NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Next Race: FedEx 400 benefiting Autism Speaks
The Place: Dover International Speedway
The Date: Sunday, May 31
The Time: 1 p.m. (ET)
TV: FOX Sports 1, 11:30 a.m. (ET)
Radio: MRN, SiriusXM Ch. 90
Distance: 400 miles (400 laps)
NASCAR XFINITY Series
Next Race: Buckle Up 200 presented by Click It or Ticket
The Place: Dover International Speedway
The Date: Saturday, May 30
The Time: 2:30 p.m. (ET)
TV: FOX, 2 p.m. (ET)
Radio: MRN, SiriusXM Ch. 90
Distance: 200 miles (200 laps)
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
Next Race: Lucas Oil 200
The Place: Dover International Speedway
The Date: Friday, May 29
The Time: 5:30 p.m. (ET)
TV: FOX Sports 1, 5 p.m. (ET)
Radio: MRN, SiriusXM Ch. 90
Distance: 200 miles (200 laps)
NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
Johnson Attempts to Join Quartet of NASCAR Hall of Famers with 10 or More Wins at Single Track
Jimmie Johnson will attempt to become just the fifth NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver with 10 or more wins at a single track in Sunday’s FedEx 400 benefiting Autism Speaks at Dover International Speedway (1 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1). With a visit to Victory Lane, he will join a club that includes NASCAR Hall of Famers Richard Petty (Martinsville-15, North Wilkesboro-15, Richmond-13, Rockingham-11, Daytona-10), Darrell Waltrip (Bristol-12, Martinsville-11, North Wilkesboro-10), Dale Earnhardt (Talladega-10) and David Pearson (Darlington-10).
Johnson’s nine wins are a Dover track record. He is the defending spring race winner. Johnson entered last weekend’s race at Charlotte as the track wins record-holder and defending race victor, but finished 40th after two spins.
Mad Martin: Truex Tries to Make Home Track his “Fury Road”
Martin Truex Jr. must be pretty mad right now.
He has probably raced as well as a driver can without capturing a win this season. He led the most laps in each of the last two races (Kansas, 95; Charlotte, 131), but finished fifth and ninth, respectively. Through 12 races, he ranks second in the standings behind three top-five and 11 top-10 finishes, but is still not one of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series’ nine winners.
Truex will try to change this by making Dover International Speedway – his home track – his own “Fury Road.” The No. 78 Furniture Row Racing driver won his first NSCS race at Dover (6/4/07) and his eight top 10s there are his second-most at any track.
Roush Turnaround?: No. 16 Produces Top Finish of Season
As spring turns to summer, kids and adults alike flock to their backyards to play Wiffle Ball with plastic bats and balls.
At the same time, it looks like Greg Biffle is playing his own game … let’s call it “Biffle ball” – except there’s nothing soft about it.
The No. 16 Roush Fenway Racing driver placed second in Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 – his highest finish since his runner-up showing at Talladega last year. Biffle’s finish was also tops for Roush Fenway Racing since Carl Edwards won at Sonoma last year.
In the last three weeks, Biffle has shown a marked improvement, posting a 12th-place showing at Kansas, a win in the first segment of the Sprint Showdown and the aforementioned runner-up showing in the Coca-Cola 600.
Biffle will try to continue his success and RFR’s turnaround in Sunday’s FedEx 400 benefitting Autism Speaks at Dover International Speedway. In 25 starts on the one-mile oval, Biffle claims two wins, six top fives (24.0%) and 11 top 10s (44.0%). He also has the fourth-most fastest laps run (435) and fifth-best driver rating (97.4) at Dover.
Backflip’s Back, Alright: Edwards Captures First Win in Almost a Year
Carl Edwards was able to celebrate a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race with his trademark backflip for the first time in nearly a year after clever pit strategy by crew chief Darian Grubb allowed him to take the lead late in Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 and hold off former teammate Greg Biffle for the win.
Edwards became the NSCS’ ninth different winner this season and visited Victory Lane for the first time since placing first at Sonoma last year (6/22/14).
The No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing driver will try to win his second consecutive race in Sunday’s FedEx 400 benefitting Autism Speaks. His one Dover victory came on Sept. 23, 2007. Only Kevin Harvick has won two consecutive races this season (Las Vegas and Phoenix).
Gordon Goes for First Win of Season at Dover
Fifteen races have passed since Jeff Gordon’s last win.
The site of that victory – Dover International Speedway.
