NASCAR National Series News & Notes — Dover & Las Vegas
NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
Harvick On The Ropes Heading Into Dover
Defending champion Kevin Harvick has two options heading into Sunday’s AAA 400 at Dover International Speedway (2:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN) – the first cutoff race of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup – win or go home.
The No. 4 Chevrolet driver ranks 15th out of 16 drivers on the Chase Grid and sits 23 points below 12th-place Dale Earnhardt Jr. on the cutoff line. He mathematically can still make the Contender Round on points, but it would be a tough task, requiring him to jump three drivers.
Basically, if Harvick doesn’t visit Victory Lane, he will be knocked out of NASCAR’s playoffs as one of the four winless drivers lowest in points.
In 29 career starts at the track known as the “Monster Mile,” Harvick has never won. No active driver has made more starts at Dover without a win. However, he did finish runner-up in the spring race in Delaware’s capital.
Last season, Harvick found himself in a similar situation after placing 33rd at Martinsville to open the Eliminator 8. He won one race later at Phoenix in a do-or-die situation to salvage his championship run.
Busch’s Contender Round Hopes Hinge On Dover Performance
If he doesn’t act fast, Kyle Busch’s dream season is going to come to a close.
Busch currently sits 13th on the Chase Grid, one point behind Dale Earnhardt Jr. for the final spot in the Contender Round.
To advance in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Busch needs to either win Sunday’s race at Dover or avoid being one of the four winless drivers lowest in points.
Fortunately, Busch has a strong track record at the Monster Mile. He boasts two wins, nine top fives and 13 top 10s at the Delaware track. Busch also has strong loop statistics, owning the third-best Dover driver rating (105.0) and the fourth-best average running position (11.235).
Busch returned to NSCS action in late May, just four months after breaking his leg and fracturing his foot in an accident at Daytona. In only 15 regular season races, he racked up four wins, tying Matt Kenseth and Jimmie Johnson for the series lead.
And it’s those four regular season wins – and the Chase bonus points that went with them – that may earn him a spot in the next round. When the Chase started, all Chase drivers had their points reset to 2,000, with three bonus points added for every regular season win. Busch started the Chase with 2,012 points. Earnhardt started with 2,006. Jamie McMurray, who sits just two points ahead of Busch, is winless in 2015 and started with 2,000.
Only time will tell if he’ll actually need to rely on those extra points — but it certainly looks like he will.
Jimmie Johnson Set To Make 500th Start At Place He Wins ‘Dover And Dover’ Again
It’s not all in his head. Jimmie Johnson does it “Dover and Dover” again at the Monster Mile.
The No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet driver owns a track-record 10 wins at Dover International Speedway, including checkered flags in three of the last four races there. Additionally, he’s the only active driver with 10 or more wins at a single track.
It’s fitting that Johnson will make his 500th start on Sunday at the oval he dominates.
Over his career, Johnson boasts 74 wins (eighth all-time), 204 top fives (10th all-time) and 310 top 10s (15th all-time). The California native made his first start at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Oct. 7, 2001, and notched his first victory in his 13th race on April 28, 2002, at Auto Club Speedway.
Joe Gibbs Racing Continues Dominance
Joe Gibbs Racing has carried its end-of-season dominance into the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. The organization has won the first two races of NASCAR’s playoffs (Denny Hamlin, Chicagoland; Matt Kenseth, New Hampshire) after visiting Victory Lane in eight of the last 11 regular season races.
The team has also finished 1-2 in three consecutive races, a feat that hasn’t happened since 1956, when owner Carl Kiekhaefer did it in four consecutive races.
As a result of their wins, Hamlin and Kenseth have advanced to the Contender Round of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. JGR drivers Carl Edwards and Kyle Busch rank third and 13th on the Chase Grid, respectively. Edwards only needs to earn 12 points at Dover (32nd and no laps, 33rd and at least one lap, 34th, and most laps led) to transfer to the Contender Round. Busch, on the other hand, only controls his destiny by winning. Luckily for him, he sits just one point below the cutoff line and can still advance on points.
