Over the previous weekend we saw the #48 team return to Chase form. We watched the Richard Childress Racing soap opera develop another bizarre plot twist. We watched the continuous transformation of NASCAR’s Nationwide Series becoming the “Busch” Series again and we watched the future of a famous family race team develop in the truck series. With all those thoughts in mind let’s begin with:

HOORAH to Jimmie Johnson, and the entire #48 Hendrick Motorsports team, for clearly returning to expected Chase form after winning the AAA 400 at the Dover International Raceway. It was Johnson’s sixth win of the season, series high sixth win at Dover and his 53d career win in 319 starts. Johnson led the race five times for a total of 191 laps. The win also another one of Johnson’s max points effort and it elevates him to second in the Chase standings only 35 points behind Denny Hamlin.

HOORAH to Genevieve Marie Johnson, the beautiful infant daughter of Jimmie and Shandra Johnson. This little cutie made her first ever public appearance in victory lane with mom and dad last Sunday.

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Okay, let’s get to it: the story every NASCAR fan on the planet is talking about.

WAZZUP with all of those interviews with Sprint Cup drivers, outside of Richard Childress Racing-RCR, who were asked for opinions regarding the penalty handed down to Clint Bowyer’s team last week? Did we really need that? The only opinion that matters here should come from NASCAR and RCR officials. To their credit, most of these drivers were diplomatic and chose their words very carefully. HOORAH to Kyle Busch who, during a television interview, made it perfectly clear that “it’s not my problem.”

But WAZZUP with Denny Hamlin for taking the bait by making comments on the Bowyer situation that were way past the line? Hamlin’s inference that the RCR Chevrolets have been in violation of NASCAR’s tolerance levels for a lot longer than anyone realizes simply wasn’t necessary. Nothing but trouble could possibly come from the comments Hamlin made last Friday during that press conference.

That’s exactly what happened the following day. HOORAH to driver Kevin Harvick for wanting to stand up for his RCR team mates. But, WAZZUP with the method he chose prior to the start of the Saturday morning practice session? Ramming the Hamlin car on pit road, followed by multiple hits on the track, really wasn’t the way to handle the situation. Instead of using the practice time to prep the race trim of their cars, these teams spent much of the allotted time making repairs in the garage area.

The fact that these two teams were parked next to each other in the garage made this situation even more interesting. The inevitable confrontation, complete with four letter words and chest thumping, was captured for posterity on live television. HOORAH to Kevin Harvick was keeping his helmet on during that confrontation. Those hard helmets can seriously do some damage to a hand if you hit one.

HOORAH to team owner Richard Childress for taking both a sensible and comedic approach when asked about the garage confrontation. Childress smiled and said “we’re a very tight knit bunch.”

HOORAH to Clint Bowyer who also took the sensible and comedic approach to his team mate’s defense of their race team. During a Sunday morning television interview, Bowyer smiled and said “I didn’t see what you’re talking about, I was in my car.”

HOORAH to Hamlin’s crew chief Mike Ford who was clearly upset with his driver for placing the team in an uncomfortable public relations situation. Ford referred to the entire incident as “nonsense” and said the situation with RCR was none of their business. He reportedly admonished Hamlin for “putting the team in a hole” with his comments and reminded him they needed to stay focused on the Chase. Following the conclusion of Sunday’s race, Ford reportedly came over the radio to remind Hamlin to be careful what he said after he got out of the car.

Having said that, WAZZUP with Mike Ford echoing those very same sentiments to an ESPN television reporter? Ford’s comments to his driver were aired on live television faster than you can say WAZZUP.

WAZZUP with literally anyone who truly believed there would be on track retaliation between Harvick and Hamlin during Sunday’s race? Perhaps driver Tony Stewart was correct when he recently observed that sometimes the NASCAR media has a tendency to create soap operas that just aren’t there. Yes, I’ll accept my fair share of the responsibility in this matter.

The NASCAR Appeals Board will be conducting a hearing on Wednesday to consider the appeal by RCR and a review of the harsh penalties handed down by NASCAR. Hopefully by then this particular soap opera will reach a diminished state.

