Posted on by Staff Report

Kyle Larson revealed Sunday that Kevin Harvick will serve as his standby driver for the NASCAR All-Star Race weekend next month while he participates in qualifying for the Indianapolis 500.

Larson dropped the news with Harvick by his side during FOX Sports’ pre-race coverage of Sunday’s Cup Series race at Dover Motor Speedway (FS1, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

RELATED: All-Star Race format takes shape | All-Star fan voting now open

Harvick, who shifted to FOX’s broadcast team this season after a Hall of Fame-worthy driving career, will potentially be called out of retirement to substitute during All-Star Race action in the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet at North Wilkesboro Speedway on May 17-19. Multiple sessions of qualifying are scheduled May 18-19 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where Larson will be bidding to make his Indy 500 debut May 26.

All-Star practice and qualifying at North Wilkesboro are scheduled Friday, May 17. All-Star heats are scheduled that Saturday (starting at 5:20 p.m. ET), and the All-Star main event will be Sunday at 8 p.m. ET (FS1, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Harvick, a two-time All-Star race winner (2007, 2018), said he was approached by team owner Rick Hendrick to ask about his availability.

“When Rick called a couple of days ago, he said, ‘Hey, I need a favor,’ and I know when the conversation starts like that, that usually you have to say yes,” Harvick said. “So I appreciate you guys calling. It’s going to be fun.”

Larson entered Sunday’s Würth 400 at Dover as the Cup Series points leader. He won last year’s NASCAR All-Star Race in dominant fashion, with stock-car racing’s top division holding its first event at the 0.625-mile North Wilkesboro track since 1996.

Posted on by Staff Report

Editor’s note: This projection has been updated after Saturday’s practice and qualifying at Dover:

After last-lap mayhem last weekend at Talladega Superspeedway, the NASCAR Cup Series is now at Dover Motor Speedway for the Würth 400 (2 p.m. ET, FS1, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

RELATED: Set your Fantasy Live roster | Weekend schedule

The advance metrics originally predicted Martin Truex Jr. would roar to Victory Lane for the first time this season and end his winless drought at the Monster Mile for the second straight year. However, after practice and qualifying on Saturday, it’s Denny Hamlin, Truex Jr.’s Joe Gibbs Racing teammate, who rises to the top of the board.

Hamlin will start the race in the sixth position, while Truex will fire off in 15th after Saturday’s qualifying. Hamlin also posted the second-best 10-lap averages in practice, behind only William Byron.

Byron follows Hamlin in the updated projection, with Truex, Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott rounding out the top five. Ross Chastain, Ryan Blaney, Alex Bowman, polesitter Kyle Busch and Ty Gibbs round out the top 10.

With the 2024 campaign in full swing, the high-banked concrete oval in Delaware is sure to produce more thrilling action this weekend in the Cup Series.

OTHER DRIVERS TO WATCH 

KYLE LARSON: Larson’s 8.6 average finish at Dover is second best all-time among drivers with more than two races. Dover’s slick track profile has helped the former dirt-track racer find his way to the front. Larson has led over 100 laps in four out of his previous nine starts at Dover. In total, Larson has led 899 laps at Dover — his most at any track.

CHASE ELLIOTT: In 13 starts at Dover, Elliott has nine top-five finishes and two wins. Elliott is starting 29th, however, and will need to roar forward from the back.

ROSS CHASTAIN: Chastain has found a liking to Dover in the Next Gen car. He’s the only driver to finish in the top five at both races, leading the field with a total of 97 points scored at the track. More importantly, Chastain has led 184 laps at Dover, and he leads all drivers in laps run in the top five (613) and laps run in the top 10 (754).

ALEX BOWMAN: Since 2019, Bowman has accumulated five top-five finishes at the Monster Mile. He is also a former Dover winner, having won at the concrete oval in 2021. Bowman has also found solid consistency this season, scoring top-10 finishes in four of the last six races.

KYLE BUSCH: Busch was a Saturday surprise by surging to his first pole win of the season. He has seven top-two finishes at Dover, including three wins.

RACING INSIGHTS’ PROJECTIONS FOR THE WÜRTH 400

Racing Insights’ advanced statistical formula includes current track, current track type, recent performance, team data and pit-crew data to arrive at a projected winner and full race results.

