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Tag: Dover International Speedway

  • Chase Elliott Speeds to Lead Final Dover Practice

    Chase Elliott Speeds to Lead Final Dover Practice

  • Martin Truex Jr. Speeds to Coors Light Pole Award at Dover

    Martin Truex Jr. Speeds to Coors Light Pole Award at Dover

    By Reid Spencer | NASCAR Wire Service

    DOVER, Del. – The two drivers who have seized control of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoff continued their domination in Friday’s knockout qualifying session at Dover International Speedway.

    Navigating the Monster Mile in 22.407 seconds (160.664 mph) in the final round, Martin Truex Jr. edged Kyle Busch (160.392 mph) for the top starting spot in Sunday’s Apache Warrior 400 (on NBCSN at 2 p.m. ET), the elimination race in the Playoff’s Round of 16.

    Truex won his second Coors Light Pole Award of the season, his third at Dover — the closest facility to his Mayetta, New Jersey, hhometown— and the 14th of his career. Winner of a series-best five races this season, Truex will start on the front row for the ninth time this season.

    “We just kind of chased it a little bit — chased the balance — and I thought we were pretty close at the end of practice,” Truex said. “We hit it pretty close for Round 1 (of qualifying) and tweaked on it a little from there.

    “We put together a decent lap for Round 1, and the guys did an awesome job all day. So, really proud of them, and I’m looking forward to getting some more bonus points.

    With a victory at Chicagoland Speedway in the opening event of the Playoff, Truex already has locked up a spot in the Round of 12. His 19 stage wins and 59 Playoff points both are tops in the series.

    Going for his third straight qualifying sweep, Busch was fastest in the first and second rounds but fell short in the third. With last Sunday’s victory at New Hampshire, Busch also is guaranteed a spot in the Round of 12.

    “It was a good run for us,” said Busch, whose lap at 160.800 mph in the second round was the fastest of the day. “I thought the first two rounds, obviously, we showed really good speed — probably used up a little too much tire in Round 2, and I just wasn’t able to follow through in that third round and get a quick enough time to hold off Martin. …

    “But I’m excited to have a Toyota front row, and we’ll go race ’em on Sunday.”

    With Kyle Larson qualifying third and Matt Kenseth fourth, playoff drivers swept the top four spots, and Toyota drivers claimed five of the top six. Daniel Suarez will start fifth, followed by playoff driver Denny Hamlin and Dale Earnhardt Jr., who posted his first single-digit qualifying effort since winning the pole at Daytona in July.

    After posting the third-fastest time in Friday’s opening practice, 11-time Dover winner Jimmie Johnson qualified a disappointing 17th and failed to advance to the final round.

    “The track changed a little more than we adjusted for is really what it boils down to,” Johnson said. “We felt like it was going to do that and made an effort at it and just didn’t go far enough.”

    Nevertheless, Johnson has unwavering confidence in his No. 48 Chevrolet under race conditions.

    “Yeah, the great thing is just how fast the car was off the truck,” said Johnson, who is seeking an unprecedented eighth series championship. “I know when it comes to race time we will be fine here. Qualifying for me is qualifying, so we had speed this morning, and I know it’s in there.”

    Of the drivers fighting from the bottom of the playoff standings for the final positions in the Round of 12, Ryan Newman had the best effort in time trials, qualifying eighth. Relative to the field, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. improved over practice and secured the 15th position on the grid.

    Austin Dillon, currently tied with Stenhouse for the 12th and final position in the next round, will start 23rd, while Kurt Busch and Kasey Kahne — both of whom likely will need a victory to advance from their respective 15th and 16th positions in the standings — qualified 13th and 21st, respectively.

    “We just didn’t have the rotation we needed to kind of finish off the end of the corner,” Dillon said. “It’s tough. We’ve been not that great since we unloaded. We’ll keep working on it though. Usually, the race comes to us a lot more than qualifying does.”

