Update: Larson, Bowman to Start From Rear | Practice Speeds and Best 10 Consecutive Lap Average – Final, Second | Starting Lineup
Driver Averages | Laps Led Leaders | Driver Ratings | Past Winners
Detailed driver notes and statistics to help set your fantasy racing lineup for Sunday’s AAA 400 Drive for Autism at Dover International Speedway.
Who’s HOT at Dover
- Kyle Busch is coming off his third win and has finished second or better on three of the last five races.
- Defending event winner Jimmie Johnson leads all drivers in wins (11) and laps led (3,105). He has yet to lead a lap with the new Camaro ZL1, but has the fourth best average finish (7.0) in the last three races this season
- Chase Elliott has finished in the top five in his four starts, including a second-place finish last fall. He has a 2.5 average finish in the last two races this season
- Kyle Larson combined to lead 378 laps and post a 3.5 average finish in the two races last season.
- Martin Truex Jr. has finished in the top five in the last three races, and top 10 in the last four, including a win in the 2016 fall race.
Keep an Eye On at Dover
- Brad Keselowski, the 2012 fall Dover winner, has finished in the top 10 in three of the last four races at Dover. He was running in the top five in this event last season when he was swept up in a crash when Kurt Busch got loose from the front row on a restart with 55 to go in Stage 1.
- A broken axle last fall snapped a streak of three consecutive top 10s for Denny Hamlin at Dover. He does have the most speeding penalties (26) on pit road since 2015, and was caught speeding twice in the 2015 fall Dover race.
- Kevin Harvick has combined to lead 810 laps and post one win at Dover with Stewart-Haas Racing. However, he’s yet to lead a lap at the track in a Ford.
- Daniel Suarez and Jamie McMurray each finished in the top 10 in both Dove races last season
- Joey Logano is the only driver that has finished in the top 10 in the last six races this season, including a win last weekend at Talladega Superspeedway. Dover is Logano’s worst track on the schedule when it comes to laps led.
- Ryan Blaney led 100 laps at the concrete Bristol Motor Speedway last month before getting swept up in an accident.
- Clint Bowyer, who had a mechanical issue in this event last year, finished sixth last fall at Dover
- Erik Jones was running sixth in this event last year in the overtime finish before getting swept up in an accident.
Notes: The tire combination that will be used this weekend is the same one from the Dover race last fall…The most Dover winners (20) have come from the second starting position…Jimmie Johnson was the last driver to win from the pole (2010)…The last 18 Dover races were won by nine different drivers, who are all Cup Champions (Kyle Busch, Johnson, Kevin Harvick, Brad Keselowski and Kurt Busch entered in this race)…Hendrick Motorsports has the most Dover wins with 19.
*Best Average Finish at Dover
| Last # of Races | Driver | Average Finish |
| Two Races | Jimmie Johnson | 2.0 |
| Four Races | Chase Elliott | 3.2 |
| Six Races | Martin Truex Jr. | 5.7 |
| Eight Races | Martin Truex Jr. | 5.9 |
| Ten Races | Jimmie Johnson/Martin Truex Jr. | 10.0 |
* – The best average finish is based off a driver entered in the race who has competed in EVERY race during that time span.
Laps Led Leaders at Dover
| Last # of Races | Driver | Laps Led |
| Two Races | Kyle Larson | 378 |
| Four Races | Kyle Larson | 463 |
| Six Races | Kevin Harvick | 563 |
| Eight Races | Kevin Harvick | 810 |
| Ten Races | Kevin Harvick | 811 |
Click Here to view all laps led leaders at Dover over the past 10 races.
Dover Loop Data Stat Leaders (2005-2017, 26 Races)
| Average Running Pos. | Laps in Top 15 |
| 1. Jimmie Johnson – 7.7 | 1. Jimmie Johnson – 8,935 |
| 2. Chase Elliott – 8.1 | 2. Kyle Busch – 8,256 |
| 3. Kyle Busch – 10.3 | 3. Kevin Harvick – 6,701 |
| 4. Kyle Larson – 10.6 | 4. Martin Truex Jr. – 6,689 |
| 5. Daniel Suarez – 10.7 | 5. Kurt Busch – 6,447 |
| Fastest Laps Run | Driver Rating |
| 1. Jimmie Johnson – 1,369 | 1. Jimmie Johnson – 118.0 |
| 2. Kyle Busch – 617 | 2. Chase Elliott – 107.6 |
| 3. Kevin Harvick – 544 | 3. Kyle Busch – 105.8 |
| 4. Martin Truex Jr. – 538 | 4. Kyle Larson – 102.6 |
| 5. Kasey Kahne – 379 | 5. Martin Truex Jr. – 97.2 |
Top 10 Stage 1 &2 Points Earned Among Active Drivers at Dover
Spring and Fall Race
| Driver | Points Earned |
| Martin Truex Jr. | 37 |
| Kyle Larson | 30 |
| Kyle Busch | 25 |
| Jimmie Johnson | 21 |
| Kevin Harvick | 16 |
| Chase Elliott | 16 |
| Brad Keselowski | 13 |
| Ryan Blaney | 7 |
| Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 7 |
| Kasey Kahne/Denny Hamlin | 6 |
2017 Spring Dover Stage Finishes
| Stage 1 | Stage 2 |
| 1. Martin Truex Jr. | 1. Martin Truex Jr. |
| 2. Kyle Larson | 2. Jimmie Johnson |
| 3. Kevin Harvick | 3. Matt Kenseth |
| 4. Matt Kenseth | 4. Kyle Busch |
| 5. Jimmie Johnson | 5. Kyle Larson |
| 6. Kasey Kahne | 6. Kevin Harvick |
| 7. Ryan Blaney | 7. Chase Elliott |
| 8. Erik Jones | 8. Ryan Blaney |
| 9. Kyle Busch | 9. Erik Jones |
| 10. Daniel Suarez | 10. Kasey Kahne |
Rookie Report
Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidates William Byron and Darrell Wallace Jr. each will be making their first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts at Dover International Speedway. Byron, who leads the rookie standings by 21 points has posted a 4.5 average finish in two starts in the Xfinity Series at Dover. He also led 80 laps and finished 11th in the Truck Series in 2016 and finished ninth in the K&N Pro Series East in 2015. Dover has been one of Wallace’s best tracks since he started his NASCAR career in the K&N Pro Series. Wallace has won poles in each the K&N Pro Series, Truck Series and Xfinity Series at Dover. He also won the 2011 K&N race and led 119 laps from the pole in the 2013 truck race. Wallace finished eighth last season in the spring Xfinity race at Dover.
