Dover International Speedway Data
Season Race #: 29 of 36 (10-04-15)
Track Size: 1-mile
Banking/Turn 1 & 2: 24 degrees
Banking/Turn 3 & 4: 24 degrees
Banking/Frontstretch: 9 degree
Banking/Backstretch: 9 degree
Frontstretch Length: 1,076 feet
Backstretch Length: 1,076 feet
Race Length: 400 laps / 400 miles
Top 10 Driver Ratings at Dover
Jimmie Johnson 122.3
Matt Kenseth 107.5
Kyle Busch 105.0
Carl Edwards 98.4
Kyle Larson 97.6
Greg Biffle 96.2
Jeff Gordon 96.1
Clint Bowyer 92.7
Martin Truex Jr. 91.3
Brad Keselowski 91.1
Note: Driver Ratings compiled from 2005-2015 races (21 total) among active drivers at Dover Motor Speedway.
Qualifying/Race Data
2014 pole winner:
Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet
162.933 mph, 22.095 secs. 09-26-14
2014 race winner:
Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet
130.541 mph, (03:03:51), 09-28-14
Track qualifying record:
Brad Keselowski, Ford
164.444 mph, 21.892 secs. 05-30-14
Track race record:
Mark Martin, Ford
132.719 mph, (03:00:50), 09-21-97
Dover Driver Tale of the Tape
1 - Matt Kenseth (No. 20 Dollar General Toyota)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 107.5
2015 Rundown
· Four wins, 11 top fives, 17 top 10s,
· Led 646 laps
· Average Finish of 13
Dover International Speedway Outlook:
· Two wins, 15 top fives, 21 top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 12.619, seventh-best
· Average Running Position of 8.820, second-best
· Driver Rating of 107.5, second-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 144.467, second-fastest
· 6928 Laps in the Top 15 (82.4), third-most
· 560 Quality Passes, third-most
2 - Denny Hamlin (No. 11 FedEx Office Toyota)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 85.2
2015 Rundown
· Two wins, ten top fives, 14 top 10s,
· Led 500 laps
· Average Finish of 13.6
Dover International Speedway Outlook:
· Three top fives, six top 10s; three poles
· Average finish of 19.263, 22nd-best
· Average Running Position of 14.886, 14th-best
· Driver Rating of 85.2, 14th-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 143.802, 12th-fastest
· 4681 Laps in the Top 15 (61.6), 14th-most
· 429 Quality Passes, 11th-most
3 - Carl Edwards (No. 19 ARRIS Toyota)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 98.4
2015 Rundown
· Two wins, four top fives, ten top 10s,
· Led 342 laps
· Average Finish of 15.6
Dover International Speedway Outlook:
· One win, eight top fives, 12 top 10s
· Average finish of 10.286, third-best
· Average Running Position of 11.315, fifth-best
· Driver Rating of 98.4, fourth-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 144.094, sixth-fastest
· 5741 Laps in the Top 15 (68.3), seventh-most
· 566 Quality Passes, second-most
4 - Joey Logano (No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Ford)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 83.6
2015 Rundown
· Three wins, 16 top fives, 21 top 10s,
· Led 863 laps
· Average Finish of 8.5
Dover International Speedway Outlook:
· Three top fives, eight top 10s
· Average finish of 13.615, ninth-best
· Average Running Position of 15.948, 15th-best
· Driver Rating of 83.6, 15th-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 143.694, 15th-fastest
· 3402 Laps in the Top 15 (65.4), ninth-most
· 365 Quality Passes, 16th-most
5 - Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 122.3
2015 Rundown
· Four wins, 11 top fives, 17 top 10s,
· Led 467 laps
· Average Finish of 12.1
Dover International Speedway Outlook:
· Ten wins, 15 top fives, 20 top 10s; three poles
· Average finish of 5.857, series-best
· Average Running Position of 6.402, series-best
· Driver Rating of 122.3, series-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 144.766, series-fastest
· 7464 Laps in the Top 15 (88.8), series-most
· 463 Quality Passes, eighth-most
6 - Ryan Newman (No. 31 Quicken Loans Chevrolet)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 87.6
2015 Rundown
· Five top fives, 13 top 10s,
· Led 19 laps
· Average Finish of 13.5
Dover International Speedway Outlook:
· Three wins, six top fives, 13 top 10s; four poles
· Average finish of 15.619, 13th-best
· Average Running Position of 13.110, 10th-best
· Driver Rating of 87.6, 13th-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 143.759, 13th-fastest
· 5300 Laps in the Top 15 (63.0), 12th-most
