. 46 Pilot Flying J Chevrolet
AJ Allmendinger – No. 47 Scott Products Chevrolet
Justin Allgaier – No. 51 Fraternal Order of Eagles/AccuDoc Solutions Chevrolet
David Ragan – No. 55 Aaron’s Ford
Martin Truex Jr. – No. 78 Furniture Row/Visser Precision Chevrolet
Matt DiBenedetto – No. 83 Burger King Toyota Camry
NASCAR XFINITY Series
Brian Scott – No. 2 ACME/Kraft Singles Chevrolet
Ty Dillon – No. 3 WESCO Chevrolet
Darrell Wallace Jr. – No. 6 Ford EcoBoost Ford
Blake Koch – No. 8 LeafFilter Gutter Protection Toyota Camry
Cale Conley – No. 14 Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) Toyota Camry
Jeff Green – No. 19 TriStar Motorsports Toyota Camry
Eric McClure – No. 24 Reynolds Wrap Toyota Camry
John Wes Townley – No. 25 Zaxby’s Chevrolet
Austin Dillon – No. 33 Rheem Chevrolet
Brennan Poole – No. 42 DC Solar Chevrolet
Dakoda Armstrong – No. 43 WinField Ford
David Starr – No. 44 Zachry Toyota Camry
Jeremy Clements – No. 51 RepairableVehicles.com/AllSouthElectric.com Chevrolet
Chris Buescher – No. 60 Roush Performance Products Ford
Brendan Gaughan – No. 62 South Point Hotel & Casino Chevrolet
Peyton Sellers – No. 97 Vroom Brands Chevrolet
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
Ryan Ellis – No. 1 MAKE Motorsports Chevrolet
Tyler Young – No. 2 Randco Industries/Young’s Building Systems Chevrolet
Erik Jones – No. 4 Special Olympics World Games Toyota
John Wes Townley – No. 5 Zaxby’s Chevrolet
Norm Benning – No. 6 Norm Benning Racing Chevrolet
Ray Black, Jr. – No. 7 ScubaLife.com Chevrolet
Korbin Forrister – No. 8 Green Light Racing Chevrolet
John Hunter Nemechek –No. 8 MeetBall Chevrolet
Jennifer Jo Cobb – No. 10 POW-MIAFamilies.org Chevrolet
Ben Kennedy – No. 11 Local Motors Toyota
Cameron Hayley – No. 13 Cabinets by Hayley Toyota
Daniel Hemric – No. 14 California Clean Power Chevrolet
Timothy Peters – No. 17 Red Horse Racing Toyota
Tyler Reddick – No. 19 Broken Bow Records Ford
Ryan Blaney – No. 29 Cooper Standard Ford
Travis Kvapil, – No. 50 BurnieGrill.com Chevrolet
Daniel Suarez – No. 51 Arris Toyota
Justin Boston – No. 54 ROKMobile.com Toyota
Matt Crafton – No. 88 Rip It/Menards Toyota
Johnny Sauter – No. 98 Smokey Mountain Herbal Snuff/Curb Records Toyota
Team hopes to be back in building before Sonoma
CONCORD, N.C. – Leavine Family Racing officials expect to continue working out of Team Penske‘s headquarters in Mooresville, North Carolina, for at least a few more weeks as repairs continue at the team’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series shop.
Earlier this month the LFR shop, located behind Charlotte Motor Speedway, sustained significant fire damage to the rear of the building. Four Sprint Cup Series cars were damaged in the blaze, but team officials said those cars were not primary vehicles the team intended to field for upcoming races.
"It’s a lot of running back and forth," crew chief Wally Rogers said Sunday at Charlotte Motor Speedway. "I’ve tried to divide up my guys to do what we need to do up at Team Penske and do what we can at our place.
"Luckily the rear of the building was the only part that was damaged and they’re working to get us back in as soon as possible."
LFR fields the No. 95 Ford for driver Michael McDowell and is running a limited schedule. McDowell, 30, has made seven starts this year in eight attempts.
The team is not scheduled to compete at the next three Sprint Cup events — at Dover, Pocono and Michigan — and with an off weekend in the mix, will have four weeks to prepare for its next race at Sonoma Raceway.
"We’re hoping by the time we’re headed to Sonoma, we’ll be back in our shop, if not sooner," Rogers said. "We really appreciate Team Penske for what they’ve allowed us to do… but you know, you want to work out of your own shop if at all possible."