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HOORAH to the Dinger. A J Allmendinger ran the race of his still short Sprint Cup career in his Richard Petty Motorsports Ford at Dover. After starting the AAA 400 on the front row, Allmendinger led 143 laps of the race. He had only led a total of 43 laps during all of his prior Sprint Cup starts. The team endured some bad luck during the race when a piece of sheet metal cut his right rear tire and forced an unscheduled pit stop. But the strength of his car allowed him to race his way back to a tenth place finish.

During the race Allmendinger came over his radio and said “this is kind of fun, we should try it more often.” After leading all of those laps he later said “it’s no wonder Jimmie Johnson smiles so much.”

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WAZZUP with some of the Sprint Cup teams who were snake bit on pit road during the Dover race?

Let’s start with Tony Stewart who was caught speeding on pit road. Unfortunately he couldn’t seem to recover from the pass through penalty and finished the race in 21st two laps down. A pre Chase championship contender now finds himself tenth in the standings and 162 points out of first.

Matt Kenseth missed the commitment line while trying to enter Dover’s treacherous pit road and locked up his brakes. He continued around the track only to blow a left front tire that shattered the sheet metal on his fender. He finished 18th one lap down. Kenseth is now 11th in the Chase standings 165 points out. His Chase effort is also now treading water.

Clint Bowyer also had a tough Sunday at Dover on top of a very tough week. He was penalized for speeding on pit road two times and wound up 25th three laps down. He’s now 12th in the Chase 235 points out.

The HOORAH for making chicken salad out of chicken do-do belongs to Kurt Busch. After completing a penalty, also for speeding down pit road, Busch got up on the wheel of his Penske Racing Dodge and was able to drive his way back to a fourth place finish. He later said “I felt like a kid playing with matches and I got burned.” He left Dover fourth in the Chase standings and only 59 points from the top.

The Oh No He Didn’t WAZZUP award goes to Regan Smith, driver of the #78 Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet. After being caught for speeding on pit road, Smith came back to serve his drive through penalty and, you guessed it, was nailed for speeding on pit road again. He wound up with a frustrating 26th place finish three laps down.

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HOORAH to Kyle Busch for winning Saturday’s Dover 200 NASCAR Nationwide Series race. Busch led 192 of the 200 laps for his 11th win of the season in his Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. He also rewrote another page of the series’ history. He broke the all time series’ win record for a single season held for many years by series’ icon Sam Ard. Joey Logano, Busch’s Gibbs Racing team mate, finished second and marked the 11th time Gibbs Racing has finished one-two in a Nationwide Series event.

For many years NASCAR’s second tier racing series was known as the Busch Series because of long time sponsorship from Busch Beer. In recent years the name was changed to the Nationwide Series when the well known insurance company became the title sponsor. With the numbers and records Kyle Busch has established in such a short amount of time, one has to think the name should be changed to Busch’s Nationwide Series.

I totally get that many NASCAR fans simply doesn’t like this driver. To be honest, I really don’t see myself joining his fan club anytime soon. But I have to be completely honest here when I say that Kyle Busch is simply one of the best things that has joined NASCAR in quite a few years. The numbers he’s compiled certainly supports that theory.

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HOORAH to young Austin Dillon for winning Saturday’s Smith’s 350 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The rookie sensation started the race from the pole and led 93 of the 146 laps on the way to his second win of the year.  During the dominant performance Dillon finished a whopping six seconds over runner up Johnny Sauter.

This Las Vegas win was some good medicine for his team owner and grand father Richard Childress who had a very tough week due to aforementioned problems with one of his Sprint Cup teams. In addition to making grandpa proud, Austin Dillion has clearly proved that he is the future of the family business.

HOORAH to Todd Bodine whose fourth place finish padded his series points lead. It also moves him closer to his second series championship.

Bodine gets another HOORAH for a great line from a post race interview. Bodine said “this is Las Vegas and my wife, Janet, bet on Austin Dillon so now we get to go collect her winnings.”

