Dakoda Armstrong Hopes His Racing Teaches
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[/media-credit]Dakoda Armstrong, behind the wheel of the No. 98 EverFi Toyota in the Camping World Truck Series, has racing on his mind. But he also hopes to educate his fans through his new season sponsor EverFi.
EverFi is an education technology company that helps high school students and high school graduates with financial literacy. The company offers its technology online and it is in use at no charge in over 4,000 schools nationally.
Armstrong’s sponsor includes curriculum covering everything from how to balance our check book to credit scores, student loans and mortgages.
“Every day across the United States, students are in their own race to gain the critical skills they need to succeed in life,” Tom Davidson, EverFi Chief Executive Officer, said. “Dakoda Armstrong and his team embody the speed, dedication, and urgency on the race track that we feel every day in the classroom.”
“EverFi couldn’t be more proud to support Dakoda Armstrong and the No. 98 ThorSport Racing team.”
Armstrong could not agree more with his sponsor.
“It was a good deal helping them out to get more awareness,” Armstrong said. “They’re really big about teaching these kids that come out of high school about financial literacy.”
“ I wish I could have had more help on that when I got out of high school,” Armstrong continued. “It’s tough. You just get thrown into the real world and have to make your own mistakes.”
Armstrong is also most impressed with his sponsor’s use of technology in their educational programming.
“It’s good the way they do it with the gaming and the kids figure it out on their own by making their mistakes and getting with it,” Armstrong said. “I’m glad we can help EverFi out and hopefully we can keep giving them more and more exposure so they can get into more and more schools.”
The relationship between Armstrong and his sponsor EverFi seemed to both to be a match made in heaven. And they hope it will continue all season long.
“I have some people that work for me finding sponsorship,” Armstrong said. “They figured out it was a pretty good fit.”
“They wanted to come into NASCAR and I just got out of high school so it was a good fit,” Armstrong continued. “I’m glad they’re a part of our 98 team for sure.”
“We’ve had them on since the beginning of the year and are looking for more and more sponsorship to help them out and to stay on the truck,” Armstrong said. “It’s been a great deal and hopefully we can continue it forward.”
With his sponsor on the truck, Armstrong turned his attention to trying to master the Monster Mile. His priority was to not only finish the race but also to continue to improve throughout the race, which he did, finishing 20th in the rain-shortened race.
“This was a different place for sure,” Armstrong said. “It was very fast and challenging being on concrete.”
“You go to a track that is a mile and you can almost hold it wide open, it gets your attention real fast.”
“This place to finish was priority one,” Armstrong said. “The biggest thing was getting better, improving on where we start and making sure our pit stops get better each week.”
Since his sponsor is all about educating high school students, Armstrong reflected on his season in terms of a letter grade.
“I think we are probably a ‘B’, Armstrong said. “There are things we could improve on but we’ve gotten better and better each week. That was our goal. We’ve improved our finishes a lot.”
“One thing we need to work on a lot is qualifying,” Armstrong continued. “It hasn’t been hurting us but starting in the back, it’s hard to make your way up with the level of competition.”
“Hopefully, when we start up closer, we will finish up closer to the front as well.”
But Armstrong’s focus was really all about the kids and his commitment to helping them achieve financial literacy. What would he say to each and every youth about EverFi?
“Really just check it out,” Armstrong said. “It’s a tough deal getting thrown out into the world.”
“I didn’t know a whole lot when I got out and fortunately I had my parents ,” Armstrong continued. “They were very smart with money and help me out a lot.”
“Fortunately they help me still,” Armstrong said. “ But it is tough, so check out EverFi.”
“It is free and we want to help kids,” Armstrong said. “It’s a good thing because what got our economy into trouble is people not knowing how to handle money.”
“So, to teach everybody to be better and better with it is a good deal.”
Paulie Harraka: Graduate, NASCAR Truck Series Driver, and Entrepreneur
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[/media-credit]In spite of being just 22 years old, Paulie Harraka is already wearing many hats, including graduate, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver of the No. 5 Wauters Motorsports Ford, and entrepreneur.
One of Harraka’s most prized hats to wear is that of graduate, recently completing his walk for his college diploma from Duke. Harraka graduated with a double major in marketing management and sociology and a minor in history.
“It’s amazing that it’s over,” Harraka said. “When you’re a freshman, it seems so far away.”