Would join Earnhardt, Pearson, Petty, Waltrip with double-digit wins at a track
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See how the rookie meeting has evolved over the years
RELATED: Labonte’s crash still impacts rookies | Youngest, oldest rookie winners
One by one, before the first engine has fired and the first car has hit the track, they gather in the NASCAR hauler parked inside the garage.
It’s a scene repeated every weekend when NASCAR rolls into town.
Their levels of experience often differ quite a bit. There are champions and those with numerous starts in lower series seated alongside those with limited experience and much less success.
Yet here everyone is treated the same. And everyone carries the same label — rookie.
• • •
"A lot of stuff happens fast here," Richard Buck, NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series managing director, tells the group that’s gathered on a cool, damp Friday morning at Martinsville Speedway.
Each driver has been given several sheets of paper showing diagrams that include the placement of timing and commitment lines, pit entrance and exit and the proper route to enter and exit pit road from the garage area.
It’s information that is track-specific. While the basic processes that take place during any given race weekend are relatively the same, there are certain details at each venue that those with limited experience need to know.
Proper procedures are explained and advice is doled out.
"Use your hand signals so you don’t start to slow down and get all jammed up and have somebody’s radiator in your backseat," Buck tells the drivers.
Each week, a veteran driver will also attend the meetings to offer pointers and answer any questions a rookie driver might have. At Martinsville, 2004 premier series champion Kurt Busch was on hand.
"Those of you that have made laps around here before, you know how quick it is," Busch said of the series’ shortest venue. "It’s an awkward track. There’s no other place that really compares to this. So the thing you have to do is to get comfortable with the surroundings."
Busch said he would often walk around tracks "even if I’ve been here before" to reinforce the information given during the meeting.
"Have your spotters communicate to you where the holes are when you pull out … your tires will be ice cold here … they won’t help you do much turning when you get into (Turns) 3 and 4 … but if you’re consciously making an effort to warm up your tires, somebody’s going to be right on your bumper and it’s going to be chaos," he said.
Busch also urged them to take note of the commitment and blend lines at Martinsville. "It’s the same Turn 2 line that’s painted at Bristol," he said later. "But at Bristol, you have two pit roads (one on the frontstretch and one on the backstretch). It’s the same line in the same place and it means two different things."
Drivers’ left-side tires must touch the blend line near Turn 2 at Martinsville before pulling up onto the track. A similar line at Bristol signifies the pit entrance on the backstretch — touching any portion of it without proceeding onto pit road will result in a commitment line violation.
"Now they’ll go to Bristol (in two weeks)," Busch said, "and they need to remember."
• • •
So what constitutes a rookie in the eyes of NASCAR?
In most cases, it’s up to the discretion of the series director and is based on the individual’s prior experience.
Matt DiBenedetto, 23, made his first Sprint Cup Series start this year after running the bulk of the races (29 of 33) in the XFINITY Series last season.
Brett Moffitt, 22, made seven Sprint Cup Series starts in 2014. Between 2009 and 2013 he made just one XFINITY Series start and two in the Camping World Truck Series.
Both are among those competing for this year’s Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award in Sprint Cup, along with Jeb Burton, Tanner Berryhill and Alex Kennedy.
To be eligible for the Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award, a driver must attempt to qualify in at least eight of the first 20 points races. A 10-1 point system, separate from the NASCAR championship driver points format, is used for scoring rookies in each race. The highest finishing rookie receives 10 points, second highest receives nine, etc. Only the top 17 finishes by each driver count toward his or her points total at the end of the year.
Bonus points are also awarded for attempts, finishing inside the top 10 and upon the completion of the final race of the season.
A panel then grades each rookie on conduct with officials, conduct and awareness on the track, personal appearance and relationship with the media. Points awarded by the panel are then averaged and added to each driver’s total, and the driver with the most points is the Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award recipient.
Jeb Burton is one of five rookies this year in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.
• • •
Of course, it wasn’t always that way.
In 1959, Darlington Raceway, in conjunction with sponsor Pure Oil (later to become Union 76), debuted the Darlington Record Club. Members were those that had qualified highest for each auto manufacturer during time trials for the annual Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. Special recognition went to those that established track records there as well.
While NASCAR had been selecting a rookie of the year for nearly a decade — Rocky Mount, North Carolina’s Blackie Pitt was the first recipient in 1954 –- the Union 76/Darlington Record Club was eventually tasked with monitoring the progress of rookie drivers on the uniquely shaped, treacherous 1.366-mile track.
What began as an effort between driver Glenn "Fireball" Roberts and NASCAR official John Bruner Sr., to observe new drivers eventually evolved into a panel of Record Club members whose job was to either pass or fail those drivers attempt to make their Southern 500 debuts.
