NASCAR - Sprint Cup - AAA 400 Preview
From The Sports Network
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| DATE: Sunday, October 2nd |
| SITE: Dover International Speedway (1969) -- Dover, Delaware |
| TRACK: one-mile oval - 1,076 feet (Frontstretch); 1,076 feet (Backstretch) |
| CAPACITY: 135,000 (Grandstand Seating) |
| ANNUAL: 41st |
| TELEVISION: ESPN |
| ANNOUNCERS: Allen Bestwick, Dale Jarrett, Andy Petree |
| RADIO: Motor Racing Network (MRN)/SIRIUS NASCAR Radio |
| START TIME: 2 p.m. (et)/Green Flag: 2:15 p.m. (et) |
| DEFENDING CHAMPION: Jimmie Johnson |
| RUNNER-UP: Jeff Burton |
| POLE WINNER: Jimmie Johnson (Finished 1st) |
| LAPS: 400 |
| MILES: 400 |
| QUALIFYING RECORD: Jeremy Mayfield, 2004 (161.522 m.p.h.) |
| RACE RECORD: Mark Martin, 1997 (132.719 m.p.h.) |
| TOTAL PURSE: $5,121,544 (2010 figures) |
| PAYOUTS: 1st Place - $262803; 2nd Place - $210,165; 3rd Place - $169,815 |
| 2010 Finish |
| Finish | Driver | Start | Finish | Driver | Start |
| 1 | Jimmie Johnson | 1 | 6 | Kyle Busch | 11 |
| 2 | Jeff Burton | 27 | 7 | Paul Menard | 9 |
| 3 | Joey Logano | 19 | 8 | Ryan Newman | 13 |
| 4 | Kurt Busch | 8 | 9 | Denny Hamlin | 4 |
| 5 | Carl Edwards | 10 | 10 | AJ Allmendinger | 2 |
| 2010 AAA 400 Facts and Figures |
| AVERAGE SPEED: 131.543 m.p.h. |
| TIME OF RACE: 3 hours, 2 minutes, 27 seconds |
| MARGIN OF VICTORY: 2.637 seconds |
| CAUTION FLAGS: 4 for 19 laps |
| LEAD CHANGES: 16 among 10 drivers |
| POLE WINNER: Jimmie Johnson (155.736 m.p.h.) |
| Past AAA 400 Winners (Starting Position) Car -- Speed |
| 2010 -- Jimmie Johnson (1st) -- Chevrolet -- 131.543 m.p.h. |
| 2009 -- Jimmie Johnson (1st) -- Chevrolet -- 118.704 m.p.h. |
| 2008 -- Greg Biffle (5th) -- Ford -- 114.168 m.p.h. |
| 2007 -- Carl Edwards (15th) -- Ford -- 101.846 m.p.h. |
| 2006 -- Jeff Burton (19th) -- Chevrolet -- 111.966 m.p.h. |
| 2005 -- Jimmie Johnson (5th) -- Chevrolet -- 115.054 m.p.h. |
| 2004 -- Ryan Newman (2nd) -- Dodge -- 119.067 m.p.h. |
| 2003 -- Ryan Newman (5th) -- Dodge -- 108.802 m.p.h. |
| 2002 -- Jimmie Johnson (19th) -- Chevrolet -- 120.805 m.p.h. |
| 2001 -- Dale Earnhardt Jr (3rd) -- Chevrolet -- 101.559 m.p.h. |
| 2000 -- Tony Stewart (27th) -- Pontiac -- 115.191 m.p.h. |
| 1999 -- Mark Martin (8th) -- Ford -- 127.434 m.p.h. |
| 1998 -- Mark Martin (1st) -- Ford -- 155.966 m.p.h. |
| 1997 -- Mark Martin (1st) -- Ford -- 152.033 m.p.h. (race record) |
| 1996 -- Jeff Gordon (3rd) -- Chevrolet -- 105.646 m.p.h. |
| 1995 -- Jeff Gordon (2nd) -- Chevrolet -- 124.740 m.p.h. |
| 1994 -- Rusty Wallace (10th) -- Ford -- 112.556 m.p.h. |
| 1993 -- Rusty Wallace (1st) -- Pontiac -- 100.334 m.p.h. |
| 1992 -- Ricky Rudd (6th) -- Chevrolet -- 115.289 m.p.h. |
| 1991 -- Harry Gant (10th) -- Oldsmobile -- 110.179 m.p.h. |
| 1990 -- Bill Elliott (1st) -- Ford -- 125.945 m.p.h. |
| 1989 -- Dale Earnhardt (15th) -- Chevrolet -- 122.909 m.p.h. |
| 1988 -- Bill Elliott (3rd) -- Ford -- 109.349 m.p.h. |
| 1987 -- Ricky Rudd (13th) -- Ford -- 124.706 m.p.h. |
| 1986 -- Ricky Rudd (11th) -- Ford -- 114.329 m.p.h. |
| 1985 -- Harry Gant (4th) -- Chevrolet -- 120.538 m.p.h. |
| 1984 -- Harry Gant (3rd) -- Chevrolet -- 111.856 m.p.h. |
| 1983 -- Bobby Allison (7th) -- Buick -- 116.077 m.p.h. |