Clinch Scenarios for Dover: Safety In Numbers?
Only two drivers have locked up a spot in the Contender Round – Denny Hamlin thanks to his Chicagoland win, and New Hampshire winner Matt Kenseth.
Everyone else enters with a mathematical chance and missing the next round. And there are some BIG names in danger of seeing their title hopes evaporate at Dover.
Some should feel secure. Like these guys (all clinch scenarios are regardless of any other driver’s finish):
Carl Edwards guarantees a clinch with a finish of 32nd or better; 33rd and at least one lap led; or 34th and the most laps led. Edwards has an average finish of 15.3 this season and 10.6 at Dover. He should be safe.
Joey Logano guarantees a clinch with a finish of 31st or better; 32nd and at least one lap led; or 33rd and the most laps led. Logano has an average finish this season of 8.3, and a Dover average finish of 13.6. He looks good.
Jimmie Johnson guarantees a clinch with a finish of 25th or better; 26th and at least one lap led; or 27th and the most laps led. Johnson hasn’t won in 15 races, but his 10 wins at Dover should make him feel comfortable. It’d be the upset of the century if he gets bounced.
Some might be a tad worried, but all-in-all it should work out. Like these guys:
Ryan Newman guarantees a clinch with a finish of 16th or better; 17th and at least one lap led; or 18th and most laps led. Driving to his average finish of 13.6 at Dover would be enough to clinch. But, he’s finished 18th or worse in two of the last three Dover races.
Kurt Busch guarantees a clinch with a finish of 15th or better; 16th and at least one lap led; or 17th and the most laps led. Busch has finished outside the top 15 in each of the last four Dover races, including a 31st-place finish in May.
Brad Keselowski guarantees a clinch with a finish of 14th or better; 15th and at least one lap led; or 16th and the most laps led. He should be OK, considering he’s finished runner-up in two of the last three Dover races.
Martin Truex Jr. guarantees a clinch with a finish of 13th or better; 14th and at least one lap led; or 15th and the most laps led. This is the perfect track for Truex. It’s his home track; he won his first race there in 2007, and he’s finished in the top 10 in the last three Dover races. His Contender Round chances look good.
Jeff Gordon guarantees a clinch with a finish of 10th or better; 11th and at least one lap led; 12th and the most laps led. Gordon has finished in the top 10 in each of the last two Dover races, and his last win came in this race last year. He’s in good shape, unlike…
For everyone else, the only way to guarantee a spot in the next round is a win. That group includes Jamie McMurray, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kyle Busch, Paul Menard, Kevin Harvick and Clint Bowyer. Of course, there are other ways the above can get in, but the safest and only SURE way is victory.
NASCAR XFINITY SERIES
Dover Bound: Chris Buescher Returns To Complete The Sweep
Roush Fenway Racing’s Chris Buescher returns to Dover International Speedway for the Hisense 200 (3:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN) hoping to see Victory Lane Déjà vu and complete the single-season sweep at the Monster Mile.
Earlier this season, Buescher and crew chief Scott Graves played the fuel mileage strategy to perfection beating second-place finisher and 2015 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Challenger Matt Kenseth by more than 11 seconds at Dover.
This weekend, Buescher will attempt to pull off the sweep, becoming the seventh driver in series history to accomplish the feat: Robert Pressley (1992), Todd Bodine (1993), Randy LaJoie (1996), Kyle Busch (2010 and 2014), Carl Edwards (2011), Joey Logano (2012 and 2013; four straight).
Buescher has made three starts, posting one win, two top fives and an average finish of 5.3.
Blaney Wants To Make It Back-To-Back Wins
Coming off his second win of the season last weekend at Kentucky, Ryan Blaney reports to Dover with one thing on his mind – win again.
Blaney has the chance to go back-to-back and win two consecutive races, a feat that has yet to be achieved this season.
