Category: NASCAR Cup PR

DOVER INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY (ONE-MILE OVAL)
LOCATION: DOVER, DELAWARE
EVENT: NASCAR CUP SERIES (RACE 11 OF 36)
TUNE IN: 2 P.M. ET, SUNDAY, MAY 5 (FS1/MRN/SIRIUSXM)

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Chase Elliott
No. 9 NAPA Brakes Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
Driver Chase Elliott Hometown Dawsonville, Georgia
Age 23 Resides Dawsonville, Georgia

2019 Season
7th in standings
10 starts
1 win
1 pole position
2 top-five finishes
3 top-10 finishes
167 laps led

Career
123 starts
4 wins
5 pole positions
35 top-five finishes
62 top-10 finishes
1,410 laps led

Track Career
6 starts
1 win
0 pole positions
5 top-five finishes
5 top-10 finishes
149 laps led

Chase Elliott, driver of the No. 9 NAPA Brakes Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, will be available to the media on Friday, May 3, at 12:45 p.m. local time in the media center at Dover International Speedway.

‘DEGA, BABY: Chase Elliott brought home his fourth career NASCAR Cup Series win and first of the 2019 season last Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway. En route to the Talladega victory, the 23-year-old driver collected his first stage win of the year and led a total of 45 laps in the 188-lap event. The win puts Elliott seventh in the driver points standings, 106 points out of first.

WINNING WAYS: In the last 25 races, Elliott ranks third for the most wins with four – behind only Brad Keselowski and Kyle Busch, who both have five. Since capturing his first career NASCAR Cup Series win in Aug. 2018 at Watkins Glen, he is the only Chevrolet driver to have won a race. In those last 25 starts, the Dawsonville, Georgia, native has collected eight top-five finishes – including one runner-up result – 14 top-10s, 436 laps led and an average finishing position of 10.68. In the last five races of the 2019 season, Elliott has led a total of 167 laps, compared to zero in the first five events of the year.

GUSTAFSON STATS: On Sunday at Talladega, No. 9 team crew chief Alan Gustafson collected his 24th win – ranked fifth among active crew chiefs for most wins – and first at a superspeedway. Now in his 15th season as a NASCAR Cup Series crew chief, the 43-year-old has accumulated 137 top-five finishes, 247 top-10s and 27 pole awards. His drivers average a starting position of 13.5 and finish of 14.7.

NAPA BRAKES CHEVROLET: This weekend, Elliott will pilot the No. 9 NAPA Brakes Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 at Dover International Speedway. On Monday, NAPA AUTO PARTS revealed the black-and-yellow machine on their newly relaunched Instagram account. The paint scheme coincides with NAPA AUTO PARTS’ May brakes promotion.

NAPA BRAKES PROMO: Elliott’s scheme will promote NAPA AUTO PARTS’ brakes special that will run throughout the month May. Customers can get up to $75 off a qualifying NAPA brake parts purchase of $250 at participating NAPA AUTO PARTS stores and NAPA AutoCare centers.

LAST TIME AT DOVER: Last fall at Dover International Speedway, Elliott conquered the “Monster Mile” to capture his second career Cup Series win and clinch a spot in the Round of 8 of the NASCAR playoffs. Starting the day in ninth, the driver of the No. 9 Chevy overcame an early uncontrolled tire violation and utilized a strategy call by Gustafson to stay on-track during a late caution to take the lead. He held that lead through multiple restarts to ultimately capture the victory in overtime.

‘MONSTER MILE’ STATS: Elliott has garnered five top-five finishes in six starts at Dover International Speedway, four of which were top-three finishes. Among those top-three finishes was his win last season and a runner-up result in 2017. His five top-five finishes rank Dover as one of his top-three tracks. Elliott averages a starting position of 10.8 and a finishing position of 4.3 at the one-mile oval and has led 149 laps – including a career race-high 138 laps led in Oct. 2017. Elliott finished in the top three in both of his rookie appearances at Dover in 2016 – something only Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch and Davey Allison have accomplished in their rookie seasons. Elliott also has four starts in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and one in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series at the Dover, Delaware, track and never finished outside the top 10 in either series.

GUSTAFSON AT DOVER: Gustafson will call his 29th “Monster Mile” Cup Series race from atop the pit box this weekend. In his previous 28 races calling the shots for five different drivers (Elliott, Busch, Casey Mears, Mark Martin and Jeff Gordon) at Dover, he has collected two wins, with his most recent victory coming last season with Elliott. He also has 14 top-five finishes – five of which were runner-up results – 16 top-10s and 420 laps led at the track.

NEXT THREE: Looking ahead, the three upcoming tracks on the schedule – Dover, Kansas and Charlotte – are all tracks where Elliott and the No. 9 team have been successful. During the most recent visits to Dover and Kansas, the driver of the No. 9 captured wins that secured his spot in the Round of 8 in the 2018 playoffs. Elliott also garnered a runner-up finish, his career-best at the track, at Charlotte in October 2017 after leading 12 laps. Elliott has collected his second-most top-five finishes at Dover.

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William Byron
No. 24 Axalta Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
Driver William Byron Hometown Charlotte, North Carolina
Age 21 Resides Charlotte, North Carolina

2019 Season
19th in standings
10 starts
0 wins
1 pole position
0 top-five finishes
1 top-10 finish
83 laps led

Career
46 starts
0 wins
1 pole position
0 top-five finishes
5 top-10 finishes
144 laps led

Track Career
2 starts
0 wins
0 pole positions
0 top-five finishes
0 top-10 finishes
0 laps led

‘MONSTER MILE’ MERIT: Across his entire racing career, driver William Byron has made the trip to Dover International Speedway on six different occasions, his first being in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East, where he started on the pole and led 57 laps before finishing in the ninth position. Graduating to the top three national tiers of NASCAR starting in 2016, Byron once again captured the top spot in qualifying at Dover, this time in the Gander Outdoors Truck Series, leading 80 laps and finishing 11th. The next season in the Xfinity Series, Byron would race at the concrete one-mile oval twice with the best of the two starts occurring in the fall when he qualified first, led 62 laps and finished third. Competing as a rookie in the Cup Series last year, Byron made two more starts at the track nicknamed the “Monster Mile,” with his best qualifying effort of 17th and finish of 14th both coming in the spring event.

AT IT AGAIN WITH AXALTA: With their corporate headquarters located less than two hours away from Dover International Speedway, Axalta Coating Systems will return as the primary sponsor of the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for this weekend’s race at the “Monster Mile.” It will be the final time that the No. 24 unloads the iconic Axalta flames paint scheme until the halfway point of the Cup Series season at Daytona International Speedway in July.

KNAUS’ DOVER DOMINATION: In his sophomore Cup Series season, Byron has a valuable asset in No. 24 team crew chief Chad Knaus. In 36 races as a Cup Series crew chief at Dover, Knaus has an impressive 11 wins, 17 top-five finishes and 24 top-10s. Knaus also leads all active crew chiefs in overall career wins at 81. The next closest crew chief, Paul Wolfe, has 28 Cup Series wins.

BYRON’S DAY IN DEGA: After qualifying 25th for last weekend’s race at Talladega Superspeedway, Byron had a strong run going throughout the 188-lap event, including finishing third in a one-two-three Hendrick Motorsports sweep of Stage 2. However, with a five-lap shootout to end the race, Byron initially got shuffled to the rear of the pack on the restart and was maneuvering his way back toward the front when he was involved in an on-track incident on the backstretch of the final lap, leaving him with a 21st-place finish.

DOVER VICTORY TOUR: Byron will visit Dover International Speedway a day early to participate in the NASCAR Foundation’s Speediatrics Fun Day Festival. The event showcases the importance of physical fitness and overall healthy living in youth. Byron will join approximately 150 youth from a local Dover YMCA after-school program to participate in various exercise routines and other fun activities. Later in the weekend, fans can check out Byron’s basketball skills when he joins the Harlem Globetrotters for their exhibition on Sunday, May 5, in the Dover Fanzone at 10:30 a.m. local time. Byron and a few fellow Cup Series drivers will join the Globetrotters to try their skills at some of the famous basketball team’s most famous tricks.

WATCH US WATCH NASCAR: During Saturday’s Xfinity Series race at Dover, Byron will join Jeff Gordon and the FOX Sports crew for a portion of Comcast’s “Watch Us Watch NASCAR” program. Offering a unique entertainment experience of the race, fans can watch a second-screen experience of the race live on Xfinity’s Twitter account while interacting through social media. The Twitter Live broadcast begins on the @Xfinity Twitter account in conjunction with the beginning of FS1’s Xfinity Series broadcast on Saturday, May 4, at 1:30 p.m. ET.

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Jimmie Johnson
No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
Driver Jimmie Johnson Hometown El Cajon, California
Age 43 Resides Charlotte, North Carolina

2019 Season
16th in standings
10 starts
0 wins
1 pole position
1 top-five finish
4 top-10 finishes
64 laps led

Career
625 starts
83 wins
36 pole positions
225 top-five finishes
356 top-10 finishes
18,767 laps led

Track Career
34 starts
11 wins
3 pole position
17 top-five finishes
24 top-10 finishes
3,105 laps led

Jimmie Johnson, driver of the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, will be available to the media on Friday, May 3, at 1:15 p.m. local time in the media center at Dover International Speedway.

JOHNSON’S CONCRETE PLAYGROUND: Jimmie Johnson, the seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, is credited with 11 wins at Dover, which is the most all-time. Since 1972, it’s the second-most wins by a driver at a single track behind only NASCAR Hall of Famer Darrell Waltrip’s 12 at Bristol. In this race two years ago, Johnson scored his 83rd career win, leading just seven laps before scoring the victory in NASCAR’s version of overtime. Johnson has started on the pole position at the track three times in his career. He has completed 98 percent of all possible laps run in his career at the track, averaging a start of 10.9 and a finish of 9.9. His 3,105 laps led at Dover are the most all-time.

MEENDERING UNDERSTANDS THE ‘MONSTER,’ TOO: No. 48 team crew chief Kevin Meendering knows a thing or two about Dover. Over six starts as a NASCAR Xfinity Series crew chief for Elliott Sadler, Meendering earned one top-five finish and five top-10s. Only once did his team finish outside the top 10, taking the checkered flag 11th.

Q&A AT THE MONSTER: Johnson will participate in activities to commemorate Dover’s 50th anniversary by appearing at the Dover 50th Bash on Saturday, May 4, for a question-and-answer session at the Xfinity stage located in the Midway at 3:45 p.m. local time and again on Sunday, May 5, at 10:45 a.m. local time.

TALLADEGA IN THE REAR-VIEW: Johnson had a fast car last Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway but wasn’t able to mix it up with the rest of the field due to early misfortune. The driver of No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 ran over debris on the track on Lap 26, which caused a right-front tire to blow and Johnson made contact with the wall. Johnson was able to continue on after extensive repairs on pit road, but was ultimately scored 33rd, 10 laps behind the leader at the finish.

ALL EYES ON 84: Johnson’s next trip to Victory Lane will be his 84th points-paying Cup Series win. He secured his 83rd in June 2017 at Dover, which is the most among all active drivers. An 84th win would tie NASCAR Hall of Famers Waltrip and Bobby Allison for fourth all-time.

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Alex Bowman
No. 88 Nationwide Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
Driver Alex Bowman Hometown Tucson, Arizona
Age 26 Resides Charlotte, North Carolina

2019 Season
15th in standings
10 starts
0 wins
0 pole positions
1 top-five finishes
1 top-10 finishes
7 laps led

Career
127 starts
0 wins
2 pole positions
4 top-five finishes
15 top-10 finishes
281 laps led

Track Career
6 starts
0 wins
0 pole positions
0 top-five finish
0 top-10 finishes
26 laps led

Alex Bowman, driver of the No. 88 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, will be available to members of the media on Friday, May 3, at 1:35 p.m. local time in the media center at Dover International Speedway.

