Both of the Penske drivers have won a race in the Chase and are guaranteed a place in the next round after Joey Logano won the race on Sunday at New Hampshire. Many of the other Chase drivers found a lot of trouble on the track and now they have one race to move into the top twelve in the standings or they will be eliminated from the Chase. Denny Hamlin, Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch, Jeff Gordon, and Matt Kenseth were all involved in crashes that put them in a precarious position heading to Dover this week.
AAA 400
The first elimination race will be held at Dover International Speedway, which is a one-mile concrete oval with a lot of banking in the corners also known as the Monster Mile. The last five Chase spots are going to be up for grabs as all of the drivers from eighth to sixteenth are all within twelve points of each other. A mistake on the track or on pit road will end the season for a driver, so all of the drivers who are in the eighth thru sixteenth positions will be nervous next weekend.
Jimmie Johnson: Jimmie is my pick to get back to his winning ways this weekend at Dover. Jimmie has won the last two races at this track and has nine career wins here. This team knows that they are going to have to win races during the Chase to have any chance of winning another championship and they will get their first win of the Chase this weekend.
Jeff Gordon: Jeff has four career wins at this track and has finished in the top five in three of his last four starts here. Jeff should remain in the top twelve in points no matter where he finishes in this race, but would love to pick up his first win of the Chase and gain some points Brad Keselowski as the Chase continues.
Brad Keselowski: Brad has also finished in the top five here in three of his last four starts including a win in this race two years ago. He is already locked in the next round by virtue of his win at Chicagoland in the first race of the Chase and leads the point standings right now.
Joey Logano: Joey picked up his fourth win of the season and first of the Chase as he heads to Dover this weekend. Joey has not won a race at Dover yet, but he has run well there lately. He has five straight top ten finishes and just needs to stay in contention and pick up a few points each week on those ahead of him in the standings. Both of the Penske drivers look very good so far during the Chase.
Kevin Harvick: Kevin is another driver who has yet to win a race at Dover. Kevin has finished in the top ten in three of his last five starts here. This team has had a car that could contend for a win almost every week this season and need to pick up some wins during the Chase to keep advancing.
Clint Bowyer: Clint hasn’t won a race yet this season and didn’t make the Chase, but that doesn’t mean this team won’t win any races during the Chase. Clint has finished in the top ten in seven straight races at Dover and they will be confident heading into the weekend. Clint is a great driver and just needs to have luck on his side to get a win this year.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Dale finished second in this race last season and has finished in the top eleven in his last five starts at Dover. This team needs to run a little better to keep advancing and giving themselves a shot to win the championship. I think this week will be the one where they get back to having a contending car and that will give them confidence moving forward.
Matt Kenseth: Matt is currently in eighth place in the standings, but only eight points ahead of Denny Hamlin and Greg Biffle who are tied in points and sit in thirteenth and fourteenth place heading to the final race of the Challenger round of the Chase. Matt has run well at Dover recently finishing in the top ten in five of his last seven starts. He needs another top ten finish to make sure he moves into the Contender round.
Kyle Busch: Kyle has won two races at this track during his career and showed me that he can remain calm and is able to fight back from adversity, which is something you need to do to stay in contention. After being involved in a wreck last week at Loudon, Kyle fought back the remainder of the race and salvaged a top ten finish. He has finished in the top ten at Dover in seven of his last nine starts.
Kyle Larson: Kyle has been in contention in a lot of races lately and he finished eleventh in his only start at Dover back in June. Kyle looks like he is going to win a race very soon and wrap up rookie of the year honors. He seems to have a good head on his shoulders when he is interviewed after an accident and doesn’t get upset over things he can’t control. This guy is just going to keep getting better as his career progresses.
YAHOO! FANTASY NASCAR PICKS FOR DOVER INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
Yahoo Driver Group A
- Jimmie Johnson
- Jeff Gordon
Yahoo Driver Group B
- Joey Logano
- Brad Keselowski
- Carl Edwards
- Denny Hamlin
Yahoo Driver Group C
- Kyle Larson
- Austin Dillon
MY TOP-5 OVERALL AT DOVER INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
- Jimmie Johnson
- Jeff Gordon
- Joey Logano
- Matt Kenseth
- Clint Bowyer
Dark Horse: Clint Bowyer
Stay Away From: Kurt Busch