· 409 Quality Passes, 13th-most
7 - Kurt Busch (No. 41 Haas Automation Chevrolet)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 90.6
2015 Rundown
· Two wins, nine top fives, 15 top 10s,
· Led 765 laps
· Average Finish of 10.6
Dover International Speedway Outlook:
· One win, six top fives, eight top 10s
· Average finish of 17.714, 16th-best
· Average Running Position of 13.335, 11th-best
· Driver Rating of 90.6, 11th-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 143.953, ninth-fastest
· 5095 Laps in the Top 15 (60.6), 15th-most
· 480 Quality Passes, seventh-most
8 - Brad Keselowski (No. 2 Wurth Ford)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 91.1
2015 Rundown
· One win, six top fives, 19 top 10s,
· Led 607 laps
· Average Finish of 11.2
Dover International Speedway Outlook:
· One win, four top fives, four top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 13.091, eigth-best
· Average Running Position of 12.813, ninth-best
· Driver Rating of 91.1, 10th-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 143.923, 10th-fastest
· 2822 Laps in the Top 15 (64.1), 10th-most
· 271 Quality Passes, 18th-most
8 - Martin Truex, Jr (No. 78 Furniture Row/Visser Precision Chevrolet)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 91.3
2015 Rundown
· One win, seven top fives, 17 top 10s,
· Led 536 laps
· Average Finish of 13.2
Dover International Speedway Outlook:
· One win, one top five, nine top 10s; two poles
· Average finish of 15.316, 12th-best
· Average Running Position of 14.331, 12th-best
· Driver Rating of 91.3, ninth-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 143.899, 11th-fastest
· 4792 Laps in the Top 15 (63.0), 11th-most
· 449 Quality Passes, 10th-most
10 - Jeff Gordon (No. 24 AARP MEMBER ADVANTAGES Chevrolet)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 96.1
2015 Rundown
· Three top fives, 13 top 10s,
· Led 208 laps
· Average Finish of 16
Dover International Speedway Outlook:
· Five wins, 18 top fives, 26 top 10s; four poles
· Average finish of 12.095, sixth-best
· Average Running Position of 11.739, sixth-best
· Driver Rating of 96.1, seventh-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 144.230, fourth-fastest
· 6477 Laps in the Top 15 (77.0), fourth-most
· 588 Quality Passes, series-most
11 - Jamie McMurray (No. 1 Nature Made Chevrolet)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 78.6
2015 Rundown
· Two top fives, seven top 10s,
· Led 14 laps
· Average Finish of 15
Dover International Speedway Outlook:
· One top five, six top 10s
· Average finish of 19.190, 21st-best
· Average Running Position of 17.309, 17th-best
· Driver Rating of 78.6, 18th-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 143.370, 21st-fastest
· 3569 Laps in the Top 15 (42.4), 18th-most
· 369 Quality Passes, 15th-most
12 - Dale Earnhardt, Jr (No. 88 NATIONWIDE Plenti Chevrolet)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 81.7
2015 Rundown
· Two wins, 12 top fives, 17 top 10s,
· Led 203 laps
· Average Finish of 10.3
Dover International Speedway Outlook:
· One win, six top fives, 11 top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 16.952, 15th-best
· Average Running Position of 17.558, 18th-best
· Driver Rating of 81.7, 16th-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 143.744, 14th-fastest
· 3970 Laps in the Top 15 (47.2), 17th-most
· 379 Quality Passes, 14th-most
13 - Kyle Busch (No. 18 Interstate Batteries Toyota)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 105.0
2015 Rundown
· Four wins, six top fives, ten top 10s,
· Led 659 laps
· Average Finish of 11.2
Dover International Speedway Outlook:
· Two wins, nine top fives, 13 top 10s
· Average finish of 15.190, 11th-best
· Average Running Position of 11.235, fourth-best
· Driver Rating of 105.0, third-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 144.394, third-fastest
· 6470 Laps in the Top 15 (76.9), fifth-most
· 539 Quality Passes, fourth-most
14 - Paul Menard (No. 27 Knaus / Menards Chevrolet)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 68.8
2015 Rundown
· Two top fives, four top 10s,
· Led 1 laps
· Average Finish of 16.7
Dover International Speedway Outlook:
· Three top 10s
· Average finish of 18.375, 17th-best
· Average Running Position of 19.590, 20th-best
· Driver Rating of 68.8, 23rd-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 143.117, 26th-fastest