(It’s worth noting that the club also played a crucial role in requiring all drivers to complete a physical examination before being allowed to compete at Darlington. Today, a physical examination is mandatory for all three national series prior to the start of each season.)
Before the Record Club came into existence, "you just went down there and run," said NASCAR Hall of Fame member Richard Petty, a seven-time NASCAR premier series champion and winner of the 1967 Southern 500.
"(The Record Club) was good public relations. It gave those (rookies) something they had to do. Indianapolis (home of the Indianapolis 500) always had a rookie test you had to pass before you could go out and run. Well, we said if they can do it, we can do it, too.
"Back then, (Darlington) was a one-groove track through (Turns) 3 and 4, which is now 1-2. We’d explain what you had to do to pass people or let people pass you. Then you just said, ‘OK, now go out and run.’ "
To pass the test, drivers new to the series were required to run within a percentage of a pre-determined speed. "If we were running 130 mph," Petty said, "they would have to run 125 or something like that. Then they’d go out and run six or eight laps on the track by themselves."
"It was a little easier to show up at Daytona with a car even though you may not have that much experience and get in the race," three-time series champion and NASCAR Hall of Fame member Darrell Waltrip said.
"But they really observed you. If you were somebody new that they didn’t know and you showed up at the track, they’d have some drivers that would kind of see how you did, see if you could handle the track and the speed and all that. There was always somebody watching you, but Darlington was the only official test we took."
The panel would make its recommendations to NASCAR, but it was up to Bruner, a former flagman who eventually became Chief Steward for the sanctioning body, to make the final call.
Richard Petty, who won the Southern 500 in 1967, used to show rookies the ropes at the iconic track.
• • •
In 1976, the Record Club’s competition panel began overseeing the rookie program.
Nearly a decade later, one of racing’s greatest figures found himself labeled a rookie, and was required to go through the orientation process.
Far from being a rookie, Anthony Joseph Foyt, better known simply as A.J., already had seven NASCAR premier series wins to his credit including a victory in the 1972 Daytona 500.
But Foyt, a four-time winner of the Indy 500 as well, had never raced at Darlington.
"I am going to Darlington as a bonafide rookie. I don’t want anything waived," Foyt told the press prior to his debut. "Why should I be different than anybody else? I know a lot of guys would have too much pride and ego to take the rookie test, but I’m not that type of person."
NASCAR driver Ricky Rudd was the president of the Record Club at that time. Among the members of the competition panel were fellow drivers Waltrip and Buddy Baker.
"Buddy and I and I forget who else, we observed A.J. Foyt and we flunked him his first day," Waltrip said. "Well, we told him we flunked him.
"I told Buddy, I said ‘Go down there and tell A.J. that we’re going to have to have a meeting about his test because I’m not sure he passed.’ Buddy looked at me and said ‘Do you think I’m crazy? You go down there and tell him.’ "
Foyt passed the test, eventually finishing 25th in his only Southern 500 start.
• • •
Ken Schrader, a four-time race winner in NASCAR’s premier series, was in that same rookie class with Foyt in 1985.
Schrader posted three top-10 finishes that year en route to winning the Rookie of the Year title, beating out Eddie Bierschwale and Don Hume.
Twice he served as president of the Record Club.
"Yeah, I got elected president one time, then got elected president another time because at the banquet in Darlington I sat in the back and drank with the wrong group," the fun-loving Schrader said. "I was sitting with, I think, Phil Holmer and T. Wayne (Robertson) and some Unocal folks."
Holmer was a Goodyear representative while Robertson headed up series sponsor R.J. Reynolds sports marketing arm.
"They threw my ass right in," Schrader said of his election. "My acceptance speed, I stood up and said ‘This is (expletive)!’
"But the rookie meetings were neat. We’d just go in there, talk about the do’s and don’ts for the tracks. Some of it was repetitious obviously but then there was so much about each individual track and it was the first time that some of those guys went to those tracks. Because back then not everybody then came through the Truck or (XFINITY) Series.
"Now, hell, you’re a rookie at a race, you’ve been to how many places (already)? You’ve probably raced there in some other series.
"So it’s a little different now."
Find out why this story still resonates with young drivers
RELATED: Evolution of rookie meeting | Youngest, oldest rookie winners
A 2005 crash involving Bobby Labonte at Pocono Raceway continues to serve as a reminder for rookie drivers today in NASCAR’s three national series.
