DOVER INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY (ONE-MILE OVAL)
LOCATION: DOVER, DELAWARE
EVENT: NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES (RACE 13 OF 36)
TUNE IN: 1 P.M. ET, SUNDAY, MAY 31 (FS1/MRN/SIRIUSXM)
No. 5 Farmers Insurance Chevrolet SS / Kasey Kahne
Driver Kasey Kahne Hometown Enumclaw, Washington
Age 35 Resides Mooresville, North Carolina
2015 Season
10th in standings
12 starts
0 wins
0 pole positions
1 top-five finish
4 top-10 finishes
38 laps led
Career
408 starts
17 wins
26 pole positions
84 top-five finishes
150 top-10 finishes
4,579 laps led
Dover Career
22 starts
0 wins
0 pole positions
1 top-five finish
5 top-10 finishes
90 laps led
SEASON-TO-DATE: After the first 12 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races this season, Kasey Kahne currently ranks fourth in laps in the top 15 (3,204), fourth in fastest speed in traffic (8.833 average rank), fifth in fastest drivers late in a run (7.600 average rank), seventh in fastest drivers on restarts (11.583 average rank), seventh in fastest drivers early in a run (8.500 average rank), seventh in green-flag speed (7.600 average rank), tied for eighth in fastest laps run (145), eighth in driver rating (94.9), eighth in quality passes (913) and eighth in average running position (11.704).
KAHNE AT DOVER: Kahne earned his best finish of fourth at Dover in October 2011 after starting from the ninth position. Kahne has started inside the top 10 eight times at the one-mile oval.
DOVER LOOP DATA: According to NASCAR loop data in the last 20 races at Dover, Kahne ranks sixth in green-flag passes (824) and seventh in fastest laps run (341).
DOVER CHASSIS CHOICE: Crew chief Keith Rodden has selected Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 5-896 for Sunday’s race at Dover. In 2014, Kahne raced the chassis at Chicagoland Speedway in September and at Phoenix in November. Most recently, Kahne raced the chassis at Phoenix in March, where he finished fourth.
INTERMEDIATE STATS: Kahne has collected 10 of his 17 career Cup wins and 15 of his 26 pole positions at ovals one-to-two miles in length. In 197 starts on those tracks, he has posted 45 top-five finishes and 77 top-10s.
FARMERS INSURANCE / FARMERS RACING ART SERIES: Farmers Insurance will adorn the hood of Kahne’s No. 5 Chevrolet SS this weekend at Dover, and will be the primary sponsor on the car for six more Sprint Cup Series races this year: Pocono Raceway (June 7), Indianapolis Motor Speedway (July 26), Michigan International Speedway (Aug. 16), Darlington Raceway (Sept. 6), New Hampshire Motor Speedway (Sept. 27) and Texas Motor Speedway (Nov. 8). This year, Farmers has partnered with Paseo Academy High School in Kansas City, Missouri, to create a series of racing-related autograph cards and posters that will be designed by the school’s art students. Farmers is making a donation to the school’s art program. Through ThankAmericasTeachers.com, Farmers has been committed to recognizing teachers and providing resources for educational initiatives throughout the country. For more information, please visit www.facebook.com/FarmersRacing.
DOVER DOUBLE DUTY: In addition his duties behind the wheel of the No. 5 Chevrolet SS this weekend, Kahne will pilot JR Motorsports’ No. 88 Chevrolet in the 200-mile NASCAR XFINITY Series event on Saturday at Dover. In 14 NXS starts at Dover, Kahne has posted one pole award (September 2004), three top-five finishes, eight top-10s and a total of 80 laps led.
THE DRIVE: Seattle Seahawks Super Bowl quarterback Russell Wilson and Kahne selected the Strong Against Cancer initiative to be the beneficiary of The DRIVE, a private charity concert, auction and celebrity-amateur golf event scheduled for June 29-30 in Cle Elum, Washington, at the Suncadia Resort. Fans are encouraged to join Wilson and Kahne to support Seattle Children’s Hospital and the Strong Against Cancer initiative. To donate, please visit . Together, with help from fans, they will raise awareness and valuable funds for research that supports immunotherapy — a medical treatment that harnesses the power of a child’s immune cells to fight cancer. For more information on The DRIVE, please visit http://kaseykahnefoundation.org/.