· 1710 Laps in the Top 15 (26.7), 23rd-most
· 213 Quality Passes, 20th-most
15 - Kevin Harvick (No. 4 Budweiser / Jimmy John's Chevrolet)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 88.5
2015 Rundown
· Two wins, 18 top fives, 22 top 10s,
· Led 1460 laps
· Average Finish of 9
Dover International Speedway Outlook:
· Four top fives, 13 top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 14.048, 10th-best
· Average Running Position of 14.760, 13th-best
· Driver Rating of 88.5, 12th-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 143.686, 16th-fastest
· 5267 Laps in the Top 15 (62.6), 13th-most
· 454 Quality Passes, ninth-most
16 - Clint Bowyer (No. 15 5-Hour Energy Toyota)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 92.7
2015 Rundown
· Two top fives, 11 top 10s,
· Led 8 laps
· Average Finish of 16.7
Dover International Speedway Outlook:
· Two top fives, 12 top 10s
· Average finish of 11.737, fourth-best
· Average Running Position of 12.190, seventh-best
· Driver Rating of 92.7, eighth-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 144.079, eighth-fastest
· 5649 Laps in the Top 15 (74.3), sixth-most
· 497 Quality Passes, sixth-most
AAA 400 Preview
By Micah Roberts
VegasInsider.com
The greatest thing about the current Chase format unveiled last season, where we have three different elimination stages, is the drama it creates. We have storylines like we've never seen before in NASCAR at such an early stage before the championship is decided. For the first 26 races, we get to witness who might be the best equipped to handle these situations, but there's nothing quite like added pressure to create an intriguing storyline.
We've got eight races to go until a champion is crowned, but an early October race at Dover has so many title implications such as last year’s champ Kevin Harvick being on the brink of elimination. Kyle Busch wowed us all in late June and early July by winning four of five races, but he's outside looking in -- only one point outside of 12th-place. Can Harvick duplicate his feat at Phoenix last fall in a win or go-home situation and can Busch shed his trend of being a complete zero in the Chase over his career?
In Sunday's AAA 400 at Dover, we'll find out a lot of those answers as four of the 16 Chase drivers will be eliminated. Two drivers, Denny Hamlin and Matt Kenseth, are locked in to advance on the basis of each winning the first two races of the Chase and another will advance if winning Sunday's race.
We've got a lot of things to consider before selecting a winner for Sunday based on several circumstances. Do you go with the hot driver or team that has been running well lately? Do you go with the driver who has had the most all-time success at Dover's high banked 1-mile concrete layout? Or do you go with a few of the drivers that are in desperation mode, who have to win to advance to the next round?
Harvick is the key driver in desperation mode this week as he sits in 15th-place, 23 points behind the 12th and final position to advance. For the second straight week Harvick experienced some bad luck, this time while leading at New Hampshire with three laps to go before running out of fuel. He dominated the race leading 216 of the 300 laps, but his gas man didn't get enough fuel in the tank during the final pit stop.
During the regular season, Harvick had 18 top-five finishes in 26 races to lead the field. In the playoffs, he hasn't cracked the top-20 yet and now he needs to win at Dover to advance, a place he's never won at in 29 career starts. However, he did finish second in the first race held there this season on May 31.
That first Dover race was also the last time we've seen Jimmie Johnson win a race. It was Johnson's fourth win of the season, which at the time was twice as many as anyone else in the series had. But Johnson hasn't won since then. In fact, no Chevrolet driver has won in the past 11 races as the Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota's have won 10 of the past 13 races. The Penske Fords have two wins over that stretch with Joey Logano. The last Chevy to win was Dale Earnhardt Jr. at Daytona over the Fourth of July weekend. It's a drought seldom seen out of Chevrolet and it's happening at the wrong time with a championship on the line.