Gordon returns to the “Monster Mile” ready to put a one in the win column and improve his 12th-place standing on the Chase Grid. The No. 24 Chevrolet driver claims five wins at Dover, second-most to Jimmie Johnson among active drivers. Other than Gordon and Johnson, the drivers with at least five wins at Dover are all in the NASCAR Hall of Fame: Richard Petty (7), Bobby Allison (7) and David Pearson (5).
In 44 starts at Dover (first all-time), Gordon owns 18 top-five (40.9%) and 25 top-10 finishes (56.8%).
Smoke May Rise: Dover Strong Track for Stewart and Site of His Last Win
Tony Stewart has had a rough season with just one top-10 finish in 12 starts – a sixth-place showing at Bristol.
Luckily for the three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion, he can virtually lock up a spot in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup with a victory. This Sunday he heads to one of his better tracks – Dover International Speedway – where has earned three wins, including his last victory (6/2/13).
Joe Gibbs Racing Keeps On Winning
Winning has been a habit for Joe Gibbs throughout his life. Not only does he boast three NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championships, he also owns three Super Bowl rings.
After winning just two races last season, JGR has three this year, plus Denny Hamlin’s triumph in the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race. In the past two months, the Huntersville, North Carolina-based organization has put Hamlin (Martinsville, All-Star Race), Matt Kenseth (Bristol) and Carl Edwards (Charlotte) in Victory Lane.
JGR’s only driver yet to win is arguably its ace, Kyle Busch, who placed 11th in his first points-paying race of the season at Charlotte. Busch missed the first 11 races of the season after suffering an injury in a crash during the NASCAR XFINITY Series opener at Daytona International Speedway.
To earn a spot in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, Busch must win a race in the regular season, while finishing it in the top 30 in points. In 20 starts at Dover, he has two wins, nine top fives (45.0%) and 13 top 10s (65.0%).
History Lesson: At Dover, Donlavey Gets First Win
Despite a career that spanned parts of six decades, the late Junie Donlavey could easily identify his high-water mark in NASCAR competition: the 1981 Mason-Dixon 500 at Dover International Speedway.
Donlavey, one of the most well-liked figures in NASCAR history, had been chasing his first NASCAR premier series win for over 30 years. The affable Virginian had 348 starts under his belt but no trophies to show for it. That is, until reigning rookie of the year Jody Ridley did what NASCAR Hall of Famers Joe Weatherly, Fred Lorenzen and Bobby Isaac were unable to do.
The race was dominated by Neil Bonnett, who led 404 laps in the No. 21 Wood Brothers Ford before blowing an engine with 40 laps remaining. Cale Yarborough, who picked up the lead, could only run for 20 more laps before succumbing to a similar fate.
That left Ridley in the lead in Donlavey’s classic No. 90. He led the final 20 laps of the race and took Donlavey to Victory Lane for the only time at NASCAR’s highest level.
“This has got to be a bigger thrill for Junie than it is for me,” Ridley said after the race. “He’s been at it for almost 30 years.”
Indeed, he was right.
“It’s even better, sweeter, than I ever imagined, and I am ever so grateful,” Donlavey told Tom Higgins the following week.
Donlavey continued fielding cars until 2002, amassing 863 premier series starts. He passed away on June 9, 2014.
NASCAR XFINITY SERIES
Dillon, Smith, Wallace And Suarez Will All “Dash 4 Cash” At Dover
NASCAR XFINITY Series drivers Ty Dillon, Regan Smith, Darrell Wallace Jr. and Daniel Suarez earned their chance to compete for $100,000 this weekend at Dover International Speedway in the seventh running of the “Dash 4 Cash” program.
For the first time, Charlotte Motor Speedway hosted the “Dash 4 Cash” qualifier last weekend, which determined the four eligible drivers that will compete this weekend at Dover for one of four $100,000 payouts throughout the season. The best finishing driver among Dillon, Smith, Wallace and Suarez at Dover will take home the cash and also become eligible to win a total of $1 million dollars at the end of the season. An additional $600,000 will be awarded if one driver wins the first three “Dash 4 Cash” awards and then wins the final race outright at Darlington Raceway, bringing their total winnings to $1,000,000.
The three tracks joining Dover (May 30) in the Dash 4 Cash program are Indianapolis Motor Speedway (July 25), Bristol Motor Speedway (August 21) and Darlington Raceway (September 5).
At Dover, the winner of the first round and top three finishers who are eligible to receive NASCAR XFINITY Series driver points will qualify for the second round of the “Dash 4 Cash” at Indianapolis.
Of the four “Dash 4 Cash” eligible this weekend at Dover, Darrell Wallace Jr. (12.0) has the best average finish; followed by Ty Dillon (12.3) and Regan Smith (18.1). This will be Daniel Suarez’s series debut at Dover.