Dover International Speedway, also known as The Monster Mile has been known as one of the toughest and most physically demanding tracks on the Sprint Cup Circuit. The track lived up to it’s moniker Sunday afternoon during the AAA 400, striking some of the sport’s most popular drivers and possibly ending the title hopes of others.

After Sunday’s race there were some drivers who left the track scratching their head and wondering what might have been.

AJ Allmendinger surprised everyone on Friday when he qualified second, and backed up the excellent effort by leading 143 laps on Sunday during the race. AJ appeared to have the strongest car until a flat tire forced him to pit while leading and losing two laps in the process. Allmendinger was unable to lead or find the top-five again after the disappointment, but did rally back to finish 10th.

Leading up to Dover, Clint Bowyer dominated the headlines earlier in the week after winning the first race of the chase at New Hampshire and catapulting to second in the points standings. The positive vibes quickly came to an end a few days later when the winning car was confiscated by NASCAR and found to be illegal at their R&D Center in Charlotte. Bowyer was docked 150 points, his crew chief Shane Wilson suspended for six races and fined $150,000 and car chief Chad Haney also suspended for six races. The penalty erased Bowyer’s jump to second in points and dropped him back to 12th- over 160 points behind the points leader.

The negative vibes continued at Dover as Clint struggled in practice on Friday and qualified 24th; and in the infield media center where he and Richard Childress racing were the center of a media frenzy and a war of words with fellow competitors.

Sunday proved no better for Bowyer, who finished the worst among chase drivers after hitting the wall midway through the race and sustaining damage to the right side of his car. Clint went on to finish 25th and finds himself 235 points behind holding down the 12th spot in the points standings- with his title hopes seemingly down the drain.

Matt Kenseth, who had the best average finish among all Sprint Cup drivers coming in to Dover and was a favorite to win the race, struggled as well. Kenseth suffered a flat tire during the race and sustained significant left-front damage. Matt rallied back from adversity, but only managed to finish 18th and is now 11th in points standings- over one race behind points leader Denny Hamlin.

After running out of fuel while leading with two laps ago last week and finishing 24th, Tony Stewart struggled the entire weekend at Dover. Stewart was only 24th fastest in the opening practice session and qualified 28th on Friday afternoon. During the race, Tony was caught speeding on pit road and found himself two laps down early in the race. Stewart eventually made up one those laps, but wound up finishing 21st. After a tough outing, Stewart is 10th in the standings and 162 points behind.

Although Sunday’s race at Dover lacked the multiple car accidents and extended caution periods that it’s known for, Miles the Monster took a significant bite out of some chase driver’s title hopes. Four of the twelve chase drivers now found themselves over 100 behind points leader Denny Hamlin, and look to get their title runs back on track at Kansas for next Sunday’s Price Chopper 400.

For the latest NASCAR talk and information, you can follow Kyle on Twitter: @TheKyleBrandt

As the inaugural winner of the Kansas Speedway’s first two races in 2001 and 2002, it’s not surprising that four-time champion Jeff Gordon enjoys heading to the Midwest.

In 2001 he led 53 laps in route to his 58th career victory and eventual fourth championship eight weeks later. Gordon then returned in 2002 where he dominated by leading 116 laps before battling Ryan Newman late. It was Gordon’s 61st career win. If career win No. 83 should come this weekend, don’t be surprised if Gordon has another one of those days.

At Dover last weekend, Gordon relieved his Kansas victories.

“I think everybody wants to go to a track, a new market, and win that race,” he said. “I know that certainly was the case for us, we went there excited about a new racetrack and wanting to be the team to figure it out the best and fastest and we did that.”

As the Chase for the Sprint Cup begins to get heated, Kansas will play host to race No. 3. For Gordon it can’t come quick enough as he looks to one of his favorite places to help his Chase chances.

“When you go to a track, a new track, and you win the first two races there it certainly gives you a lot of confidence and makes it one of your favorites right away,” Gordon said.