The good news for the guys in bow ties is that Johnson is the all-time leader in wins at Dover with 10 in 27 starts. That's one win in every 2.7 starts, an insane ratio for any driver in any series to have had occur for so long. He's won three of the past four there and his 7.8 average finish is also the best among all drivers, but current form counts for something and Johnson and Chevy just don't have their things together right now. Johnson has never looked so ordinary heading into a Dover race over his entire career.
Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook manager Ed Salmons said he's going to make Johnson the favorite this week just because the public always bets Johnson feversihly at Dover due to that 2.7 win ratio, but says that "Harvick should be the favorite."
Last season when Harvick had to have a win to advance from Phoenix into the Championship Race at Homestead, he came through. But Phoenix also was a place where no one was better than Harvick. Dover is a little different. Still, Salmons has kept Harvick's Sprint Cup odds relatively low at 12/1 odds showing he is somewhat confident the champ will advance despite the deficit.
We can say goodbye to Clint Bowyer's championship hopes this week, but after that it's murky. Will Paul Menard have a decent showing as he sits one point out of 12th? Is Dale Earnhardt Jr. safe in 12th-place? Will Jamie McMurray hang on to 11th? And what driver that looks comfortable right now will have that dreaded mishap or run of bad luck like Harvick has had in the first two races. As far as Harvick's concerned, he hopes the entire field wrecks.
Of course the drivers in great form right now are the JGR drivers, especially Matt Kenseth who grabbed his fifth win of the season on Sunday. It was his fourth win in the past eight races. He's had two wins over his career at Dover along with 15 top-fives in 33 starts. He is on a roll and should be a factor on Sunday as well. His teammate Carl Edwards won at Dover in 2007 and has the second best average finish (10.60) behind Johnson. Denny Hamlin has never at Dover while Kyle Busch has two wins. For Busch, he needs a great run to advance to the next Chase round because he's currently 1-point out of the 12th and final advance position.
Because Dover is unlike any other track on the circuit there isn't much to compare it to, but I do like to throw in a small sample of what happened at Bristol's high-banked half-mile layout because the set-up requirements are similar and crew chiefs often use the same chassis' at both facilities. Logano won last month at Bristol and Kenseth won his first race of the season there in April.
Logano's teammate, Brad Keselowski, won at Dover during his championship run in 2012 and was runner-up in both races last season. He's also a driver that has had success at Bristol over his career and should run enough Sunday to possibly grab his second win of the season.
Top-5 Finish Prediction:
1) #48 Jimmie Johnson (5/1)
2) #4 Kevin Harvick (5/1)
3) #20 Matt Kenseth (7/1)
4) #2 Brad Keselowski (10/1)
5) #22 Joey Logano (8/1)
Drivers to Watch - Dover
By Sportsbook.ag
The Sprint Cup drivers will be gunning for a victory and a guaranteed advancement in The Chase when they head to Dover on Sunday. The last time the Sprint Cup drivers raced in Dover, Jimmie Johnson found his way to victory lane. It was the last race Johnson has won on the season, and he’ll be looking to snap out of his funk with a win here on Sunday.
This track is one mile long and has 24-degree banking on the turns and nine-degree banking on the straightaways. 95,500 people will flood the gates to see this one and they should be seeing a fantastic race.
Jimmie Johnson didn’t just win at Dover earlier in the season, but he has been dominant on this track throughout his entire career. He holds the record for the most wins at this race with 10. One storyline to keep an eye on heading into this one is that Tony Stewart announced that he will retire after the 2016 season.
With all of that in mind, let’s now take a look at who might come away with a victory on Sunday:
Drivers to Watch
Jimmie Johnson (4/1) - As mentioned earlier, Johnson is the all-time leader in wins at Dover and the odds reflect that. Johnson is not receiving favorable odds, but that is for good reason. Nobody is better on this track and he will be hungry to pick up a victory in this one. His sixth place finish at the Sylvania 400 last weekend is proof that he is trending in the right direction heading into Sunday.
Kevin Harvick (9/2) - Harvick finished in second the last time these drivers raced at Dover, but he has had his struggles recently. Harvick has finished outside of the top-10 at three straight races after finishing in the top five in four straight races before the rough patch. He is, however, receiving some solid odds and is a good pick to turn things around here on Sunday.