TALLADEGA REWIND: The No. 88 Nationwide team had a great showing at Talladega Superspeedway last weekend, bringing home a runner-up finish behind teammate Chase Elliott. Alex Bowman rolled off ninth for the 500-mile event last Sunday. The driver quickly began collaborating with his Chevrolet teammates in the draft working the inside and outside lanes. At the conclusion of Stage 1, Bowman was scored in the second position and earned nine valuable stage points. The Nationwide machine led the field from Lap 61 until Lap 68 and then settled into third as the top lane gained more momentum. Bowman would advance one position at the end of Stage 2 to finish second once again. During the final stage, Bowman and Elliott worked together in the draft. After the field took the white flag, a multiple-car incident on backstretch brought out the caution, freezing the field and earning Bowman a second-place finish.

CAREER BEST: Last Sunday’s runner-up result at Talladega marked Bowman’s career-best finish in the NASCAR Cup Series. His previous best result came at Pocono in 2018 when he finished third. The driver of the No. 88 Nationwide Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 has four career top-five finishes in the Cup Series, which he earned at Talladega Superspeedway, Pocono Raceway, Charlotte Motor Speedway (road course) and Bristol Motor Speedway.

IVES AT DOVER: Crew chief Greg Ives will call the shots for the ninth time for the No. 88 team in Dover this weekend. The Michigan native has one top-five finish and three top-10s at the track. Ives’ drivers have an average start of 11.6 and an average finish of 16.0 at the track. The crew chief’s resume includes two top-five finishes and three top-10s at the venue in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. Both top-five results came in 2014, when Ives led Elliott to two second-place starting positions and 19 laps led before taking the checkered flag inside the top five. Ives was a race engineer for the No. 48 team at Hendrick Motorsports from 2006 until 2012. During that time, he was a part of four wins, four pole awards and 10 top-10 finishes at Dover.

BOWMAN AT THE MONSTER MILE: Bowman will make his seventh start in the NASCAR Cup Series at Dover International Speedway this weekend. Last spring, the No. 88 Nationwide team finished 23rd at the track after starting 15th. The 26-year-old driver led 26 laps in the spring event last year at Delaware-based facility. The Tucson, Arizona, native has six start at the track in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. Bowman earned two top-five finishes at the one-mile track, both of which came with JR Motorsports in 2016. The driver led 33 laps in the spring event that year and crossed the line third. Bowman also ran an ARCA Series race at the track in 2011 and finished 23rd after suffering an engine failure after 132 laps.

PITCH TO WIN: Small Business Week runs from May 5-11 and recognizes businesses everywhere. Nationwide and Blue Vine are teaming up to give away up to $100,000 to one small business to help it grow. Starting on May 3 and running through the end of June, small business owners can visit www.pitchtowinbig.com to enter for a chance to win funds to achieve their business goals. Nationwide and Blue Vine will select the contest finalists, who will receive an all-expenses-paid trip to Nationwide’s headquarters in Columbus, Ohio, to pitch business leaders in-person during a live “Pitch to Win” event. The winning pitch will win the $100,000 prize, with second place receiving $20,000 and third place taking home $10,000.

NATIONWIDE ON BOARD: The primary blue-and-white colors of Nationwide will be featured on the No. 88 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 in 20 NASCAR Cup Series events in 2019. Nationwide will adorn the hood of Bowman’s Chevrolet for this weekend’s event at Dover International Speedway, but with a new look. This weekend’s scheme will feature the Pitch To Win Big promotion that Nationwide and Blue Vine will launch in May. Last August, Hendrick Motorsports and Nationwide extended their primary partnership with Bowman and the No. 88 team for an additional two years beginning in 2019.

HOME-TRACK FEELS: Rear-tire changer for the No. 88 Nationwide team Devin DelRicco grew up approximately 86 miles from Dover International Speedway in Marlboro, Maryland. The 28-year-old visited the “Monster Mile” for the first time back in 2005 for the NASCAR Cup Series event. DelRicco has been with Hendrick Motorsports for five years and has two NASCAR Xfinity Series championships with JR Motorsports.

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Hendrick Motorsports

DOVER DOMINANCE: Hendrick Motorsports holds many all-time records at Dover International Speedway. The organization currently leads all teams with 231 starts, 20 wins, 15 runner-up results, 65 top-five finishes, 105 top-10s and 6,689 laps led at the track. Hendrick Motorsports’ nine pole positions are the second-most at the track. Since 2009, Hendrick Motorsports has won in all but two seasons – 2011 and 2016 – at Dover.

TWENTY-PLUS CLUB: An organization has won 20 or more times at a single track just three times in NASCAR Cup Series history, and Hendrick Motorsports owns two of the three feats. The organization’s 20 wins at Dover rank third-most behind Junior Johnson and Associates’ 21 wins at Bristol in second. Hendrick Motorsports’ 24 wins at Martinsville are the most all-time by a team at a track.

SIX MAKE 20: Hendrick Motorsports’ 20 wins at Dover have come via six different drivers, which is the most at the track. Johnson leads the way for the organization with 11 victories, followed by Jeff Gordon with five and Elliott, Geoff Bodine, Ken Schrader and Ricky Rudd with one apiece.

OVERTIME PROS: Four Dover races have ended in overtime, and all four were won by Hendrick Motorsports drivers. Jimmie Johnson captured overtime wins at the track in 2005, 2015 and 2017, and Chase Elliott won last season in overtime at Dover.

FIRST-TIME WINNERS: Hendrick Motorsports holds the record for the most first-time Cup Series winners with nine. If William Byron or Alex Bowman win at Dover, it would extend the record to the 10th time a driver has recorded his first career Cup Series win while driving for Hendrick Motorsports.

ALL-STAR FAN VOTING: Fan voting for the NASCAR All-Star Race is now open with two teammates from Hendrick Motorsports on the ballot. Byron and Bowman are in the fan voting pool, providing one route to join their teammates Elliott and Johnson, who are locked in, in the All-Star Race field on May 18. Fans can cast their vote here, and votes shared on Twitter and Facebook count double.

ORGANIZATION STATS: To date, Hendrick Motorsports has totals of 12 championships, 253 race victories, 218 pole positions, 1,049 top-five finishes and 1,796 top-10 finishes in points-paying NASCAR Cup Series competition. Its teams have led more than 68,000 laps since 1984.

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QUOTABLE /
Chase Elliott on winning at Talladega:
“To have a win this early in the year I think is nice. And just because we won at Dover and Kansas last year doesn’t mean we’re going to go run well there, too. You know that. It’s going to be hit‑or‑miss. We’re going to go there, see what we have. We didn’t run well at Richmond, which was unfortunate. Had a good day at Talladega, need to ride that as best we can in Dover.”

No. 9 team crew chief Alan Gustafson on racing at Dover:
“I’m looking forward to Dover. I don’t know if that’s just because I like the track, like to go there and race at it. Typically, besides the win, we have a pretty good track record there.”

William Byron on Bristol compared to Dover:
“The difference in Dover and Bristol, I think, is that at Dover you almost fall down into the banking and then you pick up the banking in the corners. Where at Bristol you’re driving into the banking and almost constantly turning around there like you’re in a bowl. The only real similarity in the two tracks is how the tires feel because of the concrete surface and how the tires wear and pressure builds. Otherwise, they’re pretty different places.”

Byron on restarts and tires at Dover:
“I think the first initial restarts in the race are pretty normal, but as the rubber builds the longer the race goes and then gets picked back up, the first two lanes are really, really grippy for a few laps. Outside that second lane there isn’t a lot of grip, though, because that’s where the rubber and dust build up and never gets picked back up. It’s a very interesting racetrack in how the rubber builds up but never really sticks except sometimes towards the very end of the race.”

Jimmie Johnson on racing at Dover:
“Last weekend at Talladega was just bad luck. We had a great car all weekend, so it’s a shame we didn’t get a chance to really race. I’m so proud of Hendrick Motorsports and Chevrolet for the one-two finish with Chase (Elliott) and Alex (Bowman). I’ve had Dover circled on the calendar for a while. It’s going to be different – lots of throttle and probably more like the 2015 rules package that we had there. I’ve loved that place since I raced in the ASA series. I’ve always run well there, so I’m excited to get there. Last time there we had a freak mechanical issue before we even started the race and didn’t have a chance to get into the mix. It’s the site of so many good memories for me, I can’t wait.”

Alex Bowman on last weekend’s finish at Talladega:
“I am happy for Chase (Elliott) and Hendrick Motorsports for getting the win in Talladega, but, dang, I wish it was our Nationwide car who was sitting in Victory Lane at the end of that one. We were so close last weekend, but that last caution just didn’t work in our favor. (No. 88 team crew chief) Greg (Ives) and the guys put a great superspeedway car together and we were good right off the truck. Getting 18 stage points was huge for the standings. That was my career-best finish in the Cup Series, so we are getting so close to that first win.”

Bowman on Dover International Speedway:
“Dover is tough, for sure. It is physically demanding on your body and your car throughout the 400 laps. There is a lot of elevation change getting into the corner. The track changes from run to run with how the rubber lays down. It is interesting how that works being a concrete track, but the track is just ever-changing.”

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Next Race: Gander RV 400
The Place: Dover International Speedway
The Date: Sunday, May 5
The Time: 2 p.m. ET
TV: FS1, 1:30 p.m. ET
Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Distance: 400 miles (400 Laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 120),
Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 240), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 400)
2018 Winner: Kevin Harvick

NASCAR Xfinity Series
Next Race: Allied Steel Buildings 200
The Place: Dover International Speedway
The Date: Saturday, May 4
The Time: 1:30 p.m. ET
TV: FS1, 1:00 p.m. ET
Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Distance: 200 miles (200 Laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 45),
Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 90), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 200)
2018 Winner: Justin Allgaier

NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series
Next Race: JEGS 200
The Place: Dover International Speedway
The Date: Friday, May 3
The Time: 5 p.m. ET
TV: FS1, 4:30 p.m. ET
Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Distance: 200 miles (200 Laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 45),
Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 90), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 200)
2018 Winner: Johnny Sauter

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series

Kyle Busch is at a record pace

Kyle Busch is not only pacing the 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series in victories (three) this season, but his 10-consecutive top-10 finishes through the opening 10 races has only been accomplished by four other drivers – Lee Petty (1955), James Hylton (1972), Cale Yarborough (1974), Morgan Shepherd (1990) – and hasn’t been done in 29 years. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver, who celebrates his 34th birthday on Thursday, has 12 consecutive top-10 finishes going back to the end of the 2018 season.

And this week’s Gander RV 400 at Dover International Speedway (Sunday, 2 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) may well be a place for Busch to further pad his numbers. He has 12 total NASCAR national series victories at the famed one-miler, including three in the Monster Energy Series, five in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and four in the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series.

He has 17 top-10 finishes and 12 top-five showings in 28 series starts, including a series-best four more runner-up finishes in the past four seasons in addition to his three wins. Only the track’s all-time best Jimmie Johnson has more top-fives (17) or top-10s (24). Busch, who drives the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry, has led laps in six of the last eight races. He won the pole position in the Playoff race at Dover last Fall and won the 2017 Playoff race at the track, however he finished 35th after a drivetrain problem in this spring race at Dover last year.

An 11th consecutive top-10 finish this week would tie a mark set in 1990 by Morgan Shepherd who began the season with 11 top 10s. Busch continues to lead the Monster Energy Series championship driver standings. He’s now 15-points up on Joey Logano and boasts the most stage wins (five) of the series.

“I love that place,’’ Busch said of Dover’s Monster Mile. “It’s fun to race there and it’s a place I’m looking forward to going to with our Toyota Camry. I went there when I was 18 to race in the Xfinity Series for my first time. It will scare you the first time you race there. You carry so much speed at that racetrack and, for it to be a mile in length and for it to be concrete – concrete surfaces that we race on, anyway – are a little bit slick.

“It’s definitely a rollercoaster ride and you need to treat it like it’s fun and not to be scared of the place, I think, because you can get so much out of that place. There are two ways about it – you can probably be really, really good there, or really, really bad there. Some days are going to be better than others, obviously, with how you can get your car set up compared to the competition.”

Chasing Hendrick Motorsport’s Chase Elliott

Chase Elliott’s dramatic victory at Talladega Superspeedway last Sunday not only secured a Playoff berth for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series’ reigning Most Popular Driver, but it was a huge boost of early season confidence for the 23-year old from Georgia.

Elliott returns to Dover International Speedway this week as the most recent winner at the Monster Mile. He scored a Playoff win here last October and has been nothing short of amazing in his young career at the track. He has five top-five finishes in six series races. His “worst” showing is 12th in this race last year. Watch for him to be upfront as his 4.3 average finish is best in the series as is his 8.24 average running position.