FinishCar NumberDriver
111Denny Hamlin
224William Byron
319Martin Truex Jr.
45Kyle Larson
59Chase Elliott
61Ross Chastain
712Ryan Blaney
848Alex Bowman
98Kyle Busch
1054Ty Gibbs
1122Joey Logano
1245Tyler Reddick
1323Bubba Wallace
1420Christopher Bell
156Brad Keselowski
1617Chris Buescher
174Josh Berry
1814Chase Briscoe
1947Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
203Austin Dillon
2199Daniel Suárez
2216AJ Allmendinger
2334Michael McDowell
2484Jimmie Johnson
252Austin Cindric
2610Noah Gragson
2741Ryan Preece
287Corey LaJoie
2951Justin Haley
3021Harrison Burton
3142John Hunter Nemechek
3231Daniel Hemric
3377Carson Hocevar
3438Todd Gilliland
3543Corey Heim
3615Kaz Grala
3771Zane Smith
Posted on by John Crane

DOVER, Del. — There was no denying that Dover Motor Speedway would be a tricky track for Carson Kvapil.

The reasoning seemed simple enough. Although the 20-year-old North Carolina native turned heads during his dazzling fourth-place running at Martinsville Speedway nearly three weeks prior, the Virginia short track brought at least some familiarity. After all, two titles in the CARS Late Model Tour provided Kvapil with a touch of semblance when tackling the half-miler.

The Monster Mile, however, was a different animal that would take more getting used to, and there wouldn’t have been any shame in working through the aches and grinding through Saturday’s BetRivers 200 in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.

RELATED: Race results | At-track photos

Instead, Kvapil took the challenge in stride and wheeled the No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevrolet to second place at the 1-mile Delaware facility.

“I felt like our car was really good all day. I felt like we were a top-five car all day on speed,” Kvapil said. “We were able to drive through the field there. Just, I don’t know. I felt like our car really wasn’t that good on the outside, but I felt like the top was so dominant on the starts that you kind of had to be there. Just got a little too tight there running the top and he got around us going into [Turn] 3 and just had track position on us to move us up the hill. It’s just how it is. It sucks we couldn’t come off 4 in front of him there, but all in all, it was a very good day for these JR Motorsports guys, and I’m happy.”

Attempting to conquer an unfamiliar track didn’t come without a little bit of homework beforehand. Finishing with the best 10-lap average run during Friday’s practice session, combined with a third-place triumph during Friday’s General Tire 150 in the ARCA Menards Series, provided the framework, while a 26th-place starting position for Saturday’s Xfinity contest showed there was still work to be done.

Carson’s father, Travis Kvapil, understood the tall order that loomed ahead. For the 2003 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion, the opportunity to see how his son could fare against adversity presented itself.

“Stayed consistent. Pit crew guys did a great job. Coming down to the end, we’re standing here now disappointed in a second-place finish, but gosh, he did such a great job,” Travis told NASCAR.com. “I don’t think he made any mistakes, and with the rain, at one point, you’re thinking you did the wrong thing, and then it pays off to be the right thing, and then you’re in contention for the win. Fought track position all day long, finally got him up front at the end in clean air, and the car was a rocket. Give all the credit to [crew chief] Andrew Overstreet and the JR Motorsports guys for giving him a fast Camaro. Just a lot to digest there for everybody, and for Carson to do this in his second race. Just a huge learning curve. He did a great job. He’s gonna have more opportunities to win, I think.”

Three-wide racing at Dover Motor Speedway sees Sheldon Creed, Austin Hill and Carson Kvapil battle.
James Gilbert | Getty Images

After finishing 13th in each of Saturday’s Xfinity contest’s first two stages, Carson’s speed began to show itself during the latter portions of the final stage as weather began to creep into the picture. This speed came to a head on Lap 193, when a three-wide battle with Austin Hill and Sheldon Creed saw Kvapil pull ahead and lead 14 laps total. However, an inside run from Ryan Truex saw the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota pull clear of Kvapil’s No. 88 and hold fast to the race’s conclusion.

WATCH: Truex passes Kvapil in OT for race win

“I was pretty nervous the whole time,” Carson said. “I just didn’t know if we were gonna get the race in or not. I really wanted to keep the green flag because I felt like we had a really good car for the last few laps, and fortunately, that all went to plan. Like I said, just didn’t defend out of there going into [Turn] 3.

“You don’t want to put three-wide, right? But I feel like that was my only opportunity to get clean air for the lead, so I felt like I kind of had to do it. I had such a good run, so I felt like we really put ourselves in a good spot. Just came up a little short.”

Although a win couldn’t be achieved, plenty of momentum remains in Carson’s favor. And while the young racer might not be racing Xfinity full-time, the opportunity to make a lasting impression has been accomplished in full.

As a former racer himself, Travis certainly believes as much.

“You gotta try to make the most of these opportunities when they come,” Travis said. “There’s a lot of weight on your shoulders to perform and not screw it up, and I felt like he just did a masterful job of working through the traffic starting from where [he] did, on and off pit road. All those things are new that experienced guys like myself, we take it for granted, where he’s still learning lap-by-lap out there, so huge things to come from him in his future I think, but we just keep taking advantage of these opportunities when we get them.”

