DOVER INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY (ONE-MILE OVAL)
LOCATION: DOVER, DELAWARE
EVENT: NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES (RACE 12 OF 36)
TUNE IN: 1 P.M. ET, SUNDAY, MAY 15 (FS1/MRN/SIRIUSXM)
No. 5 Farmers Insurance Chevrolet SS / Kasey Kahne
Driver Kasey Kahne Hometown Enumclaw, Washington
Age 36 Resides Mooresville, North Carolina
2016 Season
18th in standings
11 starts
0 wins
0 pole positions
1 top-five finish
3 top-10 finishes
0 laps led
Career
443 starts
17 wins
27 pole positions
87 top-five finishes
159 top-10 finishes
4,607 laps led
Track Career
24 starts
0 wins
0 pole positions
2 top-five finishes
7 top-10 finishes
90 laps led
KAHNE AT DOVER: In Kasey Kahne’s last two starts at Dover, he has taken the checkered flag in the fourth and sixth positions. In Kahne’s 24 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at the “Monster Mile,” he has started on the outside pole position three times, bringing his career total to eight top-10 starting positions at Dover.
DOVER LOOP DATA: According to NASCAR’s loop data, the Enumclaw, Washington, native ranks third in green-flag passes with 934. Kahne sits seventh in the fastest laps run category at Dover with 361. In quality passes, Kahne is 10th at the “Monster Mile” with 447. Quality passes are determined by the number of times a driver passes another car that is running in the top 15 while under green-flag conditions.
TESTING AT WATKINS GLEN: Kahne and the No. 5 team are representing Hendrick Motorsports at the Watkins Glen International Goodyear tire test on Tuesday and Wednesday. The test also marks the first time the Sprint Cup Series has been on the seven-turn road course after the recent repave. Kahne will be available to members of the media in the Watkins Glen media center on Wednesday from 12:40 to 12:50 p.m. ET.
VOTE FOR KAHNE’S DAYTONA PAINT SCHEME: Hendrick Motorsports partner Great Clips has teamed up with the Seattle Children’s Hospital and Strong Against Cancer to have patients design Kahne’s No. 5 Great Clips Chevrolet SS for the July race at Daytona International Speedway. Kahne narrowed down the entries to his favorite four designs and now the public has until 11:59 p.m. ET on Thursday, May 12, to vote for its favorite design on wilsonkahnedrive.org/greatclipsstrong. Kahne will announce the winner via social media on Friday, May 13.
THANK AMERICA’S TEACHERS: Farmers Insurance’s Thank America’s Teachers program will once again give away $1 million in educational grants to teachers across the country. The public can get involved by sending thank-you notes to inspirational teachers and voting for teachers’ proposals at ThankAmericasTeachers.com. Throughout the year, Farmers will give $2,500 educational grants to 180 teachers to fund projects in the classroom in addition to six $100,000 educational grants. The Thank America’s Teachers logo will run on the lower quarter panel of Kahne’s No. 5 Farmers Insurance Chevrolet SS this weekend at Dover.
DRIVE HOME A WINNER SWEEPSTAKES: Kahne will pilot the No. 5 Hendrick Automotive Group and Quicken Loans Drive Home a Winner Sweepstakes Chevrolet SS for the All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Saturday, May 21. Not only does Kahne have a chance to win the grand prize of $1 million if he crosses the finish line first in the exhibition race, but Hendrick Automotive Group and Quicken Loans have teamed up to give one lucky person his or her own grand prize. With Hendrick Motorsports and the No. 5 team, they launched the Drive Home a Winner sweepstakes on May 3. One lucky winner will receive a free one-year lease on a Chevy Silverado from Hendrick Automotive Group and one year of free home mortgage payments courtesy of Quicken Loans. Fans can enter to win until June 30 by visiting DriveHomeAWinner.com.