“Four years just go by,” Harraka continued. “I look back and I got to do so much that I took advantage of. It’s been awesome.”
“It’s exciting not to have to write papers and to not have to take exams anymore,” Harraka said. “But at the same time, I miss not living with all my closest friends within a quarter of a mile.”
Now that he has had a chance to reflect on his college career, Harraka said that he learned so many lessons. In fact, there were so many, yet each and every one has made him the driver that he is today.
“So much of what I did at Duke was about supporting my racing career and augmented what I do at the race track, whether that was networking with Duke alumni or leadership classes or marketing classes,” Harraka said. “There is no question that I would not be here right now without my Duke education.”
Although Harraka had a double major, as well as a minor, he selected his college course with just one thing in mind, how they would impact his racing career.
“Racing was really my focus at Duke,” Harraka said. “I took engineering classes, leadership classes, business classes, marketing classes and anything that would help me at track.”
“If you looked at my Duke transcript not knowing that I race, you would think that’s a pretty random grouping of classes that don’t go together,” Harraka continued. “But understanding that they fit together into a racing context, it all makes sense.”
As a race truck driver, Harraka is wearing another hat, that of debutante at Dover International Speedway, known as the ‘Monster Mile.’ And while he is looking forward to it, he acknowledged that the track is indeed a bit monstrous.
“This is a tough place,” Harraka said. “Dover is different. You drive right off the straightaway and down into the corner and it’s like a three story drop.”
“Matt Crafton described it as the best roller coaster ride you’ll ever have and I definitely understand what he means,” Harraka said. “It’s big. It’s fast. It’s a lot of fun, but it will be a challenge with 30 plus other trucks.”
Harraka may be making his debut at Dover, but his Truck is sporting sponsorship from Phoenix International Raceway. Because of a close relationship between the PIR track president and Harraka, the two decided to do a special promotion for the Phoenix fall race.
“Today is June 1st and the day that the tickets go on sale for the Phoenix fall race,” Harraka said. “So, they wanted to do a promotion around the first day of their ticket sales.”
“Anyone that buys their tickets online or by calling today or this month gets a discount,” Harraka said. Second, anybody that tweets #GoPaulie during the race gets entered into a drawing and if we win, they get a whole package at the track.”
While Harraka has Phoenix Raceway on the car, the Truck race driver is also sporting the familiar puzzle piece for the charity Autism Speaks for his Dover debut, calling awareness to the full spectrum of the disease which affects so many.
“What Dover does with the whole weekend is great because they tie in Autism Speaks to the entire weekend,” Harraka said. “Everybody has met someone or has a friend or family member with autism.”
“To be a part of that, in a micro way, is cool.”
Harraka’s final hat, but probably one of the most important, is that of entrepreneur. And that hat is most critical as it is the basis for funding for his racing career.
“A number of the investors will be at the race, which I’m excited about,” Harraka said. “That part of the business is going really well and I’m excited about that.”
“A number of our investors have really become engaged in coming to a number of the races,” Harraka continued. “Our Executive Chairman, this will be his fourth race this year.”
“We’re bringing this whole group of people as NASCAR fans that in the past have never had a connection to the sport,” Harraka said. “They are interested in getting involved both in my racing career and helping us improve our whole program.”
“They’re not just silent cash,” Harraka continued. “They are people that are not intrusive or invasive but want to help however they can.”
Harraka acknowledges that his business model may just be working a bit better than his on-track performance. And in many ways, he might just be the Jeff Gordon of the Truck Series, having just as much bad luck as the four-time champion.
“At some point performance will affect the business model,” Harraka said. “But, we’re still moving forward and improving and as long as we are, we’ll be in good shape.”
“Some of it’s been bad luck but some of it’s been self-inflicted,” Harraka acknowledged. “Some of it is situations that we’ve been put in, but at Charlotte, I screwed up.”
“It happens,” Harraka said. “It’s the beginning of the season. It’s a new race team with a rookie driver. It’s a lot of things we need to work through.”
“The worst thing you can do is to just put your head down,” Harraka continued. “You’ve got to keep your head up and look at what went wrong and make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
“Eventually, we’ll fix all the problems and have a good day.”
One other hat that the young driver is wearing is that of perpetual learner.