Monster Of A Points Battle Heads To The Monster Mile
Ty Dillon chopped Chris Buescher’s NASCAR XFINITY Series points lead in half (from eight to four points) this past weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway, and now has his sights set on retaking the points lead this weekend at Dover.
Richard Childress Racing’s Ty Dillon is just four points back from Roush Fenway Racing’s Chris Buescher after posting his eighth top-10 finish of the season. Dillon’s championship focus is apparent this season; he has posted three top fives and an average finish of 8.1 through the first 11 races.
Both drivers have fared well at Dover. Dillon has made four starts posting three top 10s and an average finish of 12.3. Standings leader Chris Buescher has made two starts at Dover with an average finish of 7.5.
Good Chance Dover Delivers A First-Time Winner
It has been more than a decade since the three former Dover winners who are entered this weekend have won at Dover International Speedway, making the chances of a first time NASCAR XFINITY Series winner in the Buckle Up 200 presented by Click It Or Ticket (May 30 on FOX at 2:30 p.m. ET) pretty good.
Matt Kenseth (last won at Dover on 9/23/2000), Jeff Green (9/22/2001) and Morgan Shepherd (9/13/1986) make up the three previous NXS winners at Dover this weekend.
Of the three, Kenseth has had the most success at Dover. In 20 starts he has posted two wins, 11 top fives and an average finish of 13.6.
Sunoco Rookie Update: Suarez Not Letting Up On Points Leader Wallace
This past weekend Charlotte Motor Speedway was the site of some big happenings for the top two Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidates, Darrell Wallace Jr. and Daniel Suarez. Not only did Wallace post his NASCAR XFINITY Series career-best finish (fifth), but both drivers qualified for the ‘Dash 4 Cash’ program this weekend at Dover.
Wallace is just eight points ahead of the Suarez in the Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings after 11 races.
The two rookies have nearly mirrored themselves in performance this season. Both have posted one top five and four top 10s.
“That’s the goal – the goal is to finish races and finish races in the top-10,” Suarez said. “This is what we’re trying to do. I believe that we’ve been running stronger in the top-10 and this is what I like and this is my goal for now.”
Wallace does hold the slight advantage in average finish this season with a 10.7 compared to Suarez’s 15.3.
Also in Wallace’s favor this weekend is his previous experience at the one-mile speedway. He started from the pole and finished 12th at Dover in 2012 while driving for Joe Gibbs Racing. Suarez will be making his series track debut at Dover this weekend.
Erik Jones Turns 19 On Race Day At Dover
Erik Jones, the young Joe Gibbs Racing upstart, will celebrate his 19th birthday on Saturday – NASCAR XFINITY Series race day. Jones can become the first driver in series history to win on his birthday. In NASCAR’s national series competition four drivers have won on their birthday: Kyle Busch (Richmond, 5/2/2009), Matt Kenseth (Las Vegas, 3/10/2013), and NASCAR Hall of Famer Cale Yarborough (twice: North Wilkesboro, 3/27/1977 and Atlanta, 3/27/1983) did it in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and Ron Hornaday Jr. (twice: Bristol, 6/20/1998 and Milwaukee, 6/20/2009) did it in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.
Jones will be in the No. 54 JGR Toyota this weekend making his series track debut at Dover International Speedway.
Jones’ 2015 season has been full of success; in his 11 starts he has posted three poles, one win, six top fives and an average finish of 11.4.
Austin Dillon Goes For Two-In-A-Row
Austin Dillon, winner of last weekend’s race at Charlotte, now has the chance to become the first driver to win two-in-a-row this season.
Dillon dominated last weekend’s race leading 163 of the scheduled 200 laps en route to his third career perfect driver rating (150.0) performance in the NASCAR XFINITY Series. Dillon’s previous perfect ratings came at Kentucky in 2012 and Las Vegas earlier this season.
Dillon’s win last weekend also moved the No. 33 Chevrolet team to second in the NXS car owner standings 63 points back from the Team Penske No. 22 Ford.
Dillon has made four series starts at Dover posting four top 10s and a pole.
Team Penske Taps Blaney For Owner Points Leading No. 22
For the second week in a row Ryan Blaney will be back in the Team Penske No. 22 Ford for car owner Roger Penske.
Blaney is part of a trio of drivers (Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano) commanding the No. 22 Ford this season in the NASCAR XFINITY Series. Through the first 11 races the No. 22 team has posted three wins, seven top twos, nine top fives, 11 top 10s and an average finish of 3.5.
Blaney had made just one series start at the one-mile speedway, posting a 13th-place finish.