MRN.com Staff Picks
Jeff Wackerlin: Martin Truex Jr.
Pete Pistone: Kyle Busch
Tyler Burnett: Kyle Busch
Driver Notes – Ordered by Average Finish (Top 15) in the Last Five Races at Dover
Chase Elliott has finished in the top five in his four starts at Dover. Elliott led 138 laps and finished second last fall, which was contested on the same tire combination that will be used this weekend. Elliott heads into the weekend having posted finishes of second and third, respectively, in the last two races this season.
Martin Truex Jr. joins Chase Elliott as the only drivers that have finished in the top 10 in the last four races at Dover. He’s a two-time winner at the track with his last coming in the 2016 fall race. Truex’s 2.7 average finish in the last three races ranks first among all drivers and his 387 laps led in the last four events ranks second.
Daniel Suarez finished in the top 10 in his first two Cup starts at Dover last season. The track is one of four on the schedule where he has two top-10 finishes. He has one win in the Xfinity Series and two runner-up finishes in the Camping World Truck Series at Dover
Kyle Larson combined to lead 378 laps last year at Dover en route to finishes of second and fifth, respectively. Dover is Larson’s best track on the circuit where he has more than five starts based on his average finish of 7.9. He also won the spring Xfinity race last season.
Kyle Busch is coming off his third Dover win after leading 30 laps last fall. Last year in the event, Busch started from the pole and led the opening 18 laps. However, during pit stops under caution on lap 18, Busch left before his car’s left-rear wheel was properly attached. Busch, who has made 26 starts at Dover, ranks second among active drivers in laps led at the track with 1,188.
Kasey Kahne is making his first Dover start with Leavine Family Racing this weekend. He equaled his best finish of the season last weekend at Talladega, 17th. In his 28 Dover starts with previous teams, Kahne has posted three top fives and eight top 10s. Two of the top fives came in the last six races with Hendrick Motorsports.
Erik Jones finished 15th last season in this event after getting caught up in a multi-car accident in overtime. He was running sixth at the time of the contact. Jones went on to finish 12th in the fall to give him a 13.5 average finish in two Dover starts.
Ryan Newman finished fourth last year in this event for his first top five and second top 10 at Dover in eight starts with Richard Childress Racing. Newman is a three-time winner at Dover, but they came early in his career with Team Penske.
Brad Keselowski is coming off his seventh top 10 in 16 starts at Dover. Keselowski suffered his only DNF at Dover last year in this event when he was swept up in an accident with Kurt Busch while running in the top five on Lap 66. Keselowski’s lone win at Dover came in the 2012 playoff race.
Jimmie Johnson captured his 11th win at Dover last year in this event. Along with his win total, Johnson has led a series-high 3,105 laps at the 1-mile oval, but only combined to lead 12 last season. Johnson’s only top five this season has come on a concrete track – third at Bristol Motor Speedway. He still has yet to lead a lap this season.
Denny Hamlin finished 35th last fall at Dover after a broken axle took him out of the race on Lap 374. The finish snapped a streak of three consecutive top 10s at the track. Hamlin, who has yet to win a Cup race at Dover, is a three-time pole winner at the 1-mile track. Hamlin, who has the most speeding penalties (26) on pit road since 2015, was caught speeding twice in the 2015 fall Dover race.
Joey Logano has scored 10 top 10-finishes in 18 starts at Dover, but only two of them have come in the last six races. Dover is Logano’s worst track on the schedule when it comes to laps led. However, Logano does have momentum on his side as he is the only driver that has finished in the top 10 in the last six races this season, including a win last weekend at Talladega Superspeedway.
Kevin Harvick finished ninth last year in this event for his third top 10 in eight Dover starts with Stewart-Haas Racing, which includes a win in the 2015 fall race. He dominated in his first five track starts with the team when it came to laps led, with 810, but has failed to lead a lap in the last three races. This weekend, Harvick will return in the same chassis (No. 986) that he last led 37 laps and finished eighth with at Kansas Speedway last fall.
Jamie McMurray finished in the top 10 in both races last season at Dover. It marked his fourth top 10 in the last six races there.
Clint Bowyer finished sixth last fall at Dover for his 10th top 10 in his last 14 starts at Dover. In this event last season, Bowyer ran as high as fourth until lap 97 when his team noticed a mechanical issue while he was pitting under caution.