For Carson, the name of the game will be to continue making the most out of every opportunity that presents itself. And after almost conquering Dover during his first dose of Xfinity action at the track, it’s entirely likely more opportunities could come about.

And to call Saturday a success? There’s simply no denying it.

“I feel like I really know what I need to do here going next time,” Carson said. “Like I said at Martinsville, I just wish I could do this again tomorrow, right? I feel like I’d be so much better and wouldn’t have to drive back to the front I feel like. I feel like after running that ARCA race, I had a pretty good idea. These cars just drive a little bit different, so just had to adapt to that, but that’s really about it.”

Posted on by Staff Report

The NASCAR Xfinity Series Dash 4 Cash midseason incentive program is underway, with Saturday’s Andy’s Frozen Custard 300 at Texas Motor Speedway dishing out the second $100,000 prize of 2024.

This hub page will provide you with everything you need to know about the program, including links and more for each race event. Continue to monitor this hub as results from each Dash 4 Cash race are added.

What is Dash 4 Cash?

Starting in 2009, the Dash 4 Cash is a midseason program sponsored by Xfinity that rewards drivers financially for performing well during a select stretch of four races in each Xfinity Series season. This year, the races will take place at Martinsville Speedway (April 6), Texas Motor Speedway (April 13), Talladega Superspeedway (April 20) and Dover Motor Speedway (April 27).

How does Dash 4 Cash work?

Before the four-race stretch begins, there will be a qualifying race to determine the participants in the first official Dash 4 Cash race. The four highest-finishing series regulars in the Xfinity race at Richmond will qualify for the first Dash 4 Cash race at Martinsville. The highest finisher of that quartet at Martinsville will collect the $100,000 prize and automatically qualify for the next Dash 4 Cash race. The next three highest-finishing Xfinity Series regulars in the race at Martinsville will also qualify to participate in the next Dash 4 Cash race at Texas. These rules repeat for subsequent Dash 4 Cash races.

In order to qualify for the program, drivers must be declared to collect Xfinity Series points.

RELATED: 2024 Dash 4 Cash schedule announced | 2024 Xfinity Series schedule

NASCAR Xfinity Series Dash 4 Cash logo

2024 Dash 4 Cash recaps:

At Richmond Raceway (March 30 qualifier)

MORE: Chandler Smith wins Xfinity race at Richmond for second straight season

Recap: Chandler Smith emerged dominantly in the Final Stage at Richmond to ride to his second victory of the season — and a shot at next week’s first Dash 4 Cash prize of 2024. Smith led a strong 1-2-3-4 contingent for Toyota at the Virginia short track, and he’ll be joined by second-place finisher — and former Cup Series playoff contender — Aric Almirola, along with fifth-place finisher Jesse Love and Parker Kligerman, who landed seventh on the results sheet. They’ll compete for the $100,000 prize next Saturday at Martinsville Speedway (7:30 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

***

At Martinsville Speedway (April 6)

MORE: Aric Almirola claims Xfinity Series victory, Dash 4 Cash prize at Martinsville

Recap: Aric Almirola dominated at Martinsville Speedway for his fifth career Xfinity Series win and the first Dash 4 Cash prize of his long career, holding on for the victory in NASCAR Overtime over Sam Mayer. The No. 1 JR Motorsports driver landed runner-up on the board, followed by Chandler Smith, Carson Kvapil and Justin Allgaier to complete the top five. Mayer, Smith, Allgaier and sixth-place finisher Sheldon Creed will make up the Dash 4 Cash participants at Texas Motor Speedway, with Almirola not scheduled to participate in the event. They’ll compete for the $100,000 prize next Saturday at Texas Motor Speedway (1:30 p.m. ET, FS1, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

***

At Texas Motor Speedway (April 13) 

MORE: Sam Mayer edges out Ryan Sieg in incredible photo finish, banks $100,000 bonus at Texas

Recap: Sam Mayer won a photo finish at Texas Motor Speedway for his fifth career Xfinity Series win and the second Dash 4 Cash prize of his career, edging out Ryan Sieg by 0.002 seconds at the checkered flag. Sieg was followed by Justin Allgaier, AJ Allmendinger and Cole Custer to round out the top five. Mayer, Sieg, Allgaier and Allmendinger will make up the Dash 4 Cash participants at Talladega Superspeedway. The four drivers will battle it out with another $100,000 prize on the line next Saturday in the Ag-Pro 300 (4 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

***

At Talladega Superspeedway (April 20)

