Autism Speaks Picks
This weekend all three NASCAR series will race on the one-mile high banked concrete oval at Dover International Speedway, with the Autism Speaks 400 highlighting the long weekend of racing.
Dover International Speedway, also known as the Monster Mile, is like no other track on the circuit in that drivers either love or hate it, with the latter being the case on most occasions.
What makes Dover so unique is it’s concrete racing surface, which is the only time drivers in the Sprint series will race on it all year. Throw in the 24-degree banking in the turns and you have one of the faster tracks on the circuit. The only track similar to it is Bristol, so when handicapping this race you want to look for drivers who not only have done well in Dover, but at Bristol as well.
Mark Martin 12/1
One of the biggest surprises this year has been Mark Martin, who has resurrected his racing career since joining Hendrick Motorsports, which gives him a car that can win at any track each and every week. Dover has always been one of Martin’s better tracks, with four wins in 45 starts and an amazing average finish of 12.8. In his last 10 races at Dover, he has only finished outside of the top 10 twice and leads all drivers with an average finish of 7.1. What really stands out to us is that Martin elected to run both races here last year while running on a limited schedule, which tells us he thought he could still win a race here while racing for a mediocre team. When you look at his record at Dover and consider he’ll be in a car that contends each and every week, one would think that Martin at 12/1 is too good to pass up.
Carl Edwards 7/1
One of the many nicknames Carl Edwards has is "Concrete Carl," due to the fact that he has always excelled on concrete tracks in every series he has raced in. In his last five races at Dover, he has an average finish of 2.2, with one win and has never finished worse than third, which just shows us he has this type of track figured out. Though Edwards has been in a slump most of the year, he has started to show signs that he and his team has turned things around. With some very good runs the last few weeks, what better place to bust out of a slump but Dover?
Live Longshot
Ryan Newman 25/1
Week after week, Ryan Newman continues to impress us with one solid finish after another, along with teammate and car owner Tony Stewart. Though it has been a few years since Newman won at Dover, he does have three wins here in just 14 starts and won those races in just his first six starts at Dover. Sooner than later we think Newman will win this year and Dover could be just the place at a nice price.
2009 NASCAR Autism 400 Race Information
Race Date: Sunday May 31, 2009
Location: Dover International Speedway – Dover, Delaware
Pre-Race: 1:30PM ET
Green Flag: Approx. 1:45PM ET
TV Coverage: FOX & FOX HD
Radio Coverage: MRN (Motor Racing Network)
Track Type: 1 Mile Oval
Capacity: 140,000
Posted: 5/27/09 4:30PM ET