No. 24 3M Chevrolet SS / Jeff Gordon
Driver Jeff Gordon Hometown Pittsboro, Indiana
Age 43 Resides Charlotte, North Carolina
2015 Season
9th in standings
12 starts
0 wins
3 pole positions
2 top-five finishes
7 top-10 finishes
161 laps led
Career
773 starts
92 wins
80 pole positions
322 top-five finishes
461 top-10 finishes
24,825 laps led
Dover Career
44 starts
5 wins
4 pole positions
18 top-five finishes
25 top-10 finishes
2,389 laps led
Jeff Gordon, driver of the No. 24 3M Chevrolet SS is scheduled to visit the Dover International Speedway media center at 2 p.m. local time Friday.
MOST RECENT WINNER AT DOVER: On Sept. 28, 2014, Jeff Gordon led 94 laps at Dover International Speedway en route to his 92nd career Sprint Cup victory.
LAST FIVE IN ‘FIRST STATE’: In the last five NASCAR Sprint Cup events on the Delaware track, Gordon has four top-five results including finishes of first, second, third and fourth.
ACTIVE LEADER: Gordon’s 18 top-five finishes and 25 top-10s are tops among active drivers at the one-mile track while he is tied with Ryan Newman for most pole positions among active drivers with four.
UP FRONT AT DOVER: Gordon, driver of the No. 24 3M Chevrolet SS has led 200 or more laps on five occasions at Dover. In September 1995, he led 400 of 500 laps en route to his first victory at the high-banked track, and he paced the field for 381 of 400 laps in June 2001 to capture his fourth victory. In May 1998, Gordon led 375 of 400 laps but finished third after a late-race pit stop for fuel.
GORDON LIVE!: On Thursday, June 4, the four-time NASCAR Cup Series champion is scheduled to appear on “LIVE! with Kelly and Michael.” Check local listings for time and channel.
NEW 3M TAGLINE: 3M’s new corporate tagline — “Science. Applied to Life.” — will appear on the No. 24 Chevrolet SS again in Dover. This weekend marks the fifth race 3M has been the primary sponsor of the No. 24 Chevrolet SS in 2015. It previously appeared on Gordon’s car at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Bristol Motor Speedway and Kansas Speedway and will be the primary sponsor for a total of 11 races this season.
DOVER CHASSIS: Crew chief Alan Gustafson has selected Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 24-907 for Sunday’s race. The chassis has been raced five times previously with Gordon finishing fourth in the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race at Charlotte and 18th at Las Vegas in its only starts of 2015. Last year, the 43-year-old driver finished 29th at Texas in November and posted runner-up finishes at Charlotte Motor Speedway in October and Chicagoland Speedway in September racing the chassis.
No. 48 Lowe’s ProServices Chevrolet SS / Jimmie Johnson
Driver Jimmie Johnson Hometown El Cajon, California
Age 39 Resides Charlotte, North Carolina
2015 Season
5th in standings
12 starts
3 wins
0 pole positions
7 top-five finishes
8 top-10 finishes
364 laps led
Career
483 starts
73 wins
33 pole positions
200 top-five finishes
300 top-10 finishes
17,515 laps led
Dover Career
26 starts
9 wins
3 pole positions
14 top-five finishes
19 top-10 finishes
2,976 laps led
Jimmie Johnson, driver of the No. 48 Lowe’s ProServices Chevrolet SS, will be available to members of the media on Friday at 10:15 a.m. local time in the Dover International Speedway media center.
CONTROLLED THE MONSTER: During his rookie season in 2002, Jimmie Johnson claimed his first Dover win by leading 188 laps en route to his second career Cup victory. Later that season in September, Johnson led 170 laps and won on the Monster Mile yet again. Of his nine career wins at Dover, Johnson has won from the pole position twice.
SWEEPER: Johnson has swept the spring and fall events at Dover twice in his career. After winning both events as a rookie in 2002, he accomplished the feat again in 2009.
END OF STREAK: Johnson’s 40th-place finish Sunday at Charlotte marked the first time he finished out of the top three since Martinsville, Virginia, six races prior.
LAP LEADER: Last May, Johnson took home his ninth career trophy from Dover by leading a dominating 272 laps. In that race he surpassed Bobby Allison’s 2,802 laps led to become the all-time lap leader at Dover. Johnson has now led 2,976 laps around the Monster Mile and has completed 98.2 percent of all laps attempted.
ELLEN SHOW APPEARANCE: Johnson will appear on the The Ellen DeGeneres Show on Tuesday, June 2. See local listings for air times.