MORE: Jesse Love holds off field in double-OT to score first win at Talladega

Recap: Jesse Love held off the field and saved enough fuel after two overtime restarts to score his first career Xfinity Series victory. Love was followed by Riley Herbst and surprise appearances from Anthony Alfredo, Leland Honeyman and Brennan Poole in the top five. Despite falling a lap down after a flat tire, Ryan Sieg claimed his maiden Dash 4 Cash prize after passing fellow bonus competitor AJ Allmendinger during the final two laps. Sieg will go for his second $100,000 bonus against Love, Herbst and Alfredo next Saturday at Dover Motor Speedway (1:30 p.m. ET, FS1, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

***

At Dover Motor Speedway (April 27)

MORE: Ryan Truex goes back-to-back at Dover, cuts through chaos for first Xfinity win of 2024

Recap: Ryan Truex clinched victory at Dover Motor Speedway, seizing the lead from Carson Kvapil during a double-overtime restart. The No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota led only the final two laps to secure his first win of the season and second straight win at the Monster Mile. Kvapil finished second in just his second Xfinity Series start, followed by Sam Mayer, Sheldon Creed and Cole Custer. Anthony Alfredo claimed the final $100,000 Dash 4 Cash bonus of 2024, with Riley Herbst, Jesse Love and Ryan Sieg facing difficulties in their attempts. The next Xfinity Series race is scheduled for Saturday, May 11 at Darlington Raceway (1:30 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Posted on by Holly Cain

Ryan Truex, the hometown favorite, prevailed in a thrilling double-overtime finish in the BetRivers 200 NASCAR Xfinity Series race Saturday at Dover (Del.) Motor Speedway, leading only the two final laps to earn back-to-back victories at the 1-mile track.

The New Jersey native and defending race winner started alongside 20-year-old rookie Carson Kvapil on the front row for the final overtime re-start then pulled away to take the lead and ultimately the white flag – signaling one lap to go. An accident elsewhere on track officially ended the race under caution.

RELATED: Race results | At-track photos: Dover

“I can’t believe it, our car was just good at the end when it mattered, I was so loose all day,” said Truex, 32, the younger brother of NASCAR Cup Series driver Martin Truex Jr. “Shout out to Carson, what an amazing run for what, his second race. I felt a little bad running him up the hill, but you’ve got to take these things when you can.

“I think I held my breath the last two laps. Love these fans. Love this track.”

While Truex hoisted and will savor the Dover trophy, it was also a great day for Kvapil driving the No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevrolet. The son of former NASCAR driver Travis Kvapil, finished fourth in his only other series start – at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway earlier this year – giving him a very promising pair of top-five results in as many Xfinity Series races he’s competed in.

“This is pretty incredible,” Kvapil said. “Definitely felt like we had a fast car going into the day, but to be competing for the win on a green-white-checkered is pretty amazing. We’ve been in this situation before just not quite at this level.”

For much of the final laps, the outcome looked like it was going to be decided between former Richard Childress Racing teammates Austin Hill and Sheldon Creed. Hill, driver of the No. 21 RCR Chevrolet, and Creed, who now drives the No. 18 JGR Toyota, restarted door-to-door on the front row on a restart with 11 laps remaining. As that pair raced aggressively side-by-side for the lead, Kvapil put his Chevy down low, three-wide and drove past the pair to take the lead with eight laps remaining in regulation.

On the final restart of regulation – with five laps remaining – Hill and Kvapil restarted alongside one another on the front row, but Hill spun out in tight-quarters action between them in Turn 1, necessitating overtime. Kvapil was able to fend off the field on that first restart, only to have another caution come out. On the second restart, he and Truex started alongside each other, but Truex was able to get around Kvapil at the green flag and pace the field for the final two laps.

The race was briefly halted under red-flag conditions for light rain with 34 laps remaining. Stewart-Haas Racing’s Cole Custer – who led a race-best 95 of the 208 laps – was leading at the time and then decided to pit for tires and fuel during yellow-flag laps just before the cars restarted. He had to restart at the tail end of the field, but the reigning series champion rallied back to a fifth-place finish – able to advance on three ensuing caution periods plus the double overtime.

JR Motorsports’ Sam Mayer finished third, with Creed fourth followed by Custer. Kaulig Racing’s AJ Allmendinger was sixth, followed by JGR’s Chandler Smith, Kyle Weatherman Racing’s Kyle Weatherman, Our Motorsports’ Anthony Alfredo and Jordan Anderson Racing’s Parker Retzlaff.

The ninth-place finish was especially big for Alfredo, earning him the final Dash 4 Cash $100,000 prize – besting Riley Herbst, Jesse Love and Ryan Sieg – in the last event of the four-race incentive program sponsored by Xfinity.