"We were getting ready to put right-side glasses in the trucks when we were going to Talladega," NASCAR XFINITY Series Director Wayne Auton said. "We’d never run right-side windows in the trucks before. I was talking to Bobby about some stuff to help us get ready to go down there and one of the things he brought up was about running the right-side glass.
"I sort of questioned about why we should be worried about the right-side glass. And he said, ‘well what happened to me was … I got pinned up against the outside wall (on the) driver’s side.’ There was so much smoke inside the car he got disoriented … and couldn’t get out of the car."
As a result of the incident, Labonte set out to correct the problem, meeting with former crew chief Jimmy Makar one evening at the Joe Gibbs Racing shop.
"He told me that he crawled in the car, buckled himself in and then told Jimmy to turn off the lights," Auton said. "He started to get out of the car and … hooked himself on something. So he stopped and told Jimmy to turn on the lights. They adjusted some things he crawled back in the car, buckled back in, turned off the lights. Started to come out again, got hooked on something, stopped, turned on lights, adjusted that, sat back down … and he came out of the car.
"He said he tried that two or three times just to make sure he knew where everything was in the car."
Makar, now senior vice president of racing operations at JGR, said the biggest issue for the driver was the bars inside the car and locating the window release on the right side.
"You have to crawl over them and you have to find the window release; that was hard to do," Makar said. “When you’re in a panic and trying to do it, it’s not intuitive.
"Crawling over those bars is hard enough, but those two things combined, that was something that he said on his own that ‘we need to figure this out. I need to be able to do this better.’
"Most of the stuff that’s in the way is stuff that has to be there. The bars, the way the seats are with the headrest, it makes it very hard to get through that space.
"It’s just a matter of figuring you the best way to maneuver yourself, headfirst or feet first, what part is first? And that was mostly it, just doing it. And not having to do it in a panic the first time."
Auton relates the importance of being able to exit the vehicle from the right side each time he oversees a rookie meeting where the right-side windows are required (all tracks 1.5 miles or larger). Locks are attached to a strap that, when pulled from the inside, release the window.
"The driver can take it out from the inside or the safety teams or crews can take it off from the outside," Auton said. "… We don’t want it locked to where the driver can’t have access to remove it."
"Most think you just crawl in your car and you drive it and you don’t worry about nothing. We try to explain to them that it’s as important getting out of your car as it is getting in it. Because there might be that one time that you need to go out the right side."
A stats-based preview for Sunday’s race (1 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN, SiriusXM)
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (May 26, 2015) — Below is a look at some of the top statistical performers at Dover International Speedway in Dover, Delaware going into the FedEx 400 Benefiting Autism Speaks on May 31 (1 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1).
Greg Biffle (No. 16 Safety-Kleen Ford)
· Two wins, six top fives, 11 top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 13.7
· Average Running Position of 12.1, seventh-best
· Driver Rating of 97.4, fifth-best
· 435 Fastest Laps Run, fourth-most
· 833 Green Flag Passes, fifth-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 144.050 mph, fifth-fastest
· 5,555 Laps in the Top 15 (69.4%), sixth-most
· 517 Quality Passes (passes of cars in the top 15 under green), fourth-most
Clint Bowyer (No. AAA Insurance Toyota)
· Two top fives, 11 top 10s
· Average finish of 11.9
· Average Running Position of 12.2, eighth-best
· Driver Rating of 92.5, eighth-best
· 203 Fastest Laps Run, 12th-most
· 762 Green Flag Passes, 11th-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 143.979 mph, eighth-fastest
· 5,335 Laps in the Top 15 (74.1%), seventh-most
· 434 Quality Passes, seventh-most
Kurt Busch (No. 41 Haas Automation Chevrolet)
· One win, six top fives, eight top 10s
· Average finish of 18.2
· Average Running Position of 13.4, 11th-best
· Driver Rating of 91.0, 10th-best
· 297 Fastest Laps Run, eighth-most
· 861 Green Flag Passes, third-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 143.859 mph, 10th-fastest