The victory last Sunday was the fourth of Elliott’s four-year Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series career. He’s. seventh in the championship standings, only four points behind 2017 series champ Martin Truex Jr.

“What kind of stands out to me, I just love Dover, because when you win Dover, you’ve done something,’’ Elliott’s crew chief Alan Gustafson said, looking ahead after the Talladega win.

“That’s a tough, fast track. There’s no place to hide. There’s no way you can get away with not being on the edge all day.’’

Truex loves coming home to Dover

Martin Truex Jr. heads to Dover International Speedway feeling both comfortable and optimistic. The New Jersey native considers Dover as close to a “home track” as he has. And it has long been a sentimental favorite as well, considering it’s where Truex scored his first career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series win in June of 2007. He added another trophy is 2016 and shows up this weekend already with a victory on the season – scoring his first career short track win at Richmond Raceway three weeks ago.

Since a disappointing 35th-place showing in the season-opening Daytona 500, Truex has steadily made his way up the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series standings. The new Joe Gibbs Racing team driver has a pair of runner-up showings (at Atlanta and Phoenix) in the No. 19 Toyota Camry and is currently sixth in the championship rankings, only nine points behind fifth place Brad Keselowski.

Truex has five top-10s and four top-fives in the last six Dover races, leading 387 laps in that time. He hasn’t started farther back than the fourth row in the last eight races. He’s won at the track in the Xfinity Series too – scoring two of his 13 career wins there (in 2004 and 2005).

He said he expects Sunday’s race to be more unpredictable than past versions.

“Dover is going to be a tough race, I think,’’ Truex said. “The speeds are going to be really high. I’m sure it will be the fastest we’ve ever been around Dover and 400 laps there is tough no matter what. I think it’s going to be pretty crazy.

“Hopefully we’ll be able to do some passing and hopefully the dirty air deal is not terrible. I think track position will be important, but the speeds are going to be tough. It’s going to be demanding. Bristol was pretty crazy. I thought it was just because of how hard you had to drive the car every lap. As fast as Dover is, I think feel wise, it’s probably the fastest place we go. So, it’s going to be an eye opener for some guys.”

Harvick has some ground to make up

Kevin Harvick grimaced answering reporters’ questions last weekend following an early and unexpected exit from the Talladega Superspeedway race. The Stewart-Haas Racing driver and perennial championship contender was collected in a wreck only 11 laps into last Sunday’s event and suffered a season worse 38th-place finish.

But Harvick arrives at Dover International Speedway, the defending race winner of Sunday’s Gander RV 400 (2 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) and more than ready to correct his season trajectory.

He led a series best 487 laps in the two 2018 races on the Monster Mile, winning in the spring and finishing sixth during the Fall Playoff race. He has six top-five and 17 top-10 finishes in 36 starts – earning five top-10s since joining SHR in 2014.

In 2015, Harvick led an amazing 355 of the 400 laps to earn his first victory at Dover. During a five race stretch from 2014-16, he led 810 laps at the track – 56% of his 1,442-career total.

Harvick crashed out in both of this season’s superspeedway races (in the season-opening Daytona 500 and at Talladega) but is still ranked fourth in the championship thanks to top-10 finishes in seven of the other eight races. The driver of the No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford Mustang has four finishes of fourth-place this season.

Dover is a vital venue for Jimmie Johnson

Seven-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson returns to the site of his most recent victory – Dover International Speedway, where he is the sport’s all-time winningest driver with 11 victories. It’s that last one, in the spring of 2017, that is most noteworthy as the series returns to the tough one-mile concrete track this week. That was his last series win and marks the first time in his illustrious 83-victory, Hall of Fame-bound career that he has gone an entire season (2018) without a trophy.

Technically, the 43-year old Californian hoisted one already this year as winner of the exhibition “The Clash” race at Daytona International Speedway to kick off Daytona Speedweeks. But Johnson is eager to return to his historic winning ways and with his history at Dover, this week may present an ideal opportunity.

Johnson leads the competition with 24 top-10 and 17 top-five finishes in 34 starts at Dover. He has 11 wins, including this very first two visits to the track in 2002. He swept the 2009 season as well and won back-to-back in 2013-14 too – the only driver in the field to win back-to-back races at Dover. He boasts the series-best driver rating (114.4) heading into the weekend and the top average running position (8.835) among those with more than six starts at the track.

The driver of the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 has a pair of top 10s in the three races since his win, including a ninth place in this race last year a third place in the 2017 Fall race.

He’s led a series best 3,105 laps total at Dover but is looking to lead his first since the 2017 season.

Johnson is coming off a tough Talladega Superspeedway race, finishing 33rd, which dropped him from 13th to 16th in the series championship driver standings.

Change of Pace: Bowyer, Hamlin looking for first Dover win

Stewart-Haas Racing driver Clint Bowyer and Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin arrive in Dover, Delaware with a statistic they’d like to quickly alter. The two perennial championship contenders have made the most Dover starts (26) in this weekend’s field without a win.

Half the current members of the Championship Top 16 are still looking for their victory at the Monster Mile, but none of the other active competitors have gone this long without a trophy. Bowyer, the driver of the No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford Mustang, has 14 top-10 finishes at Dover, but only three top-five showings – his best finish, however, came in this race last year – runner-up to SHR teammate Kevin Harvick. Bowyer’s 13.3 average finish is fourth best among the top-16 ranked drivers and his 89.8 driver rating is eighth best. Bowyer has a pair of Xfinity Series wins at the track as well.

Hamlin, driver of the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry, has won three poles at the track (second-most among active drivers), but his average finish of 17.385 is only 13th best in the field. His best showing (runner-up) came in last season’s Dover Playoff race. He has five top-10 finishes in the last six Dover races. Plus, he owns a pair of Xfinity trophies at Dover, winning back-to-back races in 2007-08.

“Ever since I’ve been at SHR, we’ve seemed to have some really good cars at Dover,” Bowyer said. “We’ve been so close to taking home that Miles The Monster (a replica of the track’s 46-foot mascot) trophy. I hope we are just as good this weekend. If we are, then we have as good of a chance as anyone. You’ve got to fight this ‘monster’ every lap. I won a couple of Xfinity races there — haven’t won a Cup race — but love this racetrack.”

Sunoco Rookie Optimism

After enduring an expected learning curve in recent weeks two of the Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidates scored big time at Talladega Superspeedway last week. Both Ryan Preece and Daniel Hemric left Alabama with career best showings in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.

JTG-Daugherty Racing’s Ryan Preece answered a top-10 in the season-opening Daytona 500 with a third-place finish at Talladega just off the bumpers of fellow Chevrolets, race winner Chase Elliott and runner-up Alex Bowman. Richard Childress Racing driver Daniel Hemric finished a career best fifth for the first top-10 of his career. His previous best showing in 2019 was 18th at Phoenix.

Both Preece and Hemric have reason to be optimistic about Dover’s notoriously tough “Monster Mile.” Preece has a best showing of fourth-place in last year’s Fall Xfinity race. Hemric has three previous top-10s in the Xfinity Series there, including a career-best third-place finish in the spring race last year and a pole position for the Fall, 2018 race. He also scored a pair of top-10s competing in the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series – fourth in 2015 and ninth in 2016.

Front Row Motorsports’ rookie Matt Tifft is still looking for his first series top 10, but like Preece and Hemric, he boasts a solid resume at Dover. He has four top-10 finishes in the Xfinity Series there, including a career-best of sixth in Fall, 2017.

Parade Laps: Insights ahead of this week’s driver media rotations

Six drivers from the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series – Germain Racing’s Ty Dillon, Hendrick Motorsport’s Alex Bowman, Stewart-Haas Racing’s Kevin Harvick, Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Dillon, Chip Ganassi Racing’s Kyle Larson and Front Row Motorsport’s Michael McDowell will be participating in this week’s media rotations at Dover International Speedway in advance of Sunday’s Gander RV 400 (2 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Ty Dillon, 27, of Lewisville, N.C., tallied the most laps (seven) out front this season last Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway en route to a 17th-place finish – his fifth top-20 effort in 2019. The grandson of NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Childress, Dillon has one top-10 – a sixth-place finish in the Daytona 500 – for his No. 13 Germain Racing team. In five starts at the notoriously tough Dover International Speedway, he has a single top-15 finish – 14th in this race two years ago. He led 27 laps in the race – the only time he has paced the field at Dover.

Alex Bowman, 26, of Tucson, Ariz., shows up in Dover fresh off his best career finish – a runner-up showing to Hendrick Motorsports teammate Chase Elliott at Talladega last Sunday. It’s his only top-10 finish of the season. He started on the outside of the front row for the Daytona 500 and his 11th-place finish in the race was his previous best showing of 2019. Bowman has one previous top-20 finish at Dover – a 20th in the Spring, 2015 race when he was driving for Tommy Baldwin Racing. He finished 23rd and 28th in his Hendrick Motorsports full season debut at Dover last year.

Kevin Harvick, 43, of Bakersfield, Calif., is coming off his worst showing of 2019 – a 38th-place finish at Talladega after being collected in a crash only 11 laps into the race. An eight-time race winner in 2018, Harvick is still looking for his first victory this season. He has four top fives this season – all fourth-place showings for the driver of the No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford Mustang. He won the pole position at Las Vegas and two weeks ago at Richmond, where his fourth-place finish is his last top-10 in a three-race stretch. Dover’s “Monster Mile” may well prove a venue where Harvick returns to Victory Lane. He is the defending race winner, has two career wins there and three top-10 finishes in the last four races. He’s led 1,442 laps in his career at Dover, including a five-race streak between 2014-16 when he led 810 laps – or 56 percent of the five-race total. He led 487 laps in last year’s two races – winning in this race and finishing fourth in the Playoff race.

Austin Dillon, 29, of Lewisville, N.C., earned his third 14th-place finish of the season last Sunday at Talladega. He won the pole for the race – his second of the season (also at Fontana, Calif.) – and his best race finish this season was a sixth at Richmond two weeks ago. The driver of the famed No. 3 RCR Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for his grandfather’s Richard Childress Racing team has never led a lap at Dover in 11 starts but is coming off his best career finish at Dover – seventh last Fall.

Kyle Larson, 26, Elk Grove, Calif. is coming off a dramatic finish at Talladega, crashing on the white flag lap and having to settle for a 24th-place finish after a strong run all afternoon in the No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. Larson has been caught up in crashes in three of the last four races coming to Dover. More typically considered a legitimate championship contender, he has had only two top-10 finishes in 2019 – a seventh in the season-opening Daytona 500 and a sixth at Phoenix two weeks later. Dover has been a good venue for Larson, however. He has two runner-up finishes – in the spring 2016 and 2017 races. He has also led a combined 378 laps in the two 2017 season races – finishing second and fifth. In this race last year, he won the pole position and finished 10th.

Michael McDowell, 34, of Phoenix, Arizona started the season with a headline-making fifth place showing in the Daytona 500, but has six finishes since of 30th-place or worse. He’s crashed out of the last two races and finished last in the 40-car field at Talladega last Sunday. While he is still looking for his first top 10 on Dover’s “Monster Mile” he turned in his best showing (19th) at the track in the 2017 spring race.

NASCAR Xfinity Series

Final Four: Xfinity Series drivers’ last chance to win the Dash 4 Cash

The NASCAR Xfinity Series Dash 4 Cash program has reached its fourth and final round. With it brings one last chance for Tyler Reddick, Chase Briscoe, Christopher Bell and Gray Gaulding to battle it out for the $100,00 bonus, and it all comes down to who finishes the highest at the high-speed, concrete, one-mile track – Dover International Speedway – for this weekend’s Allied Steel Buildings 200 at 1:30 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Earlier this year, Christopher Bell (Bristol), Cole Custer (Richmond) and last weekend’s winner Tyler Reddick (Talladega) all fattened their bank accounts by winning the Dash 4 Cash and pocketing the $100,000 bonus.

Dash 4 Cash Driver’s Dover Stats Rundown:

Tyler Reddick (No. 2 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet) has made three starts at Dover International Speedway, posting one top five and an average finish of 15.0. Plus, he has completed 99.5% of his laps attempted and has also led 23 laps.