“Really coming into this race, that was our motivation, it wasn’t something to just be a part of, yeah, I mean this was huge,” Alfredo said. “You don’t understand how small our budget is compared to these bigger teams. People overlook it because we’ve been running so well. The last three weeks we’ve been running top 10, and everyone asks, ‘who’s your alliance with?’

“… Coming into this race we knew if we could pull it off, we could invest in our team to be that much better.”

Herbst, Love and Sieg all found trouble in their bids for the Dash 4 Cash prize. Sieg’s misfortune came first, when his No. 39 RSS Racing Ford caught fire through the first and second turns. He escaped unhurt but was sidelined after just 25 laps, leaving him 37th in the 38-car field.

MORE: Dash 4 Cash coverage for 2024

Love, a first-time Xfinity Series winner last weekend at Talladega Superspeedway, led 21 laps in the early going. The rookie’s No. 2 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet slowed after contact with the No. 20 Toyota of Truex near the start of the final stage, and his Lap 102 pit stop to change a flat left-rear tire shuffled him back in the order. Love finished two laps down in 24th.

Herbst was in solid position to capture the bonus, but late-race contact with Justin Allgaier’s No. 7 Chevrolet sent his No. 98 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford spinning through Turn 4, where he collected Sammy Smith and others on Lap 193. He continued with damage and finished 16th.

“I guess the 7 car got back at us from last week, so it is what it is and we’ll move on,” Herbst said of Allgaier. “Our Ford Mustang Dark Horse was fast. We should have finished third at worst and we finished 16th.”

JR Motorsports’ Allgaier, a two-time Dover winner, won the opening stage of the race and ran up front – his 39 laps in the lead second only to Custer. He also pitted in the waning laps and managed to rally back to a 17th-place finish.

Smith now leads Custer by a single point in the Xfinity Series championship standings as the series heads into an off week. It resumes racing at the historic Darlington (S.C.) Raceway in the Crown Royal Purple Bag Project 200 on Saturday, May 11 (1:30 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). NASCAR Cup Series regular Kyle Larson is last year’s race winner.

NOTE: Post-race inspection in the Xfinity Series garage was completed at Dover Motor Speedway without major issue, confirming Truex as the race winner. Officials found the runner-up No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevrolet of Kvapil with one unsecured lug nut in a post-race check. The infraction should result in a monetary fine for No. 88 crew chief Andrew Overstreet in next week’s penalty report.

Contributing: Staff reports

Posted on by Cameron Richardson

Würth 400

(⏰ Sunday, 2 p.m. ET | FS1 | PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)

Weekend schedule | TV schedule | Weather tracker | NASCAR 101

Location: Dover, Delaware
Track length: 1 mile
Cup Series race purse: $7,992,801
Race distance: 400 laps | 400 miles
Stages: 120 | 250 | 400
—
Starting lineup: Kyle Busch to lead field to green
Pit stall assignments: See where drivers will pit
Defending winner: Martin Truex Jr.,

Key things to watch

Saturday sessions

In a surprise based on season trends so far, Kyle Busch nabbed his first pole of 2024 in qualifying. Putting down a hot lap of 162.191 mph, it’s the first time the driver of the No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet has started inside the top 10 on a non-drafting track this season. Ryan Blaney joins Busch on the front row Sunday after a 161.951 mph circuit around the concrete oval. William Byron, Tyler Reddick and Noah Gragson made up the top five in the starting lineup.

Blaney, the defending Cup Series champ, had a blazing Saturday, tallying the fastest lap in practice at 159.468 mph. Reddick, Byron, Chase Briscoe and Jimmie Johnson all landed inside the top five off the hauler. However, Johnson’s fast practice lap did not translate to qualifying as the 11-time Dover winner will start 27th.  | Full Saturday recap

Big story line

Who can get Ford back into Victory Lane?

Saturday left optimism for the Blue Ovals as Blaney was fastest in Dover practice and put his No. 12 Team Penske Ford on the front row alongside polesitter Kyle Busch. In total, four Fords are starting inside the top 10 Sunday afternoon as Noah Gragson (fifth), Chase Briscoe (seventh) and Michael McDowell (eighth) all start up front.

Through 10 races, the positives on the stat sheet are few and far between for the automaker. Not a single Ford driver has reached the 200 laps led mark — although Joey Logano just needs one more lap to reach that mark.

On non-drafting tracks this year, only the two-time Cup champ has led over 40 laps combined with 105 circuits out front. Blaney is the next highest at 31 laps led away from Daytona, Atlanta and Talladega.

Larson, who leads the Cup field with 531 laps led this season, has logged more laps in first place than the top-five Ford lap leaders combined (505).