    RELATED: Qualifying results

     

  • NASCAR Racing Schedule for Dover and Las Vegas

    NASCAR Racing Schedule for Dover and Las Vegas

  • Kurt Busch Pounds Wall Twice in Dover Cup Race

    Kurt Busch Pounds Wall Twice in Dover Cup Race

    By Lap 65, Kurt Busch was in second place and looked to have a car to run up front Sunday at Dover in the AAA 400 Drive for Autism. However, by Lap 97, he was in the garage and out of the race after hitting the wall a second time.

    Busch lined up inside of Kyle Larson on the Lap 65 restart and edged ahead of him going into Turn 1. But rounding the turn, Busch got loose underneath Larson. He overcorrected, turned up the track, hit Brad Keselowski, who swerved up to the high line to avoid the spinning Busch and sent him into the outside wall in Turn 2. Busch continued his slide through the turn before coming to a stop near the exit of Turn 2 in the middle of the track.

    “I got loose on a restart, it’s my bad as a driver. My bad,” Busch said. “We had good speed in our car and just couldn’t finish. You can’t make mistakes out here and we did.”

    “Yeah, one of them racing deals,” Keselowski said. “These cars rely so much on aerodynamics. We saw that early with guys being able to stay out on two tires even with a lot of tire wear. I don’t know if it was Kurt’s fault, just one of them racing deals. We line-up double-file and somebody got loose and just took us out. What a bummer. Just one of them racing deals.”

    Busch soldiered on in the race until his left-rear tire came apart entering Turn 1 on  Lap 97, sending him spinning through the turn and rear-first into the outside wall.

    Keselowski leaves Dover seventh in points, 135 back of leader Martin Truex Jr. while Busch leaves 16th, 254 behind.

  • Johnson Wins on Late Restart at the Monster Mile

    Johnson Wins on Late Restart at the Monster Mile

    Jimmie Johnson got the better of Kyle Larson on the final restart of the AAA Drive for Autism 400 to win for the 11th time in his career at Dover International Speedway.

    Larson got a lousy restart on the outside lane, allowing Johnson to pull ahead. Ty Dillon got loose exiting Turn 2 and came down in front of Ryan Newman. His car turned back up the track and was t-boned by Erik Jones, triggering a multi-car pileup on the backstretch and ending the race under caution as Johnson had crossed the overtime line and the caution flew when he was rounding Turn 4.

    The win ties him with Cale Yarborough for fifth on NASCAR’s all-time wins list.

    “I never thought I would end up here in NASCAR as a kid racing in the dirt out in Southern California,” Johnson said. “I was a big Cale Yarborough fan and I remember going to a race in Oklahoma with my parents and my brother. We were driving across the country and we pulled up to a Hardee’s. I had no idea it was a burger stand and I really thought when I walked in the door I was going to Cale Yarborough’s race shop (laughs). It was very disappointing. I had a burger and left and then understood the world of sponsorship.

    “To be here and tie him at 83 wins is amazing. We just got the tribute helmet. I wasn’t sure how quickly we’d be, or if we’d be able to go there, and get it done. But, Cale, you’re the man. Thank you for all you have done for our sport.

    “To be a part of one team and one sponsor, Lowe’s, Chevrolet, Valvoline, Gatorade, and with the support of the fans, this is an amazing day.”

    Larson came home second after leading a race-high of 241 laps.

    “Jimmie did a good job. A lot better job than I did,” Larson said. “I spun my tires. I just spun my tires pretty bad. I tried taking off not using a lot of throttle and still spun my tires pretty bad. I knew we were both probably going to spin pretty bad, but I wasn’t getting great launches all day. I was always having to fight people off into Turn 1 when I was the leader. But, you know, my team gave me a great Target Chevy again. I thought we were the best car today, me and the No. 78 (Martin Truex, Jr.) I thought we were really good. I definitely, obviously, didn’t need that last caution there. I was just cruising trying to log some laps, get to the end. I saw the lapper in front of me blow a right-front and wasn’t too worried. I thought maybe the outside lane would take off good. I just didn’t do a great job.”