Christopher Bell (No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota) has made two series starts at Dover International Speedway posting one win (last fall), two top fives and an average finish of 2.5. He has completed 100% of his laps attempted at Dover and has led 110 laps.

Chase Briscoe (No. 98 Stewart-Haas Racing with Fred Biagi Ford) made his series track debut at Dover International Speedway last fall driving for Roush Fenway Racing; he started 13th but finished 19th.

Gray Gaulding (No. 08 SS Green Light Racing Chevrolet) made his series track debut at Dover International Speedway in 2017 driving for RSS Racing; he started 40th and finished 34th.

Locked into the Playoffs, Reddick looks to Dover to keep the win streak rolling

Richard Childress Racing’s Tyler Reddick must be floating on ‘Cloud 9’ following his dominating performance at Talladega Superspeedway last weekend en route to his first win of the season. Now the NASCAR Xfinity Series standings leader has locked himself into the Playoffs with his win and opened up his points lead to 32 points over second-place Christopher Bell and a massive 74 points over third-place Austin Cindric.

Heading to Dover this weekend, Reddick is not only looking to keep the winning ways going, but he also has a chance at another big $100,000 Dash 4 Cash bonus; which he won last weekend.

In nine starts this season, Reddick has put up two poles (Daytona, California), one win (Talladega), seven top fives and eight top 10s. Plus, he leads the series in average finish with a 4.9 and has led 199 laps this season.

Justin Allgaier hopes Dover can be his springboard to the Playoffs

Last season’s NASCAR Xfinity Series Spring race winner at Dover International Speedway was JR Motorsport’s Justin Allgaier. The victory was significant in the fact it would end up being his first of a career-best five-win season. Fast forward to 2019 and Allgaier returns to the concrete Monster Mile looking for a spark to get his winning ways back in full swing and defend his victory from a year ago.

Allgaier currently sits fifth in the NASCAR Xfinity Series championship standings, 115-points behind Tyler Reddick in the series standings lead. At this point last year heading into Dover Allgaier had five top fives and six top 10s. This season, he only has three top fives and four top 10s. A win this weekend at Dover would make Allgaier the 10th different driver to win back-to-back series races at Dover International Speedway. It would also lock him into the Playoffs. Most recent driver to win back-to-back Xfinity races at Dover was Kyle Busch’s 2014 season sweep.

Allgaier has made 16 NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at Dover, grabbing one win (2018), six top fives, nine top 10s and an average finish of 11.4.

Sunoco Rookie Update: Nemechek, Briscoe are tied for rookie standings lead

Rookie Standings

Points

John H. Nemechek

295

Chase Briscoe

295

Noah Gragson

284

Justin Haley

273

Brandon Brown

180

Through nine NASCAR Xfinity Series races this season the Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings are tied at the top with GMS Racing’s John Hunter Nemechek and Stewart-Haas Racing with Fred Biagi’s Chase Briscoe both having 295 points.

John Hunter Nemechek and the No. 23 GMS Racing Chevrolet team with crew chief Chad Norris have put up two top fives and seven top 10s in nine starts this season. The Mooresville, North Carolina, native has an average starting position of 11.2 and an average finish of 10.4. this season – with his best result coming a few weeks back at Las Vegas Motor Speedway; where he finished runner-up to Kyle Busch.

Chase Briscoe’s season got off to a slow start, but since has been in full gear marching up the standings in the No. 98 Stewart-Haas Racing with Fred Biagi Ford with crew chief Richard Boswell. In nine starts this season, Briscoe has posted four top fives and seven top 10s. The Mitchell, Indiana native has an average starting position of 13.3. and an average finish of 7.3 this season.

Both drivers made their series track debuts at Dover last season, but Nemechek has a slight advantage in experience heading into this weekend at Dover as he has two series starts at the Monster Mile posting one top 10 an average finish of 11.5. While Briscoe only has his lone debut start driving for Roush Fenway Racing; he started 13th but finished 19th.

Monster Mile: Xfinity Stats Snapshot

Below are some quick stats to get you up to speed for this weekend’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Dover International Speedway the Allied Steel Buildings 200 on Saturday, May 4 at 1:30 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio:

Races/Starts:

Dover International Speedway will tie Richmond Raceway for the third-most (71) NASCAR Xfinity Series races in series history with the event this weekend; the track has currently hosted 70 series races. The first Xfinity Series race held at Dover International Speedway was on May 15, 1982 and the event was won by Joe Ruttman driving for car owner Butch Mock (Pontiac). The series has competed at Dover International Speedway once a year for the first four seasons (1982-1985) and then twice a season since 1986. In total, 498 different NASCAR Xfinity Series drivers have made starts at Dover, and 353 drivers have competed in more than one. Morgan Shepherd leads the series in starts at Dover International Speedway with 34.

Poles:

In total, the NASCAR Xfinity Series has seen 46 different drivers win the pole award at Dover International Speedway; led by Joey Logano (2009, 2010, 2013, 2014 sweep) and Harry Gant (1982, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1994) with five poles each. Harry Gant (Pontiac) won the series’ first pole (138.021 mph) at Dover International Speedway in 1982 and Daniel Hemric (Chevrolet) won the most recent Xfinity pole (158.249 mph) at Dover last October. The youngest Xfinity pole winner at Dover International Speedway is Bubba Wallace (September 29, 2012 at 18 years, 11 months and 21 days). Dick Trickle is the oldest series pole winner at Dover International Speedway (June 5, 1999 at 57 years, 7 months, 9 days). Erik Jones (Toyota) holds the NASCAR Xfinity Series qualifying record at Dover International Speedway with a speed of 158.318 mph (October 2, 2016).

Wins:

In total the NASCAR Xfinity Series has seen 48 different drivers win the race at Dover International Speedway; led by Kyle Busch with five victories (2008, 2010 sweep, 2014 sweep). Joe Ruttman (Pontiac) won the series’ first race at Dover International Speedway in 1982 with an average speed of 111.679 mph, and Christopher Bell (Toyota) won the most recent Xfinity race at Dover last October with an average speed of 116.845 mph. Four former winners are entered this weekend – Morgan Shepherd (1986), Jeff Green (2001), Justin Allgaier (spring 2018) and Christopher Bell (fall 2018). The youngest Xfinity race winner at Dover International Speedway is Casey Atwood (September 25, 1999 at 19 years, 1 months, 0 days). The oldest series winner at Dover is Harry Gant (September 14, 1991 at 51 years, 1 month, 0 days). Joey Logano holds the race record in the series at Dover International Speedway with an average speed of 131.219 mph (September 28, 2013).

Parade Laps: Insights ahead of this week’s driver media breakouts

Four drivers from the NASCAR Xfinity Series – JR Motorsport’s Tyler Reddick, Joe Gibbs Racing’s Christopher Bell and Stewart-Haas Racing with Fred Biagi’s Chase Briscoe and SS Greenlight Racing’s Gray Gaulding – will be participating in this week’s media rotations at Dover International Speedway leading into this Saturday’s Allied Steel Buildings 200 at 1:30 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Tyler Reddick (No. 2 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet Camaro)

Birthdate: January 11, 1996

Driver’s Age: 23

Hometown: Corning, California

Hobbies: Riding ATVs, gaming, working on cars

Team: Richard Childress Racing

Crew Chief: Randall Burnett

Xfinity Career Highlights:

Won the 2018 NASCAR Xfinity Series championship.
Also won the 2018 NASCAR Xfinity Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors; just third driver in series history to win the title in his rookie season joining Chase Elliott (2014) and William Byron (2017).
In 2017, he captured his first NASCAR Xfinity Series victory at Kentucky, while running a partial schedule. Currently has three series career wins (Kentucky, Daytona and Homestead-Miami).
2019 Season Highlights:

Current NASCAR Xfinity driver championship standings leader, 32 points ahead of second place Christopher Bell.
In nine starts this season he has posted two poles (Daytona, California), one win (Talladega) seven top fives, eight top 10s and an average finish of 4.9 (series-best).
Won last weekend’s Dash 4 Cash, banking the $100,000 bonus on top of his first win of the season at Talladega Superspeedway.
Is qualified for this weekend’s Dash 4 Cash bonus at Dover.
Dover International Speedway Performance:

In three starts at Dover he has put up one top-five finish. His average starting position at the Monster Mile is 17.3 and his average finish is a 15.0. Has completed 99.5% of his laps attempted and has led 23 laps.

Christopher Bell (No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry)

Birthdate: December 16, 1994

Driver’s Age: 24

Hometown: Norman, Oklahoma

Hobbies: Dirt track racing, iRacing, golf

Team: Joe Gibbs Racing

Crew Chief: Jason Ratcliff

Xfinity Career Highlights:

In 2018, he set the rookie single season Xfinity Series wins record with seven victories; the previous record of five wins was held by three drivers – Greg Biffle (2001), Kyle Busch (2004) and Carl Edwards (2005).
Made the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs in rookie season (2018), and advanced to the Championship 4; ultimately finishing fourth in the championship standings.
Has 10 career NASCAR Xfinity Series wins in just 50 starts; including two this season (Atlanta, Bristol).
He is one of only five drivers in series history to win 10 or more races in their first 48 starts; joining Darrell Waltrip (12 wins), Dale Earnhardt (11 wins), Harry Gant (10 wins) and Jack Ingram (10 wins).
2019 Season Highlights:

Currently second in the NASCAR Xfinity driver points standings, 32 points back from series standings leader Tyler Reddick.
In nine starts this season, he has posted two poles (ISM Raceway, Texas), two wins (Atlanta, Bristol), five top fives, six top 10s and an average finish of 8.4.
Won the first Dash 4 Cash $100,000 bonus of 2019 at Bristol; is qualified this weekend for the Dash 4 Cash in Dover.
Leads the series in laps led this season with 454 (26.57% of his total laps completed). Has led at least one lap in all nine races in 2019.
Is qualified for this weekend’s Dash 4 Cash bonus at Dover.
Dover International Speedway Performance:

Has made two series starts at Dover International Speedway posting one win (fall 2018) and two top fives. Has an average starting position at Dover of 18.0 and an average finish of 2.5. Has completed 100% of his laps attempted and has led 110 laps – all in last October’s race.

Chase Briscoe (No. 98 Stewart-Haas Racing with Fred Biagi Ford Mustang)

Birthdate: December 15, 1994

Driver’s Age: 24

Hometown: Mitchell, Indiana

Hobbies: Spending time with family, online racing, watching sports

Team: Stewart-Haas Racing with Fred Biagi

Crew Chief: Richard Boswell

Xfinity Career Highlights:

Made NASCAR Xfinity Series debut in 2018 at Atlanta.
Ran 17 Xfinity races last season for Roush Fenway Racing (12) and Stewart-Haas Racing with Fred Biagi (five) and won the inaugural race at the Charlotte Road Course (ROVAL).
2019 Season Highlights:

Currently seventh in the NASCAR Xfinity Series driver championship standings and tied for the lead with John Hunter Nemechek in the Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings.
In nine starts this season he has posted four top fives, seven top 10s and an average finish of 7.3.
Currently on a seven-race streak of top-10 finishes dating back to Las Vegas; including last weekend’s fourth-place finish to qualify him for this weekend’s Dash 4 Cash.
Dover International Speedway Performance:

He made his series debut at Dover last season driving for Roush Fenway Racing, starting 13th and finishing 19th.

Gray Gaulding (No. 08 SS Green Light Racing Chevrolet Camaro)

Birthdate: February 10, 1998

Driver’s Age: 21

Hometown: Colonial Heights, Virginia

Hobbies: Weight lifting, basketball, spending time on the lake, Go-Karting

Team: SS Green Light Racing

Crew Chief: Patrick Donahue

Xfinity Career Highlights:

Has made 17 NASCAR Xfinity Series career starts; posting a best finish of runner-up last weekend at Talladega Superspeedway.
Made five series starts in 2017 gaining experience driving for RSS Racing.
Made NASCAR Xfinity Series debut in 2016 with Roush Fenway Racing – competed in two races in 2016 finishing 13th at both (Bristol and Richmond).
2019 Season Highlights:

Current 14th in the NASCAR Xfinity Series driver championship standings, 223 points behind the standings lead.
In nine starts this season he has posted one top-five, three top-15 and seven top-20 finishes with an average finish of 16.6.
Is qualified for this weekend’s Dash 4 Cash bonus at Dover.
Dover International Speedway Performance:

Made his series track debut at Dover in 2017 driving for RSS Racing; he started 40th and finished 34th.