But with Dover falling in the category of tracks a mile or less, it will be one of Ford’s best opportunities to win as they have landed at least one blue oval in the top five at Phoenix, Bristol, Richmond and Martinsville.

History tells us…

The last six Dover races have been won by six different drivers. In a bit of an oddity, the starting positions of winners across that span were either inside the top five or outside the top 15 and victories were split evenly in those circumstances.

Hendrick Motorsports and Joe Gibbs Racing have tamed the Monster Mile over the last 11 races, grabbing the checkered flag in eight of those events.

He may not be the betting favorite to win, but watch out for…

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. It’s been a trying 2024 campaign so far for the No. 47 JTG Daugherty team but after a top-five run at Talladega, the 12-year veteran has strong momentum heading to a track where he scored a runner-up finish in 2022. Stenhouse is quite a ways down the oddsboard, sitting at 100-1 before cars hit the track Saturday for practice and qualifying.

A driver that’s further up the betting favorites is Buescher. At 40-1 (updated Sunday), he and his RFK teammate and co-owner Brad Keselowski are among the best chances to nab Ford’s first victory of 2024. Both RFK cars finished inside the top 10 last season.| Dover odds

Speed reads

Our biggest pieces of the week — get covered for race day from all angles. 

• Turning Point: Trends from Talladega, arriving in Dover | Read article
• Family mindset: Third generation of Wood family takes co-ownership of iconic racing team | Read article
• Jones out Sunday: Corey Heim to pilot No. 43 Legacy Motor Club Toyota | Read article
• The Field of 16: Last four in, first four out for Cup Series Playoffs | Latest projections
• ‘Timing was right’: Matt Kenseth settling into role at Legacy Motor Club | Read article
• Returning home: Ryan Truex returns to Dover as defending Xfinity Series winner | Read article
• Dash 4 Cash finale: Xfinity Series’ four-race initiative wraps up at Dover | Program overview
• Through the years at Dover: Take a trip through legendary moments | Photo gallery
• NASCAR Classics: Picks to click from our Dover video archives | Read article
• 36 for 36: NASCAR survivor pool picks for Dover | Read article
• Fearless prediction: Racing Insights projects Sunday’s final race results | Read article
• Fantasy Fastlane: Lineup pointers for Dover | Sleepers, drivers to avoid
• Paint Scheme Preview: Xfinity, Cup colors set to shine at Monster Mile | Pick your favorite
• Power Rankings: Can Bowman get all four Hendrick cars in playoffs? | Latest driver rankings

Fast facts ⏩

Race-relevant statistics, brought to you by the experts at Racing Insights.

• The race winner has led at least 68 laps in each of the last seven races.
• Over the last 28 races at Dover, only six winners have been younger than 32 years old.
• The stages and race win have been swept three times in track history. Kevin Harvick in 2018 and 2020, and Denny Hamlin in 2020.

Posted on by John Crane

DOVER, Del. — Many memories have occurred at Dover Motor Speedway for Ross Chastain. After all, the June 4, 2017 date at the 1-miler acted as Chastain’s NASCAR Cup Series debut, where he piloted the No. 15 Premium Motorsports Chevrolet — donned in the Delaware Office of Highway Safety livery — to a 20th-place finish. His second career Cup start came not even four months later at Dover, with the Delaware Office of Highway Safeway again sponsoring the Chevy machine during his 38th-place result there on Oct. 1, 2017.

Fast forward to 2024, and Chastain — despite starting 22nd in Sunday’s Würth 400 (2 p.m. ET, FS1, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) — still holds his history at the track and surrounding area dear.

As such, it’s only natural for Chastain to want to eventually find Victory Lane at the track where it all started for him in the Cup Series.

RELATED: Starting lineup for Sunday’s Würth 400

“I’ve wanted the Miles the Monster trophy for a long time,” Chastain said. “I’ve spent so much time up here in Delaware with our Highway Safety programs with Protect and Use Your Melon, and I’ve spent a week with the state fair during the summer. When we used to have two races, I was up here for that whole week leading up to it. So many appearances, so many activations and seeing so many residents here, it’s always been special. It was the catalyst for my first Cup start. We’ve been out the last couple days doing events like we used to, so it’s been really cool.”

In nine career Cup starts at Dover, Chastain has tallied a pair of top-five and top-10 finishes. However, the No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet driver has amped up momentum there in the Next Gen era, with both of his top fives and top 10s coming in each of the last two seasons. In fact, Chastain is the only Cup Series driver to finish inside the top five in both Dover races in the Next Gen era. Chastain’s 613 laps and 754 laps run inside the top five and 10 at Dover in the Next Gen era, respectively, each rank first.

So, what has clicked at Dover? To Chastain, the answer comes not from the driver but instead from those surrounding him.

