Race Two of the Chase takes the NASCAR Sprint Cup tour to the concrete surface of Dover, Delaware- home to the Monster Mile. The closeness of the competition suggests there’s a lot on the line for each Chaser, but as far as that goes, there are plenty outside the top 12 who already laid down some good laps and a lot to prove.
TRACK FACTS
Dover International Speedway debuted July 6, 1969 with Richard Petty winning the Mason- Dixon 300 in a Ford at a speed of 115.772 miles per hour.
The concrete track is a one-mile oval. There’s nine degrees banking on the straightaways and 24 degrees in the turns. Each straightway measures 1,076 feet in length.
Grandstand seating has a capacity of 140,000. Tow dates a year have been scheduled for Dover since 1971.
TOP PERFORMERS
The King is the "King Of Dover"- Richard Petty has 7 wins, tying him with Bobby Allison. Among drivers who’ve entered races this season, Jeff Gordon, Mark Martin and Bill Elliott have 4 wins each.
Greg Biffle picked up the Fall win in 2008, and Jimmie Johnson
won in a dominating performance here at the end of May.
The "Silver Fox", David Pearson, has the record for Dover poles with 6. Among active drivers, Ryan Newman, Mark Martin, Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon have the most with 4. Jimmie Johnson captured the pole for this Sunday’s race today.
Jeremy Mayfield turned the fastest qualifying lap at DIS with a speed of 161.522 miles per hour in June of 2004. His lap time was 22.288 seconds.
On September 17, 1997, Mark Martin set the speed record for race. He ran the MBNA 400 in 3 hours and 50 seconds. His speed was 132.719 miles per hour.
The record for lead changes for a Dover race is 29 (accomplished twice), most recently on May 18, 1986 as Geoff Bodine crossed the start/ finish first. The fewest for this track in a NASCAR Cup race came on October 17, 1971 in the Deleware 500 won by Richard Petty. There were just three.
A record 16 caution flags flew on September 19, 1993. On June 6, 1971, no yellow flags appeared.
Last September a track record 40 racers finished the race. On May 17, 1981 the fewest number of cars finished- there were just 13 at race’s end.
WHEN AND WHERE TO TUNE IN
This 400 miles, 400 lap race starts Sunday, September 27, 2009 at 2:16 PM Eastern, 11:16 AM Pacific.
Pre-race coverage kicks off at 11 AM Eastern, 8 AM Pacific on SPEED with John Roberts, Kenny Wallace and Jimmy Spencer.
NASCAR Countdown starts at 1 PM Eastern, 10 AM Pacific on ABC-TV.
Dr. Jerry Punch, Andy Petree and Dale Jarrett call the race at trackside for ABC. Allen Bestwick leads the studio crew along with Brad Daugherty, Rusty Wallace, and Tim Brewer.
Pit reporters are Shannon Spake, Jamie Little, Dave Burns, and Vince Welch.
MRN and Sirius XM Satellite provide radio coverage for the race.
WHO WILL WIN?
When it comes to Dover, you either have a mastery of it, or you don’t. I find it interesting that you have a few drivers with multiple wins and records here, or you have abject futility.
Ryan Newman has a mastery of Dover with 3 wins and all those poles. With an average finish of 25.6, Denny Hamlin does not. Jimmie Johnson rocks at Dover with 4 wins, while Kasey Kahne has 5 DNFs here. Jeff Gordon, Mark Martin, Greg Biffle, Tony Stewart and Bill Elliott have multiple wins at DIS. Kurt Busch and Brian Vickers have the Dover doldrums.
With a top flight practice speed and an outside pole, Juan Pablo Montoya is looking to smash his records for personal performance. Until now, his track at Dover is pedestrian. This, however, is no ordinary year for JPM.
What’s worth noting is that among the racers at the front of the starting grid are a number of guys not gunning for a championship run. David Reutimann, Clint Bowyer, Paul Menard and Sam Hornish Jr. all have top ten positions. AJ Allmendinger, Kevin Harvick, David Gilliland and Joey Logano also looked good in practice.
For the Chasers- Kahne, Biffle and Edwards really need good races. For the aforementioned RFR drivers, this is their best chance at showing they have some semblance of hope for a championship. Biffle, in particular, will be racing with a sense of urgency. Kahne has a big hole to dig out of after the blown motor at New Hampshire.
The race may also represent the best shot Ryan Newman has at a Chase win. He’s come on with another nice run of consistency. He’s not been especially racy, but you get a feeling he’s smelling out a win.
I may as well cut to the chase. Though I still maintain that he won’t "4-peat", and though he may get a tough challenge from the likes of Biffle, Newman, Montoya and maybe even David Reutimann, I’m going with Jimmie Johnson.
It has been my observation that when he unloads a good piece, practices well and qualifies well, he’s about impossible to beat. Let’s face it- Johnson has been on the verge of wins in races, even if strategy or a bobble or two has led to a poor finish. He’s got the ride to run darn near every race.
Depending on what happens with Martin and Stewart, Johnson may find himself out front in the standings after this race. 35 points out, he’s just about there as it is.
While there’s enough contact to bring a small element of bad 
luck to a driver, being out front is one way to stay out of harm’s way.
Johnson is starting out front. He may just finish there too.
PHOTO CREDITS- Greg Biffle by Nick Laham/ Getty Images, Mark Martin by Jeff Zevelansky/ Getty Images, Kasey Kahne by Jerry Markland/ Getty Images for NASCAR, 48 car by Chris Trotman/ Getty Images, Johnson with pole award by Geoff Burke/ Getty Images for NASCAR.
