Dover International Speedway - The Autism Speaks 400 (News & Notes)

[HacheMan]

The Autism Speaks 400
The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series moves to Dover International Speedway's concrete palace for the 12th race of the 2010 season, the Autism Speaks 400 presented by Hershey's. We looked at past performances, season trends, and spoke to NASCAR contacts to shed a light on how the field will finish on Sunday.


When: Sunday, May 16, 2010; 1:16 p.m./et.


Weather: Partly cloudy with a high of 75; wind out of the NE at 8 mph. There is a 20 percent chance of precipitation on race day.


The Track: Dover International Speedway

Dover is a one mile concrete oval with 24 degree banking in the turns and nine degree banking on the straight-aways.


Key to Race: THE MONSTER MILE

Dover International Speedway is the "Monster Mile". The high-banked concrete track lets drivers run nearly wide-open the entire way around the track. Getting the proper car setup is very tricky, so multiple-car teams have an even bigger advantage than normal. Look for Hendrick Motorsports, Roush-Fenway Racing and Joe Gibbs Racing to lock up a majority of the top 10.


Qualifying Procedures:

46 cars will attempt to qualify for 43 spots. Cars not in the top 35 in the 2010 owner point standings will have to qualify based on speed. Starting positions 1-43 will be determined by a two lap qualifying run on Friday, April 14 at 3:10 pm/et.


Fantasy Cheat Sheet:

Top 5


No. 48 Jimmie Johnson: Johnson dominated Dover in 2009. He now has six career wins and 10 top 10 finishes in 16 starts at the Monster Mile.
No. 16 Greg Biffle: Biffle won the September 2008 race at Dover and has led laps in eight of the past 10 races at the track. He will be in the lead group all day.
No. 99 Carl Edwards: Edwards won the September 2007 race at Dover and has finished in the top five in five of the last seven races at the track. He is a great pick to crack the top five again this weekend.
No. 5 Mark Martin: Dover is one of Mark Martin's favorite tracks. He has 22 top five finishes during his career and was one of the best drivers at the Monster Mile the past three years.
No. 18 Kyle Busch: Rowdy won Dover's spring race in 2008 and has finished in the top five in five of his nine career Cup races at the track. This is the perfect track for his aggressive driving style.


6 to 10

No. 17 Matt Kenseth: Kenseth won the spring 2006 race at the Monster Mile and had the best car on the track the past two fall races. He will be very fast again this weekend.
No. 24 Jeff Gordon: Gordon has four career wins at Dover and he has cracked the top 12 in seven of his last eight starts at the track. He is a great pick.
No. 39 Ryan Newman: Newman has been excellent at Dover during his career. In 14 Cup starts he has three wins and is always a contender to win the pole. We like his chances this weekend.
No. 2 Kurt Busch: Busch has always qualified very well at Dover, but his success on the track in race-trim is limited. He should finish right around tenth this trip to the Monster Mile.
No. 33 Clint Bowyer: Bowyer has finished between eighth and 17th in all but one of his career starts at Dover. He should finish around there again this weekend.


11 to 20

No. 56 Martin Truex Jr.: Truex Jr. won the spring 2007 race at Dover and has been great at the place he considers his home-track. He is a terrific sleeper pick this weekend.
No. 31 Jeff Burton: Burton has cracked the top 16 in 14 of the past 16 Dover races. He is a solid third or fourth driver on all fantasy squads this weekend.
No. 42 Juan Pablo Montoya: Montoya has looked great in three of the last five races at Dover. He won't crack the top 10 again, but a top 15 finish is expected.
No. 11 Denny Hamlin: Hamlin had been very successful at Dover prior to the past five races where he finished 22nd, 36th, 38th, 38th and 43rd. He should finish near the top 15 this weekend, but his struggles will scare fantasy owners.
No. 1 Jamie McMurray: McMurray has had success at Dover during his career. This is a great weekend to sneak the No. 1 driver into your lineup.
No. 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Junior has cracked the top 20 just four times in the past 10 races at Dover. He will be good, but a top 10 finish isn't expected.
No. 14 Tony Stewart: Stewart has cracked the top 15 just four times in his last 10 races at Dover. His lack of success so far this season should carry over to this weekend.
No. 20 Joey Logano: Logano is familiar with Dover from racing there many times in the Modified and Camping World East Series. He will finish in the top 20.
No. 29 Kevin Harvick: Harvick has led just one lap at Dover since 2003 and has finished out of the top 10 in nine of the last 10 races at the track. He will struggle to finish in the top 20 this weekend.
No. 9 Kasey Kahne: Kahne has cracked the top 10 just three times in 12 career starts at Dover. He is just an average pick.