    Martin Truex Jr. rounded out the podium.

    Ryan Newman and Chase Elliott rounded out the top-five.

    Daniel Suarez, Jamie McMurray, Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick and Danica Patrick rounded out the top-10.

    Kyle Busch led the field to the green flag at 1:19 p.m. When he left pit road under the first caution, his left-rear wheel came off completely. This was caused by the air gun used to fasten the lug nuts into place being set to reverse. This handed the lead to Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

    On the ensuing restart, Martin Truex Jr. took the race lead and only lost it under the fourth caution when Larson opted not to pit.

    Going down the backstretch on lap 79, Truex gave a tap to Larson to loosen him entering Turn 3, took the lead and won the first stage. Larson, as well as 11 others, opted not to pit under the stage break caution and assumed the race lead.

    Aside a few laps under the seventh caution that were lead by Michael McDowell, Larson led most of the second stage. It was on the lap 211 when Truex passed under Larson in Turn 1 to take the lead and drove on to win the second stage.

    Larson took back the lead from Truex prior to the restart of the final stage and controlled the race until a cycle of green flag stops occurred with 65 laps to go and caution flew, in the middle of green flag stops, with 62 to go when Regan Smith suffered a tire failure and slammed the wall in Turn 2.

    The caution cycled Ty Dillon to the race lead, who held it for 23 laps. Meanwhile, Larson powered by Johnson’s outside to take second with 42 to go and drove by Dillon’s outside in Turn 4 with 39 to go to retake the lead.

    In the closing laps, Larson was pulling away from Johnson and had the race in check. But with four to go, David Ragan suffered a right-front tire failure and slammed the wall in Turn 2, sending the race into overtime and setting up the run to the finish.

    Ryan Sieg brought out the first caution for a solo spin in Turn 1 on lap 17. Stenhouse suffered a right-front tire failure and slammed the wall in Turn 2 on lap 47. He slammed the wall a second time in Turn 4 and brought out the third caution on lap 62. On the lap 65 restart, Kurt Busch got loose rounding Turn 1, overcorrected and turned up track into Brad Keselowski, taking both of them out. On lap 96, his left-rear tire came apart, his car spun out and slammed the wall in Turn 1. Danica Patrick spun out in Turn 4 on lap 144. Joey Logano suffered a right-front tire failure and slammed the wall in Turn 3. Paul Menard and Chris Buescher were collected in a two-car wreck on the backstretch with 58 to go.

    The race lasted three hours, 52 minutes and six seconds at an average speed of 104.955 mph. There were 17 lead changes among nine different drivers and 15 cautions for 72 laps.

    Truex leaves Dover with a nine-point lead over Larson.

    [pdf-embedder url=”http://www.speedwaymedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/C1713_UNOFFRES.pdf”]

  • Johnny Sauter Holds Off Kaz Grala For Win At Dover

    Johnny Sauter Holds Off Kaz Grala For Win At Dover

    Johnny Sauter held off Kaz Grala to win Friday’s Bar Harbor 200 presented by Sea Watch International at Dover International Speedway. It was the defending Truck Series champion’s first victory this season and his 14th career win.

    It was the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series’s sixth race of the 2017 season. The race included three stages. Stage 1 and 2 were 45 laps each with a final stage of 110 laps. Chase Briscoe and Ryan Truex set the front row in qualifying.

    As Stage 1 began, Truex immediately set a blistering pace. However, a few cautions slowed the pace. A wreck took place on Lap 21, where Austin Hill, Stewart Friesen and Cody Coughlin got into each other to bring out the first caution. Another incident took place on Lap 35, when Christopher Bell cut down a left rear tire and hit the wall. This would end Bell’s day.

    Barring a few cautions, Ryan Truex held on to win the first stage.

    Stage 2 began on Lap 53 with Matt Crafton and Justin Haley on the front row after staying out under yellow.