When the No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet team heads to a speedway this weekend though, they’ll be doing so looking for another first: a win in 2010. They started the season in championship form, running and finishing up front even though numerous wins slipped through their fingers.

Currently sitting eighth in points, 83 behind leader Denny Hamlin, Gordon’s ready to make a big statement at a track he says seems like just yesterday opened and is still new to him. The “Drive for Five,” as his fans have adapted to calling it since 2001, is well in reach but Gordon needs to win and win soon if he really wants to apply the pressure to the point leaders.

“I like Kansas, I know that,” Gordon said. “I feel like our mile and a half program is really strong this year. When I look at the 10 races in the Chase, Kansas is one that stands out as one we’re looking forward to going to.”

Good news for Gordon is a performance he had in July at Chicagoland. Chicago is well worth mentioning for two reasons. A sister track to Kansas, success at Chicago can set the bar for a good run later in the year at KS. Gordon was one of the dominant cars in Chicago and was leading late in the going. David Reutimann took the lead and the win from Gordon with 54 laps to go as Gordon finished third.

“We ran well at Chicago and it’s probably the closest track to Kansas on the circuit,” Gordon continued. “I feel like other than Charlotte we’ve been really good on the mile and half’s this year. We recognize we got to get better at Charlotte, but hey I can’t wait to get to Kansas.”

Excitement about going to Kansas is evident in Gordon’s words and face and for good reason. While winning would certainly be great and is the ultimate goal, it’s not the only thing that has gotten the job done for Gordon.

Since Kansas opened, Gordon has scored the most points of any driver with 1,314. Behind Gordon is Tony Stewart with 1,199 points. Stewart is also the only driver besides Gordon who has won multiple races at Kansas.

Heading into the weekend Gordon is sure to be listed as a favorite. In nine races he’s led 157 laps, won twice, has six top fives and seven top 10s. Gordon’s average start is a 9.9 while his average finish is 8.9.

Will this be the time “Big Daddy” strikes big in the Chase? Not that he needs anything else in his favor, Gordon will also enter the weekend with three straight top five finishes at Kansas.

“Even when we’re not at our best it seems to be one of our good tracks,” said Gordon. “I think we’re much better this year than what we’ve been the last couple years.”

The confidence and statistics are clear, all that’s left if for the No. 24 team to do is execute. Throughout the garage drivers readily admit that they run well at tracks they love and for Gordon has played that hand well.

When informed that Kansas would be receiving two dates in 2011 Gordon replied, “Even better,” before lobbying that both races should be in the Chase. One thing at a time however, just as Gordon will take it one race at a time.

Kansas though, could end up being one big race for Gordon and company.

What do NASCAR Chase competitor Greg Biffle, Office Depot and Mike Pagano, proprietor of PaganoPhoto, have to do with potentially solving New Jersey’s fiscal crisis? Well, if Greg Biffle wins the AAA 400 race at the Monster Mile in Dover, Delaware this weekend, Office Depot will make Mike Pagano, a new Jersey small businessman, a millionaire, bringing some much needed income tax revenue to the coffers of New Jersey Governor Christie.

Pagano, who works full-time for the State of New Jersey in the Department of Environmental Protection by day, has been using his evenings, weekends and furlough days to turn his photography hobby into a business. On a lark after listening to an interview with Cup driver Greg Biffle, Pagano entered the Office Depot’s ‘Official Small Business of NASCAR’ Sweepstakes, hoping to bring home the million dollar grand prize.

“Greg Biffle was on the radio talking about this contest going on and said that someone could win a million dollars,” Pagano said. “I was driving down the road but that perked my ears up. I thought ‘I like contests and I’d sure like a million dollars’ so let me look into this.”

“When I got home that day I went on the Office Depot website and signed up for it,” Pagano said. “I sent notes to all my friends on Facebook to nominate me and here I am.”

Pagano is one of two finalists for the Office Depot Small Business of NASCAR award. His competitor for the million dollar grand prize is Rose Berger, owner of Professional Cleaning Service in Greer, South Carolina.

