Editor’s note: This is a track press release from December 2020.
Since the September 2020 announcement that Speedway Motorsports would bring NASCAR to Austin, Texas in 2021, a significant question remained: which of the world-class courses at Circuit of The Americas would drivers face? After careful consideration for what will create an unforgettable experience for the fans and an incredible challenge for the drivers, Speedway Motorsports officials have selected the iconic 3.41-mile long course for all competition during the inaugural May 21-23 NASCAR at COTA event weekend.
“We took a hard look at both the 3.41-mile long course and the newly reconfigured 2.2-mile short course,” said Speedway Motorsports President and CEO Marcus Smith in December. “There’s no doubt the long course will be the most entertaining for the fans. There are more sightlines and opportunities for hillside viewing, plus we’ll have additional options for trackside camping.
“Every NASCAR driver will be challenged by the same 20-turn, counterclockwise circuit designed for Formula One racers.”
The 3.41-mile long course takes full advantage of the undulating landscape and features a 133-foot hill at Turn One. The course is the only circuit in the United States to annually host both F1 and MotoGP.
Speedway Motorsports is working closely with NASCAR competition officials on select changes to the course and facility to maximize the spectacle and excitement for NASCAR’s top three series which will all run on the inaugural NASCAR weekend at COTA.
“The Circuit of The Americas is already a world-class, world-renowned facility,” stated Smith. “Along with NASCAR, we now have to make a few safety and competition enhancements to accommodate the Camping World Trucks, Xfinity and Cup Series. Every effort will be made to make the first NASCAR weekend an experience like no other for both fans and competitors.”
Officials are developing a plan that will include adding rumble strips from Charlotte Motor Speedway’s ROVAL™ to select corners at COTA. The “turtles,” as they’ve been coined by former NASCAR Cup Series driver and current NBC broadcaster Dale Earnhardt Jr., will force stock car and truck drivers to truly drive the circuit without taking advantage of COTA’s more forgiving and extended asphalt runoffs.
Operations crews will also add tire-packs to potentially high-impact areas, extend pit road wall and install additional caution lights and timing/scoring loops to support the larger stock car and truck fields that will now compete at COTA.
In addition to the NASCAR Camping World Trucks, Xfinity Series and the NASCAR Cup Series, the IMSA-sanctioned Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America Series will also compete on the long course during the first-ever NASCAR weekend at COTA.
ThorSport Racing announced Monday that Paul Menard would return to NASCAR national-series competition in this weekend’s Camping World Truck Series race at Circuit of the Americas.
Menard is scheduled to drive a fifth ThorSport entry, the No. 66 Toyota, in Saturday’s Toyota Tundra 225 (1 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM). Mattei will provide sponsorship and Bud Haefele was tapped as the team’s crew chief.
The 40-year-old Menard has not competed in a NASCAR national-series race since his retirement from full-time competition in the Cup Series after the 2019 season. He rounded out his Cup Series career with two seasons in the Wood Brothers’ No. 21 Ford, and was involved in picking Matt DiBenedetto as his successor.
Menard made 471 Cup Series from 2003-2019 and notched one victory, a breakthrough triumph in the 2011 Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He also has three wins in the Xfinity Series, the most recent of which came in 2015 at Road America in his home state of Wisconsin.
Menard has just six career starts in Camping World Trucks — five in 2003 for team owner Andy Petree, and a one-off start for Billy Ballew in 2007.
Saturday’s Truck Series race is part of a same-day doubleheader with the Xfinity Series at the 3.41-mile Austin, Texas circuit, which will host NASCAR events for the first time this weekend.
Sunday’s Drydene 400 marked just the fourth time in NASCAR Cup Series history that the top four finishers all came from the same organization, with Alex Bowman leading the charge for the Hendrick Motorsports fleet at Dover International Speedway.
It has been a rare occurrence, happening only twice in NASCAR’s modern era. With Hendrick’s “Monster Mile” mash still fresh, here’s a breakdown of the 1-2-3-4 team finishes through the record books in NASCAR’s top division.