“You just got to keep learning,” Harraka said. “I was pulling in to the track and my phone rang and it’s Ricky Rudd, who has been a long-time mentor of mine.”
“So, we start chatting and he said that he just wanted to remind me of something,” Harraka continued. “And he reads down the list of Sprint Cup drivers and how many cars they wrecked at the beginning of their careers.”
“And the moral of the story is that Jeff Gordon and Kyle Busch topped that list,” Harraka said. “So, he said that is what I needed to think about and work on.”
The last hat that Harraka is wearing at the Monster Mile is that of hometown hero. In fact, a whole busload of family and friends are heading from Wayne, New Jersey to Dover, Delaware to watch their boy make his debut.
“I have friends and family that are coming down,” Harraka said. “In fact, a whole busload with Paulie T-shirts will be filling the front stretch.”
Matty’s Picks 2012 – Vol. 14 Dover International Speedway – FedEx 400 benefiting Autism Speaks – June 3, 2012
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[/media-credit]It’s off to the first state to ratify the United States Constitution this weekend to a track that ranks up there in my list of personal favorites. Contrary to a belief that Delaware would be full of parks, monuments, historic sites, battlefields, etc… it remains the only state without a National Park System unit. This doesn’t mean there is not any NASCAR history in the state of Delaware. In 1995, Dover Downs International Speedway became the first NASCAR racing venue to be paved with concrete rather than asphalt. The concrete is one of the 1,000 elements that make Dover such a popular spot for NASCAR fans, and Sunday’s FedEx 400 will be nothing shy of exciting.
Coca-Cola 600 Recap
Jimmie Johnson was my guy for last week’s Coca-Cola 600, coming off his win in the NASCAR Sprint All-Star race two weeks ago. Johnson had been on fire for Hendrick Motorsports, claiming their 200th win at Darlington and winning the All-Star race at Charlotte Motor Speedway, but his flames were put out last Sunday by a stop-and-go penalty on lap 354. His night was rather uneventful up to that point, creeping around the top five for the majority of the laps, but Johnson left his pit box with the fuel can still attached to his Impala on lap 354. Johnson couldn’t recover from the stop-and-go penalty and ended his night on a bitter note in 11th place.
My Dark Horse pick had even less luck on his side than Jimmie Johnson in last week’s Coca-Cola 600, retiring early due to mechanical failure. Marcos Ambrose had been on my radar to step up and make a statement in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series on an oval. I was on the right track through the first 200 of the 400 lap stanza as Ambrose took the lead on several occasions last Sunday evening, when a rare hub failure ended my hopes of pulling a pick from where the sun don’t shine. Ambrose limped his No. 9 DEWALT Ford Fusion to the garage for repairs on lap 218, and eventually claimed the 32nd spot in the 2012 Coca-Cola 600.
Dover Picks
I’ve got two practice sessions but no starting positions to base my picks off of this week as qualifying for the 43rd Annual FedEx 400 benefiting Autism Speaks is on the unusual Saturday this week. There are a few guys on my list of contenders this week because of the difficulty the Monster Mile brings on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers.
Winner Pick
Its ‘Concrete Carl’ who I’m going with this week to win at Dover International Speedway. There is one team in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series which has three drivers in the top 10 in points thru the first 12 races of the season, yep its Roush Fenway Racing. Concrete Carl has the best average finish (7.3) of all active drivers and the third-best Driver Rating (106.5). His first and only win on the high-banked, one-mile concrete oval back in September of 2007 and Edwards is looking to solidify his spot in the top-10 in drivers points this weekend in Dover.
Dark Horse Pick
Its Martin Truex Jr. who will prevail as my Dark Horse this week. The Southern New Jersey native calls the Monster Mile his home track, and his first and only win came five years ago at Dover. Much like five years ago, the weather forecast is questionable for Sunday’s race, and coincidentally the forecast for Truex’s first win was less than optimal, as his first win came on Monday, June 4th, 2007 rather than Sunday, June 3rd, 2007. Truex currently sits solidly in sixth in NASCAR Sprint Cup points, and has won two of the last three Coors Light poles at the Monster Mile. His stats are mixed at Dover, last five finishes are 30th, 8th, 34th, 12th, and 33rd, but he is really in the groove this season and Truex is looking for a solid homecoming to add to the banner season he has had thus far.