    Just like Stage 1, multiple cautions were once again a factor. The first one was on Lap 73, when Haley spun off Turn 4 followed by a second caution on Lap 84 by Jordan Anderson who stalled just before the entry of pit road. Under the caution, Parker Kligerman and Chase Briscoe made pit stops to try a different pit strategy.

    With two to go for the restart in Stage 2, Crafton set sail, but a caution came out on the final lap for Kligerman and John Hunter Nemechek who got together on the frontstretch. With the caution taking place on the final lap of Stage 2, the stage ended under caution with Crafton as the leader. Crafton would end up winning Stage 2.

    Stage 3 began on lap 99 with Ben Rhodes out in front. Rhodes was dominating early, but another caution slowed the pace with 84 laps to go for Todd Gilliland who had a wheel issue and smacked the wall in Turn 2. Gilliland’s day would be cut short.

    With 79 laps to go for the restart, Rhodes and Jesse Little set the pace. Rhodes went to the point once the green flag went back out. As laps clipped by, pit stops began to happen with 47 laps to go with Little pitting. However, Little stalled the truck and this would end any shot for him to win the race. Stage 1 winner, Ryan Truex, made his pit stop with 42 laps to go.

    The race leader, Rhodes, pitted with 36 to go, while Crafton entered the pits a few laps later. Sauter stayed out, gambling that clean air would play a factor. With all the pit stops taking place, a caution came out with 30 laps to go for Chase Briscoe, whose left front tire came off.

    The final restart of the race came with 25 laps to go. Sauter and Daytona Truck winner, Kaz Grala, were out in front. The race was winding down and with that, Grala was trying his all to catch Sauter. However, the gamble paid off for Sauter and he went on to win the Bar Harbor 200 at Dover.

    “Some days when you wake up, you don’t think it’s going to be your day and things don’t seem to be clicking and I felt like we were just off a little bit all weekend,” Sauter said after the race. “But so proud of everyone at GMS Racing, a 1-2 finish today.  Joe Shear (Jr., crew chief), what a great call that was to try and make it on fuel. Pit stops were great today.”

    “Unbelievable, after three second-place finishes to get a win. Definitely struggled today in traffic, just really, really tight. Just so proud of these guys. Man, they really executed today.”

    There were eight cautions for 43 laps and five leaders among five lead changes. Sauter took the lead on lap 168 and never looked backed, leading once for 33 laps.

    The next NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race is scheduled for Friday, June 9.

     

  • Austin Cindric Captures First Top Five at Dover

    Austin Cindric Captures First Top Five at Dover

    Austin Cindric, driver of the No. 19 LTi Printing Ford for Brad Keselowski Racing was looking for his first career win of the season. However, a few challenges would be thrown the team’s way during Friday’s Bar Harbor 200 presented by Sea Watch International at Dover International Speedway.

    Cindric started the race in the fourth position. He would lose a few spots on the initial start and that would eventually cost him playoff points in the first stage. Cindric ended up finishing 11th in Stage 1. With a solid pit stop by the pit crew, Cindric restarted in the fourth position in Stage 2.

    After a somewhat disappointing Stage 1, Cindric made up for it by finishing fifth in the second segment, giving him six playoff points. Cindric would remain there for the rest of the race and wound up finishing in the top five. It was his first career top five finish and his second top 10 of his rookie season.

    Cindric was please with his top five run, saying, “Well I leave that up to Doug Randolph (crew chief), for good reason. I was really lucky to be out there contending for a win on the lead lap. I got a bit tough restart there. I had guys all over my door and I think we were tight firing off, tighter than we thought we were going to be. There’s a reason they call it the “Monster Mile.”

    “I’m definitely worn out and it was a whole lot of fun and I hope I can come back here and have another good run.”

     

  • Dover International Speedway – Did You Know?

    Dover International Speedway – Did You Know?