Blaney’s chances are good. He will be strapping into the car owner points leading Team Penske No. 22 Ford at Dover. This season the No. 22 team has posted six wins (series-most) and led a total of 1,270 laps of a possible 4,846 (26.2% – series-most).
Blaney has made two series starts at Dover posting a best finish of 13th in 2012. Earlier this season at Dover he started ninth but finished 69 laps down in 34th after being caught in an accident.
Dillon Looking To Continue To Chop Into Buescher’s Standings Lead
Second in points, Richard Childress Racing’s Ty Dillon has broken out the small axe and is chopping into the standings lead that Chris Buescher is trying to maintain, but to no avail.
Dillon knocked six points off Buescher’s lead from 25 points to 19 following his runner-up finish that saw 43 laps led at Kentucky Speedway last weekend.
Dillon struts into Dover knowing his biggest competition took the checkered earlier this season. But don’t think his momentum stalls. Dillon has made five starts at Dover and has posted four top 10s and an average finish of 11.4.
Six To Go: Can Elliott Find The Gear He Needs?
With big plans to move up to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series on the horizon next season, Chase Elliott has just six races to go to catch NASCAR XFINITY Series standings leader Chris Buescher and second-place Ty Dillon if he wants to win consecutive championships. Elliott has the chance to become just the sixth driver in series history to win back-to-back titles, much like his JR Motorsports owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. did in 1998-’99.
Elliott is 25 points back from Buescher heading to Dover this weekend. In his sophomore season, Elliott has posted one win, 11 top fives and a series-leading 21 top 10s, a consistency that has kept him in contention for the title.
Elliott, 19, has performed well at Dover. In three starts, he has two top fives and an average finish of 4.5 (his sixth-best on the active schedule).
The next six races are pivotal for Elliott; fortunately for him he has an average finish in the top 10 at four out of the six tracks (Dover, 4.5; Kansas, 10.0; Charlotte, 17.7; Texas, 4.3; Phoenix, 7.0; Homestead-Miami, 17.0).
Sunoco Rookie Update: Suarez and Wallace
Rookie contenders, Daniel Suarez, and Darrell Wallace Jr., continue to showcase their skills while competing in the NASCAR XFINITY Series as they contend for the Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors this season.
Daniel Suarez has made 27 starts in 2015, posting three Coors Light poles, six top fives, and 12 top 10s. He currently leads the Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings by 23 points over second-place. Suarez is tied with former Sunoco Rookies of the Year Austin Dillon (2012) and Kenny Wallace (1989) for the third-most Coors Light poles by a Sunoco Rookie in the NXS during their rookie season; behind Kyle Busch (5) and Carl Edwards (4).
But don’t count out Darrell Wallace Jr. just yet; with six races remaining he still has a chance. Darrell scrapped three points off of Suarez’s rookie points lead this past weekend at Kentucky dropping it to 23 points. Wallace posted his 11th top 10 finish in the process.
Heading to Dover, Wallace will be making his third start at the Monster Mile this weekend; in his previous two starts he has posted two Coors Light poles and an average finish of 14.5.
Suarez made his series debut at Dover earlier this season where he started fourth but finished 19th.
NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES
Standings Snapshot: Crafton Gains On Jones At New Hampshire
Matt Crafton finished runner-up in Saturday’s UNOH 175 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway to jump Tyler Reddick for the second spot in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series standings. Crafton trails standings leader Erik Jones (who finished seventh at New Hampshire) by a mere seven points. Reddick, now third, needs to erase a 19-point deficit to catch Jones in the final six races.
Jones heads to Las Vegas as the defending race winner. He enters the race riding a streak of nine consecutive top-10 finishes.
In 14 career starts at Las Vegas, Crafton owns six top fives and seven top 10s. He has finished runner-up three times in the City of Lights. The ThorSport Racing driver has won five races at 1.5-mile tracks in the last two seasons.
