concrete racing surface has been likened to racing in a giant cereal bowl. The King Richard Petty won the first Cup series race at Dover International Speedway in 1969, and this track has been thrilling fans with exciting action-packed racing ever since.
As I see it, the following drivers have the best chance of pulling out a top finish this Sunday. I have compiled my ranking by analyzing drivers’ success at this track over the last several years, then adding momentum into the mix by including results from the last month of racing. I also factor in key driver stats from their most recent runs at Dover.
TOP TWENTY-FIVE
1)
16Greg Biffle
2)5Mark Martin
3)99Carl Edwards
4)48Jimmie Johnson
5)17Matt Kenseth
6)18Kyle Busch
7)39Ryan Newman
8)24Jeff Gordon
9)11Denny Hamlin
10)31Jeff Burton
11)33Clint Bowyer
13)1Martin Truex Jr.
14)00David Reutimann
15)42Juan Pablo Montoya
16)29Kevin Harvick
17)26Jamie McMurray
18)9Kasey Kahne
19)14Tony Stewart
20)07Casey Mears
21)88Dale Earnhardt Jr.
22)83Brian Vickers
23)47Marcos Ambrose
24)77Sam Hornish Jr.
25)43Reed Sorenson
SELECTED DOVER DRIVER STATS
Greg Biffle (No. 16 3M Ford)
• Two wins, six top fives, nine top 10s; one pole
• Average finish of 10.6
• Series-best Average Running Position of 6.6
• Series-best Driver Rating of 117.0
• Series-high 372 Fastest Laps Run
• 325 Green Flag Passes, 12th-most
• Series-best Average Green Flag Speed of 141.745 mph
• Series-high 3,352 Laps in the Top 15 (93.0%)
• 276 Quality Passes (passes of cars in the top 15 under green), second-most
Mark Martin (No. 5 Kellogg’s/CARQUEST Chevrolet)
• Four wins, 21 top fives, 29 top 10s; four poles
• Average finish of 12.7
• Average Running Position of 9.7, fifth-best
• Driver Rating of 100.6, fifth-best
• 226 Fastest Laps Run, fifth-most
• 2,776 Laps in the Top 15 (77.0%), fifth-most
• 194 Quality Passes, seventh-most
Carl Edwards (No. 99 Aflac Ford)
• One win, five top fives, seven top 10s
• Average finish of 7.6
• Average Running Position of 9.3, fourth-best
• Driver Rating of 106.6, fourth-best
• 287 Fastest Laps Run, fourth-most
• Average Green Flag Speed of 141.431 mph, fifth-fastest
• 2,733 Laps in the Top 15 (75.8%), sixth-most
• 262 Quality Passes, third-most
Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet)
• Four wins, six top fives, 10 top 10s; one pole
• Average finish of 10.4
• Average Running Position of 10.5, sixth-best
• Driver Rating of 108.2, third-best
• 320 Fastest Laps Run, second-most
• 356 Green Flag Passes, fifth-most
• 2,806 Laps in the Top 15 (77.9%), fourth-most
• 191 Quality Passes, eighth-most
Ryan Newman (No. 39 U.S. Army Chevrolet)
• Three wins, six top fives, nine top 10s; four poles
• Average finish of 10.3
• Average Running Position of 8.8, third-best
• Driver Rating of 98.4, seventh-best
• 85 Fastest Laps Run, 11th-most
• Average Green Flag Speed of 141.089 mph, 11th-fastest
• 3,167 Laps in the Top 15 (87.9%), third-most
• 189 Quality Passes, ninth-most
Jeff Gordon (No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet)
• Four wins, 14 top fives, 20 top 10s; four poles
• Average finish of 12.4
• Average Running Position of 15.3, 12th-best
• Driver Rating of 87.7, 12th-best
Denny Hamlin (No. 11 FedEx Toyota)
• One top five, two top 10s
• Average finish of 25.6 in seven races
• Has led 61 laps
• Average Running Position of 22.1, 25th-best
• Driver Rating of 74.6, 16fth-best
Kurt Busch (No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge)
• Three top fives, five top 10s
• Average finish of 20.5
• Average Running Position of 12.3, seventh-best
• Driver Rating of 93.5, ninth-best
• 119 Fastest Laps Run, eighth-most
• 335 Green Flag Passes, 10th-most
• Average Green Flag Speed of 141.112 mph, ninth-fastest
• 2,417 Laps in the Top 15 (67.1%), ninth-most
• 195 Quality Passes, sixth-most
Juan Pablo Montoya (No. 42 Target Chevrolet)
• One top 10
• Average finish of 24.4 in five races
• Has led three laps
• Average Running Position of 20.4, 19th-best
• Driver Rating of 70.1, 23rd-best
Kasey Kahne (No. 9 Budweiser Dodge)
• Two top 10s
• Average finish of 24.1 in 11 races
• Has led 64 laps
• Average Running Position of 20.7, 22nd-best
• Driver Rating of 70.3, 21st-best
Tony Stewart (No. 14 Office Depot/Old Spice Chevrolet)
• Two wins, 10 top fives, 13 top 10s
• Average finish of 11.7 in 21 races
• Has led 1,067 laps
• Average Running Position of 22.7, 26th-best
• Driver Rating of 69.2, 24th-best
Brian Vickers (No. 83 Red Bull Toyota)
• One top 10
• Average finish of 21.5 in 11 races
• Has led seven laps
• Average Running Position of 20.6, 20th-best
• Driver Rating of 70.1, 22nd-best
“MONSTER MILE” HIGHLIGHTS
• The official opening of Dover
International Speedway, then called Dover
Downs International Speedway, was in
1969.
• The first NASCAR Sprint Cup race was
held on July 6, 1969, won by Richard
Petty.
• The track surface was changed to
concrete in 1995.
• The track name was changed to Dover
International Speedway in 2002.
• Mark Martin, Jeff Gordon and Ryan
Newman lead all active drivers, each with
four poles.
• Bill Elliott, Jeff Gordon, Mark Martin and Jimmie Johnson lead all active drivers, each with four victories.
• Hendrick Motorsports has 11 wins, more than any other car owner.
• 47 races at Dover have been won from a top-five starting position; 17 races have been won from a starting position outside the top 10.
• In his Dover win earlier this season, Jimmie Johnson scored a perfect Driver Rating of 150.0. He led 298 laps in May.
• Several active drivers had their first start at Dover, including Kurt Busch, Matt Kenseth, Bobby Labonte, David Ragan and Tony Raines.
• Three of the last four races have ended with a margin of victory under one second.
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