| 1982 -- Darrell Waltrip (3rd) -- Buick -- 107.642 m.p.h. |
| 1981 -- Neil Bonnett (3rd) -- Ford -- 119.561 m.p.h. |
| 1980 -- Darrell Waltrip (2nd) -- Chevrolet -- 116.024 m.p.h. |
| 1979 -- Richard Petty (4th) -- Chevrolet -- 114.366 m.p.h. |
| 1978 -- Bobby Allison (2nd) -- Ford -- 119.323 m.p.h. |
| 1977 -- Benny Parsons (7th) -- Chevrolet -- 114.708 m.p.h. |
| 1976 -- Cale Yarborough (1st) -- Chevrolet -- 115.740 m.p.h. |
| 1975 -- Richard Petty (3rd) -- Dodge -- 113.372 m.p.h. |
| 1974 -- Richard Petty (2nd) -- Dodge -- 113.640 m.p.h. |
| 1973 -- David Pearson (1st) -- Mercury -- 112.852 m.p.h. |
| 1972 -- David Pearson (2nd) -- Mercury -- 120.506 m.p.h. |
| 1971 -- Richard Petty (4th) -- Plymouth -- 123.245 m.p.h. |
| NOTE: Formerly called Delaware 500 (1971-88), Peak Performance 500 (1989), |
| Peak Antifreeze 500 (1990-93), Splitfire Spark Plug 500 (1993-94), |
| MBNA.com 400 (1995-2000), MBNA Cal Ripken Jr. 400 (2001), MBNA |
| RacePoints 400 (2002-05), Dover 400 (2006), Dodge Dealers 400 (2007), |
| Camping World RV 400 (2008) - race changed from 500 to 400 miles in |
| 1997. |
| Past AAA 400 Pole Winners (Finish) |
| 2010 -- Jimmie Johnson -- 1st |
| 2009 -- Jimmie Johnson -- 1st |
| 2008 -- Jeff Gordon -- 7th |
| 2007 -- Jimmie Johnson -- 14th |
| 2006 -- Jeff Gordon -- 3rd |
| 2005 -- Ryan Newman -- 5th |
| 2004 -- Jeremy Mayfield -- 7th |
| 2003 -- None -- Weather |
| 2002 -- Rusty Wallace -- 15th |
| 2001 -- Dale Jarrett -- 12th |
| 2000 -- Jeremy Mayfield -- 35th |
| 1999 -- Rusty Wallace -- 32nd |
| 1998 -- Mark Martin -- 1st |
| 1997 -- Mark Martin -- 1st |
| 1996 -- Bobby Labonte -- 4th |
| 1995 -- Rick Mast -- 28th |
| 1994 -- Geoffrey Bodine -- 5th |
| 1993 -- Rusty Wallace -- 1st |
| 1992 -- Alan Kulwicki -- 34th |
| 1991 -- Alan Kulwicki -- 24th |
| 1990 -- Bill Elliott -- 1st |
| 1989 -- Davey Allison -- 24th |
| 1988 -- Mark Martin -- 39th |
| 1987 -- Alan Kulwicki -- 14th |
| 1986 -- Geoffrey Bodine -- 28th |
| 1985 -- Bill Elliott -- 20th |
| 1984 -- None -- Weather |
| 1983 -- Terry Labonte -- 4th |
| 1982 -- Ricky Rudd -- 11th |
| 1981 -- Ricky Rudd -- 5th |
| 1980 -- Cale Yarborough -- 4th |
| 1979 -- Dale Earnhardt -- 9th |
| 1978 -- J.D. McDuffie -- 33rd |
| 1977 -- Neil Bonnett -- 17th |
| 1976 -- Cale Yarborough -- 1st |
| 1975 -- Dave Marcis -- 30th |
| 1974 -- Buddy Baker -- 2nd |
| 1973 -- David Pearson -- 1st |
| 1972 -- Bobby Allison -- 20th |
| 1971 -- Bobby Allison -- 4th |
| Last Race Results |
| RACE: Sylvania 300 (September 25th) |
| SITE: New Hampshire Motor Speedway -- Loudon, New Hampshire |
| MILES: 317.4 |
| LAPS: 300 |
| WINNER: Tony Stewart |
| RUNNER-UP: Brad Keselowski |
| THIRD: Greg Biffle |
| FOURTH: Jeff Gordon |
| FIFTH: Brian Vickers |
| POLE WINNER: Ryan Newman (Finished 25th) |
| TIME OF RACE: 2 hours, 43 minutes, 13 seconds |
| AVERAGE SPEED: 116.679 m.p.h. |
| MARGIN OF VICTORY: 7.225 seconds |
| CAUTION FLAGS: 3 for 14 laps |
| LEAD CHANGES: 19 among 15 drivers |
| LAP LEADERS: R. Newman 1-62; J. Gordon 63; R. Smith 64-66; K. Kahne 67-88; M. |
| Martin 89-134; K. Kahne 135-147; J. Gordon 148-157; D. Ragan 158; |
| K. Kahne 159-162; J. Gordon 163-229; B. Keselowski 230; J. |
| Montoya 231-232; B. Vickers 233-236; K. Harvick 237; J. Johnson |