NASCAR XFINITY Series Etc.
Autism Speaks Special Decals: The following 12 NASCAR XFINITY Series drivers will have special Autism Speaks decals on their cars this weekend at Dover International Speedway: Darrell Wallace Jr., Blake Koch, Cale Conley, Jeff Green, Eric McClure, John Wes Townley, Brennan Poole, Dakoda Armstrong, David Starr, Jeremy Clements, Chris Buescher and Peyton Sellers. …
Milestones: Jeff Green will attempt to make his 400th career NASCAR XFINITY Series start this weekend at Dover. Green is sixth on the all-time NXS starts list; five starts behind his brother David Green in fifth (404). … Elliott Sadler will attempt to make his 275th career NASCAR XFINITY Series start this weekend at Dover. Sadler is 26th on the all-time NXS starts list; five starts behind Michael Waltrip in 25th (279). … Matt Kenseth can post his 200th career NASCAR XFINITY Series top-10 finish this weekend at Dover. Kenseth is third on the all-time NXS top-10 finishes list behind Kevin Harvick (240) and Kyle Busch (210).
NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES
NASCAR Next Drives Into Dover
Four current NASCAR Next drivers – Cole Custer, Austin Hill, John Hunter Nemechek and Jesse Little – will test their skills in Friday’s Lucas Oil 200 at Dover International Speedway (5:30 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1). Little will make his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series debut, while Custer, Hill and Nemechek will be competing in their 11th, fourth and 13th starts respectively.
Custer, Hill and Nemechek have made only one start each this season. Hill placed 30th at Daytona. Custer and Nemechek finished 16th and 29th, respectively, at Martinsville.
Last season, Custer became the youngest NASCAR national series winner (New Hampshire), as well as the youngest NASCAR national series pole winner (Gateway). Nemechek produced high expectations for this season after winning the prestigious Snowball Derby last winter. Hill has racked up four career NASCAR K&N Pro Series East wins along with 16 tops 10s in 27 starts.
Little has posted strong results in the NKNPSE. He has one NKNPSE win, three poles 11 top fives and 19 top 10s in 39 starts. Little earned the series’ Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award in 2013.
In addition to Custer, Nemechek and Little, NASCAR Next alumni Erik Jones, Ben Kennedy, Cameron Hayley and Ryan Blaney are also on the entry list.
Jones Aims For First Trucks Win Of 2015
For most drivers, going five races without a win is not considered a drought.
It is for Erik Jones.
The No. 4 Kyle Busch Motorsports driver has never competed in more than four consecutive races without a win until now. He will try to turn around his luck in Friday’s Lucas Oil 200.
What makes the drought sting even more: He probably should have won the last two NCWTS races.
Three weeks ago at Kansas, Jones led a track-record 151 laps before running out of gas and finishing 11th. A week later at Charlotte, he led a race-high 88 laps and looked like he was going to pull off the victory until a late-race caution. Following the caution Kasey Kahne took the lead from Jones and beat him to the checkered by .005 seconds – tied for the second-closest finish in NCWTS history.
Jones ranks second in the NCWTS standings, trailing two-time defending series champion Matt Crafton by 16 points. He has three top fives and four top 10s with a high finish of second (Daytona and Charlotte).
Early Leader: ThorSport Ranks First In Owner Standings After Five Races
ThorSport Racing, the longest-tenured team in NASCAR Camping World Truck Series history, is in the lead for its first-ever owner’s championship. The Sandusky, Ohio-based organization’s No. 88 truck leads Kyle Busch Motorsports’ No. 4 by 16 points and Brad Keselowski Racing’s No. 19 by 18 points.
Two-time defending driver champion Matt Crafton has helped ThorSport build its lead with two wins, four top fives and five top 10s in five races as it tries to knockoff the winner of the last two owner titles, Kyle Busch Motorsports.
ThorSport has competed in the NCWTS since 1996. The team has made 777 series starts and has notched 18 wins in 21 years of Truck Series action.
Blaney Back In The Saddle For BKR
A familiar face will take the reins of the No. 29 Brad Keselowski Racing Ford for his season NASCAR Camping World Truck Series debut in Friday’s Lucas Oil 200 at Dover International Speedway – Ryan Blaney.
Blaney raced full-time for BKR the last two seasons, finishing runner-up in last year’s final standings and winning the 2013 Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award. He has won one truck race the last three seasons.
Blaney’s teammate this weekend, Tyler Reddick, has picked up right where Blaney left off in the No. 19 truck. Reddick ranks third in the NCWTS standings on the strength of one win and four top-five finishes. The Corning, California native placed fourth at Charlotte in his last start.
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