Dec. 30, 1956
RacingOne
Team: DePaolo Engineering Race winner: Fireball Roberts Second through fourth: Curtis Turner, Marvin Panch, Ralph Moody Event: Indian River Gold Cup 100 Track: Titusville-Cocoa Speedway, 1.6-mile road course in Titusville, Florida Notable: Driving for one of NASCAR’s earliest multi-car teams, Hall of Famer Fireball Roberts drove his No. 22 Ford to the seventh of his 33 Cup wins. Paul Goldsmith led the opening 27 laps before Roberts took control, leading the final 29 laps. … Pete DePaolo became famous as the 1925 Indianapolis 500 winner, but his brief foray into NASCAR team ownership was a successful one. He is credited with 21 Cup Series wins. … The race was the Titusville-Cocoa circuit’s only Cup Series meet.
April 7, 1957
Team: DePaolo Engineering Race winner: Fireball Roberts Second through fourth: Paul Goldsmith, Ralph Moody, Marvin Panch Event: Wilkes County 160 Track: North Wilkesboro (N.C.) Speedway, .625-mile dirt track Notable: Fireball Roberts led from wire to wire, never making a pit stop in the 100-mile event. He established a qualifying record of 81.522 mph. … A fifth DePaolo entry took sixth place, with Allen Adkins just missing a top-five result in the No. 99 Ford. … The event marked North Wilkesboro’s last race with a dirt surface. The layout was paved by the time the series returned there that October.
Nov. 20, 2005
Streeter Lecka | Getty Images
Team: Roush Fenway Racing Race winner: Greg Biffle Second through fourth: Mark Martin, Matt Kenseth, Carl Edwards Event: Ford 400 Track: Homestead-Miami Speedway, 1.5-mile oval in Homestead, Florida Notable: While Tony Stewart was celebrating his second Cup Series championship with a 15th-place result for Joe Gibbs Racing, team owner Jack Roush was cheering a four-car sweep atop the scoring pylon in the 2005 season finale. Greg Biffle led just nine laps but closed out a career-best six-win season in style at Miami. … Roush had five entries in the race, with Kenny Wallace taking 21st place as a fill-in for the dismissed Kurt Busch in the No. 97 Ford. NASCAR announced it would start phasing in a four-team limit for team owners the next season. … At the time, the organization was known as Roush Racing. Red Sox majority owner John Henry invested in the team in 2007, when its name changed to Roush Fenway Racing.
May 16, 2021
Sean Gardner | Getty Images
Team: Hendrick Motorsports Race winner: Alex Bowman Second through fourth: Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott, William Byron Event: Drydene 400 Track: Dover (Del.) International Speedway, 1-mile concrete oval Notable: Alex Bowman notched his second win of the Cup Series season, benefitting from a quick pit stop in the final stage that put his No. 48 Chevrolet out front for the final 97 laps. That victory was the 267th in NASCAR’s top series by team owner Rick Hendrick, placing him just one win back of Petty Enterprises’ 268 on the all-time list. … The win marked the 12th victory for a car with No. 48 at Dover. Jimmie Johnson flew the number for his 11 triumphs at the “Monster Mile.” … Byron extended his streak of top-10 finishes to 11 in a row with a fourth-place effort.
Team owner Rick Hendrick said Sunday that negotiations with Alex Bowman are underway for a contract extension, calling the situation “a formality” that he would return to the No. 48 Chevrolet next season with a multiyear contract in place.
“We’ve already started. It should be done any time,” Hendrick said after his organization enjoyed a banner day in Sunday’s Drydene 400. “We want Alex there. He wants to be there. It’s kind of at this point just a formality.”
Bowman led a 1-2-3-4 sweep for Hendrick Motorsports at Dover International Speedway, securing his second NASCAR Cup Series win of the season. The last announcement regarding Bowman’s contract status came exactly one year ago Sunday, when he signed a one-year extension to stay with the organization through the end of the 2021 season.