    This week, NASCAR travels to Dover International Speedway for events in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, the XFINITY Series, and the Camping World Truck Series. The Cup Series AAA 400 Drive for Autism will close out the weekend’s competition Sunday at 1 p.m. on Fox Sports 1.

    There have been 94 Cup races with 35 different winners at Dover. The first Cup Series race was held on July 6, 1969, and was won by Richard Petty. David Pearson captured the inaugural pole and leads all drivers with six poles. But did you know that he also holds the record for most consecutive poles at Dover? From 1973 to the spring of 1974, he scored three straight poles.

    Matt Kenseth is the defending race winner and heads to Dover hoping for a repeat performance. Last year the Joe Gibbs Racing driver held off a relentless Kyle Larson, leading the final 47 laps in his No. 20 Toyota to capture the checkered flag. He has three wins, 17 top fives and 14 top 10s at the 1-mile track with a 108.6 driver rating, second only to Jimmie Johnson. But did you know that Kenseth posted his first career Coors Light Pole at Dover in 2002?

    Johnson is the undisputed master at the Monster Mile with a track-record 10 wins, the series-best driver rating (118.3) as well as the best average running position (7.8). In addition, the Hendrick Motorsports driver has 15 tops fives, 21 top 10s, and three poles. But did you know that if Johnson can pull off another win this weekend, he will become only the third Cup Series driver to win 11 or more races at a single track?

    Richard Petty has done it at four different tracks, Martinsville (15), North Wilkesboro (15), Richmond (13) and Rockingham (11). Darrell Waltrip has accomplished this feat twice with 12 victories at Bristol and 11 at Martinsville.

    Kyle Busch, winless this season, enters Dover with an opportunity to turn things around. He has the third-best driver (105.4), 11 top fives and 15 top 10s. With two victories, in 2008 and 2010, and a runner-up finish in the 2016 fall race after leading 102 laps, look for Busch to be a top contender. But did you know that if he leads 59 laps on Sunday, he will become the 11th Cup Series driver to lead 13,000 or more laps?

    The best chance to claim the trophy at Dover is to qualify on the front row. Thirteen of the 94 races have been won from the pole (13.8 percent) while 16 have been won from second place (17 percent).

    The AAA 400 Drive for Autism broadcast begins at 1 p.m. ET, Sunday, on FS1. Be sure to tune in early as this year’s pre-race activities will include special events to honor Richard Petty’s upcoming 80th birthday including a custom made cake to replicate the 1969 Ford that he drove to victory lane in the 1969 inaugural race plus a question and answer session. Petty will also drive a street-ready No. 43 Plymouth Road Runner Superbird tribute car around the track before the green flag drops.

    In the meantime, check out the video below as Kenseth and Larson battle for the lead in the final laps.

    Follow @angiecampbell_ for the latest NASCAR news and feature stories.

  • NASCAR Racing Schedule for Dover

    NASCAR Racing Schedule for Dover

    NASCAR travels to Dover International Speedway for a full weekend of competition with Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, XFINITY Series and Camping World Truck Series events. Please check below for the complete schedule. All times are Eastern.

    Thursday, June 1:

    On Track:
    2- 2:55 p.m.: Truck Series Practice – No TV (Follow live)
    4- 4:55 p.m.: Truck Series Final Practice – No TV (Follow live)

    Friday, June 2

    On Track:
    9:30- 10:25 a.m.: XFINITY Series Practice – FS2
    10:30- 11:55 a.m.: Cup Series Practice – FS2
    1:30- 2:25 p.m.: XFINITY Series Final Practice – FS1
    2:35 p.m.: Truck Series Keystone Light Pole Qualifying – FS1
    3:50 p.m.: Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying – FS1
    5:30 p.m.: Truck Series Bar Harbor 200 Presented by Sea Watch International (200 laps, 200 miles) – FS1

    Press Conferences: Watch Here
    9 a.m.: Jimmie Johnson
    9:15 a.m.: Chase Elliott
    9:30 a.m.: Jeffrey Earnhardt
    9:50 a.m.: Matt Kenseth
    Noon: NASCAR XFINITY Seris Dash 4 Cash Drivers Elliott Sadler and Daniel Hemric
    12:30 p.m.: Martin Truex Jr.
    12:45 p.m.: Austin Dillon
    4:30 p.m.: Post Cup Series Qualifying (time approx.)
    7:30 p.m.: Post-Truck Series Race (time approx.)