That’s all for this week, so until next time…You Stay Classy NASCAR NATION!
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Passionate About Racing, Points Battling and Singing
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[/media-credit]Ricky Stenhouse Jr. has many passions, from sporting his Nationwide championship belt buckle from last year to racing hard in his No. 6 Cargill Beef Ford against the likes of Elliott Sadler and Austin Dillon for the points lead in this year’s Nationwide season.
But who knew that he had another secret passion?
“I really like to sing,” Stenhouse said. “I sing a lot, but I’m not really good at it.”
“I like country music,” Stenhouse continued. “I know a lot of lyrics but I can’t get them to come out the right way.”
“I karaoke to myself in the cars, but not on the stage or in front of anybody.”
Unfortunately, the young Roush Fenway Racing superstar did not have much to sing about after last weekend’s race in Charlotte. He finished the History 300 in the 26th position after suffering mechanical problems.
“You’ll have those bad races,” Stenhouse said philosophically. “We started out the season with a bad race at Daytona and then we had nine good races after that, with the worst finish being sixth.”
“We kind of had a stumble last week,” Stenhouse continued. “Charlotte, I feel like normally I would be disappointed and look at the bad things that happened.”
“But I feel like we got to look at the positives, in that we were really fast and we were able to learn some stuff when we got back out,” Stenhouse said. “Our guys changed a transmission and drive shaft in twenty green flag laps.”
“So, all in all, there were a lot of things that were really good about our day and one little bad thing in that we didn’t get the result that we felt we could have.”
Stenhouse also credits his ability to put things behind him as a major saving grace in the midst of his racing passion. Although he admitted that he does give himself just a little bit of time to brood after a bad session.
“You put it behind you and go on,” Stenhouse said. “You have to take one race at a time, especially because it is a long season.”
“The way I generally look at things is that I reflect on it for a day and then move on,” Stenhouse continued. “So, Sunday, I thought about it and Monday I was thinking about Dover.”
Stenhouse Jr. is also pretty passionate about points racing, especially since it is with his nemesis Elliott Sadler, driver of the No. 2 OneMain Financial Chevrolet. He currently has a 13 point advantage over Sadler in the point standings.
“We always want to outrun him,” Stenhouse said of Sadler. “We want to be the highest finishing Nationwide guy each week.”
“We want to win every week and beat all the Cup guys,” Stenhouse continued. “We’ve done it this year at the companion races and that always feels a little better.”
“We’re focused on beating everybody, not just the 2 though,” Stenhouse said. “Like I said, when we race, we’re both going to be right there.”
Stenhouse Jr. also acknowledged that he might not just be racing the No. 2 car exclusively for the championship. One other challenger may well be Austin Dillon, in the No. 3 American Ethanol/New Holland Chevrolet, racing for his grandfather on the Richard Childress team.
“He’s definitely there every week, running really strong and really consistent, like we knew he would,” Stenhouse said of Dillon. “He’s really good and has a lot of seat time and has run a lot of these race tracks.”
“He’s in really good equipment and has someone to learn from like Elliott,” Stenhouse continued. “I think he’s going to be there all year.”
“Right now, everybody’s talking about Elliott and me but Austin is not that far out,” Stenhouse said. “One bad race for us or for Elliot and I and he is right there in it.”
“It will be a tough battle all year.”
Stenhouse Jr. will next unleash his racing and points battling passion on the Monster Mile, a track where he has not quite had the finishes that he would have liked.
“Dover’s been good to us but we haven’t been the best,” Stenhouse said. “We’ve been really fast in practice but kind of missed it in the race.”
“We’ve had some good luck and finished in the top-five,” Stenhouse continued. “This race last year, we were probably an eighth place car and finished fourth after the wreck coming to the front straightaway.”
“There’s things we need to do to get better,” Stenhouse said. “It’s a fun race track and I really enjoy it.”
“There’s a lot of things you can do like move your car around or change your line on the race track to improve your car,” Stenhouse continued. “We’ve led laps here, just not at the right time.”
Stenhouse Jr. is not, however, as passionate about racing on the concrete. But he also realizes that everything that challenges him at the Monster Mile affect the other drivers as well.
“We’ve struggled a little bit on the concrete,” Stenhouse said. “We’ve been decent at Bristol and at Dover, but just haven’t been really, really great.”