The core of Bowman’s former No. 88 team remained intact moving into this season, but he adopted a new car number in No. 48 as the successor to seven-time series champion Jimmie Johnson. Sunday, he led 98 of the 400 laps and became only the Cup Series’ second multi-race winner this year, joining three-time victor Martin Truex Jr. in that select group.
“Just being at Hendrick Motorsports is obviously where I want to be,” said Bowman, who has four victories in his Cup Series career — all in Hendrick equipment. “I want to continue to work with Ally and drive the 48 car. Like he said, we’ve been working on it. I think I want to be there; they want me to drive their race car. It’s cool to have a guy like Rick Hendrick say he wants you to continue driving his race car. It means a lot to me. Just a really special place to be. Appreciative for the opportunity.”
Say this about Alex Bowman, the pilot of the No. 48 Chevrolet has got his timing right. The Hendrick Motorsports driver took the lead off pit road after his final pit stop with 97 of 400 race laps remaining, held off the field on two more race restarts and earned his second victory of the year in Sunday’s Drydene 400 at Dover International Speedway.
The win punctuated a historic Hendrick Motorsports day at the famed 1-mile track, with the team becoming the third organization in NASCAR Cup Series history to finish 1-2-3-4 in a single event; joining Peter DePaolo Racing (Dec. 30, 1956 at Titusville; April 7, 1957 at North Wilkesboro Speedway) and Roush Fenway Racing (Nov. 20, 2005 at Homestead-Miami Speedway). Bowman held off his teammate Kyle Larson by 2.017 seconds. Chase Elliott (third) and William Byron (fourth) finished just behind, marking the first time in the organization’s 267-victory history it has had a four-car sweep atop the scoreboard.
It was actually Larson who paced the field most of the day – leading a race best 263 of the opening 303 laps and sweeping both Stage 1 and Stage 2 victories – his series-best fifth and sixth stage wins of the season. And at one point, Sunday, he led the field by a full eight seconds.
But Bowman’s team turned in the single fastest pit stop of the entire 2021 season during a late-race caution period and got the car back on track just in front of Larson. Bowman held off his teammate on the restart and pulled away to a comfortable win.
“You guys won that race not me,” Bowman excitedly shouted to his team after taking the checkered flag. “I’m so proud of you.”
The No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet had a track record 11 previous victories at Dover – all with driver Jimmie Johnson, who retired from full-time NASCAR competition at the end of the 2020 season. The 28-year-old Tucson, Arizona, native, Bowman, just started piloting the No. 48 this year, winning at Richmond Raceway last month – again turning in a late-race rally – leading only the final 10 laps en route to that win.
Certainly, the Hendrick Motorsports organization showed early-on Sunday it was ready to settle the trophy among its drivers. In all, Bowman, Larson and Byron combined to lead 381 of the 400 laps.
As the laps wound down, TV cameras captured team owner Rick Hendrick nervously pacing on pit road, well aware of the significance of his four cars atop the scoring pylon.
“I can guarantee you this is the most nervous I’ve ever been in a race,” Hendrick said. “Great day for the organization. And Alex, congratulations to him. This is a sign of the guys working together and bringing good stuff to the track.
“I don’t think it will hit me until tomorrow that we were able to finish one, two, three, four. That’s pretty hard to do, things can happen, pit stops, tires, anything. That’s a first and we’ll take it. It was a great day for us.”
Not only was it a win for Bowman, a seriously strong effort by Larson, but it was also another statement-making day for the 23-year-old Byron. It marks his 11th straight top-10 finish – making him the youngest in series history to put together a string of excellence like that.
Team Penske’s Joey Logano finished fifth, followed by Stewart-Haas Racing’s Kevin Harvick (sixth) and Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin (seventh).
Richard Childress Racing’s Tyler Reddick turned in his sixth top-10 finish of the season with an eighth-place finish. Daniel Suarez finished ninth – his second top 10 for the new Trackhouse Racing Team and Stewart-Haas Racing’s Cole Custer earned his second top 10 of the season.