    Saturday, June 3:

    On Track:
    9- 9:55 a.m.: Cup Series Practice – FS1
    10:05 a.m.: XFINITY Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying – FS1
    11:30 a.m.- 12:20 p.m.: Cup Series Final Practice – FS1
    1 p.m.: XFINITY Series OneMain Financial 200 (200 laps, 200 miles) – FS1

    Press Conference:
    3 p.m.: Post-XFINITY Series Race (time approx.) Watch Here

    Sunday, June 4:

    Pre-Race Schedule:
    12:30:00 p.m.: Driver Introductions
    12:59:00 p.m.: “God Bless America” by Cassidy Daniels, Nashville Recording Artist
    1:00:00 p.m.: Aerial Adventures parachute teams lands on track
    1:00:00 p.m.: Presentation of Colors by The Dover Air Force Base Color Guard
    1:00:20 p.m.: Invocation by Dan Schafer Pastor of Calvary Assembly of God from Heightstown, NJ
    1:00:50 p.m.: Intro National Anthem
    1:01:00 p.m.: National Anthem by Cassidy Daniels, Nashville Recording Artist (pyro from backstretch during “rockets’ red glare”)
    1:01:30 p.m.: Three Parachutists land on track
    1:02:30 p.m.: Flyover: A-10 Warthogs from the 104th Fighter Squadron of the Maryland Air National Guard (Turn 4 to Turn 1)
    1:07:00 p.m.: “Driver’s Start Your Engines” by Gordon Ramsay
    1:15:00 p.m.: Start of the AAA Drive for Autism 400 (400 Laps / 400 Miles)

    On Track:
    1 p.m.: Cup Series AAA 400 Drive for Autism – FS1

    Press Conference:
    4:30 p.m.: Post-Cup Series Race (time approx.) Watch Here

    Race Details:

    NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
    Friday, June 2
    Time: 5:30 p.m. ET
    TV: FS1, 5 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)

    NASCAR XFINITY Series
    Date: Saturday, June 3
    Time: 1 p.m. ET
    TV: FS1, 12:30 p.m. ET
    Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
    Distance: 200 miles (200 laps); Stage 1 (Ends on lap 60), Stage 2 (Ends on lap 120),
    Final Stage (Ends on lap 200)

    Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
    Date: Sunday, June 4
    Time: 1 p.m. ET
    TV: FS1, 12:30 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)

    Odds To Win NASCAR AAA 400
    Martin Truex Jr +550
    Kevin Harvick +551
    Kyle Busch +615
    Kyle Larson +632
    Jimmie Johnson +650
    Brad Keselowski +800
    Matt Kenseth +800
    Chase Elliott +850
    Joey Logano +1200
    Denny Hamlin +1500
    Clint Bowyer +3500
    Erik Jones +4000
    Ryan Blaney +4000
    Kurt Busch +4500
    Jamie McMurray +4500
    Dale Earnhardt Jr +5500
    Daniel Suarez +6500
    Ryan Newman +8000
    Ricky Stenhouse Jr +8500
    Austin Dillon +8500
    Kasey Kahne +8500
    Field (Any Other Driver) +3113

    Complete TV Schedule

    Follow @angiecampbell_ for the latest NASCAR news and feature stories.

     

  • Truex Dominates, Outlasts “The Monster” At Dover

    Truex Dominates, Outlasts “The Monster” At Dover

    Not much could be lost for Martin Truex Jr. entering Dover. The New Jersey driver already won a race in this Chase round two weeks ago at Chicagoland, and so he could have finished 1st or 31st; it would have no bearing on his points situation in the Round of 12.