Dillon Gets GMS Its First Win In 500th Truck Race
Austin Dillon earned GMS Racing its first NASCAR national series victory, leading 80 laps from the pole to win the UNOH 175 – the 500th race in NASCAR Camping World Truck Series history.
Owned by Maurice Gallagher, the Statesville, North Carolina-based organization fields three trucks, the No. 21, No. 23 and No. 33. Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidate Spencer Gallagher, Brandon Jones, Austin Dillon and Ty Dillon have all competed for GMS this season.
NASCAR XFINITY Series driver Brennan Poole will make his NCWTS debut at Las Vegas on Saturday, driving the No. 21 for GMS Motorsports.
Pastrana Returns To NASCAR For Vegas Truck Race
Extreme sports star Travis Pastrana makes his return to NASCAR in Saturday’s Rhino Linings 350 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (10 p.m. ET on FS1).
The 31-year-old Maryland native will compete in an entry fielded by NTS Motorsports.
Pastrana’s last NASCAR race was the 2013 XFINITY Series finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway where he finished 18th. That season he ran a full schedule for Roush Fenway Racing, posting four top 10s and earning one Coors Light Pole Award in 33 starts.
Pastrana finished 17th in the only NASCAR Camping World Truck Series event he has ever competed in – at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (Sept. 28, 2012).
Mud Summer Classic Winner Christopher Bell To Make First Start Since Eldora
He’s back.
Christopher Bell returns to the No. 54 Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota Tundra for the first time since slingin’ and slidin’ to victory in the Mud Summer Classic at Eldora Speedway in July.
The 20-year-old Norman, Oklahoma native has made three NCWTS starts for KBM this year and boasts two top fives.
Gallagher Gets To Go Home For Vegas Truck Race
Sin City native Spencer Gallagher heads back to his hometown for Sunday’s Rhino Linings 350 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
The Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidate heads into the 18th race of the season with one top-five showing and five top-10 finishes.
Gallagher finished 13th after starting sixth last year in his lone previous NASCAR Camping World Truck Series start at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
He began racing at LVMS at 12 years old, beginning in the Bandolero Bandit Series, and then advancing to the Legends Car Series.
Gallagher ranks ninth in the NCWTS standings, trailing eighth-place John Wes Townley by 14 points.
Truck Series Sees 11th Winner In 17 Races
The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series saw its 11th different winner of the season when Austin Dillon took the checkered flag at New Hampshire last Saturday, surpassing its total of 10 winners last season.
The average age of race winners this season is 26.4, further illustrating the NCWTS as a proving ground for younger drivers. In fact, four of the winners are current/former NASCAR Next members: Erik Jones, Cole Custer, John Hunter Nemechek and Ryan Blaney.
Matt Crafton leads the NCWTS with four wins this season, followed by Erik Jones, Tyler Reddick and Kyle Busch who all have two victories.
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Etc.
ThorSport Racing drivers Matt Crafton, Johnny Sauter and Cameron Hayley will participate in an autograph session at the Double Barrel Roadhouse in the Monte Carlo from 3 – 5 p.m. PT on Friday.
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Next Race: AAA 400
The Place: Dover International Speedway
The Date: Sunday, Oct. 4
The Time: 2:30 p.m. (ET)
TV: NBCSN, 2 p.m. (ET)
Radio: MRN, SiriusXM Ch. 90
Distance: 400 miles (400 laps)
NASCAR XFINITY Series
Next Race: Hisense 200
The Place: Dover International Speedway
The Date: Saturday, Oct. 3
The Time: 3:30 p.m. (ET)
TV: NBCSN, 3 p.m. (ET)
Radio: MRN, SiriusXM Ch. 90
Distance: 200 miles (200 laps)
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
Next Race: Rhino Linings 350
The Place: Las Vegas Motor Speedway
The Date: Saturday, Oct. 3
The Time: 10 p.m. (ET)
TV: FS1, 9:30 p.m. (ET)
Radio: MRN, SiriusXM Ch. 90
Distance: 219 miles (146 laps)
Sources: NASCAR PR