21 to 30

No. 12 Brad Keselowski: Keselowski is coming into his own. The talented rookie has six top 16 finishes in his last seven starts. He is a great third driver in all leagues.
No. 00 David Reutimann: Reutimann has averaged a 20th place finish at Dover during his career. His average is about where we see him finishing this weekend.
No. 83 Brian Vickers: Vickers has averaged a 20th place finish at Dover in his career. He should finish right around his average this weekend.
No. 47 Marcos Ambrose: Ambrose has cracked the top 25 in seven of the last nine races this season. He won't be a top 10 finisher, but the Terrific Tasmanian shouldn't have an issue finishing inside the top 25.
No. 98 Paul Menard: Menard has averaged a 23rd place finish at Dover during his career. He is a nice fifth driver in most fantasy leagues.
No. 6 David Ragan: Ragan has cracked the top 25 in his last six starts at Dover. He is worth using this weekend as a fifth driver in deep leagues.
No. 77 Sam Hornish Jr.: Hornish Jr. should just miss cracking the top 25 this weekend.
No. 19 Elliott Sadler: Sadler has seven top 20 finishes in his last 13 starts at Dover, but he isn't worth using as anything more than a fifth driver on fantasy teams.
No. 44 A.J. Allmendinger: A.J. has been very inconsistent at Dover during his career. He has finished in the mid-30s or worse in three of his races at the track, but he also has a top seven finish last September. This isn't a great weekend to use Dinger.
No. 82 Scott Speed: Speed was fast at the Monster Mile last September, but he is very inconsistent. Use him at your own risk.


31 to 35

No. 71 Bobby Labonte: Labonte has finished in the top 20 in four of the past eight races at Dover. He is a decent value pick on Sunday.
No. 78 Regan Smith: Smith has been consistently mediocre this year. He isn't an option
No. 7 Robby Gordon: Gordon has cracked the top 25 in four of the past six races at Dover, but consistency has never been one of Robby's better qualities so we don't see him doing it again this weekend.
No. 26 David Stremme: Stremme has been terrible at Dover during his career. Avoid him again this weekend.
No. 37 Kevin Conway: Conway is locked into the field on Sunday due to owner points. That is about all he has going for him.


Field Fillers

No. 34 Travis Kvapil
No. 55 Michael McDowell
No. 13 Max Papis
No. 36 Casey Mears
No. 32 Reed Sorenson
No. 38 David Gilliland
No. 66 Dave Blaney
No. 09 Mike Bliss
No. 64 Todd Bodine
No. 87 Joe Nemechek
No. 46 J.J. Yeley


Brownie's Picks

Top Four:

1. Jimmie Johnson
2. Greg Biffle
3. Carl Edwards
4. Mark Martin

Sleepers:

1. Martin Truex Jr.
2. Jamie McMurray

Bust of the Week:

Kasey Kahne

 

[HacheMan]

Dover: Autism Speaks 400
Track history: Known as the "Monster Mile", the one-mile concrete oval Dover International Speedway hosted its first Cup race in 1969. Two years later, the NASCAR races were extended to 500 miles and continued up until 1993 when its present 400-mile format was established.

Engine failures were common in the 500-mile races. Since the track has banked straightaways as well as the turns, rpm's stay at a high level throughout the lap. Dover has 24-degree banking in the turns and 9-degree banking on the 1,076-foot frontstretch and backstretch.

The Nationwide Series joined Cup racing at Dover in 1982 giving the facility a larger weekend crowd. This, in turn, triggered grandstand expansions which continued for 16 consecutive seasons.

During the mid-1990's the facility made some dramatic improvements. For the fans, after Delaware passed a law allowing them to exist at horse racing facilities, Dover Downs installed several slot machines. For the drivers, the asphalt track was ripped up and replaced by a concrete surface. This made for a faster, smoother and more competitive race.

The Indy Racing League began running at Dover in 1998. Tony Stewart, in an open-wheel car, set a track record of over 185 mph around the 1-mile oval. Two years later, Kurt Busch won the first NASCAR Truck Series race (from the pole).

