Autism Speaks 400 News and Notes

Driver Highlights - Dover

Greg Biffle (No. 16 3M Ford)

# Two wins, six top fives, nine top 10s; one pole
# Average finish of 10.8
# Series-best Average Running Position of 6.9
# Series-best Driver Rating of 114.7
# 372 Fastest Laps Run, second-most
# Average Green Flag Speed of 142.048 mph, second-fastest
# Series-high 3,747 Laps in the Top 15 (93.6%)
# 294 Quality Passes (passes of cars in the top 15 under green), second-most

Clint Bowyer (No. 33 Cheerios/Hamburger Helper Chevrolet)

# Three top 10s
# Average finish of 14.4
# Average Running Position of 13.7, eighth-best
# Driver Rating of 89.9, 10th-best
# 94 Fastest Laps Run, 12th-most
# 2,255 Laps in the Top 15 (70.5%), 11th-most
# 197 Quality Passes, 11th-most

Jeff Burton (No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet)

# One win, six top fives, 13 top 10s
# Average finish of 16.3
# Average Running Position of 14.4, 10th-best
# Driver Rating of 86.3, 12th-best
# 81 Fastest Laps Run, 13th-most
# 418 Green Flag Passes, second-most
# 2,540 Laps in the Top 15 (63.4%), 10th-most
# 224 Quality Passes, fourth-most

Kurt Busch (No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge)

# Four top fives, six top 10s
# Average finish of 19.7
# Average Running Position of 11.5, seventh-best
# Driver Rating of 96.2, eighth-best
# 143 Fastest Laps Run, eighth-most
# 349 Green Flag Passes, 13th-most
# Average Green Flag Speed of 141.558 mph, eighth-fastest
# 2,817 Laps in the Top 15 (70.4%), seventh-most
# 209 Quality Passes, eighth-most

Kyle Busch (No. 18 Snickers Toyota)

# One win, five top fives, five top 10s
# Average finish of 16.9
# Average Running Position of 14.5, 11th-best
# Driver Rating of 98.5, seventh-best
# 175 Fastest Laps Run, sixth-most
# Average Green Flag Speed of 141.729 mph, fifth-fastest
# 2,654 Laps in the Top 15 (66.3%), ninth-most
# 218 Quality Passes, sixth-most

Carl Edwards (No. 99 Aflac Ford)

# One win, five top fives, seven top 10s
# Average finish of 7.9
# Average Running Position of 10.3, sixth-best
# Driver Rating of 103.7, fourth-best
# 288 Fastest Laps Run, fourth-most
# 382 Green Flag Passes, fifth-most
# Average Green Flag Speed of 141.703 mph, sixth-fastest
# 2,825 Laps in the Top 15 (70.6%), sixth-most
# 273 Quality Passes, third-most

Jeff Gordon (No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet)

# Four wins, 14 top fives, 21 top 10s; four poles
# Average finish of 12.2
# Average Running Position of 14.2, ninth-best
# Driver Rating of 90.3, ninth-best
# Average Green Flag Speed of 141.596 mph, seventh-fastest
# 2,692 Laps in the Top 15 (67.2%), eighth-most
# 202 Quality Passes, 10th-most

Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet)

# Five wins, seven top fives, 11 top 10s; two poles
# Average finish of 9.8
# Average Running Position of 9.7, fifth-best
# Driver Rating of 112.3, third-best
# Series-high 475 Fastest Laps Run
# 369 Green Flag Passes, ninth-most
# Series-best Average Green Flag Speed of 142.049 mph
# 3,206 Laps in the Top 15 (80.1%), fourth-most
# 204 Quality Passes, ninth-most

Matt Kenseth (No. 17 Crown Royal Black Ford)