“The concrete creates some challenges as far as the seams and the expansion joints so it gets a little rough,” Stenhouse continued. “But I like tracks that are a little rough that makes it fun and really challenging.”
“The way I look at it is that it’s the same race track for everybody so it really doesn’t matter,” Stenhouse said. “If it’s a problem for one, it’s a problem for everybody.”
Stenhouse’s final passion was fulfilled prior to his ever setting foot on the track at Dover. He got to participate in the local golf tournament raising money for autism awareness.
“I don’t have any family members or anything like that with autism but I was able to play in the Drive for Autism golf tournament and had a lot of fun doing it,” Stenhouse said. “It was my first time there and to meet all the kids and to try to find a cure, it was really cool to be a part of it.”
“It was a great atmosphere and I won’t miss it ever again.”
Todd Bodine Scores Truck Win at Rainy Monster Mile
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[/media-credit]In spite of Kevin Harvick having by far the dominant race truck, Todd Bodine, in his No. 11 Red Horse Racing Toyota, stole the win away thanks to rain calling an early end to the Lucas Oil 200.
This was Bodine’s 22nd victory in 196 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races, but his first victory this year. It was also his first win at the Monster mile.
“Man, finally,” Bodine said. “It’s pretty special. Dover has always been high on my list as one of my favorite tracks. To be able to come back and get a win in Trucks, it kind of puts in perspective what I’ve needed to do here.”
“To be able to do it with a brand new team and get the team the Monster trophy, it means a lot.”
“We didn’t have the best Tundra today but Rick (Gay Jr. crew chief) made a great call,” Bodine said. “You don’t like to win them this way but I’ve lost them this way so I’m going to take it.”
“I took a gamble today and it paid off,” Gay said simply.
Parker Kligerman, behind the wheel of the No. 29 Cooper Standard Ram, finished 2nd in the rain-shortened event. This was his first top-10 finish in two races at the Monster Mile and his third top-10 finish in 2012.
“We had a really fast race truck and were biding our time until halfway,” Kligerman said. “We got a little front end damage and the guys did a great job repairing it.”
“I was angry and I drove like my hair was on fire,” Kligerman continued. “We drove up to sixth and knew the rain was coming so we just were at the right place at the right time.”
Kevin Harvick, pole sitter and driver of the No. 2 Tide Chevrolet, did all he could to preserve a good finish, coming out third when the race was called. It was his second top-10 finish in two races at Dover.
“We had a great truck all weekend and just got beat by the weather there,” Harvick said. “All in all the guys did a great job of controlling all the things that can and that’s all you can do.”
“I still thought we had a chance,” Harvick continued. “They threw the caution before it even started raining so we wasted 25 laps between two cautions waiting around to see if it was going to rain.”
“It was just one of those deals.”
Harvick was unbeatable when he was out front in clean air. But the driver of the No. 2 Tide Chevrolet had more difficulty in the midst of traffic.
“We just got tight,” Harvick said. “So when we got in traffic, it didn’t handle near as well.”
“It would take a little longer in traffic because it would get so tight off the corner.”
Nelson Piquet, Jr. had a great run in his No. 30 Qualcomm Chevrolet, finishing in the fourth position.
“At the end with the rain coming and going, we stayed out and it worked out,” Piquet Jr. said. “We ended up with a top five and that was very important for us.”
Cale Gale, who finished fifth in the No. 33 Rheem Chevrolet, was the highest finishing rookie in the race.
“Obviously we qualified good today,” Gale said. “We got involved in a little incident at the start of the race that got us behind.”
“We made adjustments to the truck and the last portion of the race, it was a lot better,” Gale continued. “We were praying for a little bit of rain there at the end.”
“We are happy,” Gale said. “We finally got a result that we are proud of.”
Ty Dillon, who finished sixth in his No. 3 Bass Pro Shops/Allstate Chevrolet, had a very special evening in addition to the top-ten finish.
Dillon broke Ricky Hendrick’s record of five straight top-10 finishes by a rookie in the opening five races and now is the sole owner of that record, with six straight top-10 rookie finishes in the first five races.
“That’s very special,” Dillon said. “I’m very happy for my team.”
“Now we need to consistently make those top-fives,” Dillon continued. “We had a fast track today but a little bit to the free side.”