    Truex elected to go for the former.

    Truex dominated the 47th Annual Citizen Soldier 400, leading 187 laps, on his way to his second career win at the Dover International Speedway on Sunday.

    Truex started second, passed pole sitter Brad Keselowski on lap five and dueled with Kyle Busch for much of the first 124 laps. Truex took the lead on lap 125 and stayed there before being passed by Jimmie Johnson on lap 189. Johnson stayed out front before having to serve a pass-through penalty for having one crew member over the wall too soon on a green flag pit stop. Outside of giving up the lead a handful of times due to green flag pit stop cycles, Truex was unchallenged and led the rest of the way.

    It was Truex’s seventh career win and fourth of the season. Toyota has now won 14 races this season. Truex has led 1594 laps this season, just over 1000 more laps led than his career high before this season (581 in 2007). One of the most remarkable statistics from this race weekend is that Truex only had 24 laps of on-track practice before Sunday’s race, the second least amount of any other driver in the field.

    “What an awesome weekend for us, I love this place,” Truex said in the media center following the race. “I’ve had a lot of heartbreaks since my first win here back in ’07. I’ve had a lot of heartbreaks. I’ve led a lot of laps. I’ve been in position to win multiple times, and it never seemed to work out for multiple reasons.

    “Today I’m just thankful to have a great team, to have been able to lead lap 400 and get back to victory lane at a track that’s so special to me.”

    The first half of the race was notable for Chip Ganassi Racing drivers finding themselves at the wrong place, at the wrong time. Jamie McMurray, in a season with record low amounts of engine failures, had an engine failure on lap 194. It was only the second time this entire season an engine out of the Hendrick shop failed. McMurray finished last and missed out on the next Chase round. Kyle Larson started the day off wrong by losing power in his battery during the first caution, then made it even worse by blowing a tire and hitting the wall on lap 183. Although Larson would recover to salvage a 25th showing on the day, neither CGR car ended up making the Chase.

    The second half of the race became an endurance run. What would become the last restart of the day was on lap 198, making the 202 laps afterward a test of driver and crew to avoid mistakes. Only six cars finished on the lead lap, the least amount all season and the lowest amount in years. Johnson served a pass-through penalty but still recovered to seventh, the first car one lap down.

    Kyle Busch came in second, seven and a half seconds behind Truex.

    Chase Elliott followed up his third in the spring race at Dover this season with another third in this race. It was a strong race for Elliott, who drove his way into the Round of 12 after running in the top 10 for the vast majority of the race.

    Brad Keselowski led seven laps after starting on the pole but just didn’t show the pure long run speed the No. 78 and No. 48 cars did. Keselowski still rode home fourth. Matt Kenseth had a somewhat quiet day, finishing fifth after running top five almost the entire race.

    Joey Logano unlapped himself late due to short pitting and finished the race in sixth. Austin Dillon had a solid day and finished eighth, good enough to pass Larson for the final Chase position in the points. Denny Hamlin finished ninth and Jeff Gordon, in what will probably be his final start at Dover, finished 10th.

    Tony Stewart couldn’t gain ground on Austin Dillon or pass Larson in points with his 13th, ending his hopes for a fourth championship. Chris Buescher finished 23rd after coming in essentially needing a victory, and did not advance in the Chase by a wide margin.

    Ryan Blaney blew a right front tire on lap 106 in turn two and stalled in turn three trying to get down to the apron. Blaney finished 38th. Kevin Harvick had a terrible day; he broke a track bar mount to cause the first caution of the day on lap 35 and spent the next 43 laps in the garage. By virtue of his win last week at New Hampshire, however, his 37th at Dover had no impact on his Chase hopes this season.

    All cars cleared post-race inspection.

    Unofficial Results:

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    Unofficial Points Report:

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