“I feel like the team I’m driving for, Phil Surgen and Trackhouse, just brings really fast, really drivable cars,” Chastain said. “They’re pretty compliant across the bumps, they turn good, they have good rear grip, good pit crew. It’s just kind of a culmination of everything. We’ve had that at a lot of the tracks, so why we’ve been able to put it together here, I don’t have an answer for you, but it’s been good.”

MORE: Dover weekend schedule | At-track photos

Momentum has not been as uplifting for Chastain lately, with five of his last six 2024 Cup finishes ending with results outside the top 10. However, with his recent success at Dover, perhaps Ross Chastain can pilot the No. 1 to a No. 1 finish at a track with plenty of attachment.

“We’re running good enough. I feel the grip in the cars. We’re close,” Chastain said. “We’re looking for those last little bits to put it together, and then, we have that speed. We don’t have dominant speed, but we’re right there in the mix, and then just getting across the finish line. It’s been the last lap. The last lap goes a little different the last two weeks and totally different feeling. Of course, it doesn’t feel good to finish outside the top 10, but it’s OK. We’ve got the domination there.”

Posted on by Dustin Albino

Miles the Monster came out to play during practice and qualifying on Saturday at Dover Motor Speedway. There were two crashes and Christopher Bell brushed the wall during his qualifying lap. Some teams were thrown for a loop with drastic tire wear that had some cords showing. With roughly 20-degree warmer temperatures anticipated for Sunday’s Würth 400, teams were trying to get a baseline for their cars, knowing track conditions will be completely different during the race. Expect plenty of comers and goers during the race, making it a tough task to set a fantasy lineup.

RELATED: Set your Fantasy Live lineup

Dustin Albino’s race-day lineup:

Starter 1: Martin Truex Jr.
Starter 2: Kyle Larson
Starter 3: William Byron
Starter 4: Denny Hamlin
Starter 5: Alex Bowman
Garage pick: Ty Gibbs

NEXT IN LINE: Kyle Busch, Ryan Blaney, Tyler Reddick, Chase Elliott

RISING: Just because a car was good on Saturday doesn’t make it a given that the same team will perform well on the same track with very different race conditions. However, Blaney will have track position for the start of the race, as he will take the initial green flag inside the top 10 for the fifth straight Dover race. Aside from last season when Blaney finished third, his starting position didn’t matter much, having not scored a top 10 since 2018. Blaney was also fast earlier this season at Bristol, another concrete track.

I’m trying not to change my lineup drastically compared to earlier this week, believing that the race will be filled with movement. But Kyle Busch and the No. 8 team needed a day like Saturday, winning his second pole award since joining Richard Childress Racing. Over the past handful of seasons, the two-time Cup champion has had mixed results at Dover. Last year, he finished three laps down despite starting from the pole.

FALLING: Chastain is the only driver to have top-five finishes in both Next Gen races at Dover. If the No. 1 team is to make that three consecutive top fives, Chastain will be coming from much deeper in the field. During his qualifying lap, Chastain hit the apron, upsetting his car and will start 22nd. Chastain was average at best in practice, turning in the 21st best 10-lap average. The No. 1 team has slipped from my lineup, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see the team perform better in different conditions.

No matter the track conditions, it’s rare to see a Hendrick Motorsports entry qualify 29th on pure speed, particularly when that is Elliott at Dover, who has nine top-five finishes in 13 starts. I still think Elliott is worth considering for a lineup spot on Saturday, but it will be difficult for him to score stage points in the opening stage.

FEATURED MATCHUPS

Tyler Reddick vs. Kyle Busch: This battle might turn out to be the toughest of the weekend with both drivers starting in the top two rows. Busch will lead the field to the green flag for the second consecutive year at Dover, while Reddick earned the best starting spot of his career here. I’m hesitant to flop to Busch, but leaning in that direction based on his experience advantage at Dover and having gone through plenty of weekends throughout his career where there was a gigantic shift in track conditions between practice and the race.

Alex Bowman vs. Ross Chastain: Chastain’s recent success at Dover can’t be stated enough, but Bowman has quietly strung together a solid reputation of being among the drivers to beat at Dover. That continued Saturday, as the No. 48 car cracked the final round of qualifying for just the third time this season. I’ve flipped my decision to Bowman this weekend, believing that it’s going to be Toyota vs. Hendrick Motorsports for the win.

Kyle Larson vs. Chase Elliott: Consider me shocked to see both Larson and Elliott qualify outside the top 20. It won’t be surprising if either mow through the field early as rubber gets put on to the track and multiple grooves form. Larson’s dirt-racing background might pay off significantly this weekend with the anticipated track change from one day to the next.