Jeff Gordon (25/1) - Gordon looked excellent at the Sylvania 300, finishing in seventh place after finishing in 14th the race before. Not only has Gordon been doing well lately, but he has been successful at the AAA 400 in the past. Gordon won back-to-back races in 1995 and 1996 here and was also the champion at least year’s installment. While he has not won a race yet this season, Gordon will be eager to guarantee himself advancement with a victory. At 25-to-1, he’s certainly worth putting a few units on.
Jamie McMurray (100/1) - McMurray has not won a race this season, but he does have two top-five finishes and six top-10s. McMurray is rarely ever out of the race and has finished in the top-16 in the past six races. At 100/1, it’s not a bad move to take somebody that will need a statement win at some point in order to move on in The Chase.
Odds to win AAA 400
Jimmie Johnson 4/1
Kevin Harvick 9/2
Kyle Busch 7/1
Matt Kenseth 7/1
Brad Keselowski 8/1
Denny Hamlin 8/1
Carl Edwards 10/1
Joey Logano 10/1
Martin Truex Jr 12/1
Kurt Busch 15/1
Dale Earnhardt Jr 25/1
Jeff Gordon 25/1
Kyle Larson 30/1
Kasey Kahne 50/1
Austin Dillon 80/1
Clint Bowyer 100/1
Greg Biffle 100/1
Jamie McMurray 100/1
Paul Menard 100/1
Ryan Newman 100/1
Tony Stewart 100/1
Field (Any Other Driver) 100/1
David Ragan 200/1
Aric Almirola 300/1
AJ Allmendinger 500/1
Casey Mears 500/1
Danica Patrick 500/1
Ricky Stenhouse 500/1
Sam Hornish Jr 500/1
Trevor Bayne 500/1
Driver Handicaps: Dover
By: Jeff Wackerlin
Racingone.com
To assist in making your fantasy racing picks, MRN.com's Jeff Wackerlin helps steer you toward Sunday's AAA 400 at Dover International Speedway.
Who's HOT at Dover
• Jimmie Johnson leads all drivers with 10 wins and 2,999 laps led.
• Jeff Gordon, who is the defending race winner, has finished in the top 10 in five of the last six races.
• Clint Bowyer is the only driver that has finished in the top 10 in all of the last nine races.
• Matt Kenseth has finished in the top 10 in three races with Joe Gibbs Racing when he's running at the finish.
• Kyle Busch has finished in the top 10 in the last five fall races.
• Brad Keselowski has four top five-finishes in his last six starts, including a win in the 2012 fall race.
• Joey Logano has posted a 7.2 average finish in the last six races that included five top 10s.
• Martin Truex Jr. has finished in the top 10 in his three track starts with Furniture Row Racing and led 131 laps in May.
• Kevin Harvick has led the most laps in the last three races and finished second in May.
Who to Keep an Eye On at Dover
• Denny Hamlin led 118 laps in May at Dover before contact from Clint Bowyer.
• Kyle Larson finished third in May to lower his average finish to 6.7 in three Dover starts.
• Kasey Kahne finished fourth at Dover in May to equal his best finish of the season.
• Tony Stewart has posted a 9.5 average finish in his last four Dover starts.
• Jamie McMurray and Aric Almirola each finished in the top 10 in May after participating in the open test at Dover.
• Carl Edwards was running in the top 10 in his first Dover start with Joe Gibbs Racing in May but finished 19th after two pit road penalties.
• Dale Earnhardt Jr. (10.4) and Paul Menard (14.4) each rank in the top 10 in average among drivers that have competed in all of the last five races at Dover.
MRN.com Staff Picks
Jeff Wackerlin: Carl Edwards
Pete Pistone: Jimmie Johnson
Robbie Mays: Kevin Harvick
John Singler: Jimmie Johnson
Driver Notes - Ordered by Top 20 in Average Finish in the Five Races at Dover
Jimmie Johnson is coming off his 10th Dover win and fourth in the last seven races. He's only led 23 laps in the last two races and those came in the May race, which used the same tire combination that will be used this weekend. Johnson, who has 2,999 career laps led at Dover, has only finished outside the top 10 once in the last 10 races there.