“Track position meant a lot and we played our hand right there at the end.”
| Unofficial Race Results | |||||
| Lucas Oil 200, Dover International Speedway | |||||
| http://www.speedwaymedia.com/truckseries/race.php?race=6 | |||||
| ========================================= | |||||
| Pos. | St. | No. | Driver | Make | Points |
| ========================================= | |||||
| 1 | 13 | 11 | Todd Bodine | Toyota | 47 |
| 2 | 11 | 29 | Parker Kligerman | Ram | 43 |
| 3 | 1 | 2 | Kevin Harvick | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 4 | 18 | 30 | Nelson Piquet Jr. | Chevrolet | 40 |
| 5 | 5 | 33 | Cale Gale * | Chevrolet | 39 |
| 6 | 6 | 3 | Ty Dillon * | Chevrolet | 38 |
| 7 | 15 | 31 | James Buescher | Chevrolet | 37 |
| 8 | 10 | 88 | Matt Crafton | Toyota | 36 |
| 9 | 8 | 17 | Timothy Peters | Toyota | 35 |
| 10 | 16 | 6 | Justin Lofton | Chevrolet | 35 |
| 11 | 2 | 22 | Joey Coulter | Chevrolet | 33 |
| 12 | 9 | 32 | Miguel Paludo | Chevrolet | 33 |
| 13 | 17 | 18 | Brian Scott | Toyota | 0 |
| 14 | 24 | 81 | David Starr | Toyota | 31 |
| 15 | 12 | 8 | Ross Chastain * | Toyota | 29 |
| 16 | 21 | 9 | John Wes Townley * | Toyota | 28 |
| 17 | 25 | 5 | Paulie Harraka * | Ford | 27 |
| 18 | 30 | 275 | Caleb Holman * | Chevrolet | 26 |
| 19 | 7 | 27 | Jeb Burton * | Chevrolet | 25 |
| 20 | 19 | 98 | Dakoda Armstrong * | Toyota | 24 |
| 21 | 27 | 170 | Jeff Agnew | Chevrolet | 23 |
| 22 | 23 | 99 | Bryan Silas * | Ford | 22 |
| 23 | 29 | 84 | Chris Fontaine | Chevrolet | 21 |
| 24 | 4 | 13 | Johnny Sauter | Toyota | 20 |
| 25 | 35 | 57 | Norm Benning | Chevrolet | 19 |
| 26 | 33 | 10 | Jennifer Jo Cobb | Ram | 18 |
| 27 | 3 | 9 | Ron Hornaday | Chevrolet | 17 |
| 28 | 31 | 261 | Wes Burton | Ford | 16 |
| 29 | 22 | 39 | Ryan Sieg | Chevrolet | 15 |
| 30 | 14 | 24 | Max Gresham * | Chevrolet | 14 |
| 31 | 28 | 7 | Chris Jones | Toyota | 13 |
| 32 | 32 | 93 | Johnny Chapman | Chevrolet | 12 |
| 33 | 20 | 23 | Jason White | Ford | 11 |
| 34 | 34 | 174 | Mike Harmon | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 35 | 26 | 38 | Dennis Setzer | Chevrolet | 0 |
NOTES FROM THE NASCAR NATION: CRUNCHING THE DOVER DIGITS
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[/media-credit]The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series moves on to race number 13 of the 2012 schedule this Sunday at the Dover International Raceway for the running of the Fed Ex 400 Benefiting Autism Speaks. This is one of the more grueling races on the Sprint Cup schedule. It’s four hundred miles around the raceway’s famed concrete oval and it will provide an extreme physical challenge to the drivers.
There is also the matter regarding the legend of Dover’s famed mascot: Miles The Monster. This large concrete creature, with his bright red eyes, stands tall in front of the raceway carrying a race car in his hand. Those menacing red eyes are front and center on the raceway’s crash walls. The legend says it’s almost like Miles is watching the race while determining which car he’s going to reach out and grab. The legend also says that if a race team meets Miles’ approval then that driver has a better than good chance of parking his car in victory lane. However, if a driver fails to gain the monster’s approval, then that race team could find themselves dealing with a very long day in Delaware. It’s all part of the good fun that comes with watching a race at the Dover International Raceway.
CRUNCHING THE LAS VEGAS NUMBERS
To determine who Miles The Monster might decide to smile on this Sunday, we again turn to the number crunching professionals at the Las Vegas based World Sports Exchange, (WSE).