With his work this weekend, Byron moves into second place in the NASCAR Cup Series driver standings – 101 points behind Hamlin. Three-race winner Martin Truex Jr., who finished 19th, is now third, 102 points behind Hamlin.
The showing at Dover marks the 11th time in 13 races this season Hendrick Motorsports has had at least two drivers finish in the top 10. Six times now, three of the team’s four drivers have earned top-10 finishes in the same race.
“We won Richmond and then had a really rough couple of weeks there,” Bowman said. “We went to some really good racetracks for us and struggled. I told the guys last week, ‘We’re still the same team that did it at Richmond.’ This is another really good place for us.
“I’m just so pumped for (sponsor) Ally. It feels right to put the 48 back in Victory Lane here after how many races that this car has won here.”
All three of NASCAR’s national series will debut at the Circuit of The Americas next week in Austin, Texas. The EchoPark Texas Grand Prix will start at 2:30 p.m. ET next Sunday (FS1, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
NOTE: The race-winning No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet of Alex Bowman passed NASCAR’s post-race inspection. There were four cars with one lug nut not safe and secure: the No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet (driver Tyler Reddick), the No. 17 Roush Fenway Racing Ford (driver Chris Buescher), the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet (driver William Byron) and the No. 37 JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet (driver Ryan Preece). There were no other issues.
Monday, May 17
3:30 a.m., NASCAR Race Hub: Best of Radioactive — Dover (re-air), FS1
4:30 a.m., NASCAR Cup Series: Drydene 400 at Dover International Speedway (re-air), FS1
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
Tuesday, May 18 Noon, NASCAR Race Hub: Best of Radioactive — Dover (re-air), FS2
12:30 p.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series: Drydene 200 at Dover International Speedway (re-air), FS2
2:30 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series: Drydene 400 at Dover International Speedway (re-air), FS2
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
7 p.m., NASCAR Race Classics: 1994 Coke 600 (re-air), FS1
Wednesday, May 19 6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
7 p.m., eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series: Circuit of the Americas (COTA), FS1
8:30 p.m., Blink of an Eye (re-air), FS1
10:30 p.m., eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series: COTA (re-air), FS1
Thursday, May 20
Midnight, Blink of an Eye (re-air), FS1
5:30 p.m., Dale Jr. Download, NBCSN
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
Friday, May 21 12:30 a.m., ARCA Menards Series East: General Tire 125 at Dover International Speedway (tape delay), NBCSN
3 p.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series: Practice, FS1
4 p.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series: Practice, FS1
5 p.m., NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour: Miller Lite 200 at Riverhead Raceway (tape delay), NBCSN
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
Saturday, May 22
6 a.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series: Practice (re-air), FS1
7 a.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series: Practice (re-air), FS1
9 a.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series: Qualifying, FS2
10 a.m., NASCAR Cup Series: Practice, FS2
11 a.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series: Qualifying, FS1
Noon, NASCAR RaceDay: NCWTS at COTA, FS1
1 p.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series: Toyota Tundra 225 at COTA, FS1
3:30 p.m., NASCAR RaceDay: Xfinity at COTA, FS1
4 p.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series: Pit Boss 250 at COTA, FS1 (Canada: TSN 3)
6:30 p.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series: Post-race show, FS1
11 p.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series: Pit Boss 250 at COTA (re-air), FS1
On MRN:
12:30 p.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series: Toyota Tundra 225 at COTA
On PRN:
3:30 p.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series: Pit Boss 250 at COTA
Sunday, May 23 1 a.m., NASCAR Presents: Trackhouse — Get Ready (re-air), FS1
9 a.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series: Pit Boss 250 at COTA (re-air), FS2
11 a.m., NASCAR Cup Series: Qualifying, FS1
1 p.m., NASCAR RaceDay: Cup Series at COTA, FS1
2:30 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series: EchoPark Texas Grand Prix at COTA, FS1 (Canada: TSN 5)
On PRN:
11 a.m., NASCAR Cup Series: Qualifying
1:30 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series: EchoPark Texas Grand Prix at COTA
Reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion Chase Elliott will start from the rear of the field for Sunday’s Drydene 400 at Dover International Speedway (2 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) due to multiple pre-race inspection failures.