# One win, nine top fives, 14 top 10s; one pole
# Average finish of 13.1
# Average Running Position of 7.1, second-best
# Driver Rating of 112.6, second-best
# 306 Fastest Laps Run, third-most
# 381 Green Flag Passes, sixth-most
# Average Green Flag Speed of 142.022 mph, third-fastest
# 3,580 Laps in the Top 15 (89.4%), second-most
# Series-high 304 Quality Passes

Mark Martin (No. 5 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet)

# Four wins, 22 top fives, 30 top 10s; four poles
# Average finish of 12.5
# Average Running Position of 9.5, fourth-best
# Driver Rating of 101.9, fifth-best
# 270 Fastest Laps Run, fifth-most
# 349 Green Flag Passes, 13th-most
# Average Green Flag Speed of 141.818 mph, fourth-fastest
# 3,144 Laps in the Top 15 (78.5%), fifth-most
# 220 Quality Passes, fifth-most

Ryan Newman (No. 39 U.S. Army Chevrolet)

# Three wins, six top fives, 10 top 10s; four poles
# Average finish of 10.3
# Average Running Position of 8.6, third-best
# Driver Rating of 98.8, sixth-best
# 95 Fastest Laps Run, 11th-most
# Average Green Flag Speed of 141.458 mph, ninth-fastest
# 3,567 Laps in the Top 15 (89.1%), third-most
# 212 Quality Passes, seventh-most

Martin Truex Jr. (No. 56 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota)

# One win, one top five, three top 10s
# Average finish of 15.3
# Average Running Position of 15.7, 12th-best
# Driver Rating of 87.2, 11th-best
# 151 Fastest Laps Run, seventh-most
# Average Green Flag Speed of 141.250 mph, 11th-fastest
# 1,836 Laps in the Top 15 (57.4%), 12th-most
# 176 Quality Passes, 12th-most

Autism Speaks 400 preview
By Micah Roberts
VegasInsider.com

Though the first 11 races of the NASCAR Sprint Cup season we have seen our share of domination from drivers who were supposed to win. Jimmie Johnson and Denny Hamlin each have three wins on the young season, and we’ve seen Kyle and Kurt Busch come through along with a big Kevin Harvick win at Talladega. The only real big surprises paying out big odds have been Jamie McMurray at Daytona and Ryan Newman at Phoenix.

This week at the Monster Mile of Dover International Speedway we have the opportunity to see perhaps another longshot ticket cash in. Johnson is going to be tough to beat, and why shouldn’t he, since he’s only won five times on the track in 16 starts -- including a sweep of last season’s races. Johnson is the 6/1 favorite, but after him there are all kinds of hidden gems just because of the surface they’re running on this week.

Dover is a high banked concrete track that resembles the way Bristol runs now since they changed it to a multi-groove track in 2007. Even though Bristol is half-mile shorter than Dover, they do run similar and many of the teams that ran well in March’s Bristol race should do the same this week.

For bettors looking for the chance to hit a big pay day, this may be it just because of some of the top contenders who aren’t thought of that highly by the bookmakers. Tony Stewart is listed at 25/1 because of all his recent struggles of not cracking the top-15 in his last six starts coming in. Greg Biffle is listed at 18/1 despite being the top rated driver in NASCAR’s loop data that has accumulated just about every piece of data imaginable over the last 10 Dover races.

Johnson is still the driver to beat, but there is a major over adjustment on who is hot right now according to Las Vegas sports books. Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin are currently the “it” drivers as far as who’s hot right now and they are each co-favorites to win this week with Johnson at 6/1 odds. Jeff Gordon is someone who could be placed in the upper-echelon of drivers right now because of how well he has performed all season. The guy has led more laps than anyone this year but still doesn’t have a win.

Despite the three wins for Hamlin, Dover has been one his worst statistical tracks on the tour. In eight Dover starts, Hamlin has an average finish position of 25.1 with only one top-5 finish. In four of his starts, Hamlin has failed to do better than 36th which doesn’t give much confidence in him coming in no matter how hot he is.