Jeff Gordon scored his fifth Dover win last year in this event after leading 94 laps. He started 22nd and finished 10th this past May. This year's finish marked Gordon's 26th top 10 in 45 overall starts and fifth in his last six starts.
Joey Logano has posted a 6.6 average finish in five starts with Team Penske. He's yet to lead a lap with the team, but has finished in the top five in the last two fall races.
Kyle Larson finished third in May for his second consecutive top 10 at Dover. Larson's 11th-place finish the 2014 spring race is his worst-to-date, giving him a 6.7 average finish in three starts.
Clint Bowyer is the only driver that has finished in the top 10 in all of the last nine races at Dover. He finished ninth in May, but that was with his last track start with crew chief Brian Pattie.
Kevin Harvick has combined to lead 338 laps and post an average finish of 10.7 in three Dover starts with Stewart-Haas Racing. He started sixth and led 91 laps en route to a second-place finish in May. This weekend, Harvick will return in the same car (chassis No. 846) that he last finished eighth with at Kentucky Speedway.
Tony Stewart has the ninth-best average finish (10.5) in the last four races at Dover. He won the 2013 spring race and has posted a 14.8 average finish in 12 Dover starts with Stewart-Haas. His last three races have come with crew chief Chad Johnston, resulting in a 12.3 average finish. This weekend, Stewart will return in the same car (chassis No. 827) that he finished 16th with in May at Dover.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished 14th in May in his first Dover start with crew chief Greg Ives. Earnhardt's best finish in 15 Dover starts with Hendrick Motorsports came in this event in 2013 when he led 80 laps en route to a second-place finish.
Brad Keselowski has finished in the top five in four of the last six races, including a win in this event in 2012. Keselowski led 28 laps and finished 12th in May, to snap a streak of two consecutive runner-up finishes. His 5.3 average finish in the last three Dover races ranks second among all drivers.
Paul Menard finished eighth in May for his second top 10 in the last three races at Dover. This weekend, Menard will return in the same car (chassis No. 454) that he last finished 24th with at Bristol Motor Speedway in August.
Martin Truex Jr. has finished seventh or better in his three Dover starts with Furniture Row Racing. He led 131 laps and finished sixth in May from the second starting position.
Kasey Kahne finished fourth in May in his first Dover start with crew chief Keith Rodden. The finished marked only his second top 10 in seven track starts with Hendrick Motorsports.
Aric Almirola is coming off his best Dover finish in seven starts, in fifth. The finish marked his second top 10 at the track with Richard Petty Motorsports.
Jamie McMurray finished seventh in May for his first top 10 in the last 14 races at Dover.
Denny Hamlin started from the pole, led 118 laps and finished 21st after contact from Clint Bowyer in May at Dover. Hamlin has started from the pole in three of the last six Dover races and has posted a 16.7 average finish in that span.
Carl Edwards started eighth and finished 19th in his first Dover start with Joe Gibbs Racing in May. His first track start with JGR was hampered by two pit road penalties. He posted one win and 12 top 10s in previous 21 starts with Roush Fenway Racing. Edwards has finished in the top 10 in seven of the last eight races of the season.
Matt Kenseth has finished seventh or better in the three races he's been running at the finish with Joe Gibbs Racing. Kenseth started fourth in May but only completed 346 of 405 laps because of a mechanical issue, relegating him to a 39th-place finish. He's a two-time Dover winner with the last coming in 2011 with Roush Fenway Racing.
Kyle Busch has finished in the top 10 in the last five fall Dover races. Busch started 10th in May and led seven laps, but an accident relegated him to a 36th-place finish. Busch's last of two Dover wins came in the 2010 May race.
Greg Biffle finished 17th in May to give him an average finish of 25.3 in the last three Dover races. Biffle's last of two Dover wins came in this event in 2008. He's only finished in the top 10 once in the last 10 races.
Kurt Busch has posted a 22.3 average finish in three starts with Stewart-Haas Racing. Busch's last of eight top 10s in 30 overall Dover starts came in this event in 2011 when he won while driving for Team Penske. This weekend, Busch will pilot the same car (chassis No. 794) that he last finished sixth with at Darlington Raceway.