Both finalists have been having the NASCAR time of their lives prior to the second Chase race at Dover International Speedway. The pre-race festivities have been especially enjoyable for Pagano, who has been a NASCAR fan for quite some time.

“The original interest in NASCAR came from our son, who is a high school junior now, back when he was in kindergarten,” Pagano said. “He had a Jeff Gordon little plastic lunch pail and started watching the races. We started watching the races with him and within a couple of years, we were hooked and going to races at Pocono and Dover.”

Pagano, however, has had to switch his allegiance from Jeff Gordon to Greg Biffle as his primary driver. Not only did Biffle’s interview convince him to enter the contest, but Pagano is also paired with Biffle for the contest, who will make Pagano a millionaire if he wins the Dover race.

“It was a random pairing,” Pagano said of his match with Biffle. The other finalist is paired with Tony Stewart and whichever driver finishes ahead of the other will make their small business the final winner.

Biffle, who had dinner with both finalists, as well as Tony Stewart, was pretty stoked about the contest as well.

“This weekend is going to be pretty exciting because Office Depot and 3M have created an incredible opportunity with this year’s ‘Official Small Business of NASCAR’ sweepstakes,” Biffle said. “As a small business owner myself, I want to do a great job for PaganoPhoto, the small business featured on my car, and hopefully give them a shot at the $1 million prize.”

Pagano has been busy prior to the race weekend, appearing on SPEED TV’s NASCAR Race Hub show, as well as visiting the new NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte, North Carolina.

“We were at the NASCAR Hall of Fame and we saw a few videos,” Pagano said. “Every one of the videos was of Greg winning a race so that’s a good sign. Also the last time we were at Dover, Greg won. So I told him at dinner that I was his good luck charm at Dover.”

Pagano and his fellow Small Business finalist will also have some surprises in store at the Monster Mile.

“It’s been a whirlwind,” Pagano said. “All they told me is that we’re watching Nationwide and the Cup race. The rest of the details are hush, hush for now.”

The bottom line, however, is that if Greg Biffle crosses the finish line and takes the checkered flag, Mike Pagano will be $1 million richer. His wife and children will also be joining Pagano for the race experience, although they will be trading their Jeff Gordon gear in for Biffle T-shirts and caps.

“This is as close to a million dollars that I’ve ever been,” Pagano said. If he wins that prize, Pagano plans to sink all of the money back into his photography business, enhancing his digital computer capabilities, as well as increasing the income tax coffers of the State of New Jersey.

While only one small business owner will walk away with the big bucks, both Pagano and Berger are set to receive a $10,000 small business makeover from Office Depot. Each competitor also gets the name of their small business on the back of Biffle’s and Stewart’s race car respectively.

“That was really a cool thing to see,” Pagano said after getting a preview glimpse of his business’ name on Biffle’s car. “I saw a tear in my wife’s eye.”

While Pagano is enthusiastically pulling for Biffle to be in victory lane, Tony Stewart, racing for Rose Berger and her cleaning business is stoked for the competition.

“Building a successful small business takes a lot of hard work,” Stewart, a NASCAR small businessman himself, said. “It’s great to be able to reward small business owners for their dedication.”

“Greg (Biffle) and I are definitely ready to battle it out this weekend on their behalf,” Stewart said. “We both want to deliver the $1 million prize with a win and the bragging rights that come with it.”

Round two of NASCAR’s 2010 Chase for the Sprint Cup Championship moves on to the Dover International Raceway this Sunday. This one mile concrete oval is governed by a large concrete mascot, with bright red eyes, known as Miles the Monster. Like its racing mascot, this track is known for aggressive behavior. The one mile oval has all of the short track characteristics of a half mile counterpart. Drivers have to pass carefully and if they take too long with the process race traffic behind them will quickly pull up on their bumpers. It’s also a track that is physically and mentally demanding on the drivers as well as a good source for road rage. Add the element of the Chase into the mix and the AAA 400 has all the makings of a highly entertaining Sunday afternoon.

