2019 Dover International Speedway, Gander RV 400

So, now we know that the changes to the aero package at Talladega and Daytona doesn’t really change the way the races play out at those tracks. It is still pack racing like we are used to seeing with the possibility of having a crash that will take out a lot of drivers at one time. I’m glad to see that most of you didn’t use drivers that you are going to use all of their starts for in last week’s fantasy lineups.

GANDER RV 400

This week the series heads to the Dover International Speedway for the running of the Gander RV 400. This is a one-mile high banked concrete oval and is also known as The Monster Mile. This is another of my favorite venues to watch a race at. The racing seems to be fast paced with multiple grooves available for passing. Hopefully that will remain the same with the new larger spoiler on the cars.

Martin Truex Jr.: Martin is my pick to win this week’s race at the Monster Mile. He has qualified in the top three in his last five races here and finished in the top five in four of those races. He has also scored points in seven of the eight stages he has run here. The Toyota’s look as good as the Ford’s right now for speed and Martin has shown he knows how to get around this track.

Daniel Suarez: Daniel is my dark horse this week and I think everyone should have him on their roster. He has finished in the top ten in all four races he has run here and his team looks very good every week with Stewart-Haas Racing. I think he makes a run at a win this week and comes away with at least a top ten finish once again.

Chase Elliott: Chase has five top five finishes in his six career starts at Dover. After picking up a win at Talladega last week, this team has some momentum right now. He has been the best of all the Chevy drivers this season and we saw that the Hendrick teams found some more speed at Texas. If that speed holds, Chase will be a contender for back to back wins this weekend.

Jimmie Johnson: Jimmie is another of the Hendrick drivers that showed speed at Texas and has won an impressive eleven races at Dover. He should definitely be on your roster this week and then we can decide if we want to start him or sit him after qualifying and practice is over. This race is one of the races this team has a great chance at breaking back into the win column in.

Kyle Busch: Kyle should be on our radar each and every week. Not that we will have him on our roster, but we need to think about where we really want to use him. Looking at his stats at Dover I see that he runs very well here in the fall, but only average in the spring race. In the last five spring races at Dover, Kyle’s best finish is sixteenth and he finished worse than thirtieth in the other four races. Might want to leave him off our rosters this week.

Denny Hamlin: Denny has five top ten finishes in his last six starts at this track and will be looking for a little redemption this week after getting involved in an early crash at Talladega last week. Once again, this team is looking for nothing other than collecting playoff points and you get those by winning stages and races.

Kurt Busch: Kurt finished fifth in both of the races here last season and has looked very good this season with his new Chip Ganassi team. I think he is going to be competitive once again this week and this team will eventually win a race this sometime this season. Could this be the week for him?

Kevin Harvick: Kevin won this race last year and won all four stages here in both of the races. They are still looking for their first win of the season and this is one of the tracks where they should have a good chance of picking that up. The only concern I have with him is his pit crew seems to make a lot of mistakes and that costs him a lot of spots on the track. On the other hand, he has lead more laps than any other driver at this track over the past two seasons.

Brad Keselowski: Brad has lead laps in the last three races he has run here and scored stage points in all six of the stages run in those races. We know how fast the Penske teams have all been this season and that is another advantage he will have this weekend. My concern with him is that they know they already are in the playoffs and will have a different strategy to try and get themselves the win to collect playoff points. That can backfire on them and they might not have the finish we are looking for.

Clint Bowyer: Clint finished second in this race last year and has finished in the top ten in over half of his twenty-six career starts at Dover. These guys have shown a lot of improvement in Clint’s third season with Stewart-Haas Racing. I look for him to run with the leaders for most of the day and to come away with at least another top ten finish this weekend.

DRIVER GROUP GAME FANTASY NASCAR PICKS FOR DOVER INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY

Driver Group Game Group A

• Martin Truex Jr.
• Kevin Harvick

Driver Group Game Group B

• Daniel Suarez
• Kurt Busch
• Jimmie Johnson
• Clint Bowyer

Driver Group Game Group C

• Matt DiBenedetto
• Chris Buescher

MY TOP-5 OVERALL AT DOVER INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY

1. Martin Truex Jr.
2. Kevin Harvick
3. Chase Elliott
4. Daniel Suarez
5. Jimmie Johnson

Dark Horse: Daniel Suarez

Stay Away From: Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

Big 18: Jimmie Johnson