Kyle Busch does have a win at Dover and fared very well there while at Hendrick Motorsports. Since winning his first race for Joe Gibbs on the track in 2008, Kyle has seen finishes of 43rd, 23rd, and 31st, not exactly the type of numbers you want to bank a wager with. He’s finished in the top-10 in five straight races coming in, but those types of numbers is what is making others odds look so tempting this week.

Tony Stewart lost his sponsorship deal with Old Spice for next season which compounds misery from all his mediocre combined finishes this year. Let’s face it, Stewart has been pretty lackluster thus far and looks to be a shadow of his former self on paper. However, Dover is the perfect place to get him started back to where he belongs. If we use the Dover-Bristol connection, Stewart looks mighty attractive this week. In this race last season, Stewart finished second and at Bristol this year he had a season best second-place finish. It’s hard squeezing lemons into lemonade, but this week it should come to fruition and would taste mighty sweet with a 25/1 payout.

Greg Biffle hasn’t been as bad across the board as Stewart this season as he sits seventh in points, but he hasn’t really been in position to win either. Dover’s concrete should be a welcomed sight because he’s had one of his best statistical runs on the track. He’s had two wins over his career and has an average finish of 10.8 in 15 career starts. In this race last season, Biffle finished third. This season at Bristol, Biffle had one of his best runs of the year with a fourth-place finish. Look for a great run again this week.

Jimmie Johnson has five wins at Dover over his career yet didn’t win his first Bristol race until this year. Kurt Busch is just the opposite having won five Bristol races but none at Dover. Maybe this is the year for Busch just like it was for Johnson. Last season Busch doubled his career top-5 finishes at Dover by finishing fifth twice. This season at Bristol, Busch finished third while leading the most laps. He dominated that Bristol race and led on nine different occasions. Busch is a nice choice at 12/1 to get his first win of the season.

Jimmie Johnson is going to be tough to beat this week even though he’s bringing a less than stellar Atlanta chassis that finished 12th. With all the talk about Johnson’s luck running out and not performing well with the new spoiler, this week seems like the perfect week for him to show everyone how much a real decline he's in. No one has ever won three straight races at Dover, but then again, no one had ever won four straight championships. Johnson should perform well, and it would be unwise to leave him out of any wagering equation, but the opportunities to be had on Stewart, Biffle, and Kurt Busch give great back-up support if Johnson doesn’t win.

Top 5 Finish Prediction:

1) #14 Tony Stewart (25/1)
2) #2 Kurt Busch (12/1)
3) #16 Greg Biffle (18/1)
4) #48 Jimmie Johnson (6/1)
5) #5 Kyle Busch (6/1)

Vickers hospitalized with medical condition

NASCAR driver Brian Vickers has been hospitalized with an undisclosed medical condition and will not race this weekend at Dover International Speedway.

Red Bull Racing says Casey Mears will replace Vickers in the No. 83 Toyota.

The team says Vickers was hospitalized Wednesday night and is undergoing tests.

The 26-year-old is in his seventh full season racing in NASCAR's elite Sprint Cup Series. He has two career Cup wins and made the 12-driver Chase for the championship last season.

He's currently ranked 20th in the standings.

Driver Handicaps: Dover
Racingone.com

This weekend the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series heads to Dover International Speedway for Sunday's Autism Speaks 400. To help you make your fantasy racing picks, Motor Racing Network brings you our weekly detailed look at some of the field for the 400-lap event.

Who's HOT at Dover
• Greg Biffle has the best driver rating (114.7) over the last 10 races.
• Four-time winner Mark Martin leads all drivers with 22 top fives.
• Jimmie Johnson swept both races in 2009 and has led 653 laps with the COT.
• Carl Edwards leads all drivers with a 7.9 average finish.
• Four-time winner Jeff Gordon leads all drivers with 2,231 laps led.
• Three-time winner Ryan Newman has the third-best average finish (10.3).
• Matt Kenseth has finished in the top five in his last four starts.
• Kurt Busch finished in the top five in both races in 2009.