Denny Hamlin vs. Christopher Bell: No matter the track conditions, every driver in the field will mention how important track position is at Dover. Bell bottomed out in qualifying entering Turn 3 and slapped the wall during his qualifying lap and was unable to make a timed lap. The No. 20 team will replace the diffuser and not go to a backup car. Hamlin looks to have one of the strongest cars in the field on the short and long run, so it will be tough for the No. 20 team to overcome that deficit.

Posted on by Holly Cain

First out for final qualifying and first on the scoring chart, Kyle Busch earned his first pole position of the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season Saturday with a lap of 162.191 mph in the No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet around the 1-mile Dover Motor Speedway.

It’s the 34th career pole position for the two-time Cup Series champion and he’ll start on the front row for Sunday’s Wurth 400 (2 p.m. ET, FS1, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) alongside Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney, whose fast lap (161.951 mph) in the No. 12 Ford was a mere 0.033-second off Busch’s pole speed.

“The last month or so there’s definitely been a struggle with speed,” Busch said. “It’s pretty funny we were standing here talking about sitting on the pole last year too with the rainout and started first. And then my over-excitement of coming down pit road for the first time, speeding on pit road, sent us to the back and didn’t quite have the race we wanted.

“Don’t want to make that same mistake this year. The guys here did a great job. … we’re wanting to trend the right way and putting in the effort, the hours and all the extra work to figure out what’s going on and why. This is our first test. We felt like Dover and [next week’s venue] Kansas would be a really good test of some stuff. And what do ya know? It worked. Let’s go.”

This season’s three-race winner, Hendrick Motorsports’ William Byron will start his No. 24 Chevrolet third, alongside last week’s Talladega Superspeedway race winner, 23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick in the No. 45 Toyota. Noah Gragson in the No. 10 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford and former Dover winner, Denny Hamlin in the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota will start fifth and sixth.

The Fords of SHR’s Chase Briscoe and last week’s Talladega polesitter, Front Row Motorsports’ Michael McDowell were next fastest in qualifying, followed by Hendrick Motorsport’s Alex Bowman – the 2021 Dover winner – and Kaulig Racing’s AJ Allmendinger.

It was a strong qualifying outing for the Ford Mustang, which is still looking to score its first series victory of 2024. Not only were there four Fords in the top 10, but fellow Ford drivers Austin Cindric, Josh Berry and Joey Logano will line up 11th-13th on the 37-car grid.

RELATED: Sunday’s starting lineup | At-track photos: Dover

Of note, Joe Gibbs Racing driver Christopher Bell – a winner at Phoenix this year – spun on his qualifying lap and will have to start 33rd.  Seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson, an 11-time Dover winner, is making one of his limited season starts and will start the No. 84 Legacy Motor Club Toyota 27th. Defending race winner, JGR’s Martin Truex Jr. will start 15th.

And 21-year-old Corey Heim, who is making his Cup Series debut, filling in for injured Legacy Motor Club driver Erik Jones, will start the No. 43 Legacy Motor Club Toyota 32nd – a row ahead of the team’s full-time driver John Hunter Nemechek.

Heim was 14th fastest of the 16 cars in the opening practice but reasonably close on speed to the pack. Several of the veteran Cup Series drivers – former champion Kyle Larson and this year’s three-time race winner William Byron, in particular – were very complimentary of Heim, despite the young driver’s challenging circumstances.

“Just so much different, a lot of fun, a lot of grip,” Heim said after his first official practice in the car, adding, “Just trying to find my limits but in these 20-minutes practices, it’s tough.”

Jones spoke to the media at the track and said he is feeling better after a hard crash at Talladega last week that left him with a compression fracture in his lower vertebrae. He did not give a timetable for a return.

Blaney fastest in Cup Series practice

Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney topped the leaderboard in practice at 159.468 mph over Tyler Reddick (158.983 mph) and William Byron (158.954 mph).

Chase Briscoe (158.479 mph) and Jimmie Johnson (158.444 mph) rounded out the top five.

Michael McDowell (158.284 mph), Ross Chastain (158.200 mph), Chase Elliott (158.165 mph), AJ Allmendinger (158.054 mph) and Chris Buescher (158.047 mph) completed the top 10.

MORE: Practice results

While Group A was incident-free, Group B had two incidents with the first involving Spire Motorsports rookie Zane Smith, who spun around in Turn 2 and suffered significant damage to the rear of the No. 71 Chevrolet.

Then, in the closing minutes of practice, Kaz Grala’s No. 15 Rick Ware Racing Ford got loose on the exit of Turn 4 and crashed head-on into the outside wall. Both drivers were evaluated and released from the track’s infield care center.