| 238; M. Truex, Jr. 239-241; Kurt Busch 242-245; K. Kahne 246-249; |
| C. Bowyer 250-298; T. Stewart 299-300 |
| AAA 400 Entry List |
| Car | Driver, Hometown | Car/Name |
| 00 | David Reutimann (Zephyrhills, FL) | Toyota/Aaron's Dream Machine |
| 1 | Jamie McMurray (Joplin, MO) | Chevrolet/McDonald's |
| 2 | Brad Keselowski (Rochester Hills, MI) | Dodge/Miller Lite |
| 4 | Kasey Kahne (Enumclaw, WA) | Toyota/Red Bull |
| 5 | Mark Martin (Batesville, AR) | Chevrolet/GoDaddy.com |
| 6 | David Ragan (Unadilla, GA) | Ford/UPS |
| 7 | Reed Sorenson (Peachtree City, GA) | Dodge/Speed Energy/Mapei |
| 9 | Marcos Ambrose (Launceston, Australia) | Ford/Stanley |
| 11 | Denny Hamlin (Chesterfield, VA) | Toyota/FedEx Office |
| 13 | Casey Mears (Bakersfield, CA) | Toyota/GEICO |
| 14 | Tony Stewart (Columbus, IN) | Chevrolet/Office Depot/Mobil 1 |
| 16 | Greg Biffle (Vancouver, WA) | Ford/3M/Cubitron |
| 17 | Matt Kenseth (Cambridge, WI) | Ford/Crown Royal |
| 18 | Kyle Busch (Las Vegas, NV) | Toyota/Interstate Batteries |
| 20 | Joey Logano (Middletown, CT) | Toyota/Home Depot |
| 22 | Kurt Busch (Las Vegas, NV) | Dodge/Shell/Pennzoil |
| 24 | Jeff Gordon (Vallejo, CA) | Chevrolet/Drive to End Hunger |
| 27 | Paul Menard (Eau Claire, WI) | Chevrolet/Menards/Pitt. Paint |
| 29 | Kevin Harvick (Bakersfield, CA) | Chevrolet/Rheem Chasing the Cure |
| 30 | David Stremme (South Bend, IN) | Chevrolet/Inception Motorsports |
| 31 | Jeff Burton (South Boston, VA) | Chevrolet/Caterpillar |
| 32 | Mike Bliss (Milwaukie, OR) | Ford/Street King |
| 33 | Clint Bowyer (Emporia, KS) | Chevrolet/Cheerios/Hamb. Helper |
| 34 | David Gilliland (Riverside, CA) | Ford/TBA |
| 36 | Dave Blaney (Hartford, OH) | Chevrolet/Golden Corral |
| 37 | Josh Wise (Riverside, CA) | Ford/TBA |
| 38 | J.J. Yeley (Phoenix, AZ) | Ford/Drive Sober Arrive Alive |
| 39 | Ryan Newman (South Bend, IN) | Chevrolet/U.S. Army ROTC |
| 42 | Juan Pablo Montoya (Bogota, Colombia) | Chevrolet/Target |
| 43 | A.J. Allmendinger (Los Gatos, CA) | Ford/Best Buy |
| 46 | Scott Speed (Manteca, CA) | Ford/Red Line Oil |
| 47 | Bobby Labonte (Corpus Christi, TX) | Toyota/grilling.com |
| 48 * | Jimmie Johnson (El Cajon, CA) | Chevrolet/Lowe's/Kobalt Tools |
| 50 | T.J. Bell (Reno, VA) | Chevrolet/Green Smoke |
| 51 | Landon Cassill (Cedar Rapids, IA) | Chevrolet/Phoenix Construction |
| 55 | Travis Kvapil (Janesville, WI) | Ford/TBA |
| 56 | Martin Truex Jr. (Mayetta, NJ) | Toyota/NAPA Auto Brakes |
| 60 | Mike Skinner (Susanville, CA) | Chevrolet/Big Red |
| 66 | Michael McDowell (Glendale, AZ) | Toyota/HP Racing |
| 71 | Andy Lally (Northport, NY) | Ford/Interstate Moving Services |
| 78 | Regan Smith (Cato, NY) | Chevrolet/Furniture Row Racing |
| 83 | Brian Vickers (Thomasville, NC) | Toyota/Red Bull |
| 87 | Joe Nemechek (Lakeland, FL) | Toyota/TBA |
| 88 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. (Kannapolis, NC) | Chevrolet/Amp Energy/Nat'l Guard |
| 99 | Carl Edwards (Columbia, MO) | Ford/Aflac |
| Leading Contenders (Finish the last nine years) |
| Driver | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 |
| Jimmie Johnson | Won | 8th | 10th | Won | 13th | 14th | 5th | Won | Won |