Keep an Eye on at Dover
• Denny Hamlin, who finished 26th in this event last year after a cut tire sent him into the wall while running in second, has won three of the last six races in 2010.
• Jeff Burton has a 11.3 average finish in the six races with the COT at Dover.
• Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. each have a win with the new car at Dover.
• Tony Stewart and Kasey Kahne each finished in the top 10 in both races at Dover last season.
• Juan Pablo Montoya is coming off his first top five at Dover with a fourth-place finish.
• Casey Mears, who will replace Brian Vickers this weekend, has a 12.8 average finish with the COT at Dover.

Top 30 Driver Notes - Ordered by current standings

(All stats/notes are in regards to Dover Int'l Speedway unless noted)

1. Kevin Harvick: Last of six top 10s came in the 2008 fall race; Best finish came in this event in 2006 in third; 18.8 average finish in the six races with the COT; Has only led one lap in the last 12 races; Will pilot the same car (chassis No. 288) that finished second at Auto Club Speedway earlier this season.

2. Jimmie Johnson: Coming off fifth win; Swept events in 2002 and 2009; Has led a total of 1,206 laps in 16 starts; 7.2 average finish in the six races with the COT; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 558) that finished 12th at Atlanta in March.

3. Kyle Busch: Led 158 laps en route to victory in the spring of 2008; 24.5 average finish in four starts with Joe Gibbs Racing; Suffered a front splitter issue in this event last year that resulted in 23rd-place finish; 20.0 average finish in the six races with the COT; Will debut a new car (chassis No. 265) in the Autism Speaks 400.

4. Jeff Gordon: Four-time winner; Last won in 2001 after leading 381 laps from the second-starting position; Coming off 21st top 10 in 34 starts; Finished 26th in this event last year after being forced to a back up from a wreck in qualifying and an untimely pit during the race; Sixth-best average finish (11.3) in the six races with the COT.

5. Matt Kenseth: Won the 2006 Spring race after leading 83 laps; Coming off fourth consecutive top five; Fifth-best average finish (8.8) in the six races with the COT; Only finish outside the top 10 in his last eight starts was the result of engine failure after leading 192 laps in the 2007 fall race; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 621) that finished fifth at Bristol.

6. Denny Hamlin: Two top-10 finishes in eight starts, with a best fourth in the spring 2007 race; Last five results have been 22nd or worse; Finished 26th in this event last year after a cut tire sent him into the wall while running in second; 30.2 average finish in the six races with the COT; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 259) that finished second at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and Texas Motor Speedway in 2009.

7. Greg Biffle: Two-time winner; Second-best track on the circuit based on his 10.8 average finish; Has finished eighth or better in eight of the last 10 races; Second-best average finish (4.7) in the six races with the COT; Will race the same car (chassis No. 608) that finished fourth at Bristol in March.

8. Kurt Busch: Coming off a pair of fifth-place finishes; Led 99 laps last fall; 22.5 average finish in the six races with the COT; Will debut a new car (chassis No. 712) in the Autism Speaks 400.

9. Jeff Burton: 11.7 average finish in 11 starts with RCR; Win in the 2006 fall race is one of five top 10s with the team; Scored eight top 10s in previous starts with Roush Racing; Has yet to lead a lap in six starts with the COT; Will be back in the same car (chassis No. 302) that finished 12th last month at Texas Motor Speedway.

10. Mark Martin: Four-time winner in 47 starts; His 22 top-five finishes and 1,720 laps led are a personal best at any track; Finished 10th and second in first two track starts with Hendrick in 2009; Fourth-best average finish (8.3) in the six races with the COT; Will debut a new car (chassis No. 527) in the Autism Speaks 400.

11. Carl Edwards: One victory and five top fives in 10 starts; 2007 victory is in the middle of a streak of six consecutive top-10 finishes; Has never finished worse than 18th (track debut, 2004); Leads all drivers with a 4.5 average finish in six starts with the COT; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 596) that finished sixth at Bristol in March.