Jimmie Johnson tops the WSE’s Dover list at 6 to 1 odds. That’s because he currently holds the modern day driver’s record for making the monster smile six times. Currently fifth in the championship standings, 48 points away from the top, Johnson also has nine top five finishes and 14 top ten finishes to back up his half dozen victories. This, in turn, has created a very strong average finish ratio, (AFR), of 9.2. If you’re into making relatively safe wagers with a very high expected return then this is your driver.
At 8 to 1 odds you will find the duo of Kyle Busch and Greg Biffle. Kyle Busch is always a wager worth considering in any race he enters. He’s eighth in the points, at 62 away. His Dover stats are very strong, going into Sunday’s race, and includes two wins, seven top fives, nine top tens with a healthy 13.3 AFR.
Series points leader Greg Biffle has been a model of consistency since the season started last February. He’s a two time Dover winner with six top fives, 10 top tens and a 12.3 AFR. He has been a solid wager consideration from the very beginning of the year and that remains in place for Dover.
The WSE has the trio of Matt Kenseth, Carl Edwards and Denny Hamlin ranked at 10 to 1. Like his Roush Fenway Racing team mate Greg Biffle, Kenseth, who is the defending race champion, is having a very strong year and is currently second in the standings and only ten points away. He will be bringing some strong Dover stats with him this weekend that includes a pair of wins, 12 top fives, 17 top tens and a healthy 12.2. AFR.
Carl Edwards, the third Roush Fenway Racing team member, is tenth in the standings at 81 points away. He’s a former winner at Dover and also has seven top fives and 11 top tens. But it’s his 7.3 AFR that really stands out here. We’ve heard and read a lot of comments regarding the sluggish start this team has had so far in 2012. If there’s a track where Edwards can respond to those comments, then it’s Dover.
At first glance, one might wonder why Denny Hamlin is rated at 10 to 1 to win at Dover. His track stats really doesn’t support the theory. He’s still seeking his first Dover win and only has a pair of top fives and four top tens there. Also of concern here is the very high 20.7 AFR. However, there’s a high level of added incentive here for Hamlin to perform well next Sunday. First off, his long time primary sponsor, FedEx is also the race sponsor. This race also benefits the Autism Speaks program, a long time personal cause for Hamlin and his Joe Gibbs Racing team. That’s plenty of incentive for this team to rise to the occasion at Dover.
Ranked at 12 to 1 you will find a quartet of drivers featuring Jeff Gordon, Kasey Kahne, Kevin Harvick and Tony Stewart. Jeff Gordon’s racing luck has been a source of mystery all season long that has left him 22nd in the standings and a whopping 174 points away. It’s likely that he will have to rely on the wild card program to make the Chase for the Championship. Dover is a great place for Gordon to turn his season around. He has four wins there along with 14 top fives, 21 top tens and a healthy 12.2 AFR. Gordon is a very good long shot wager. The law of averages says his racing luck has got to turn around sometime soon.
Kasey Kahne will be riding on the momentum of last weekend’s win at Charlotte. Here’s another Hendrick Motorsports team that was heavily plagued with early season bad luck. At one point he was 31st in the standings. However, a hard charging reversal of fortune has elevated this team to 15th in the points. But, Kahne’s Dover stats indicates he may have a tough time with Miles The Monster this Sunday. He’s still looking for his first there, he only has one top five and just four top tens. The AFR is also very high at 22.6.
Kevin Harvick is seventh in the points. He’s also seeking a first Dover win. He has two top fives, nine top tens and a 16.6 AFR at the monster mile.
Reigning Sprint Cup champion Tony Stewart is currently ninth in the standings, 65 points away. However, he has some strong stats at Dover that includes a pair of wins, ten top fives, 15 top tens and a 13.0 AFR.
All by himself at 15 to 1 odds is Brad Keselowski. He has terrible stats at Dover that includes zero wins, no top fives, no top tens and a very high 18.2 AFR. So, why is this driver, with these numbers, rated so high on the WSE’s Dover list? Simply put: it’s Brad. He has a strong habit of charging his way to the front of a field. He’s turned that talent into two wins this year. The bottom line is: this driver and his team really are that good.