NINE AT DOVER: Johnson has a total of nine Sprint Cup wins at Dover International Speedway, which ranks first all-time ahead of NASCAR Hall of Famers Bobby Allison and Richard Petty who recorded seven wins apiece.
DOVER CHASSIS: For this weekend’s event, crew chief Chad Knaus has selected chassis No. 48-937, which is a brand new Chevrolet SS. The backup car is 48-824, which last raced at Pocono Raceway in June 2014.
TICKET PACKAGE AT POCONO: Pocono Raceway is offering a kid-generated question-and-answer session with three-time Pocono winner Johnson. In addition to the Q&A, this year’s Jimmie Johnson Experience will include hands-on activities for kids to showcase the relationship between NASA and auto racing. Every child in attendance will receive a 12-page, four-color booklet centered around NASA’s Rockets 2 Racecars STEM Education. For more information, click here.
No. 88 Nationwide Chevrolet SS / Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. Hometown Kannapolis, North Carolina
Age 40 Resides Mooresville, North Carolina
2015 Season
4th in standings
12 starts
1 win
0 pole positions
7 top-five finishes
8 top-10 finishes
104 laps led
Career
553 starts
24 wins
13 pole positions
134 top-five finishes
232 top-10 finishes
7,951 laps led
Dover Career
30 starts
1 win
1 pole position
6 top-five finishes
11 top-10 finishes
448 laps led
MONSTER MILE WIN: After starting from the third position, Dale Earnhardt Jr. led 193 laps en route to his first and only Dover win in the Sprint Cup Series on Sept. 23, 2001. The victory was the second of his sophomore season. In the first Cup race after Sept. 11, Earnhardt displayed the American flag during his victory lap to pay tribute to the victims.
LAPS IN THE TOP 15: Earnhardt ranks 14th among all drivers for laps run in the top 15 at Dover in the past 20 Sprint Cup races, according to NASCAR’s loop data statistics. During that span at the one-mile oval, the Kannapolis, North Carolina, native has spent 48.2 percent of his laps (3,860 of 8,004 total) running in the top 15.
DOVER CHASSIS: Crew chief Greg Ives and the No. 88 team will unload Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 88-905 this weekend at Dover. Earnhardt most recently raced the chassis at Phoenix International Raceway in March.
NATIONWIDE88: Fans can follow @Nationwide88 on Twitter or visit Facebook.com/Nationwide88 for behind-the-scenes coverage of the No. 88 Nationwide team. Use the hashtag #NW88JR to join the conversation.
Hendrick Motorsports
HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS AT DOVER: Hendrick Motorsports has 17 wins, 54 top-five finishes and 88 top-10s at Dover International Speedway. The organization has won the last three consecutive races at Dover, with Johnson winning in September 2013 and June 2014 and Gordon taking the victory in September 2014. Last year’s trip to Victory Lane meant Gordon has contributed five wins to Hendrick Motorsports’ total at Dover and ranks first among active drivers in top-five finishes (18) and top-10s (25) at the track.
FINDING VICTORY LANE: Hendrick Motorsports’ 17 wins at Dover are tied with Pocono Raceway for the organization’s third-most at a track. The Dover victories have come via five different drivers — Johnson (9), Gordon (5), Geoff Bodine, Ricky Rudd and Ken Schrader.
ORGANIZATION STATS: To date, Hendrick Motorsports has totals of 235 victories, 203 pole positions, 959 top-five finishes and 1,589 top-10 finishes in Sprint Cup competition. Its teams have led 64,508 laps since 1984.
QUOTABLE /
“We have some similar interests. Obviously racing, we’re really interested in that. We love racing, and we love other forms of sports so we’ve always kind of had a common ground. We have something else we can talk about and then we have our job. To me, it’s been real comfortable, and it hasn’t been a lot different since I’ve transitioned into the crew chief role for Kasey.”
No. 5 team crew chief Keith Rodden on his relationship with Kasey Kahne
“We won the race in September here last year, but this is a different rules package with reduced horsepower. We’re going to be carrying more speed through the center of the corners this year, and the car will need to ‘rotate’ so you can get back in the gas quickly.”
Jeff Gordon on racing at Dover
“I’d have to say Dover is probably one of the most technical tracks we go to. Setup is key. Communication between driver and crew chief is key. At Dover, you have such loading characteristics, as you’re on the straightaway and kind of lunge off the corner, that you can draw some similarities between Dover and Charlotte. Dover isn’t easy, but it just suits my driving style and I love it.”
Jimmie Johnson on racing at Dover