Due to inspection issues, the No. 9 team will start from the rear of the field today at the @MonsterMile.
— Hendrick Motorsports (@TeamHendrick) May 16, 2021
The No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet failed pre-race inspection twice and will start at the rear of the field per the NASCAR Rule Book.
Elliott was slated to line up eighth for the 400-lap race this afternoon. He comes into this race with two straight top-seven finishes on the season and ranks eighth in the points standings. He has a 11.3 average finish at the “Monster Mile” with one win and seven top fives in 10 starts there.
Due to a driver change, the No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet entry that will now be driven by Josh Berry — it was originally slated to be Justin Haley — will start at the rear as well. Haley is out for this race due to COVID-19 protocols.
Ryan Newman also started from the rear for unapproved adjustments. Newman was slated to start 13th in the No. 6 Roush Fenway Racing Ford.
RIVERHEAD, N.Y. — Doug Coby can be forgiven if he lost track of how many different ways wins at Riverhead Raceway slipped away.
Finally, Saturday night, the six-time NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion would be denied no longer.
Coby wrestled the lead away from Justin Bonsignore with 25 laps to go and drove to the win in the Miller Lite 200. It was Coby’s 30th career win and the first in 20 starts at the quarter-mile billring on the eastern tip of Long Island.
Coby’s No. 10 Mayhew Tools Ford crossed the finish line 3.119 seconds in front of Patrick Emerling. Bongisnore, who was fastest in practice, won the Mayhew Tools Pole Award and led the first 175 laps in pursuit of his fifth straight win at his home track, finished third.
Emerling and Goodale are tied for the championship lead after three races with 125 points apiece. Coby is seven points back, while Justin Bonsignore is nine. Kyle Bonsignore is fifth, three points behind his cousin.
NASCAR Cup Series driver Ryan Preece, the last Connecticut driver to win a tour race at Riverhead, had a top-10 run end on lap 133 with a cut left front tire while battling with Hossfeld. Preece finished 23rd.
The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour heads west to Pennsylvania for the Jennerstown Salutes 150 presented by DGV at Jennerstown Speedway.
The Miller Lite 200 streamed live on TrackPass on NBC Gold, and will re-air on NBCSN on Friday, May 21, at 5 p.m. ET.
Doug Coby, driver of #10 Mayhew Tools Chevrolet takes a victory lap after winning the Miller Lite 200 for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour at Riverhead Raceway in Riverhead, New York on May 15, 2021. (Kathryn Riley/NASCAR)
RIVERHEAD, N.Y. — Justin Bonsignore keeps putting challengers in the rear view at Riverhead Raceway.
After posting the fastest time in NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour practice, the Holtsville, New York, driver backed it up by winning the Mayhew Tools Pole Award Saturday for the evening’s Miller Lite 200.
Bonsignore piloted the No. 51 NCoastal Fiber LLC Chevrolet around the quarter-mile bullring in 11.431 seconds for a speed of 78.733 mph.
Ron Silk qualified second at 11.438 (78.685), followed by Doug Coby at 11.443 (78.651).
Patrick Emerling and Timmy Solomito qualified fourth and fifth, respectively.
Eight of his 29 career wins have come at his home track, including his first career win in 2011 and the last four trips for the tour to the Long Island track.
It is Bonsignore’s 15th career pole, but remarkably just his second at Riverhead.
Kyle Bonsignore qualified sixth Saturday, followed by Anthony Nocella, Tommy Catalano, Craig Lutz and JB Fortin.
Championship points leader Eric Goodale qualified 17th, while NASCAR Cup Series driver Ryan Preece – another former multi-race winner at Riverhead – qualified 13th.
The Miller Lite 200 will run at 8 pm and stream live on TrackPass on NBC Gold.