12. Dale Earnhardt Jr.: 22.8 average finish in four starts with Hendrick Motorsports; Scored seven top 10s and one win in previous 16 starts with Dale Earnhardt, Inc.; Has yet to lead a lap in the six races with the COT; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 578) that finished seventh at Bristol in March.

13. Martin Truex Jr.: Site of first career Cup Series victory (Spring, 2007); Led 216 of the race's 400 laps; Only top five at the track in seven starts; Coming off worst finish in 33rd; Will make track debut with Michael Waltrip Racing.

14. Ryan Newman: Finished eighth and 10th in first two starts with Stewart-Haas in 2009; ; Three-time winner with Penske Racing, including a sweep in 2003; Has led 842 laps in 16 starts, including 325 en route to victory in the 2004 fall race; 12.5 average finish in the six races with the COT.

15. Clint Bowyer: Three top-10 finishes of eighth are best track results in eight starts; 14.4 average finish with four laps led; Piloting brand-new chassis No. 298 in Autism Speaks 400.

16. Jamie McMurray: Best track-finish of second came with Jack Roush in this event in 2006 after leading 95 laps; Five top-10 finishes in 14 starts with an average finish of 16.9; Bringing chassis No. 905 this weekend; Car was last raced to a 29th-place finish at Atlanta after suffering an on-track incident while running in the top five.

17. Juan Pablo Montoya: Coming off track-best finish of fourth in fall event last year from the second starting position; That result was second top 10 in six starts; 21.0 average finish; Piloting chassis No. 903 for fourth career race; This car last finished 26th at Bristol this year, and finished sixth and 10th last year at Michigan in June and Chicago in July.

18. Tony Stewart: Swept the two races in 2000 driving for Joe Gibbs Racing; Finished second and ninth in first two races with own team in 2009; 11.5 average finish in 22 starts, with 10 top fives and 14 top 10s; Has led 1072 laps; Bringing chassis No. 14-530 that he drove to runner-up finish at Bristol this year.

19. Joey Logano: Walked away from scary accident last fall that resulted in 42nd-place finish; Finished 15th in only other start at track; Piloting chassis No. 247 for first start in 2010; This car was raced four times in 2009.

20. Brian Vickers: Will not race due to undisclosed illness; Being replaced by Casey Mears in the No. 83.

21. David Ragan: 23.1 average finish in seven starts; Track-best finish of 14th came in this event in 2007; Piloting chassis RK-626 which was last raced at Phoenix in fall of 2009 to 19th-place finish as the No. 26.

22. Kasey Kahne: Posted two of his three total top-10 finishes in 2009; Best track finish of sixth in this event last year; 22.8 average finish in 12 starts; Has crashed out of four races.

23. Paul Menard: 23.0 average finish in five starts; Coming off track-best 19th-place finish in last year's fall race driving a Ford with Yates Racing; Tested Tuesday at Gresham Motorsports Park in Ga. in preparation for race; Bringing brand-new chassis No. 560 to track.

24. David Reutimann: Won the pole for this event last year and led 25 laps en route to 18th-place finish; Track best finish of 17th came in fall event in 2008; 20.2 average finish in five starts.

25. Brad Keselowski: Making first Cup start at the track; Will pilot chassis PRS-713 during Autism Speaks 400; This car was raced to a 21st-place finish at Auto Club Speedway earlier this season.

26. Scott Speed: 31.0 average finish in two starts; Finished 25th last fall in only race where he's been running at the finish.

27. AJ Allmendinger: Coming off his best track finish of seventh in fall race last year; 27.5 average finish in six starts; Piloting same chassis (No. 288) that finished 17th at Bristol this year.

28. Marcos Ambrose: 22.0 average finish in three starts; Coming off best finish of 14th in last fall's event.

29. Elliott Sadler: Yet to score a top-five finish in 22 starts; Last of three top 10s (sixth) came driving a Ford in 2005 fall race with Yates Racing; Bringing a brand-new chassis (No. 652) for the Autism Speaks 400.