· 4,712 Laps in the Top 15 (58.9%), 10th-most
· 437 Quality Passes, sixth-most
Kyle Busch (No. 18 Skittles Toyota)
· Two wins, nine top fives, 13 top 10s
· Average finish of 14.2
· Average Running Position of 11.5, fifth-best
· Driver Rating of 105.5, third-best
· 424 Fastest Laps Run, fifth-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 144.300 mph, third-fastest
· 6,096 Laps in the Top 15 (76.2%), fourth-most
· 507 Quality Passes, fifth-most
Carl Edwards (No. 19 Stanley Toyota)
· One win, eight top fives, 12 top 10s
· Average finish of 10.2
· Average Running Position of 11.0, third-best
· Driver Rating of 99.2, fourth-best
· 499 Fastest Laps Run, second-most
· 838 Green Flag Passes, fourth-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 144.043 mph, sixth-fastest
· 5,574 Laps in the Top 15 (69.6%), fifth-most
· 552 Quality Passes, second-most
Jeff Gordon (No. 24 3M Chevrolet)
· Five wins, 18 top fives, 25 top 10s; four poles
· Average finish of 11.4
· Average Running Position of 11.6, sixth-best
· Driver Rating of 96.5, sixth-best
· 362 Fastest Laps Run, sixth-most
· 818 Green Flag Passes, seventh-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 144.169 mph, fourth-fastest
· 6,214 Laps in the Top 15 (77.6%), third-most
· Series-high 555 Quality Passes
Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe’s Pro Services Chevrolet)
· Nine wins, 14 top fives, 19 top 10s; three poles
· Average finish of 8.2
· Series-best Average Running Position of 6.5
· Series-best Driver Rating of 122.3
· Series-high 1,106 Fastest Laps Run
· Series-best Average Green Flag Speed of 144.673 mph
· Series-high 7,061 Laps in the Top 15 (88.2%)
· 420 Quality Passes, eighth-most
Matt Kenseth (No. 20 Dollar General Toyota)
· Two wins, 15 top fives, 21 top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 12.8
· Average Running Position of 8.7, second-best
· Driver Rating of 108.3, second-best
· 471 Fastest Laps Run, third-most
· 762 Green Flag Passes, 11th-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 144.394 mph, second-fastest
· 6,624 Laps in the Top 15 (82.8%), second-most
· 541 Quality Passes, third-most
Brad Keselowski (No. 2 Miller Lite Ford)
· One win, four top fives, four top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 13.2
· Average Running Position of 12.6, ninth-best
· Driver Rating of 92.1, ninth-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 143.870 mph, ninth-fastest
Kyle Larson (No. 42 Target Chevrolet)
· One top 10
· Average finish of 8.5
· Average Running Position of 11.3, fourth-best
· Driver Rating of 93.0, seventh-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 144.030 mph, seventh-fastest
Ryan Newman (No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet)
· Three wins, six top fives, 13 top 10s; four poles
· Average finish of 13.4
· Average Running Position of 12.8, 10th-best
· Driver Rating of 88.2, 12th-best
· 770 Green Flag Passes, 10th-most
· 5,202 Laps in the Top 15 (65.0%), eighth-most
· 400 Quality Passes, 11th-most
Martin Truex Jr. (No. 78 Furniture Row/Visser Precision Chevrolet)
· One win, one top five, eight top 10s; two poles
· Average finish of 15.8
· Average Running Position of 15.0, 12th-best
· Driver Rating of 89.1, 11th-best
· 252 Fastest Laps Run, ninth-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 143.752 mph, 11th-fastest
· 4,388 Laps in the Top 15 (60.9%), 11th-most
· 411 Quality Passes, 10th-most
The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series 2015 Top 16 at Dover International Speedway
|
|
Driver |
Races |
Poles |
Wins |
Top Fives |
Top 10s |
DNFs |
Average Finish |
Driver Rating |
|
|
1 |
28 |
1 |
0 |
3 |
12 |
1 |
15.2 |
86.5 |
||
|
2 |
18 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
8 |
2 |
15.8 |
89.1 |
||
|
3 |
12 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
8 |
1 |
13.8 |
82.6 |
||
|
4 |
30 |
1 |
1 |
6 |
11 |
1 |
16.2 |
81.9 |
||
|
5 |
26 |
3 |
9 |
14 |
19 |
2 |
8.2 |
122.3 |
||
|
6 |
10 |
1 |
1 |
4 |
4 |
0 |
13.2 |
92.1 |
||
|
7 |
32 |
1 |
2 |
15 |
21 |
5 |
12.8 |
108.3 |
||
|
8 |
24 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
5 |
0 |
18.3 |
78.0 |
||
|
9 |
44 |
4 |
5 |
18 |
25 |
5 |
11.4 |
96.5 |
||
|
10 |
22 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
5 |
6 |
20.9 |
80.9 |
||
|
11 |
26 |
4 |
3 |
6 |
13 |
2 |
13.4 |
88.2 |
||
|
12 |
6 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
17.5 |
73.7 |
||
|
13 |
15 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
19.1 |
67.0 |
||
|
14 |
29 |
0 |
1 |
6 |
8 |
6 |
18.2 |
91.0 |
||
|
15 |
18 |
2 |
0 |
3 |
6 |
3 |
19.2 |
84.2 |
||
|
16 |
21 |
0 |
1 |
8 |
12 |
0 |
10.2 |
99.2 |
* – Based on last 20 races at Dover International Speedway.
