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Tag: Drydene 400

  • NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Dover

    NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Dover

    Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

    1. Kevin Harvick: Harvick led 223 of 311 laps to win the Drydene 311 at Dover.

    “It’s always cool to win at Dover,” Harvick said. “And the ‘Miles The Monster’ trophy is the best trophy in NASCAR. It’s also useful on lonely days. When I get lonely, I sit that trophy on the couch and pretend I’m having a conversation with Bruton Smith.

    “I clinched the regular season. The regular season doesn’t mean that much to me, but to old farts like Tony Stewart, ‘regular season’ means you’re on the toilet three times a day.

    2. Denny Hamlin: An unscheduled pit stop cost Hamlin any chance for completing the Dover weekend sweep. Instead, he finished 19th while the main rival Kevin Harvick took the win.

    “I had a loose wheel,” Hamlin said. “So, it appears the only thing ‘tight’ were the nerves of the crew member responsible. We can’t have crucial mistakes like that. Maybe that crew member should be cut loose.”

    3. Martin Truex, Jr.: Truex finished second on Sunday at Dover, matching his Saturday result. He is fourth in the points standings, 196 behind Kevin Harvick.

    “I really wanted both those wins,” Truex said. “So to come up short both times is gut-wrenching. So, instead of the ‘Double-Dover,’ I’m ‘doubled over.’”

    4. Chase Elliott: Elliott started on the pole at Dover, but trouble struck early on lap six, when contact between Joey Logano and Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. caused Elliott to hit the rear of Kyle Busch. Elliott finished 39th.

    “This season,” Elliott said, “it’s not often you find yourself behind Kyle Busch. Last year, when Kyle won the championship, many people found themselves behind him. Who else may have found themselves behind Kyle at other points in time? State troopers.”

    5. Joey Logano: Logano finished sixth at Dover, claiming his 13th top-10 of the year.

    “I caused major problems for other cars when I made contact with Ricky Stenhouse, Jr.,” Logano said. “It was my mistake, so I take all the blame. And I have no problem taking all the blame when I’m at fault, on the one condition that punishment doesn’t come courtesy of Matt Kenseth.”

    6. Brad Keselowski: Keselowski came home eighth at Dover.

    “While we were racing at Dover,” Keselowski said, “the Indianapolis 500 was running at The Brickyard. Indy car speeds were approaching 240 miles per hour, so if its speed your comparing, Indy cars have our ‘milk.’”

    7. Ryan Blaney: Blaney finished 12th at Dover and is now seventh in the points standings, 203 out of first.

    “Erik Moses was named president of Nashville Speedway,” Blaney said. “He became the first black track president in NASCAR history. Many NASCAR fans honored the announcement by flying their Confederate flags upside down.”

    8. Aric Almirola: Almirola led 22 laps at Dover and finished seventh.

    “I clinched a spot in the championship playoffs,” Almirola said. “That’s an accomplishment. And that calls for a clenched fist. I’ll let those who haven’t clinched clench their sphincters.”

    9. Kyle Busch: Busch finished 11th at Dover and clinched a spot in the championship round.

    “I’m just glad I don’t have to go to Daytona to clinch a spot,” Busch said. “So, for probably the first time this year, you could say the No. 18 team is ‘locked in.’”

    10. Clint Bowyer: Bowyer finished 16th at Dover.

    “I haven’t officially clinched a spot in the playoffs,” Bowyer said. “But it would take an act of God for me not to make the playoffs. So, I’m praying that God doesn’t act. I don’t know if that makes me a Christian or a heathen.”

  • Dover could be Larson’s chance to break drought, advance to Round of 8 in Playoffs

    Dover could be Larson’s chance to break drought, advance to Round of 8 in Playoffs

    Of the tracks in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series where Kyle Larson is the likeliest to have success, it’s a shock that he hasn’t found any as of yet at the Dover International Speedway.

    Topping Friday’s final practice session for Sunday’s Drydene 400 with a lap of 162.705, Larson’s No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet looks to be fast enough to better his record of five top-fives and eight top-10s in 11 starts, including two runner-ups and two third-place finishes.

    One good reason for Larson’s consistency at Dover is that it’s a track where the driver actually drives the car. Larson is in his element when racing a track that requires more out of the driver like a bullring or a road course; there’s a reason he’s as prolific as he is in sprint cars.

    However, Dover is a fast bullring. It’s got a short-track spirit with the speed of an intermediate track, and that leads to drivers getting in trouble easily. The adequate mixture of speed and driver is right in Larson’s comfort zone, not to mention he knows just how pressing it is he gets to victory lane soon. Last year he made it into the Round of 12 on a bonzai run at Charlotte only to drop out with a quickness following Kansas, echoing his failed 2017 Playoff bid.

    But Dover has been kind to Larson, which is all the more reason for the No. 42 crew to be optimistic heading into Sunday. In 2017 he dominated both events, leading 378 of the season’s 806 laps run at the speedway. He didn’t seal the deal, but top-fives in both events told that they were among the strongest on the track. Overall, Larson holds an average finish of eighth at the one-mile speedway.

    After a dismal 2018 season though, winning at Dover is a must for Larson. He hasn’t won since Richmond in the Fall of ’17, and a return trip to Victory lane would be a great way to validate his 2019 campaign. He’s had the strength of his ’17 season along with the luck of his ’18 season, so it’s imperative that the No. 42 solidifies his Round of 8 spot early on, since Talladega is next on the calendar with Kansas coming after.

    Without a win, Larson would be going into the midway point of the Playoffs at Talladega at a high risk of once again missing the next round. Larson holds an average finish of 20.6 at the 2.66-mile superspeedway with a best finish of sixth in the Fall 2016 event, and holds three DNFs including a spectacular tumble in the Spring event of this year. He holds some strong finishes at Talladega and Daytona, but he hasn’t established himself as a pack racer.

    Meanwhile, his luck at Kansas is closer to Dover than it is to Talladega, although it is still cause for concern. He holds three top-fives and five top-10s in 11 starts on the 1.5-mile speedway, but he also has three DNFs. He holds an average finish of 16.6 at Kansas, meaning that Larson may very well consider it as much a Wild Card event as Talladega.

    Not only is Larson needing to seal the deal and make Dover his 2019 championship statement, he is long overdue for a win at the speedway in the first place. Chad Johnston has done his best to bring success to the CGR No. 42, but if Larson doesn’t go from consistent to contender this year it may be time for a personnel overhaul within that camp.