Drydene 400 at Dover International Speedway (⏰ 2 p.m. ET | 📺 FS1 | 📻 MRN, SiriusXM)
Everything you need to know for Sunday’s race, the 13th points-paying NASCAR Cup Series event of the 2021 season.
Where: Dover International Speedway, a 1-mile track located in Dover, Delaware Green flag: 2:11 p.m. ET TV/Radio: FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Forecast: A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 9 p.m. ET. Partly cloudy, with a low around 53. Chance of precipitation is 30%, according to NOAA.gov Race Distance: 400 laps, 400 miles Stages: 120 | 240 | 400 Pit-road speed: 35 mph Caution car speed: 45 mph Dover 101: Get the full lowdown
Starting lineup: See the full lineup Pit-stall assignments: See who is pitting where| Expert breaks down pit selectionsSean Gardner | Getty Images
Five to watch
Here are five big story lines we’ll be following at Dover International Speedway.
1. It’s entirely possible Martin Truex Jr. wins out the rest of the month of May after his win at Darlington Raceway last Sunday. The only multi-winner at the Cup level this season — he has three victories — Truex enters the weekend as the race favorite at 7-2 odds. It’s for good reason, too, as the 2021 stalwart is also a three-time Dover winner and has finished in the top two in each of the last four races at the “Monster Mile.” He’ll also be among the favorites at the other two tracks in May (Charlotte Motor Speedway, three wins; Circuit of the Americas, four career road-course wins). The Summer of Marty is here.
2. If there’s a driver primed to put Truex’s show on hold, however, it’s Kyle Larson. The No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports driver is fresh off another runner-up finish at Darlington — the 24th of his 235-race career — and owns the best average finish all time at Dover with a keen 7.4. After a late-race contest last weekend, it could come down to these two drivers once again, and expect Larson to be a little more aggressive this time in search of win No. 2 on the season.
3. Quickly becoming one of the most intriguing drivers to watch every week, William Byron‘s breakout season has been so strong he’s riding a streak that last saw him finish outside the top 10 in February. At Daytona International Speedway. Yes, you read that correctly. Dover is a track that can change a driver’s fortune in a hurry, but the fourth-year talent is well on his way to a career high in top 10s with 10 already (previous high is 14) and he placed fourth in the most recent “Monster Mile” race.
4. All three of its drivers have a victory in the first third of the season, but is Team Penske showing signs of a slump? It could certainly look that way after this weekend. Brad Keselowski has been up and down of late, fighting an ill-handling car to a 24th-place finish from the Darlington pole. Bristol Dirt Race winner Joey Logano has been shut out of the top 10 in three straight races. He has never won at Dover, either, and his 41 laps led in 24 starts there are the fewest he has at any track. And don’t expect much from Ryan Blaney this weekend — he has just one top 10 in the last nine Dover races, with just four lead-lap finishes in his career there.
5. While Penske might be on the downturn, Ford stablemate Stewart-Haas Racing could be on the rise finally. Kevin Harvick is the most recent Dover victor and a threat to win every weekend, so he could certainly hoist trophy No. 1 of the season this weekend. His young teammates could be top-10 threats this weekend as well, and Dover always marks a spot where Aric Almirola might turn things around. Cole Custer won at Dover in the Xfinity Series in 2019 and has averaged a 10.5 finish in two Cup starts, while Chase Briscoe tied his best career finish (11th) last week and won the Xfinity Dover race a year ago. Almirola was seventh at Dover last fall and notched a pair of top fives in 2015, so he could potentially improve on his 24.4 average finish in 2021.
Race-day staples
Our biggest pieces of the week — get covered for race day from all angles.
•Power Rankings: Larson heating up; Dover domination ahead? | Scope the ranks •Paint Scheme Preview: Check out the designs taking on Dover | See the schemes •Fantasy Fastlane: See which drivers to use, avoid | Full Fantasy advice |Set your roster •Preview Show: Jonathan Merryman and Alex Weaver preview the race | Watch the show
Get in on the action
Think you know NASCAR? Put your mettle to the test with gaming, fantasy.