|
Dover International Speedway Data Season Race #: 13 of 36 (05-31-15) Track Size: 1-mile Banking/Turn 1 & 2: 24 degrees Banking/Turn 3 & 4: 24 degrees Banking/Frontstretch: 9 degree Banking/Backstretch: 9 degree Frontstretch Length: 1,076 feet Backstretch Length: 1,076 feet Race Length: 400 laps / 400 miles Top 10 Driver Ratings at Dover Jimmie Johnson…………………… 122.3 Matt Kenseth……………………….. 108.3 Kyle Busch…………………………. 105.5 Carl Edwards………………………… 99.2 Greg Biffle.…………………………… 97.4 Jeff Gordon………………………….. 96.5 Kyle Larson………………………….. 93.0 Clint Bowyer…………………………. 92.5 Brad Keselowski……………………. 92.1 Kurt Busch.…………………………… 91.0 Note: Driver Ratings compiled from 2005-2014 races (20 total) among active drivers at Dover Motor Speedway. Qualifying/Race Data 2014 pole winner: Brad Keselowski, Ford 164.444 mph, 21.892 secs. 05-30-14 Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet 117.724 mph, (03:23:52), 06-01-14
Track qualifying record: Brad Keselowski, Ford 164.444 mph, 21.892 secs. 05-30-14
Mark Martin, Ford 132.719 mph, (03:00:50), 09-21-97
|
History
· The official opening of Dover International Speedway, then called Dover Downs International Speedway, was in 1969.
· The first NASCAR Sprint Cup race was held on July 6, 1969 – won by Richard Petty.
· The first two races at Dover were 300 miles. The race length was changed to 500 miles in 1971.
· The track surface was changed to concrete in 1995.
· The race length was changed to 400 miles beginning with the second race in 1997.
· The track name was changed to Dover International Speedway in 2002.
Notebook
· There have been 90 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Dover International Speedway, one race in 1969 and 1970, two races per year since 1971.
· 381 drivers have competed in at least one NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Dover International Speedway; 278 in more than one.
· Ricky Rudd leads the series in starts at Dover with 56. Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers with 44 starts; followed by Matt Kenseth with 32.
· David Pearson won the inaugural Coors Light pole at Dover in 1969 with a speed of 130.430 mph.
· 39 drivers have Coors Light poles at Dover, led by David Pearson with six. Jeff Gordon and Ryan Newman lead all active drivers in poles with four each.
· Nine drivers have won consecutive Coors Light poles at Dover. David Pearson holds the record for most consecutive poles at Dover with three; from 1973 to the spring race of 1974.
· Two active drivers have posted consecutive Coors Light poles at Dover: Ryan Newman (fall 2005 and spring 2006), and Denny Hamlin (fall 2012 and spring 2013).
· Youngest Dover pole winner: Jeff Gordon (06/04/1995 – 23 years, 10 months, 0 days).
· Oldest Dover pole winner: Mark Martin (06/01/2012 – 53 years, 4 months, 23 days).
· 34 different drivers have won at Dover International Speedway, led by Jimmie Johnson with nine wins (2002 sweep, fall 2005, 2009 sweep, 2010 fall, spring 2012, fall 2013 and spring 2014).
· 12 drivers have posted consecutive wins at Dover International Speedway, including three consecutive by David Pearson (fall 1972 and 1973 sweep), Rusty Wallace (fall 1993 and 1994 sweep) and Jeff Gordon (fall 1995 and 1996 sweep).
· Youngest Dover winner: Kyle Busch (06/01/2008 – 23 years, 0 months, 30 days).
· Oldest Dover winner: Harry Gant (05/31/1992 – 52 years, 4 months, 21 days).
· Hendrick Motorsports has the most wins at Dover in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with 17: Jimmie Johnson (nine), Jeff Gordon (five), Geoff Bodine (one), Ken Schrader (one) and Ricky Rudd (one).
· Nine different manufacturers have won in the NSCS at Dover; led by Chevrolet with 36 victories; followed by Ford with 25.
· 13 of the 90 (14.4%) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Dover have been won from the Coors Light pole; the two most recent were Jimmie Johnson in 2009 and 2010.