NASCAR Xfinity Series, Etc.

Kaz Grala returns to RCR’s No. 21 – Boston, Massachusetts native Kaz Grala will be back in the Richard Childress Racing No. 21 Chevrolet Camaro with crew chief Justin Alexander this weekend at Dover international Speedway. This will be Grala’s third Xfinity start this season (all with RCR); in his previous two starts he has posted an average finish of 16.0. Grala made his series debut at Dover last season driving for JGL Racing; he started 16th but was caught in an incident on Lap 76 that relegated him to a 37th-place finish.

Zane Smith is back in JRM’s No. 8 – Huntington Beach, California, native Zane Smith has been tapped to pilot the JR Motorsports No. 8 Chevrolet Camaro with crew chief Taylor Moyer this weekend at Dover International Speedway. Smith has made four starts this season for JRM, posting one top 10 and an average finish of 13.7. This weekend will be Smith’s series track debut at the Monster Mile.

Riley Herbst jumps in JGR’s No. 18 – Las Vegas, Nevada native Riley Herbst returns to Joe Gibbs Racing to strap into the No. 18 Toyota with crew chief Ben Beshore. Herbst made his series season debut a few weeks back at Richmond, where he started on the pole and finished ninth. This weekend will be Herbst’s series track debut at Dover.

NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series

Has Todd Gilliland got his groove back?

This past weekend in Talladega was an exciting one for the Gilliland family. Former Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver David Gilliland got to watch on with pride as his son Todd Gilliland captured his first ARCA Menards Series win since 2015. The victory was the confidence boost the young driver acknowledged he needed after a slow start in the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series.

“This is really big for us,” the Sherrills Ford, North Carolina native Todd Gilliland said. “Obviously, my confidence has been down a little bit, but racing with these DGR-Crosley guys is definitely something special. Being able to come to the race track with such confidence in myself and everyone around me is huge. I think as soon as we can get that on the truck side, it’s definitely going to be a lot of wins coming.”

This ARCA win and confidence boost came at the right time as Gilliland heads into Dover International Speedway this weekend for the Gander Trucks race the JEGS 200 on Friday at 5 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. Gilliland currently holds a one-point lead over Harrison Burton in the series Playoffs outlook.

Gilliland made his Gander Trucks debut at Dover back in 2017 and managed to place 20th even with a suspension issue. He came back in 2018 improving upon the previous year’s finish by securing a top 10 spot (10th). Additionally, the Kyle Busch Motorsports driver has some NASCAR K&N Pro Series East experience at the concrete track, making two starts posting average finish of 13.5

Sunoco Rookie Update: Burton still hold rookie standings lead

Gander Outdoors Rookies

Points

Harrison Burton

148

Sheldon Creed

133

Tyler Dippel

97

Gus Dean

72

Tyler Ankrum

54

Anthony Alfredo

48

Natalie Decker

42

North Carolina’s Harrison Burton, driver of the No. 18 Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota Tundra, finished a disappointing 31st at Texas but still manages to lead the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings by 15 points over second place Sheldon Creed.

Burton’s misfortune at Texas turned out to be Creed’s gain. Creed managed a 22nd-place finish which helped him close Burton’s points lead from 31 to 15 points heading into this weekend at Dover International Speedway.

But Dover could be where Burton strikes back in the points though, last year the rookie managed to turn a 17th-place start into a solid fifth-place finish at the Monster-Mile. This weekend will be Creeds series track debut at Dover International Speedway.

Under Pressure: Friesen might be feeling it

The pressure is on, as NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series standings leader Stewart Friesen and second place Grant Enfinger are only separated by six points and will look to battle it out for the top spot in the championship standings this weekend at Dover International Speedway in the JEGS 200 on Friday, May 3 at 5 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Enfinger grabbed the points lead following Atlanta and was able to hold the top points position up through Martinsville, then Stewart Friesen took his place with a solid fifth-place finish at Las Vegas and held the point ever since.

Both Enfinger and Friesen are coming off strong finishes in Texas, with Enfinger placing fourth and Friesen second.

As these drivers head into Dover International Speedway this weekend, Enfinger may have his opportunity to take back the top points position. His average finish at the Monster Mile is an 8.5.

While Friesen may have his work cut out for him if wants to stay on top — the Halmar Friesen Racing driver’s average finish at the track is a 25.5 due to being in incidents in both of his starts at the one-mile track.

Rearview Mirror: Looking Back at Dover

The NASCAR Gander Outdoors Series races at Dover International Speedway are always ones to remember, especially when there have been so many notable trends throughout the years.

From 2008 to 2014, Toyota won a string of seven races at Dover, until 2015, when Tyler Reddick snapped the wins streak in a Ford. Toyota responded in 2016 with a Matt Crafton win.

However, it could be any OEM’s game this weekend. With defending event winner Johnny Sauter in the No. 13 ThorSport Racing Ford this season we could see Ford break Chevrolet’s two-year wins streak.

We could also see Toyota make their comeback at this race since the manufacturer is the only one to have posted wins in 2019 with Austin Hill winning the Daytona opener and Kyle Busch winning each race since then.

Dover International Speedway Quick Facts

With Dover International Speedway only a few days away, here are some quick facts you should know about the Gander Trucks at the speedway.

Length: One mile
Track Surface: Concrete
Safety Apron and Pit Road Surface: Asphalt with concrete pit boxes
Banking: Straightaways, 9 degrees; turns, 24 degrees
Width: Straightaways, 48 feet; turns, 58 feet
Safety Apron: Encircles the inside of the track, 10 feet wide on straightaways and 21 feet wide in the turns.
Number of Pit Positions: 40, with water and electric
Length of Straightaways: 1,076 feet
Length of Pit Road: 1,580 feet long, 47 feet wide

Races: 19

Pole Winners: 15

Youngest Pole Winner: Bubba Wallace (05/31/2013 – 19 years, 7 months, 23 days)

Oldest Pole Winner: Ron Hornaday Jr (05/30/2009 – 50 years, 11 months, 10 days)

Race Winners: 15

Youngest Winner: Tyler Reddick (05/29/2015 – 19 years, 4 months, 18 days)

Oldest Winner: Ron Hornaday Jr (06/01/2007 – 48 years, 11 months, 12 days)

NASCAR Gander Outdoors Series Etc.

Natalie Decker is on deck – Rising rookie star Natalie Decker makes her NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series return this weekend at Dover International Speedway driving the No. 54 DGR-Crosely Toyota Tundra. This will be Decker’s first race since Las Vegas where she scored a solid 13th-place finish and it will also be the young driver’s series track debut at Dover International Speedway.

“This weekend will mark my first time going to Dover. I’ve talked to some of my competitors to help get ready for Friday’s race, and it seems like most of the other drivers really like this track and think I will as well.” says Decker.

The rookie recently announced that she will be adding six more races to her schedule this season.

Driver to Watch: Raphael Lessard – Canada’s Raphael Lessard will make his second of three scheduled NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series starts this weekend at Dover International Speedway. Lessard made his debut back in March at Martinsville, where he posted a 13th-place finish and is feeling optimistic heading into Dover.

“I’m excited and I think I’m way more prepared than I was when I went to Martinsville for my first truck race,” said Lessard. “It’s going to be fun – it will be the biggest track that I’ve ever been on and I think it is going to be the fastest track I’ve been on too. I think I’m going to have a good Spectra Premium Toyota Tundra – Kyle Busch Motorsports is working hard on it to get it ready. I think it’s going to be a fun weekend and I’m going to learn a lot.”

Lessard’s final scheduled race for the Gander Trucks will be at Bristol Motor Speedway in August.

Parade Laps: Insights ahead of this week’s driver media breakouts

Three drivers from the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series – Hattori Racing Enterprises driver Austin Hill, ThorSport Racing driver Ben Rhodes, and Stewart Friesen from Halmar-Friesen Racing – will be participating in this week’s media rotations at Dover International Speedway. These three drivers are preparing for the JEGS 200 this Friday, May 3, at 5 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Austin Hill (No. 16 Hattori Racing Enterprises Toyota Tundra)

Birthdate: April 21, 1994

Driver’s Age: 25

Hometown: Winston, GA

Hobbies: Hunting, spending time with family and boating

NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series Career Highlights:

2019 marks Hill’s second full-time season in the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Trucks Series.
He made his Truck Series debut in 2014 at Martinsville, finishing 26th.
Finished 11th in 2018 NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series Championship points, his first full season.
2019 Season Highlights:

Currently seventh in the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series points standings.
Recorded his first career win at the season-opener at Daytona.
In five starts this season he has posted one win (Daytona), two top 10s an average finish of 16.2.
Dover International Speedway Performance:

Hill has made four starts at the one-mile track.
Hill’s best finish at Dover was in 2015 where he started 21st and finished 16th

Ben Rhodes (No. 99 ThorSport Racing Ford F-150)

Birthdate: February 21, 1997

Driver’s Age: 22

Hometown: Louisville, Kentucky

Hobbies: Boxing, off-roading, range time/sporting clays, video games, car restoration, aviation/flying planes.

NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series Career Highlights:

In 2018, he grabbed his second-career win (Kentucky) and posted a career high three poles (Martinsville, Eldora, CTMP).
Won his first NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series race (Las Vegas) and earned his second-career pole (Pocono Raceway) in 2017.
In 2016, he competed in his first full NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series season finishing 14th in the final standings and posting his first career pole at Martinsville.
In 2014, he made his NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series debut at Martinsville Speedway for Turner Scott Motorsports
2019 Season Highlights:

Rhodes is currently third in the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series points standings.
He has an average finish of 11.2 for the season—his best finish being second at Martinsville.
In five starts this season he has posted two top fives, three top 10s an average finish of 11.2.
Dover International Speedway Performance:

Rhodes has four starts at Dover. He’s led 71 laps during those races and has an average start of 8.2 and average finish of 15.5 at the one-mile track. He has one top five and two top 10s there.

Stewart Friesen (No. 52 Halmar-Friesen Racing Chevrolet Silverado)

Birthdate: July 25, 1983

Driver’s Age: 35

Hometown: Niagara-on-the-Lake, Canada

Hobbies: Dirt racing

NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series Career Highlights:

· 2019 marks Friesen’s second full-time season in the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series.

In 2018, he competed in all 23 races, qualifying for the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series Playoffs for the first time; ultimately finished the season seventh in points.
2019 Season Highlights:

Currently the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series points standings leader.
In five starts this season he has posted three top fives, four top 10s and one pole.
Dover International Speedway Performance:

Friesen has just two starts at Dover with an average start of 14.5 and average finish of 25.5.

Toyota Racing
This Week in Motorsports – April 29 – May 5, 2019

Toyota Racing On-Track this Week

· MENCS/NXS/NGOTS: Dover International Speedway (Dover, Delaware) – May 3-5

· NHRA: Atlanta Dragway (Commerce, Georgia) – May 3-5

· ARCA: Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville (Nashville, Tennessee) – May 3-4

· NKNPSE: South Boston Speedway – Twin 100s (South Boston, Virginia) – May 3-4

· POWRi: Valley Speedway (Grain Valley, Missouri) – May 3

Lucas Oil Speedway (Wheatland, Missouri) – May 4

NASCAR National Series – MENCS | NXS | NGOTS

Another Top Ten… With a 10th place result in Talladega, Kyle Busch scored his 10th consecutive Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS) top-10 finish to start the season. This season, Busch has scored three MENCS wins and six top-fives. His average finish is 4.5, and he continues to the lead the point standings.

Get Out the Broom… Toyota has swept the MENCS, NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) and NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series (NGOTS) spring race weekend at Dover International Speedway twice. The first sweep was earned in 2010 with Kyle Busch winning both the MENCS and NXS races and former Toyota driver Aric Almirola picking up the NGOTS victory. Three years ago, Kyle Busch picked up another NXS win with former Toyota drivers Matt Kenseth (MENCS) and Matt Crafton (NGOTS) clinching the triple for Toyota.