• Betting odds for Dover race | See the odds
• Dover betting: How bettors benefit from lack of practice, qualifying | Find out why • Take a shot at winning cash prizes with the free-to-play Jackpot Races app | Hit the jackpot
• Full guide to 2021 NASCAR Fantasy Live game | Get the FAQ
Track history
Every track has a story to tell. Here’s what we’ve seen go down at Dover in the past.
Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
•Remember this?: Memorable moments from Dover | See the moments •Spring winners: All-time winners in Dover spring race | See the list
• Front of the field: See who has led the most “Monster Mile” laps | Dover lap leaders
Fast facts
Hard-hitting, race-relevant statistics, brought to you by the experts at Racing Insights.
• The 2018 fall race winner, Chase Elliott‘s seven Dover top fives are his most at any track. • Aric Almirola has only one top-10 finish this season. He had four at this point last year and 18 at the end of 2020. • Daniel Suarez has finished in the top 10 in four of his eight Dover starts and won there in the Xfinity Series in 2016. • Alex Bowman is slumping lately but could rebound at Dover — he has finished in the top five in three of the last five races there. • Erik Jones is battling for top 20s at the moment and should have a good shot at one this weekend. He has finished top 20 in seven of his eight Dover starts.
Catch the pack
Read up on all the headlines from the week leading up to Sunday’s race.
• Ready to retire: Texas Motor Speedway president Eddie Gossage to step down after All-Star Race | Track release
• Vote now, vote often: NASCAR Cup Series All-Star Race Fan Vote open now | Cast your ballot
• Wolfe out: No. 22 crew chief suspended for lug violation | Read more
• Sense of normalcy: NASCAR no longer requiring masks in outside area | Read more • No. 2 crew chief out: Jeremy Bullins once again sidelined for Dover race | Read more
Say what?
Notable quotes from the stars of the sport heading into Sunday’s race.
“(Catching Denny Hamlin atop the standings is) doable for sure. It’s obviously going to take a little bit of rough luck on their part. We’ve had a couple bad races and that’s really the difference. Wrecked at Daytona, wrecked at Talladega and a flat tire on the last green-white-checkered at Bristol really hurt us. We’ve had a couple really bad finishes and that’s really the difference. They’re going to need to have a few of those I think for us to catch them. We’ll see how it plays out. Obviously, feeling great about where we are as a team and what we’re doing. If we can keep winning races, we’ll do what we need to do points-wise.” — Martin Truex Jr., driver of the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Sean Gardner | Getty Images
“There’s things (about Dover) that really separate it from the others; but to me, those features are things that weren’t, I guess, new to me coming from dirt racing and seeing a lot of different tracks. That sensation you have driving off of the banking down into the corner is a lot more than a lot of the tracks that we do go to. But I’ve raced a lot of different tracks at a lot of different places, so those sensations that you have at Dover, they never really jumped out at me when I first went there. Probably the biggest one is I feel like you have to be aggressive to make some good lap times, but you can burn your tires up. But at the same time, if you do make that mistake off of Turn 2 or Turn 4 and overcorrect it or bounce off the fence, it’s very easy once you’ve lost control to find yourself spun around backward or heading towards the inside wall.” — Tyler Reddick, driver of the No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
“I thought we had a couple decent runs (at Dover) last year. I don’t think we’ve been in contention for a win, but I feel like this year we’ve learned a lot of stuff where we can go back and see what we’ve got, so I’m looking forward to this weekend, trying to get another Miles. That’s my Xfinity one (behind on the desk), so hopefully we can get a Cup one here.” — Ryan Blaney, driver of the No. 12 Team Penske Ford
“First of all, I think everybody at Hendrick has given us a great race car to work with. So, our product, to start with, has been very good. So, we start with a good product and we tune on it and William has been very involved in all the set-ups and what wasn’t good before and going well and what we can do better. By bringing small pieces here and there, we’ve just made some really good decisions. We’ve had some good luck and we’ve capitalized.” — Rudy Fugle, crew chief of the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet for William Byron, on the team’s top-10 finish streak