· The second-place starting position is the most proficient starting position in the field, producing more winners (15) than any other starting position at Dover International Speedway.
· 28 of the 90 (31.1%) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Dover have been won from the front row: 13 from the pole and 15 from second-place.
· 71 of the 90 (78.8%) NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Dover have been won from a top-10 starting position.
· Five of the 90 (5.6%) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Dover have been won from a starting position outside the top 20 – most recently: Tony Stewart, spring 2013 (22nd-place starting position)
· The deepest in the field that a race winner has started at Dover was 37th, by Kyle Petty in the spring of 1995.
· Mark Martin leads the series in runner-up finishes at Dover with eight; followed by Dale Earnhardt with five. Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers with four.
· Mark Martin leads the series in top-five finishes at Dover with 24; followed by Dale Earnhardt with 19. Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers with 18.
· Mark Martin leads the series in top-10 finishes at Dover with 33; followed by Richard Petty and Ricky Rudd with 26 each. Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers with 25.
· Ryan Newman leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in average starting position at Dover with a 9.654.
· Jimmie Johnson leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in average finishing position at Dover with an 8.154.
· 11 of the 12 active NASCAR Sprint Cup Series winners at Dover International Speedway participated in at least one or more races before visiting Victory Lane. Jimmie Johnson won at Dover in his first two appearances.
· Among the 12 active NSCS Dover winners Kurt Busch (22) and Matt Kenseth (14) made 10 or more attempts before their first win.
· Kevin Harvick leads the series among active drivers with the most NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Dover without visiting Victory Lane at 28.
· Since the advent of electronic scoring the closest margin of victory (MOV) in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Dover International Speedway was the September 25, 2005 race won by Jimmie Johnson over Kyle Busch with a MOV of 0.08 second.
· There has been one NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race resulting with a green-white-checkered finish at Dover International Speedway (Scheduled No. of Laps/Actual No. of Laps): fall of 2005 (400/404).
· Not one of the 90 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Dover International Speedway have been shortened due to weather conditions.
· Qualifying has been cancelled due to weather conditions in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Dover International Speedway five times: fall of 1984, spring of 2001, fall of 2003, spring of 2005 and spring of 2011.
· Three NASCAR Sprint Cup Series active drivers have made their first career start at Dover International Speedway: Matt Kenseth (9/20/98), Kurt Busch (9/24/00) and David Ragan (9/24/06).
· Two active drivers have posted their first career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coors Light pole at Dover International Speedway: Matt Kenseth (06/02/02) and Michael Waltrip (06/03/1991).
· One active NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver has posted his first career win at Dover International Speedway: Martin Truex Jr. (06/04/07).
· Jimmie Johnson leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in laps led at Dover with 2,976 laps led in 26 starts.
· If Jimmie Johnson leads 24 laps or more this weekend he will surpass the 3,000 laps led mark at Dover International Speedway, becoming the seventh driver in series history to lead 3,000 or more laps at a single track. Jeff Gordon is the only other active driver to accomplish the feat (Martinsville – 3,744 laps led).
· Two female drivers have competed at Dover International Speedway in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: Janet Guthrie and Danica Patrick.
|
Driver |
Starting Position |
Finishing Position |
Date |
|
13 |
25 |
9/28/2014 |
|
|
28 |
23 |
6/1/2014 |
|
|
31 |
29 |
9/29/2013 |
|
|
39 |
24 |
6/2/2013 |
|
|
38 |
28 |
9/30/2012 |
|
|
Janet Guthrie |
15 |
11 |
9/18/1977 |
|
Janet Guthrie |
11 |
33 |
9/1 |
Who are the oldest and youngest winners in each series?
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Sprint Cup Series
Oldest ROY winner: Dick Trickle (48)
Youngest ROY winner: Joey Logano (19)
XFINITY Series
Oldest ROY winner: Jeff Fuller (38)
Youngest ROY winner: Timmy Hill (18)
Camping World Truck Series
Oldest ROY winner: Mike Stefanik (41)
Youngest ROY winner(s): Ty Dillon, Ryan Blaney, Colin Braun, Austin Dillon (20)
Drivers winning multiple ROY titles
Johnny Benson Jr.: 1996 Sprint Cup; 1994 NXS
Greg Biffle: 2001 NXS; 1998 Truck
Kyle Busch: 2005 Sprint Cup; 2004 NXS
Ricky Craven: 1995 Sprint Cup; 1992 NXS
Austin Dillon: 2012 NXS; 2010 Truck
Carl Edwards: 2005 Sprint Cup; ’03 Truck
Jeff Gordon: 1993 Sprint Cup; 1991 NXS
Kevin Harvick: 2001 Cup; 2000 NXS
Kenny Irwin Jr.: 1998 Sprint Cup; 1997 Truck
Kyle Larson: 2014 Sprint Cup; 2013 NXS
Ricky Stenhouse Jr.: 2013 Sprint Cup; 2010 NXS
For the first time this season, Harvick didn’t finish at least second at an intermediate track. Somehow, we think he’ll be able to recover from his terrible, awful, disappointing letdown of a top-10 finish.