Last Time We Were Here… Christopher Bell scored his first Dover Monster trophy in the fall playoff race. Bell led 110 laps, including the last 29, to score his seventh career NXS win.

Continued Top Truck Performance… Since 2008, a Toyota Tundra has visited the NGOTS Dover winner’s circle eight times. Kyle Busch has three wins (2014, 2013, 2011), and former Toyota drivers Matt Crafton (2016), Todd Bodine (2012), Aric Almirola (2010), Brian Scott (2009) and Scott Speed (2008) have one win each. Toyota is also riding a streak of seven straight NGOTS wins dating back to Phoenix last November.

NHRA – Top Fuel | Funny Car

Kalitta Teams Showing Strength… Kalitta Motorsports heads to this weekend’s NHRA Southern Nationals at Atlanta Dragway with four wins in the season’s first six events, with each of the team’s four drivers picking up a Wally already this season. Shawn Langdon earned the team’s most recent win this past weekend in Charlotte, following previous victories from J.R. Todd (Las Vegas), Richie Crampton (Gainesville) and Doug Kalitta (Pomona).

Langdon Heads to Atlanta After History Making Performance… Last race, Shawn Langdon earned his first Funny Car win in Charlotte and in the process became just the 17th driver in NHRA history to win in both Nitro Funny Car and Top Fuel. In addition, the 2013 Top Fuel world champion became just the second driver ever to win in both categories at zMax Dragway, joining his crew chief Del Worsham.

Toyota Top Fuel Drivers Excel in Atlanta…Toyota Top Fuel drivers have won seven of the past 11 Southern Nationals. Antron Brown has earned four of those victories (2015, 2013, 2011 and 2008), with Doug Kalitta winning in 2016 and former Toyota drivers Larry Dixon (2010) and Morgan Lucas (2009) also taking home Wallys. Kalitta may own the most memorable win of all as he won the closest race in Top Fuel history when he defeated teammate Todd by an official margin of 0.0000 seconds.

Regional Stock Car Racing – ARCA

Points leader… For the first time this season, Michael Self leads the point standings. After a rough Daytona result, Self has scored three straight top-five finishes, including two victories, to advance to the top spot.

First time winner… Last season at Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville, former Toyota driver Zane Smith claimed his first-career ARCA Menards Series win. He scored three more victories on his way to a Rookie of the Year title.

Regional Stock Car Racing – NKNPSE

Undefeated in the Twins… South Boston Speedway has run the twin 100s for the past two seasons, and thus far, Toyota has scored all four wins in NASCAR K&N Pro Series East (NKNPSE) competition. In 2017, Harrison Burton scored the second win of his championship season, while last year, Tyler Ankrum earned his first NKNPSE victory on his way to the title. Former Toyota drivers Travis Miller and Tyler Dippel complete the sweep.

Strong start for Kraus… Derek Kraus started the NKNPSE season with a victory in New Smyrna Beach, Florida, and followed that with a sixth-place finish at Bristol Motor Speedway. Kraus comes into this weekend three points out of the championship lead.

Midget Racing – POWRi

POWRi Ready for Show-Me-State Double-Header… After seeing last weekend’s Midwest triple-header rained-out, the POWRi Lucas Oil National Midget League is set to take to the track for a double-header in Missouri. Action kicks off on Saturday at Valley Speedway where Toyota driver Logan Seavey is the defending race champion. The 2017 series champion already has a pair of POWRi wins to his credit this season. On Sunday, the series heads to Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland, where Tanner Carrick earned his first national midget car feature win a year ago. Toyota drivers have collected 10 national midget feature wins this season.

Richard Childress Racing at Dover International Speedway … RCR has earned four Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series wins at Dover International Speedway, the last win was in September 2006 when Jeff Burton drove the No. 31 Chevrolet to Victory Lane. Three additional victories came with Dale Earnhardt behind the wheel, including both events at the Monster Mile in 1989 as well as the spring race in 1993. RCR has also earned one pole award, 24 top-five and 57 top-10 finishes in 171 combined starts at the high-banked, one-mile oval. Childress, a former driver in NASCAR’s top division, contributed three of those top 10s from 1976-1980.  RCR in the MENCS … In 2,940 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts dating back to 1969, RCR has amassed 49 pole awards,108 wins, 489 top-five finishes and 1,069 top-10 finishes, with an average starting position of 17.7 and an average finishing position of 16.2. RCR has earned 15 total championships (six Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championships with Earnhardt in 1986, ’87, ’90, ’91, ’93 and ’94, six NASCAR Xfinity Series titles, two NASCAR Camping World Truck Series titles and one ARCA Menards Series title) and was the first organization to win titles in NASCAR’s three national series.  #RCR50 … Richard Childress Racing celebrates it’s 50th Anniversary in 2019. Follow our social channels season-long to join in the celebration. Interactive RCR … For up-to-date news and exclusive content, visit RCR’s corporate Twitter page – @RCRracing – along with the RCR Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series team Twitter page – @RCRCup, and driver Twitter pages @austindillon3, @TylerReddick and @DanielHemric. Information about the 15-time championship winning organization can be found on Facebook at www.facebook.com/RichardChildressRacing and at www.RCRracing.com along with official driver pages –  http://www.facebook.com/austindillon3 and www.facebook.com/DanielHemric. Catch the Action … The Dover 400 will be televised live Sunday, May 5 beginning at 2 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1 and will be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

This Week’s AAA Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 at Dover International Speedway … Dillon has 11 previous Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts to his credit at Dover International Speedway, earning his best finish of seventh in October 2018 and best start of ninth in June 2017. In eight previous NASCAR Xfinity Series appearances at the track, Dillon’s best finish is fourth in May 2015, and he is the June 2013 Xfinity Series pole sitter at the Monster Mile. The 2011 NASCAR Truck Series champion has two starts at the track in the Truck Series, earning his best finish of fourth in the May 2011 event. He also finished ninth at the track in a NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race.  Go Ahead… AAA has been in the assurance business for over 100 years, providing the peace-of-mind that comes with the nation’s most recommended roadside assistance. But now more than ever, AAA helps to enhance the everyday – providing knowledge and insight so members can make the most of their lives. From auto loans to insurance, roadside assistance to repair and maintenance, travel planning to discounts, AAA offers the products, services and experience to fulfill members’ needs. Learn how AAA helps members go ahead at AAA.com. Mission 600 … Dillon, a Coca-Cola Racing Family driver, joined RCR pit crew members Paul Swan and Ethan Tingler on Tuesday for an in-depth, search-and-rescue mission as part of Charlotte Motor Speedway’s Mission 600 – a series of interactive, regional military base visits in conjunction with the Department of Defense. Dillon climbed aboard a 45-foot RBM (Response Boat – Medium) with his crew and members of Coast Guard Station Wrightsville Beach to learn the intricacies of a Coast Guard rescue mission in the Atlantic Ocean. Additionally, the 2017 Coca-Cola 600 winner took the opportunity to guide the RBM before he participated in rescue rope training exercises on shore. The experience is in advance of the 2019 Coca-Cola 600, where Dillon is chasing his second victory in three years. Cheering for Dillon … If you’re at Dover International Speedway, come shop the all-new Austin Dillon merchandise available track-side by visiting the RCR souvenir trailer in the fan midway. Dillon is scheduled to visit the trailer on Sunday May 5 at 10:00 a.m. ET.  AUSTIN DILLON QUOTES:Does Dover just drive like a giant Bristol or not so much?“Not so much. There’s a lot of aero stuff that comes into play at Dover because you’re going so fast. We tested at Dover, so I’m pumped about that. You see different lines come into play as the rubber builds up. On the long run you can start running way up by the fence and find some speed so that’s always fun when you can move around and find speed on the long run and people fall off as you run. It’s a good place to go.”  How hard is that when you pick up rubber during the cautions?“Yeah it’s just a process that we go through every week that we have to try and balance our car around. It can get difficult at times, but Dover is a place where it’s fun.”

Daniel Hemric and the No. 8 Caterpillar Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 at Dover International Speedway … Hemric will be making his first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series start at Dover International Speedway in this weekend’s 400-mile event. The Kannapolis, North Carolina, native recorded an average start of 6.2, including one pole award, and an average finish of 6.8 in four NASCAR Xfinity Series starts. He has also made two NASCAR Truck Series starts at the one-mile speedway, earning an average finish of 6.5. About Foley Cat … Foley Inc. is the Caterpillar Dealer serving Eastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Northern Delaware, Staten Island and Bermuda. Since 1957, Foley offers solutions for Power Generation, On-Highway applications, Construction Equipment and other job site Rental needs. Foley continually strives to offer you the best products and services available in the marketplace in order to create customer experiences that create customers for life.   Review Mirror: Talladega … Hemric and the No. 8 team had their best race of the 2019 season so far at Talladega Superspeedway. The Caterpillar team qualified fifth and then earned a fifth-place finish, which was a career-best for  rookie Hemric.  Watch the Xfinity Series Race with Daniel Hemric … Hemric will join NASCAR Hall of Fame driver Jeff Gordon, FOX Sports pit reporters Jamie Little, Vince Welch and Alan Cavanna for the second ‘Watch Us Watch NASCAR’ live event hosted on the @Xfinity Twitter account on Saturday, May 4, starting at 1:30 p.m. ET. Fans are encouraged to interact with Hemric and the other guests during the broadcast using the social media hashtag #WatchUsWatchNASCAR. Meet the Driver … Fans will have the opportunity to meet the driver of the No. 8 Caterpillar Chevrolet at the RCR merchandise hauler in the Dover International Speedway fan midway on Sunday, May 5 at 10:30 a.m. ET.   DANIEL HEMRIC QUOTES:Dover International Speedway looks like a larger version of Bristol Motor Speedway. Does Dover drive at all like Bristol and is there anything you can carry over from the Bristol race in April?“Yes and no. Dover has some tendencies that correlate, but it is also its own animal. Dover features some of the most constant loads and speeds we carry throughout a run. Bristol tends to rubber up more and changes a lot over the course of a run. Dover does the same, but they just do it in two totally different ways. It is fun because it is challenging. You can overlay some of the things you do as a driver but in the grand scheme of things you have to have a different package for Dover than you do at Bristol to go there and be successful.”  How do you feel this new aero package will impact the handling and feel during this weekend’s events at Dover?“It is going to be extremely fast and we’re going to experience a ton of load with this package this weekend at Dover. I know that is what all of us at RCR are preparing ourselves for – that’s what we feel is going to be the case. Austin Dillon was able to take part in the Goodyear tire test there a few weeks ago, so we have a lot of good notes and data to go off of heading into the weekend. Talking with Austin about what he learned, it seems that once the tires get hot and rubber is laid down, the handling tendencies are just sped up and magnified because the speeds are so high. Just like all racers will say, we need to be better when we show up there on Friday for practice than we were at the test. I believe this package is going to be really fast and really crazy from the driver’s seat.”

Richard Childress Racing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Dover International Speedway … In 93 Series starts at the one-mile concrete oval, RCR has captured three victories with drivers Jeff Burton (2006) and Clint Bowyer (2006 and 2009). The Welcome, North Carolina, organization has accumulated six pole awards, 21 top-five finishes, 49 top-10 finishes, led 755 laps and averages a starting position of 10.8 and finishing position of 13.4. RCR has completed 17,296 laps of the 19,303 (94.5 percent) that they have competed.  Talladega Review … Tyler Reddick captured his first win of the season at Talladega Superspeedway after a dominant final few laps. Reddick also secured the $100,000 Xfinity Dash 4 Cash bonus with his win. Hello, Kaz Grala … Kaz Grala will make his third start NASCAR Xfinity Series for RCR in the No. 21 Chevrolet Camaro this weekend at Dover International Speedway.  Dash 4 Cash … The NASCAR Xfinity Series Dash 4 Cash is back for one final weekend. The top-four finishing Xfinity Series regulars from Talladega Superspeedway will compete for a $100,000 bonus at Dover International Speedway this weekend. Tyler Reddick qualified for this segment of Dash 4 Cash with his win at Talladega. The Points … Tyler Reddick remains the current Xfinity Series points leader. Social Media … To keep up with the latest updates from RCR’s Xfinity Series teams, follow @RCRracing and @RCRNXS on Twitter. Updates can also be found via RCR’s Facebook Page and Instagram (@RCRracing).  Catch the Action … Coverage of this week’s Allied Steel Buildings 200 at Dover International Speedway will be televised live on Saturday, May 4, beginning at 1:30 p.m. ET on FS1. It will also be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Satellite Radio, channel 90.