At 18 to 1 is the ever popular Dale Earnhardt Jr. The standard bearer for Hendrick Motorsports is currently fourth in the standings and only 18 points from first. He’s a previous winner at Dover who also has four top fives, seven top tens but the AFR, at 18.0 is a little on the high side.
At 25 to 1 are Michael Waltrip Racing team mates Martin Truex Jr and Clint Bowyer. Truex won his first ever Cup race at Dover back in 2007 on a Monday afternoon rain delayed event. However since then he only has accumulated one top five along with a 17.2 AFR. But this is a highly rejuvenated team in 2012 and Truex is currently sixth in the standings just 49 points away. He just might pull off a long shot win next Sunday.
Clint Bowyer is currently 12th in the standings and his seeking his first top five at Dover where he has a 14.2 AFR. At 30 to 1 is the third Michael Waltrip Racing driver Mark Martin who has four wins at Dover along with a healthy 12.4 AFR.
Completing the WSE’s Dover list, three time Dover winner Ryan Newman is also ranked at 30 to 1. Now here’s an interesting long shot consideration. Newman has three wins, four poles, six top fives, 11 top tens and a healthy 11.5 AFR. Those are actually very strong stats at 30 to 1.
A J Allmendinger is ranked at 40 to 1 but it should be pointed out that this is the same team who won the Dover race last October with Kurt Busch behind the wheel. Previous Dover winner Jeff Burton closes the list leading a trio of drivers at 50 to 1 that also includes Marcos Ambrose and Joey Logano.
If you do not see your favorite driver on the WSE list that means they’re automatically rated at 10 to 1 odds.
Now for the disclaimer: NASCAR wants us to remind you that these numbers should be viewed for entertainment and informational purposes. They neither encourage or condone the placing of wagers on their races.
So, who is Miles The Monster going to smile at this Sunday at Dover? One has to think that it’s going to be Jimmie Johnson. It’s very hard to ignore those awesome numbers.
CRUNCHING THE RACE NUMBERS
The FedEx 400 Benefiting Autism Speaks is 400 laps/400 miles around the Dover International Raceway’s one mile concrete oval.
The race has 46 entries vying for the 43 starting positions. Ten of those entries are on the go or go home list meaning these teams are not guaranteed a starting berth because they are currently outside of NASCAR’s top 35 in Owner’s Points. These teams will have to rely on qualifying speed to make the race.
That could become a problem for a least three of those teams due to the weather forecast. The Saturday forecast for the Dover area calls for a 60% chance of showers which could cancel qualifying. The Sunday race day forecast is much better and calls for partly sunny skies and 78 degrees. In the event of rain, the speedway has a fleet of four jet dryers which can dry the the track in approximately 90 minutes.
If Saturday’s qualifying session does get rained out, then it will be bad news for drivers Mike Bliss, Mike Skinner and Scott Speed who will be going home early.
The challenging Dover Speedway has 24 degrees of banking in the turns which blends down to nine degrees of banking in the straights. Both straightaways measures 1,076 feet. The track is narrow. A brush with the outside wall there could lead to a car sliding down the hill and hitting the inside wall as well.
Pit road will also be a traditional challenge for the team. The 43 pit stalls are only 15 feet wide by 32 feet long. The pit road speed is a slow 35 MPH.
The track opened in 1969 and became a concrete clad oval is 1995. The speedway presently has grandstand seating for 135,000 fans.
The first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races was held in July of 1969 and was won by Richard Petty. Since that time there has been 84 Sprint Cup races held at Dover that has sent 33 different winners to victory lane. Richard Petty and Bobby Allison tops the win list at seven each while Jimmie Johnson leads modern era drivers with six wins. Hendrick Motorsports tops the team wins list at Dover with 13.
The track qualifying record is 161.522 MPH and was set by Jeremy Mayfield back in June of 2004. NASCAR Hall of Famer member David Pearson holds the qualifying record with six poles.
13 of the 84 Dover Cup races has been won from the pole. The last driver to do it was Jimmie Johnson back in September of 2010. 51 of the 84 races have been won starting positions within the top five while 18 have won at Dover from starting positions outside of the top ten.
The FedEx 400 Benefiting Autism Speaks will be broadcast live by Fox Sports beginning at 12:30 PM eastern time. The race re broadcast will be on Wednesday, June 6th, on SPEED beginning at 12 noon eastern time.