First Dover Cup race: David Pearson put the Holman-Moody No. 17 Ford on the pole with a qualifying lap of 130.43 mph to lead the 32 car field for the 1969 Mason-Dixon 300. He led 26 of the 300 lap event but wrecked after 65 laps and finished 23rd. The Petty Enterprises No. 43 Ford, driven by Richard Petty, rolled off 3rd at the start, led 150 laps and finished 6 laps ahead of 2nd place, Sonny Hutchins and his No. 90 Ford. Petty earned $4,725 for the victory.

2009 Autism Speaks 400: After gambling on the weather during the 4th red flag of the May 2009 Coke 600 at Lowe's, David Reutimann scored his first (and only) Cup win when the race was called. The following week, he earned the pole for the May 31, 2009 Autism Speaks 400 at Dover in the No. 00 Aaron's Dream Machine Toyota. He led 25 laps and finished 18th. From 8th in the lineup, Jimmie Johnson drove to the front in the No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet. He took the victory after being the leader for 298 laps of the 400 lap event.

Last Dover Cup race: The September 27, 2009 AAA 400 at Dover was another Jimmie Johnson show. He started on the pole in the No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet, led 271 of the 400 laps and cruised to victory by almost 2 seconds ahead of a charge from teammate, Mark Martin (No. 5). With about 10 laps to go, Johnson had a comfortable 20+ second lead on his way to his 5th Dover win which was also a sweep of both 2009 races.

Your fantasy game won't allow you to pick all track favorites so Mid-Pack Attack is here to help. A mid-packer may not win the race but has as good a shot at a top 15 finish as track favorites Greg Biffle, Carl Edwards, Matt Kenseth, Jimmie Johnson and Mark Martin. There were 46 cars on the preliminary entry list for this weekend's Cup race. Here are our picks for Sunday's Autism Speaks 400 in Dover, Delaware.

Mid-Pack picks

Tony Stewart is way overdue for a good run. The Monster Mile is as good as any for his big turn-around. As noted in the Track History above, he ran a blistering qualifying lap of 185. 204 mph in the first (of only two) IRL race held at the 1-mile track. Even though Jimmie Johnson dominated the 2009 Autism Speaks 400 race, he had to contend with Stewart for the last 10 laps. After several attempts, JJ finally passed him just before the White Flag. Besides that runner-up finish, Stewart, who has 2 wins and an average finish of 11.5 for 22 Cup starts, finished 9th in the September Dover race. He also finished 2nd here in his lone truck series start (2005). We think he has a good shot at a top 5 this weekend.

Jamie McMurray is one of only two drivers with more than 10 Cup starts (the other is favorite Edwards) that finished all of his Dover races (zero DNF's). In 14 starts, he led 131 laps and picked up five top ten finishes. We like how he's running this year with the Earnhardt Ganassi ride. His 2nd place finish last weekend from the pole at Darlington is a good example. We also like the extra seat-time McMurray is getting piloting the JR Motorsports No. 88 in the Nationwide Series. In four starts with that team, he has a 6.5 average finish. Even his one DNF due to a last lap wreck at Talladega left him with a 14th place finish. McMurray is pulling double-duty again this week.

Juan Pablo Montoya is "big picture" racing this season with a focus on a berth in the Chase Top 12. After getting past the beatin' and bangin' at Bristol (26th) and Martinsville (36th), Montoya has kept his cool to earn four Top-6 finishes in the last five races. He had his best Monster Mile finish last September. He rolled off on the front row in 2nd and finished 4th. Give Juan a look this week for a third or fourth pick on your roster.

Casey Mears was going to be our deepest pick this week since he was in a car (No. 36) that doesn't have a locked-in start guarantee for this week's race. He has just been picked to drive for Brian Vickers in the No. 83 Red Bull Toyota (a guaranteed starter) this week. Vickers has been hospitalized with an undisclosed medical condition. Mears does well at the intermediate tracks (between one and two miles). His only career win came at Lowe's (1.5 miles) and he earned seven of his 12 career top-five finishes on these type tracks. In the last six Dover races, he finished in the top 15 four times and the other two were 17th place finishes. Mears leads all active drivers in NASCAR Statistics' loop data category of "Green Flag Passes". He passed 440 times during the last ten races at this track during green conditions. Mears should do well filling in for Vickers this weekend