Tyler Reddick and the No. 2 Roland Chevrolet Camaro at Dover International Speedway … In three NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at Dover International Speedway, Tyler Reddick secured a best finish of fifth during the spring 2018 race. The defending champion also has one win and three top-10 finishes in the NASCAR Truck Series at the Monster Mile.  About Roland … Roland DGA Corporation serves North and South America as the marketing, sales, distribution and service arm for Roland DG Corporation. Founded in 1981 and listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, Roland DG of Hamamatsu, Japan is a worldwide leader in wide-format inkjet printers for the sign, apparel, textile, personalization and vehicle graphics markets; engravers for awards, giftware and ADA signage; photo impact printers for direct part marking; and 3D printers and CNC milling machines for the dental CAD/CAM, rapid prototyping, part manufacturing and medical industries. For more information, visit rolanddga.com.  Dash 4 Cash … Reddick became the only driver to qualify for all four Xfinity Dash 4 Cash events this year after securing this week’s spot with a win at Talladega Superspeedway. He will compete against Chase Briscoe, Christopher Bell and Gray Gaulding for the $100,000 bonus at Dover International Speedway.  Meet Reddick … Fans can meet Reddick when he makes an appearance at a Dash 4 Cash autograph session beginning at 9 a.m. ET at the Xfinity Zone in Dover’s Fan Midway.  TYLER REDDICK QUOTES:You’ve had success in the past at Dover International Speedway. What are your thoughts heading into this weekend? “Well, coming off a win at Talladega Superspeedway last weekend has definitely added to the No. 2 team’s momentum. It was great to finally capture our first win of the year, and we are excited to get right back to work this weekend at Dover International Speedway with the No. 2 Roland Chevrolet Camaro. For me, it’s important at Dover to work on getting the balance of a race car that I can hold on to at the beginning of a run that isn’t too loose but will then help prevent us from building too tight as a run goes on. Everyone just seems to build tight at Dover, especially as the tires wear out, so we need to work on setting up the car to counteract that. We need to be able to fire off for a run strong but keep the handling with us the whole time. It’s a fast track, so you have to manage that well.”  You qualified for all four Xfinity Dash 4 Cash events this year. What does that accomplishment mean to you? “I think qualifying for all four Xfinity Dash 4 Cash events is a huge accomplishment and shows how hard this No. 2 team is working each and every week. We’ve been up in the mix and fighting for the win a lot lately, and the momentum just keeps building. I’m glad we were able to get it done last week and capture one of the $100,000 bonuses. This is a great program Xfinity puts on for us, and I can’t wait to have one last shot at earning another bonus from them.”

Kaz Grala and the No. 21 HotScream Chevrolet Camaro at Dover International Speedway … Kaz Grala has one previous NASCAR Xfinity Series start at Dover International Speedway, as well as two NASCAR Truck Series starts. The 20-year-old driver finished in the top 10 for both of his Truck Series events, with a best finish of second coming in 2017. Grala also has made two NASCAR K&N Pro Series East starts at the Monster Mile and finished second in debut start there.  About HotScream … HotScream takes two concepts, dessert and spicy food, and combines them to form a product that can only be described as ‘HotScream The Spicy Ice Cream’. By taking ice cream with its cool creaminess and incorporating a spicy swirl, HotScream has created a new taste sensation, one that almost defies one’s own senses. At first, you taste the pureness of the vanilla, followed quickly by the sweetness of one of seven flavor swirls. As you continue to enjoy HotScream, things change: You feel a warming sensation that starts in the back of your mouth, creating a rush that only can come from spicy foods. The warming continues to linger but doesn’t engulf your mouth with fire. Taking another bite, you again taste the cool, creamy vanilla and the respective flavor profile while the heat dissipates, only to come back time and time again. HotScream is currently available at ACME Markets, Big Y, select ShopRites and Stop & Shop, and will be rolling out to 400 Walmart locations from Maine to Texas by Friday, May 3. For more information, visit HotScream.com. HotScream Sampling … HotScream is now available in 100 ACME Markets in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania. Grala will meet fans and hand out samples at the Smyrna, Delaware location (just 15 minutes from the track) on Friday, May 3 from 6:30-7:30 p.m. ET.  RCR Event Preview – Dover International Speedway Meet Grala … Fans can also meet Grala when he visits the Autism Delaware booth in the Fan Midway at Dover International Speedway for an autograph session beginning at 10 a.m. ET on Friday, May 3.  KAZ GRALA QUOTE:What are your thoughts as you return to the No. 21 Chevrolet Camaro and head to Dover International Speedway this weekend? “Not only is Dover my favorite track, but it has also been a really successful one for me in the past. I’ve finished second there a couple of times, so now it’s time to finally grab that top spot and put our No. 21 HotScream Chevrolet Camaro in Victory Lane. I have learned a lot in my first two starts with RCR, and now I feel like it’s our time to capitalize on the speed we’ve had with the No. 21 team. The organization has a lot of momentum from Talladega, so now it’s our turn to go out there and prove what we can do.”

After two short track races, with a mile-and-a-half race at Texas Motor Speedway sandwiched in between, followed by a run on the superspeedway at Talladega, Paul Menard and the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane team get to try something altogether different this weekend.

The 11th Monster Energy Cup Series race of 2019 will be contested on the high-banked, one-mile concrete oval at Dover International Speedway. And Sunday’s Gander RV 400 will be the first race at Dover since NASCAR instituted its new lower horsepower/higher downforce handling package.

“It’s unlike any other track we go to,” Menard said. “I’m looking forward to it. It’s a fun track, and it’s fast.”

Menard said a lot this weekend depends on how the tire compound chosen by Goodyear reacts as well as how the new aero package affects the cars.

“Hopefully it leads to the groove widening out,” he said.

Menard, like many of his peers, says racing at Dover is a lot like Bristol in that the speeds make the race a grueling one.

“The first 200 laps seem like they take forever, and then the second 200 go by really quickly,” he said, adding that the Dover races feel like some of the hottest ones of the year. “You’re working so hard inside the car, and there’s not a lot of airflow because the track is like a soup bowl.”

He also said races at Dover tend to have long, green-flag runs, which means green-flag pit stops, which can be tricky when getting on and off pit road.

“Those green-flag stops can be pretty dicey,” he said.

Qualifying for the Gander RV 400 is set for Friday at 3:40 p.m. Eastern Time, and the race is scheduled to start just after 2 p.m. on Sunday with TV coverage on Fox Sports 1.

About Motorcraft

Motorcraft® offers a complete line of replacement parts that are recommended and approved by Ford Motor Company. From routine maintenance to under-hood repairs, Motorcraft parts offer exceptional value with the highest quality and right fit at competitive prices. Motorcraft parts are available nationwide at Ford and Lincoln dealers, independent distributors and automotive parts retailers are backed by Ford Motor Company’s two-year, unlimited-miles Service Parts Limited Warranty. Ask for Motorcraft by name when you visit your local auto parts store or your favorite service facility. For more information, visit www.motorcraft.com.

About Quick Lane Tire & Auto Centers

Ford’s Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center offers routine vehicle maintenance such as oil and filter changes, light repair services including brake repair, and tire replacements on all vehicle makes and models. With more than 800 locations and growing, customers can visit www.quicklane.com to find a center that is closest to them, print savings coupons and review maintenance tips to keep their vehicles running at peak efficiency. This site includes information on how to spot tire wear, how to jump-start a battery and even a series of tips to improve a vehicle’s fuel economy.

About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is a global company based in Dearborn, Michigan. The company designs, manufactures, markets and services a full line of Ford cars, trucks, SUVs, electrified vehicles and Lincoln luxury vehicles, provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company and is pursuing leadership positions in electrification, autonomous vehicles and mobility solutions. Ford employs approximately 200,000 people worldwide. For more information regarding Ford, its products and Ford Motor Credit Company, please visit www.corporate.ford.com.

Wood Brothers Racing

Wood Brothers Racing was formed in 1950 in Stuart, Va., by Hall of Famer Glen Wood. Wood Brothers Racing is the oldest active team and one of the winningest teams in NASCAR history. Since its founding, the team won 99 races (including at least one race in every decade for the last seven decades) and 120 poles in NASCAR’s top-tier series. Fielding only Ford products for its entire history, the Wood Brothers own the longest association of any motorsports team with a single manufacturer. Glen’s brother, Leonard, is known for inventing the modern pit stop. The team currently runs the Ford Mustang driven by Paul Menard in the famous No. 21 racer.

Denny Hamlin
#11 FedEx Office Toyota
Joe Gibbs Racing

Race Info:
Race: Gander RV 400
Date/Time: May 5/2:00 p.m. ET
Distance: 400 laps/400 miles
Track Length: 2.66 miles
Track Shape: Tri-oval
Banking: 33 degrees
2018 Winner: Kevin Harvick

Express Notes:

Press Kit: Download the 2019 FedEx Racing press materials at www.fedexracing.com/presskit, including bios for Denny Hamlin, Chris Gabehart and Joe Gibbs Racing leadership, program highlights and statistics.

Talladega Recap: Denny Hamlin’s race at Talladega Superspeedway ended early on Sunday after the FedEx Toyota suffered irreparable damage from multiple on-track incidents. Hamlin lined up 23rd for the start of the race but had to drop to the back of field after NASCAR cited the #11 team – and seven others – for unapproved pre-race adjustments. He had made his way up to sixth by Lap 11 when he got swept up in a multi-car crash, causing significant front-end and right-side damage. The team was able to make repairs to send Hamlin back on track, but a blown tire later sent him into the wall on Lap 80. This time, the damage could not be repaired, and Hamlin was forced to retire from the race. He was credited with a 36th-place finish.

Dover Preview: The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series will be heading to the concrete high banks of Dover International Speedway on Sunday, May 6. With a win, Denny will earn his first-career victory at Dover International Speedway, marking the team’s third win of the 2019 season.

Hamlin Statistics:

Track: Dover International Speedway

Races: 26

Wins: 0

Poles: 3

Top-5: 4

Top-10: 11

Laps Led: 276

Avg. Start: 10.7

Avg. Finish 17.4

Hamlin Conversation:

Can you explain what happened on the crash this past weekend?

“We’ve been pretty fortunate to miss a lot of wrecks on the superspeedway races for the last four or five years, but today was just the day that bad luck dropped on us. It’s just one of those things where I felt like I did everything I was supposed to do, but sometimes in NASCAR racing when somebody else makes a mistake you get caught up in it. That was the case today.”

What will your team need to do to rebound next weekend for Dover?

“We’re going to have a little more control over our own fate at Dover. Talladega is such a wild card because other people’s mistakes can cost you, like it did for us on Sunday. But, we’ve had a lot of success so far this season, and we’re going to keep doing what’s gotten us to this point.”

FedEx Office Manufacturing Network Along for the Ride at Dover International Speedway: FedEx Office Manufacturing Network will be recognized on the FedEx Toyota’s B-posts with the letters “33MN” for recent achievements, including an error-free work ratio of 99.82% and for reducing network costs by $4 million over the last two years.

Roush Fenway Makes First Trip of 2019 to ‘The Monster Mile’

Roush Fenway Racing heads north to the First State this weekend to tackle ‘The Monster Mile’ for the first time in 2019. Dating back to 1988, an RFR Ford has visited victory lane 17 times at the 1-mile track with 86 top-five and 140 top-10 finishes.

Dover International Speedway

Sunday, May 5| 2 p.m. ET

FS1, MRN, SiriusXM Channel 90

· Ryan Newman, No. 6 Wyndham Rewards Ford Mustang

· Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 17 Little Hug Ford Mustang

The Monster Mash

Roush Fenway’s nine wins in the MENCS at Dover ranks third for the organization (trailing only Michigan and Bristol with 13 and 11, respectively). Dover also ranks second in top-fives (52) and third in top-10s (84) for the organization.

Get the Broom

Roush Fenway swept the MENCS and NASCAR Xfinity Series spring races at Dover in 2004 and 2011, and won both the NASCAR Gander Outdoor Truck Series (NGOTS) and MENCS races at the track in 2006.