30. Sam Hornish Jr.: Finished track best 13th in this event last year; 24.8 average finish in four starts.

Autism Speaks 400 at Dover: NASCAR Betting Preview
By Greg Engle

From a Saturday night meeting with the Lady In Black, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series heads to Delaware to face a Monster - the one-mile concrete oval known as the Monster Mile – at Dover International Speedway for Sunday’s Autism Speaks 400.

Favorites

Mark Martin (+1500)

To say Martin is due for a win is the biggest understatement of the season. After a fantastic 2009 season, Martin has been quiet. But he has four wins here, along with 22 Top 5s, 30 Top 10s and four poles. While all Martin’s wins came several years ago when he was with Roush Racing, he did finish second here in the fall. He’s ready to make some noise and this could be his weekend to do so.

Jimmie Johnson (+500)

Dover is yet another track Johnson has seemingly owned. He swept both races here last year. Those wins were on top of the three he already had. In addition to his wins, he seven Top 5s, 11 Top 10s and two poles. While he may be among the favorites, in the last few races it seems Johnson and his team has lost a bit of their magic. If they can find the horseshoe, Johnson will be tough to beat.

Jeff Gordon (+600)

A rejuvenated Gordon is still in search of that all elusive first win of the season. He’s been oh-so close every week. He has a Dover record of four wins 14 Top 5s, 21 Top 10 and four poles. There’s no reason Gordon won’t be a contender this weekend, or the one who takes it all.

Others to watch

Greg Biffle (+1800)

Biffle may have only finished 22nd last week, but he’s been strong most of the season and Roush Racing has a decent history at Dover. Biffle has two wins, six Top 5s, nine Top 10s and one pole. His last win came here in the fall of 2008 and he could be looking to add a spring 2010 win Sunday.

Jeff Burton (+1200)

Burton was very competitive last week and has been this season. Burton won here in 2006 and has six Top 5s and 13 Top 10s. His 2006 win was a surprise to many and he could be poised to surprise again this weekend.

Carl Edwards (+1800)

Another Roush Racing driver who has enjoyed success here, winning in 2007, Edwards has five Top 5s, seven Top 10s in addition to that win. He has been showing a quiet confidence in the last few races and the man nicknamed the “Concrete Cowboy” could have confidence enough to visit victory lane this week.

Head to head

Kurt Busch vs. Kyle Busch

The brothers Busch both have both had decent seasons to this point. Both have a win and have been competitive. Kurt has four Top 5s and six Top 10s at Dover while Kyle has one win, five Top 5s and five Top 10s. Kyle may be the latest winner among the two having gone to Victory Lane two weeks ago, but Kurt seems to be running stronger so far this year. Edge to Kurt this week.

Matt Kenseth vs. Martin Truex

Kenseth has one win and nine Top 5s along with 14 Top 10s and one pole. Truex also has one win and one Top 5 and three Top 10s here. As part of the Roush crew, Kenseth can be a threat but considering the fact that Truex has had a better season with Michael Waltrip Racing than he had with Earnhardt-Ganassi when he won here, look for Truex to pull in ahead of Kenseth Sunday.

Kevin Harvick vs. Denny Hamlin

Denny Hamlin has been on fire in the last few weeks. Prior to Hamlin’s igniting though, Harvick was the man to beat. At Dover Hamlin has one Top 10 and two Top 5s. Harvick has two Top 5s and six Top 10s. Hamlin has an almost mystical momentum heading into the weekend and should come out on top. But if Harvick can find his old spark he may be tough to beat.