Win or no win, Truex and the No. 78 team are among the fastest cars every weekend, and with the series traveling to the site of one of his two career victories this weekend, he deserves this ranking.
At Charlotte, Logano finished outside the top 10 for just the third time this season, meaning he’s finished 10th or better in 75 percent of the season’s races. Only two drivers have done it more — Harvick and Truex, who have each finished worse than 10th just once.
Team Penske
Keselowski finished second in each of 2014’s Dover races, and threw a Coors Light Pole in there, to boot. Think the No. 2 driver wants to break through for his first Monster Mile victory since his championship season?
Through just nine races this season — he missed three due to a suspension — Busch has already matched his win total and nearly tripled his laps led count compared to 2014, including another 118 on Sunday night.
-4
Hendrick Motorsports
Johnson couldn’t repeat his Coca-Cola 600 victory from last year, but for the second consecutive week he’ll have a chance to defend his race win. The No. 48 driver led 272 laps on his way to a FedEx 400 Benefiting Autism Speaks victory last year.
Hendrick Motorsports
Junior has an astounding average finish of 3.2 on intermediates this year, despite them not typically being his best tracks. With the No. 88 running so well on the mile-and-a-halves, it should be telling of his overall success to come this year.
The only Joe Gibbs Racing car that’s been running well for most of the season, Kenseth and the No. 20 should only improve from here on out now that the organization appears to be on the upswing.
1
Joe Gibbs Racing
With a victory in the All-Star Race and 53 laps led in the Coca-Cola 600 — despite battling migraines and dehydration — Hamlin appears to be back on track after a mediocre stretch that trailed his winning Martinsville run.
-2
As Dover’s most recent winner, Gordon certainly has a chance to pick up his first 2015 win this weekend at the Monster Mile. That said, it was just his second Dover win in 36 races since winning three straight at Dover from 1995-96.
1
Joe Gibbs Racing
Any questions? Look past his 11th-place finish. Busch ran most of the Coca-Cola 600 — all 600 miles, mind you — inside the top 10 and said he felt surprisingly good after the race. As long as he gets himself into the top 30 (currently 41st), all that stands between the JGR driver and the Chase is a win.
Edwards’ Coca-Cola 600 win was about as unpredictable as they come, but he’ll take it. Edwards said at Kansas that they thought their program was close and should be a force as the season goes on, so the fact he won one race after saying so implies they may be even further ahead than they thought.
Newman hasn’t led a lap since Martinsville — where he led a grand total of … two — but he keeps getting it done. After a sixth-place finish at Charlotte, he hasn’t fared lower than 12th since “The Paperclip.”
-3
Typically regarded as one of his best tracks, a 12th-place finish for Kahne at Charlotte has to be a disappointment. He’s still in the top 10 in points, but a win for the No. 5 team does not seem imminent.
Since two poor finishes to start the season, McMurray has averaged a finish of 10.1. Still, with nine drivers in the win column already, the No. 1 team would feel a lot more secure about its Chase chances if it were to pick up a victory soon.
-1
It’s remarkable that Almirola has yet to finish in the top 10 this season but remains 12th in points. Consistency — even consistently being average — appears to be the way the No. 43 intends on making the Chase.
At what point in the 2015 season is Larson going to put it together? After starting slow last year, he finished strong — but he’s not a rookie anymore.
For how poorly the No. 16 team has been this season, it was a surprise to see Biffle perform at Charlotte — where he’s had little success. Still, he’ll take it.
Stewart-Haas Racing
Bowyer really succeeds at Dover, where he hasn’t finished outside the top 10 since 2010. Thus, it’ll be interesting if he can use the Monster Mile to spark a summer streak of good performances.
After being knocked out of the Power Rankings for not making the All-Star Race, Menard is back after a 14th-place finish in the Coca-Cola 600, even if it did bring him down to 13th in the standings.