Dover…Bristol On Steroids
Kasey Kahne, driver of the No. 5 Quaker State Chevrolet, celebrates in Victory Lane after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Sunday in Concord, N.C.
Credit: John Harrelson/Getty Images for NASCAR
I would like to congratulate Kasey Kahne on winning his first race with Hendrick Motorsports and his third Coca-Cola 600. We are now 1/3 of the way through the season and after next week we will be halfway to the Chase.
Two of the things that I have noticed so far this season are that there haven’t been a lot of engine failures, but there have been a lot of fuel related problems. My only guess is that both of these issues are related to NASCAR going to the fuel injected engines.
This coming week the series heads to Dover, Delaware and the running of the FedEx 400 benefiting Autism Speaks. Dover International Speedway is a one-mile high banked oval, or as I like to call it, Bristol on steroids. This is one of my favorite tracks on the circuit.
FedEx 400 benefiting Autism Speaks
Matt Kenseth: Matt is my pick to win the race this week at Dover. Matt won this race last season and has been on a roll here over the last five seasons. During that time he has finished in the top five in 8 of his 10 starts at this track.
Carl Edwards: I think that this is the race that Carl breaks out somewhat and gives his teammate a run for the trophy. Carl has one win here during his career and has finished in the top five in 7 of the 15 races he has run here.
Kyle Busch: Kyle has a pair of wins at this track, the latest coming in the spring of 2010. He has finished in the top six in his last four starts here and had another good run at Charlotte last weekend. It seems like this team is starting to look like a contender every week.
Jimmie Johnson: Jimmie had a good run going at Charlotte last week until a late race pit stop where the was left in the car when he exited the pits and the resulting penalty took him out of contention. Jimmie has won three of the last six races run at Dover and will have a shot at the end of this race to go back to victory lane.
Mark Martin: Mark started out the year consistently finishing in the top ten, but lately this team has run into some mechanical issues. Mark has always run well at Dover and this might be just the race he needs to get back on track.
Kevin Harvick: Kevin has never been spectacular at Dover but he has finished in the top ten in three of his last four starts there. This team seems to be mediocre at the beginning of races but they are always there at the end contending for a win this season. If they start out on top of their game they will be tough to beat.
Jeff Gordon: Jeff finally came away with a top ten finish last weekend after a string of races where he finished outside the top twenty. This is a track that Jeff has been good on during his career and he will try to keep his momentum going this weekend.
Denny Hamlin: This team, like Kyle Busch’s team, seems to be improving every week. At this stage of the season that is what you want to do. However, this is a track that he seems to struggle at. He has only lead one race here in his short career and hopes to change that stat this week.
Greg Biffle: Greg kept his impressive season going once again last week at Charlotte with another top five finish. Greg, like the rest of the Roush drivers, has been very good at Dover throughout his career and I look for him to be in contention with his teammate’s once again this weekend.
Tony Stewart: Even though Tony has not finished on the lead lap in his last three starts at Dover he has had a lot of success here during his career. Look for Smoke to rebound this week with another top ten finish here.
Yahoo Fantasy NASCAR Picks for Dover International Speedway
Yahoo Driver Group A
- Matt Kenseth
- Jimmie Johnson
Yahoo Driver Group B
- Greg Biffle
- Clint Bowyer
- Jeff Burton
- Marcos Ambrose
Yahoo Driver Group C
- Bobby Labonte
- Aric Almirola
My Top-5 For Dover International Speedway
- Matt Kenseth
- Jimmie Johnson
- Greg Biffle
- Kyle Busch
- Carl Edwards
Dark Horse: Marcos Ambrose
Stay Away From: Juan Pablo Montoya
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