No. 24 NAPA AUTO PARTS Chevrolet SS / Chase Elliott
Driver Chase Elliott Hometown Dawsonville, Georgia
Age 20 Resides Mooresville, North Carolina
2016 Season
11th in standings
11 starts
0 wins
2 pole positions
3 top-five finishes
7 top-10 finishes
32 laps led
Career
16 starts
0 wins
2 pole positions
3 top-five finishes
7 top-10 finishes
32 laps led
Track Career
0 starts
0 wins
0 pole positions
0 top-five finishes
0 top-10 finishes
0 laps led
NAPA ON THE NO. 24 CHEVROLET SS: NAPA AUTO PARTS will be the primary partner on board Rookie of the Year contender Chase Elliott’s No. 24 Chevrolet SS this weekend at Dover International Speedway. NAPA will be the primary partner on the car for 15 additional Sprint Cup Series races this year.
TOP-RANKED ROOKIE: Elliott leads the 2016 Rookie of the Year contender standings heading into Dover by 22 points over second-place Ryan Blaney and 46 points over third-place Brian Scott. Elliott has accumulated a total of 145 rookie points this year through the first 11 races. Among active drivers, his seven top-10 finishes are tied with teammate Jimmie Johnson for the most top-10 finishes through the first 11 races of a rookie season.
LOOKING FOR A WIN: Elliott has earned three top-five finishes in the past five races, accumulating seven top-10 finishes through the first 11 races. Only four drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series have more top-10 finishes this year (Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch, Kurt Busch and Carl Edwards) with three of those drivers being former Sprint Cup champions. The Dawsonville, Georgia, native secured his first top-10 finish of 2016 at his home track, Atlanta Motor Speedway. He earned his career-best finish, fourth, at Bristol Motor Speedway in April.
SEASON STANDINGS: Elliott currently sits 11th in the standings but has the same number of points as 10th-place competitor Martin Truex Jr., who holds the advantage due to his three bonus points. Elliott trails points-leader Edwards by 87 markers. The 20-year-old driver is younger than any driver currently inside of the top 16 – the amount of drivers NASCAR takes into its playoffs – while also being the highest ranked rookie.
#VOTECHASE: Elliott is one of 25 drivers still vying for the chance to race in NASCAR’s Sprint All-Star Race May 21. The All-Star Race boasts the very best drivers most deserving to race for a chance to win $1 million. Among those 25 drivers that are not yet locked in, Elliott owns more pole positions than any driver eligible for the fan vote and is one of only two drivers that has claimed more than one top-five finish (three) and one of seven drivers to have earned a top-five finish at all. The young driver has earned more top-10s than any driver competing for the fan vote and ranks higher than his fellow contenders in closers (2.1 average spots gained), driver rating (85.9), fastest drivers early in a run (10.333 average), fastest laps run (88 laps), fastest on restarts (14.636 average), green flag speed (8.889 average) and miles leader (82.82 miles). Fans and media members can vote through May 20 at http://www.nascar.com/SprintFanVote.
No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet SS / Jimmie Johnson
Driver Jimmie Johnson Hometown El Cajon, California
Age 40 Resides Charlotte, North Carolina
2016 Season
4th in standings
11 starts
2 wins
0 pole positions
5 top-five finishes
6 top-10 finishes
215 laps led
Career
518 starts
77 wins
34 pole positions
212 top-five finishes
320 top-10 finishes
17,924 laps led
Track Career
28 starts
10 wins
3 pole positions
15 top-five finishes
20 top-10 finishes
2,999 laps led
Jimmie Johnson will be available to members of the media on Friday, May 13, at 1:15 p.m. local time in the media center at Dover International Speedway.
DEFENDING WINNER: One year ago at this race, Johnson started 14th and made his way into the top five early on. The race had an exciting green-white-checkered finish and Johnson led 23 laps en route to his 10th win at the one-mile speedway.