First in the First State

Roush Fenway has won in all three major NASCAR series at Dover (9 MENCS, 6 NXS and 2 NGOTS). Roush Fenway won its first race at Dover in the MENCS from the pole in the fall of 1997 with former driver Mark Martin.

To Xfinity and Beyond

Roush Fenway has recorded six victories at the one-mile oval in the NASCAR Xfinity Series with drivers Chris Buescher, Greg Biffle and Carl Edwards. Buescher recorded his victory in June 2015, Biffle earned victories in the spring event in both 2002 and 2004, while Edwards took the checkered flag in the spring of 2007 and swept both races in 2011.

Tale of the Tape

Roush Fenway has started 210 MENCS races at Dover with 84 top-10 and 52 top-five finishes along with seven poles. Former drivers Mark Martin (1997, 1998, 1999, 2004), Greg Biffle (2005, 2008), Matt Kenseth (2006, 2011) and Carl Edwards (2007) are responsible for RFR’s combined nine Cup wins at the 1-mile track. Overall a Jack Roush Ford has led 3892 laps at Dover.

Where They Rank

Coming off Talladega, Ryan Newman is up to 13th in the driver standings after his third-straight top-10. Teammate Ricky Stenhouse Jr., is 20th, but just 15 points separate the drivers in spots 17-20 from the playoff picture.

Roush Fenway Dover Wins

1997-2 Martin Cup

1998-2 Martin Cup

1999-2 Martin Cup

2000-1 Busch Truck

2002-1 Biffle NXS

2004-1 Martin Cup

2004-1 Biffle NXS

2005-1 Biffle Cup

2006-1 KensethCup

2006-1 Martin Truck

2007-2 EdwardsCup

2007-1 EdwardsNXS

2008-2 Biffle Cup

2011-1 Kenseth Cup

2011-1 Edwards NXS

2011-2 Edwards NXS

2015-1 Buescher NXS

By the Numbers at Dover International Speedway

Race Win T5 T10 Pole Laps Led AvSt AvFn Miles

210 9 52 84 7 80635 3892 17.1 16.0 80635

91 6 27 46 5 16988 888 11.3 13.2 16988

21 2 7 10 2 3602 154 14.3 14.4 3602

322 17 86 140 14 101225 4934 15.3 15.1 101225

Michael McDowell on Dover
16 Starts
Best Finish: 19th
“Dover is one of those places that still takes your breath away on that first lap as you drop into Turn 1 because it’s so fast. Now with the high horsepower and extra downforce, speeds are going to be even faster. I’m excited to race there this weekend. It’s one of those places where you really feel challenged, both physically and mentally as a driver. I’m confident that Drew and the guys on the crew will be able to rally for a great finish.”

Matt Tifft on Dover
(Xfinity Series) 5 Starts | 4 Top-10
Best Finish: 6th
“Dover has always been my favorite track, so I’ve been looking forward to racing there in a Cup car for a while. When you have a good day at Dover, it’s one of the most fun feelings to drive a car there. I think we’ll be able to take our learnings from earlier this season at places like Bristol and apply it at the Monster Mile to get some good speed out of our No. 36 Surface Sunscreen/Tunity Ford.”

David Ragan on Dover
25 Starts
Best Finish: 13th
“Dover is such a fast track. The sensation of speed that you feel as a driver is crazy. It’s also a really tough track on both drivers and equipment. You can get caught up in trouble very easily there. We’re optimistic about what we’ll be able to do with the car this weekend and think this can be a good finish for No. 38 Ford.”

Gander RV 400
Dover International Speedway
(Dover, DE)
Sunday, May 5
2:00 p.m. ET FS1, MRN

Qualifying
Friday, May 3
3:40 p.m. ET FS1, MRN

Gander RV 400 at Dover International Speedway

No. 95 FDNY Foundation Toyota Camry Notes:

· DIBENEDETTO BY THE NUMBERS: In eight Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series career starts at Dover, Matt DiBenedetto has an average start of 32.1 and an average finish of 31.1 and has completed 2,874 of 3,215 (89.4 percent) career laps at “The Monster Mile.” DiBenedetto’s best finishing position at Dover is 27th which he’s earned twice (October 2016 and October 2018).

· FEATURING THE FDNY FOUNDATION: The FDNY Foundation and Leavine Family Racing are teaming up for the third year featuring the Foundation aboard the No. 95 Toyota. This year, LFR is helping to raise awareness for the FDNY’s efforts to purchase a state-of-the art training simulator. The Pump Panel Simulator will combine with the Foundation’s driving simulator, which NASCAR helped provide to the FDNY, to train Firefighters on what are perhaps the most crucial and stressful minutes of fire response: arriving quickly and safely to the scene and the urgency to get the right amount of water to the right hoses for rapid extinguishment. To learn more, or to join the Foundation’s team by donating to the Pump Panel Simulator project, please visit www.fdnyfoundation.org/nascar.
· RACE INFO: The Gander RV 400 at Dover International Speedway (1.0-mile) begins at 2:00 p.m. ET on Sunday, May 5th. The race will be broadcast live on FOX Sports 1, Sirius XM Channel 90 and MRN Radio.

DiBenedetto’s Career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Stats at Dover:

Date Event: S F Laps Status

05/31/15 FedEx 400 36 32 395/405 Running

10/04/15 AAA 400 37 34 391/400 Running

05/15/16 AAA 400 Drive for Autism 29 40 116/400 Crash

10/02/16 Citizen Soldier 400 35 27 393/400 Running

06/04/17 AAA 400 Drive for Autism 25 29 397/406 Running

10/01/17 Apache Warrior 400 40 31 393/400 Running

05/06/18 AAA 400 Drive for Autism 24 29 392/400 Running

10/07/18 Gander Outdoors 400 31 27 397/404 Running

Races Wins Top 5s Top 10s Poles

Cumulative 8 0 0 0 0

DiBenedetto’s 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Season Stats:

Starts Wins Top-5’s Top-10’s Poles Laps Led Avg. Start Avg. Finish

10 0 0 0 0 50 21.8 23.4

DiBenedetto’s Career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Stats:

Starts Wins Top-5’s Top-10’s Poles Laps Led Avg. Start Avg. Finish

150 0 0 4 0 73 30.85 28.6

From the Driver’s Seat:

Matt DiBenedetto: “Track position this weekend is going to be incredibly important at Dover, so I think there will be a lot on the strategy side for teams to focus on. Qualifying and pit strategy like staying out or taking two tires, before at Dover you wouldn’t see a lot of that being the focus, but this weekend I think those will be more important factors. It’s going to be harder to pass this weekend because we aren’t sure how the new tires will wear and if that will allow for multiple lanes. One of the main challenges heading into this weekend will be track position and being able to work on more ways to use pit strategies to our advantages. The cars will be going so fast this weekend, and we’ll have so much downforce, that the dirty air can affect the cars more where track position is just going to be more important than it was before. With the added downforce, we may not be moving around on the track as much as we may have in the past. The speeds won’t fall off as much throughout a run as they did in the past at Dover. It’s such a difference in feeling when you start a run at Dover and you’re on new tires. There’s a lot of lateral load with you being shoved up against the right-side of your seat, but then throughout the run when you’re lifting more and slowing down more, it gets harder to drive your car but it gets less physically demanding on your body. This weekend, we’ll be sustaining way more speed for a lot longer in the run, which is why driver’s will once again want to focus on making sure they’ve braced up their seats to combat the physical demands.”

From the Pit Box:

Mike Wheeler: “Looking ahead to this weekend at Dover, I think it will definitely be one of the more interesting 750 spec package tracks that we go to because it’s going to be really fast. I really anticipate that cars will be faster than normal this weekend, which Dover was already a fast track before this package. I think that it will be similar to what Bristol became when we raced there a few weeks ago. That being said, it’s usually hard to pass at Dover and this package may make that harder to do. Hopefully the added downforce will allow the track to widen out some to allow for different lanes, but that usually takes some time over the course of a race. The weather for this weekend also looks like it may become a factor at this point with some rain in the forecast so hopefully that won’t disrupt our on-track schedule so that everyone has time to learn what we can during practices and qualifying. It is a new tire for this weekend, so that in itself is something that we’ll chase. Part of our game plan for this weekend will be to qualify as well as we can and then maintain track position throughout the entire race. You of course want to try and score stage points if you can, but we also will want to avoid shuffling to the back of the field because I think that once you get towards the back of the pack, it will get harder to pass. There is usually the opportunity to make things happen at Dover with two tires or by staying out so that you can gain track position, but with all the new changes this weekend, we’re not exactly sure how things will truly play out just yet.”

No. 95 FDNY Foundation Toyota Camry Team:

Driver: Matt DiBenedetto Crew Chief: Mike Wheeler

Car Chief: Greg Emmer Spotter: Doug Campbell

Engineer: J.R. Houston Engineer: Etienne Cliche

Mechanic: Bill Mares Mechanic: Matt Kimball

Shock Specialist: Tim Lambert Mechanic: Ryan Dextraze

Tire Specialist: Tony Ramirez Jackman: Brad Donaghy

Fueler: Ryan Dextraze Rear Changer: Deven Youker

Front Changer: Adam Hartman Tire Carrier: Chris Hall

Hauler Driver: Damon Lopez

About The FDNY Foundation:

The FDNY Foundation provides funding for programs that advance the New York City Fire Department’s goals, which include maintaining operational excellence, reaching out to the community with an array of fire and health safety programs, and increasing diversity within the Department’s uniformed ranks.

As the Department’s official 501(c)(3) non-profit partner, the Foundation works with the philanthropic community to generate tax-exempt contributions and grants that benefit all New Yorkers by keeping the FDNY strong and responsive to the community it serves. Foundation funding supports cutting-edge equipment and training for first responders, fire safety education in our schools, free CPR training for the public, and initiatives to introduce a new generation of young people to the world of emergency response.

Team: No. 6 Wyndham Rewards Ford Mustang
Crew Chief: Scott Graves
Twitter: @Roush6Team, @RoushFenway and @RyanJNewman

Gander RV 400 – Sunday, May 5 at 2 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN, SiriusXM Channel 90

ADVANCE NOTES

Newman at Dover International Speedway

· Newman will make his 35th Cup start at Dover on Sunday. In 34 prior starts, Newman has an average finish of 14.3 with 14 top-10 and seven top-five finishes.

· Newman has won three times at the 1-mile track, tied for the most wins of any track on the circuit (Loudon). All three came within his first three years on the Cup circuit. He swept the 2003 events after qualifying on the pole in the spring race and leading 162 laps. He followed that with another dominating performance, leading 106 laps in the fall.

· He came back to win the 2004 fall race after starting second, a race in which he led 325 of the 400 laps. He also finished top five on four other occasions – fourth in 2002 (spring), fifth in 2005 (fall), second in 2007 (spring) and fourth in 2017 (spring).

· Overall Newman has an average starting spot of 10.6 at Dover, including 19 starts inside the top-10 and four poles (2003, 2005, 2006, 2007).

· Newman also has six Xfinity Series starts at Dover with one win (2005), two poles (2001, 2005), and three top-10 finishes overall.

Scott Graves at Dover International Speedway

· Graves will call his eighth MENCS event at Dover on Sunday. In seven previous events atop the pit box, Graves has four top-10s – all with Daniel Suarez – with finishes of sixth, eighth, third, and 10th in the last four Dover races.

· He also led Ricky Stenhouse Jr., to a pair of top-13 finishes in 2012 (12th) and 2013 (13th).

· Graves also has also called six races in the Xfinity Series at Dover, winning twice, most recently three years ago with Suarez in the fall. He also won with Chris Buescher in 2015 after starting second. Overall Graves has five top-10s and three top-fives in NXS action at the 1-mile track.

QUOTE WORTHY

Newman on racing at Dover:

“Dover has always been a favorite of mine, but one that requires toughness inside the car. It’s so unique in the way you have to manage the corners and getting the setup right is key for a solid day. We’ve been able to continue our upward trend so we’re looking forward to having some more fun this weekend.”

Recapping Talladega
Newman hung around and drove his way to a third-straight top-10 finish this past Sunday at Talladega. He battled back from being caught up in an early accident on lap 10 to finish sixth in the first stage, before going on to drive his Acorns Ford to a seventh-place result.