Dover Post-Practice Review: Roush Drivers Should Give Kyle a Run For His Money
by Micah Roberts

The entire NASCAR world has been wondering what has happed to the Roush-Fenway Fords the last season and a half. There has been no definitive explanation for the demise of one a NASCAR’s most competitive teams over the last two decades, but based on the performances during practices leading up to this Sunday’s Autism Speaks 400 at Dover International Speedway, there are signs that the team’s 14 race losing streak could come to an end.

All four Roush-Fenway cars collectively looked the best they have in any practice session this season. Carl Edwards, Greg Biffle, Matt Kenseth, and David Ragan all have the look of a winner based on their Saturday performance. When mixing in whatever they did to get faster this week along with the teams overall past history at the Monster-Mile of Dover, they look like the perfect candidates to beat out this weeks top rated drivers of Kyle Busch and Jimmie Johnson.

In 2008, Roush-Fenway Racing was on top of the NASCAR world winning nine races with Edwards and two more with Biffle. Edwards almost captured car owner Jack Roush’s third NASCAR Sprint Cup title that year having an unbelievable run in the final 10 race chase by wining three races and finishing in the top-4 in eight of the 10 races -- losing the championship to Jimmie Johnson who, hard to believe, was actually better over those final 10 races.

With such a great run in 2008, it was only natural to believe that Roush-Fenway would be the team to beat in 2009 with Edwards taking the lead as the one to stop Johnson’s quest for an unprecedented four straight championships. Kenseth came right out the gate by winning Jack Roush’s only Daytona 500 ever and followed it up with a win the very next week at California. The writing was on the wall for all to take notice of, the Roushketeers meant business in 2009, but that was a very short lived bulletin.

Now, here we are after 11 races completed in the 2010 campaign and we still have yet to see a Roush-Fenway driver win. They have been competitive, but haven’t been close to sniffing a win in 41 non-restrictor plate races since the Kenseth California win. Former teammate Jamie McMurray won the restrictor-plate race at Talladega last season, but it’s a type of racing set-up that isn’t transferable to the 32 other races on a given season. The core races for Roush drivers have always been the down-force tracks, and that is where they have really lost their swagger.

Kenseth has now gone 45 races without a win, Biffle has gone 56 race since his last win, Edwards 47 races, and Ragan has never won.

Edwards fall off from winning nine races in one season to not winning any the next has never happened in NASCAR history with a driver starting the same amount of races each year, and he continues to rack up more winless races to the record.

The team's strength this week seems to correlate with some tinkering and notes taken from the March Bristol race where Biffle finished fourth, Kenseth fifth, and Edwards sixth. Not so coincidentally, each of the chassis’ those three drivers used at Bristol are being used this week at Dover.

Though Dover is twice the length of Bristol, the high banked concrete surface of each has a lot of data transferable from one to the other. Each of Roush-Fenway’s top three drivers have had success on the two tracks. At Dover, the three have combined to win four times within the last five seasons. Roush also won four other times as an owner with Mark Martin driving.

During Saturday’s two practices, Edwards had the best combined average speeds among all Cup drivers. On single lap times, he was 10th and third fastest. Biffle came in with the sixth and 10th best times, while Ragan was second and ninth. Kenseth’s practice times are never a true reflection of what he will actually run like on race day, but he did get progressively better and had very fast average speeds during happy hour.

The driver all the Roush-Fenway drivers will have to take down -- who looks better than everyone this week -- is Kyle Busch. The last time Busch was fastest during happy hour was at Richmond and it translated into a win. This is the first time Busch has looked this good in all three practice sessions and qualifying leading to a race this season. Over his career, he’s done very well at Dover which includes a win and four other top-five finishes in 10 starts.

The Joe Gibbs dominance doesn’t stop with Busch either. Denny Hamlin had the second fastest times during happy hour giving a solid indicator that he could be on his way to win number four on the short season. This week, Hamlin has brought a chassis that finished second last year at both Texas and New Hampshire. The only thing that drops his rating this week is his past Dover history in which he’s finished 36th or worse in four of his last five starts.