MEMORIES: Johnson won at Dover his first time at the track on June 2, 2002, in just his 16th start as a Sprint Cup driver. He followed that up the same year by winning the fall event to sweep the season. Click here to see photos from Johnson’s first win at the “Monster Mile.”
ALMOST 3K LAPS LED: Johnson has led 2,999 laps around Dover International Speedway in his career — the most all-time of any driver at the track.
JOHNSON AND THE MONSTER: After his win in May 2015 at the one-mile concrete oval, Johnson has a total of 10 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.
SERIES BEST: According to NASCAR’s loop data, Johnson has the series-best driver rating at Dover with a score of 120.0. He has spent 85.2 percent of all laps run in the top 15 and has an average finish of 7.5.
ASSAULTS ON MT. MITCHELL: After Johnson races 400 miles around the “Monster Mile,” he will participate in the Assaults on Mt. Mitchell cycling events in South Carolina. Johnson and approximately 1,000 other cyclists will ride from Spartanburg, South Carolina, to the top of Mt. Mitchell (102.7 miles). Mt. Mitchell is the highest peak of the Appalachian Mountains, boasting an elevation of 6,684 feet, making it the 16th highest point in the United States.
POST- ALL-STAR JIMMIE JOHNSON FOUNDATION 5K: The Jimmie Johnson Foundation 5K is on May 22 in Huntersville, North Carolina. To register, visit www.jjfwellnesschallenge.org.
No. 88 Nationwide Chevrolet SS / Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. Hometown Kannapolis, North Carolina
Age 41 Resides Mooresville, North Carolina
2016 Season
9th in standings
11 starts
0 wins
0 pole positions
4 top-five finishes
5 top-10 finishes
49 laps led
Career
588 starts
26 wins
13 pole positions
147 top-five finishes
251 top-10 finishes
8,183 laps led
Track Career
32 starts
1 win
1 pole position
7 top-five finishes
12 top-10 finishes
451 laps led
‘MONSTER MILE’ STATS: Dale Earnhardt Jr. has one win at the “Monster Mile,” which came in the 2001 fall race, where he led the final 39 laps en route to victory. He’s earned five top-five and nine top-10 finishes at the concrete oval since his trip to Victory Lane in 2001, and had a notably good weekend in the fall of 2013, starting from the pole and finishing second. According to NASCAR’s loop data statistics, Earnhardt ranks fifth among active drivers in the “closers” category, improving 17 positions over the last 10 percent of the race in the last 10 races at Dover International Speedway. He also ranks fourth for green-flag passes (931) during that span at the one-mile oval.
NATIONWIDE PATIENT CHAMPION: Earnhardt has been wearing lavender gloves this month to promote pediatric cancer awareness as part of The Dale Jr. Foundation’s Driven to Give Gloves program. The Kannapolis, North Carolina, native is paired up with a Patient Champion from Nationwide Children’s Hospital during each month of the program. At Dover, Patient Champion Grant Reed will be honored with his name above the passenger door of Earnhardt’s No. 88 Nationwide Chevrolet. Four years ago, Grant was diagnosed with a brain tumor in the back of his head near the brain stem called Medullablastoma. Although the tumor was removed, the then-11-year-old suffered severe complications. After being admitted to the hospital’s inpatient rehabilitation unit, he was able to regain control of his speech and physical movement. Today, at age 15, he is a huge NASCAR fan.
IT’S ALL ABOUT THE 88S: On Tuesday, May 10, Greg Olsen, the tight end for the Carolina Panthers, visited Hendrick Motorsports to take part in pit crew practice with the No. 88 Nationwide team. Olsen, who also wears the No. 88, joined the pit crew for over-the-wall practice and a conditioning workout on the training field. He will also be the honorary pace car driver for the upcoming NASCAR Sprint All-Star race on May 21. Contact Tiffany Daniels if interested in a b-roll package.