THE STORY BREAKDOWN

We all know what “THE STORY” of the week is. It’s of course Wednesday’s announcement by NASCAR that said Clint Bowyer’s #33 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet failed to pass an additional inspection at their R&D Center following last weekend’s New Hampshire race. The left rear of the car was reported to be too high, a mere sixty one thousandths of an inch to be exact.

The punishment for the crime was harsh. Crew chief Shane Wilson was fined $150,000 and suspended for the next six Sprint Cup races. Additionally Wilson was prohibited from participating in any NASCAR sanctioned events until November 3d and was also placed on probation until December 31st. Chad Haney, the team’s car chief, didn’t receive a monetary fine but was suspended under the same terms as Wilson. Bowyer and Childress were docked 150 driver and owner points respectively.

But what is most interesting here is the statement released by team owner Richard Childress Wednesday afternoon. The statement began with the obligatory apology to the team’s sponsors, fans and RCR employees. Childress also stated that his racing teams, and the people behind them, has a long standing reputation of integrity as well as obeying the rules.

Childress went on the say that the team was actually warned that the rear of the #33 Chevrolet was very close to being in violation approximately two weeks ago. “NASCAR informed us after the Richmond race that we were very close to maximum tolerances. They also told us they were going to take our New Hampshire car to the NASCAR Technical Center after that race. It doesn’t make any sense at all that we would send a car to New Hampshire that wasn’t within NASCAR tolerances. I am confident that we fixed the area of concern and the New Hampshire car left the shop well within the tolerances required by NASCAR,” Childress said.

Childress also shared a very interesting theory regarding how the rear of his car failed to pass inspection and said “we feel certain that the cause of the car being out of tolerance by sixty one thousandths of an inch, less than one sixteenth of an inch, happened as a result of the wrecker hitting the bumper when it was pushed to the winner’s circle, (after the car ran out of fuel). The rear bumper was also hit during the cool down lap by other drivers congratulating Clint on his victory. That’s the only logical way that the left rear of the car was found to be too high at the Technical Center.” Childress also announced that he intended to pursue the full appeal process available to him.

On Wednesday Robin Pemberton, NASCAR Vice President of Competition, discounted the theory that it was the wrecker that raised the rear of the Bowyer car. The following day NASCAR officials said they would not be making any further comments on the matter pending the completion of the appeal process.

The theory regarding the wrecker pushing the Bowyer car, as well as the congratulatory bumps, is most interesting and we can all expect to hear a lot of lively debate on this issue from the television coverage during the Dover weekend.

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After winning at New Hampshire Bowyer vaulted from 12th to second in the Chase standings. Wednesday’s loss of championship points returns him to 12th. There has already been speculation that says any driver 100 or more points out of first is already eliminated as a championship contender. Mathematically that’s really not true. But, realistically speaking, you have to consider the theory as being a valid point.

In addition to Clint Bowyer, drivers Greg Biffle, Jeff Burton, Tony Stewart and Matt Kenseth are 100 or more points from the top of the standings. Stewart and Biffle understand how to find victory lane at Dover. They been there two times each. Burton and Kenseth are also previous winners there. Look for this group to charge hard next Sunday in an effort to dig themselves out of the points hole they’re currently in.

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THE VEGAS BREAKDOWN

The Las Vegas based WSE-World Sports Exchange, has two drivers at the top of their rankings for Sunday’s race at Dover at 4 to 1 odds. The first is Kyle Busch. The driver of the #18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota is a two time winner at Dover including the spring race earlier this year. That means he’s be looking for a sweep. Joining him at 4 to 1 is the heavily favored Jimmie Johnson and his #48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. Johnson is a five time Dover winner and is also the defending race champion which he won last year from the pole position.

At 10 to 1 this week you’ll will find two representatives from Roush Fenway Racing. Carl Edwards is a former race winner and has an outstanding record on concrete based race tracks. In fact, one of his many nicknames is “Concrete Carl.” Greg Biffle is a two time winner at Dover and is expected to be a major player during Sunday’s race.