Jimmie Johnson started the weekend out almost in the same fashion like he did at Bristol where he dominated just about every statistical phase. He was fastest in the first two practice sessions, but dropped to 16th during happy hour. Despite the slide in single lap times, Johnson still produced some of the best average lap times which is a great indicator of how good he’ll be during long runs.

The Bristol correlation to Dover is relative, but it took Johnson until this season to capture his first Bristol win after winning five times at Dover, including a sweep of last season.

On the same note is Kurt Busch, except backwards. Busch has five career Bristol wins, but none at Dover. Last season Busch made huge strides in his search for a Dover win by finishing fifth in both races -- a total that doubled his career top-fives there. His third-place finish at Bristol in March lends reason to believe he’ll be a contender this week. His practice times were just outside the top-10 Saturday, but mirror almost exactly what he did during Bristol practices.

Another driver that fits the Dover-Bristol connection is Tony Stewart. Stewart finished second in this race last season and did the same at Bristol this year. As always, Stewart’s practice times were nothing to be desired and if basing a selection entirely on practice, he wouldn’t crack a top-20 rating. However, if looking at Bristol, Stewart was worse at practice there than he was Saturday at Dover, yet still finished second.

Though he’s a two-time Dover winner, Stewart is mired in a six race streak of finishing outside the top-15. Don’t expect that trend to continue this week as he’ll likely be contending for the win with 50 laps to go.

Clint Bowyer has won at Dover in the Nationwide series, but has never finished better than eighth in the Cup series. Despite no top-five finishes, Bowyer still has a quality 14.4 average finish at Dover, good enough for eighth best among active drivers. Between the three practice sessions ran, Bowyer never finished slower than fifth which makes him one to take notice of.

Kasey Kahne hasn’t been good anywhere but the high-banked 1.5-mile tracks this year, but did make a case for his team this week with good practice sessions. In the first two sessions, Kahne didn’t finish outside the top-five. During happy hour, Kahne only had the 17th quickest lap, but was fastest overall in average speeds.

Jeff Gordon didn’t do anything in practice to make anyone believe this will be the race that he ends his losing streak at 40 on his sponsors home-town track. He is a four-time winner at Dover, but the last came in this race back in 2001.

Martin Truex Jr is sitting on the pole this week and had good practices which gives an indication that he could be ready to win again at what is essentially his home track. He won this race in 2007 and is currently sitting a very surprising, and respectable, 13th in points.

Practice Notes - Dover
By Micah Roberts

Top 8 Rated Drivers Following All Practice and Qualifying Sessions

Rating Driver Odds Practice 1 Qualifying Practice 2 Practice 3
1 Kyle Busch 9/2 5th 4th 3rd 1st
Analysis: Won this race in 2008; Five top-five finishes in 10 starts. Had his best practice of season.

2 Jimmie Johnson 4/1 1st 5th 1st 16th
Analysis: Five-time Dover winner; swept 20009 season. Equally dominant at Bristol practice, his last win.

3 Greg Biffle 20/1 9th 24th 6th 10th
Analysis: Two-time Dover; no finishes worse than 13th in last 11 starts. Using fourth-place Bristol chassis.

4 Clint Bowyer 15/1 2nd 7th 4th 5th
Analysis: Outstanding practice sessions; average Dover finish of 14.4 in eight starts is eighth best.

5 Carl Edwards 15/1 7th 9th 10th 3rd
Analysis: Won fall 2007 race; Dover best average finish of 7.9. Using sixth-place Bristol chassis.

6 Denny Hamlin 10/1 8th 14th 7th 2nd
Analysis: Not his best traditional track, but practiced well and running too well of late to dismiss.

7 Tony Stewart 18/1 14th 16th 22nd 24th
Analysis: Two time Dover winner; finished second last year. Using second-place Bristol chassis.

8 Kurt Busch 15/1 19th 12th 16th 14th
Analysis: Finished fifth in both races in 2009, doubling career top-fives. Using brand new chassis this week.