NCH PAINT SCHEME REVEALED: In case you missed it, Earnhardt’s No. 88 Nationwide Children’s Hospital Chevrolet SS, which will race July 9 at Kentucky Speedway, was revealed last week. The purpose of the special paint scheme is to help raise money and awareness for Nationwide Children’s Hospital. Since butterflies are recognized as the hospital’s ambassadors of hope and optimism, the blue car will be adorned with butterflies and bear the hospital’s name. On May 3, Nationwide announced the Ride With Dale Jr. To Help Kids Everywhere campaign. Fans can join the race by making a donation that will support the patients who receive care from NCH. For $188, donors can get their name printed on the hood of the No. 88 Nationwide Children’s Hospital Chevy, and will also receive an official team hat and an autographed photo of Earnhardt and the car taken at the track, limited to the first 100 donors on a first-come, first-served basis. Donors who contribute $88 can have their name printed on the hood of the car, and for a $50 donation, they can have their name printed on the pit wall banner. The campaign continues through the end of the month and donations can be made online here. For photos of the scheme and more information about donating, click here.
‘ANIMAL WHISPERER’ DALE: Nationwide’s 2016 ad spots showcase the many sides of Earnhardt. We have already seen Boss Man Dale and Water Cooler Dale, and they just revealed the latest spot, Animal Whisperer Dale, which also features his pets, to promote Nationwide’s pet insurance. Watch the Animal Whisperer ad here.
Hendrick Motorsports
HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS AT DOVER: At Dover International Speedway, Hendrick Motorsports has 18 wins, nine pole positions, 57 top-five finishes and 93 top-10s. Johnson most recently visited Victory Lane for the organization at the track in May 2015.
FINDING VICTORY LANE: Hendrick Motorsports’ 18 wins at Dover are tied with Charlotte Motor Speedway for the organization’s second-most at a track. The Dover victories have come via five different drivers — Johnson (10), Jeff Gordon (5), Geoff Bodine, Ricky Rudd and Ken Schrader.
ORGANIZATION STATS: To date, Hendrick Motorsports has totals of 242 victories, 208 pole positions, 993 top-five finishes and 1,658 top-10 finishes in Sprint Cup competition. Its teams have led 65,313 laps since 1984.
QUOTABLE /
“Dover is really neat. It’s a tough track. The rubber builds on the top of the track on long runs and your tires spin a lot. It’s a great track. Always one of the tracks I really look forward to and it is probably one of the toughest tracks, physically.”
Kasey Kahne on racing at Dover
“I’ve always thought that Miles is a really cool trophy to win. As a fan watching I always thought that it was really unique. It also puts a good explanation of that racetrack into a trophy because that’s a really good description of what we fight and what you deal with at Dover. I think that’s a very fitting trophy and it would be great to have one.”
Chase Elliott on racing at Dover
“This season has had its ups and downs when you go back and look at the different weeks of the year so far. There have been moments where I think we’ve had a lot of things to be proud of. We’ve had some super-fast cars since day one and that’s hard to do. I couldn’t really ask for anything more there from the No. 24 guys. I’m just trying to improve on my end and make sure I’m giving my guys the job that they deserve and hopefully we can try to compete with those guys this week. There’s still a lot of room for improvement and we’re not satisfied with where we are.”
Elliott on the season thus far
“There is just something about Dover that fits my driving style. There is some weird pressure that comes with that – we aren’t too happy when we aren’t running up to our expectations. It’s a tough race for sure and so many things can go wrong but it also suits (No. 48 team crew chief) Chad Knaus’ style. When I think back to having 10 wins at Dover I just think about the three or four that got away from me over the years. It’s an unbelievable track, I wish we raced at Dover more than twice a year.”
Jimmie Johnson on racing at Dover
“We had some issues last week at Kansas, but we will work hard to fix those before the next one. We feel like we’ve got a good enough team to do that. This sport cycles around and I never lose faith that Hendrick Motorsports will find the speed we need. I’m ready for Dover.”
Dale Earnhardt Jr. on racing at Dover