The WSE has a large group of drivers ranked at 15 to 1 this week. This group is led by four time race winner Jeff Gordon and two time winner Tony Stewart as well as former race winners Matt Kenseth and Jeff Burton. Also in this group are Kurt Busch, Kevin Harvick and Denny Hamlin.

All by himself, at 18 to 1, is Clint Bowyer a driver that everyone is going to be watching this Sunday. Also in the middle tier this week, at 20 to 1, are Earnhardt Ganassi Racing team mates Juan Pablo Montoya and Jamie McMurray.

At the lower end of the WSE list this week are drivers Kasey Kahne and David Reutimann at 25 to 1. At 30 to 1 is Martin Truex Jr a former race winner who considers Dover his home track. Ryan Newman and Joey Logano complete the list at 35 to 1. Newman might make an interesting long shot wager because he’s a three time Dover winner.

Another long shot bet is Mark Martin. It’s no secret that his #5 Hendrick Motorsports team has been wading through the frustration of a very disappointing season. But if there was a race track where this team can find their mojo again it’s Dover. Martin is a four time winner there. He also owns the track record for top five finishes, at 22, as well as top tens at 30. Martin is not ranked on the WSE’s official list this week. That means he’s included in the category known as “all others” which comes with 15 to 1 odds.

When it comes to the 2010 Sprint Cup Championship, the WSE has had Jimmie Johnson on top of their favorites list since January. Interestingly enough, that all changed this week. Denny Hamlin is now topping the WSE list at 3 to 1 odds followed by Kevin Harvick- 7 to 2, Jimmie Johnson- 4 to 1, Kyle Busch- 7 to 1 along with Tony Stewart and Clint Bowyer at 8 to 1. The rankings for the remainder of the 12 Chase contenders are Jeff Gordon- 12 to 1, Kurt Busch- 18 to 1, Carl Edwards and Jeff Burton- 20 to 1, Greg Biffle- 30 to 1 and Matt Kenseth- 50 to 1.

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THE RACE BREAKDOWN

The AAA 400 is 400 laps around the Dover International Raceway’s one mile concrete oval.

The race has 46 entries vying for the 43 starting berths.

11 of those entries are on the go or go home list meaning these teams do not have a guaranteed starting berth in the race because they are currently outside of NASCAR’s top 35 in owner’s points. These teams will have to rely on qualifying speeds to make the race.

The track record for most wins is shared by NASCAR legends Richard Petty and Bobby Allison at seven each.

Chevrolet leads the manufacturer’s Dover win list at 30. Hendrick Motorsports tops the team wins category at 12.

The track opened in 1969. The first NASCAR Sprint Cup race was held there in July of 1969 and was won by Richard Petty. Since that time there has been 81 Cup races there that has sent 32 different winners to victory lane.

Jeremy Mayfield holds the track qualifying record, 161.522 MPH, set in June of 2004. David Pearson holds the track record for the most poles at six. Among active drivers Ryan Newman, Mark Martin and Jeff Gordon has won the pole four times each. 12 Dover races has been won from the pole.

NASCAR veteran Dick May holds the record for driving the most cars during a single race at Dover. In May of 1975 May parked his permanent ride, owned by Richard Childress, for a 35th finish early in the race. During the course of the day he performed relief driver duties for four other teams.

The Dover International Raceway’s one mile oval was changed to its present concrete surface in 1995.

The turns have 24 degrees banking while the straights are banked nine degrees. The front and back stretch each measure 1,076 feet.

The pit road speed is 35 MPH.

The track presently has seating for 135,000.

The weather could turn out to be an interesting dilemma for crew chiefs. The Saturday forecast for Dover calls for sunny skies and 87 degrees. However Sunday’s forecast calls for extreme clouds and 75 degrees. That’s going to mean cooler track temperatures that could impact tire grip and handling.

The AAA 400 will be broadcast live by the ESPN2 Network beginning at 12 pm eastern time. The re airs are scheduled for Monday, 330 am et on ESPN2, and on Wednesday, 12 pm et on SPEED.