| Jeff Burton | 6th | 12th | 33rd | 11th | Won | 7th | 9th | 16th | 2nd |
| Joey Logano | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | 42nd | 3rd |
| Kurt Busch | 7th | 38th | 5th | 23rd | 4th | 29th | 34th | 5th | 4th |
| Carl Edwards | --- | --- | 18th | 9th | 2nd | Won | 3rd | 11th | 5th |
| Kyle Busch | --- | --- | --- | 2nd | 40th | 5th | 43rd | 31st | 6th |
| Paul Menard | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | 21st | 21st | 19th | 7th |
| Ryan Newman | 8th | Won | Won | 5th | 24th | 28th | 13th | 10th | 8th |
| Denny Hamlin | --- | --- | --- | --- | 9th | 38th | 38th | 22nd | 9th |
| Jeff Gordon | 37th | 5th | 3rd | 37th | 3rd | 11th | 7th | 6th | 11th |
| Mark Martin | 2nd | 22nd | 2nd | 4th | 14th | 4th | 4th | 2nd | 12th |
| Jamie McMurray | --- | 6th | 8th | 29th | 17th | 8th | 36th | 28th | 13th |
| Juan Pablo Montoya | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | 10th | 39th | 4th | 14th |
| Kevin Harvick | 30th | 4th | 19th | 19th | 32nd | 20th | 6th | 12th | 15th |
| Matt Kenseth | 4th | 9th | 32nd | 35th | 10th | 35th | 2nd | 3rd | 18th |
| Greg Biffle | --- | 7th | 11th | 13th | 5th | 2nd | Won | 13th | 19th |
| Tony Stewart | 5th | 3rd | 6th | 18th | 33rd | 9th | 11th | 9th | 21st |
| Brad Keselowski | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | 22nd |
| Dale Earnhardt Jr | 24th | 37th | 9th | 31st | 21st | 3rd | 24th | 20th | 23rd |
| Clint Bowyer | --- | --- | --- | --- | 8th | 12th | 8th | 15th | 25th |
| Kasey Kahne | --- | --- | 42nd | 16th | 38th | 32nd | 26th | 8th | 28th |
| Martin Truex Jr | --- | --- | --- | --- | 6th | 13th | 20th | 33rd | 34th |
| David Reutimann | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | 18th | 17th | 21st | 35th |
| Brian Vickers | --- | --- | 38th | 14th | 29th | 16th | 31st | 18th | --- |
| Mover of the Week |
| Juan Pablo Montoya - Started in the 31st position and finished 9th |
| Sports Network Selections |
| Pick to Win - Jimmie Johnson |
| Darkhorse - Greg Biffle |
| Last Week's Pick to Win (Carl Edwards) - Finished 8th |
| Last Week's Darkhorse (Clint Bowyer) - Finished 26th |
| NOTES: |
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Ranked 10th on the current points list in the Chase for the Sprint Cup,
Jimmie Johnson will need some more heroics heading into week three of the
Chase.
Right now, JJ is 29 points behind Tony Stewart in his quest for a sixth
straight NASCAR Sprint Cup title. Dover can be his springboard, as he has won
at Dover International Speedway two straight years and four times in the past
nine seasons. Overall, Johnson is a six-time winner at Dover, the most among
active drivers and just one shy of Richard Petty and Bobby Allison.
Last season, Johnson started on the pole and led the most laps with 191 for his
sixth victory of the 2010 campaign and the 53rd of his Cup career. The win
elevated Johnson to second in last year's Chase, and although he did not win
another race, he recorded eight more top-10s to win the Sprint Cup title.
An 18th-place finish last week at New Hampshire, has Johnson in the worst
position he's ever been, in the Chase. Let's not forget what happened in 2006
when he was 136 points behind after week two. He came back to win his first
championship.
In 2009, Johnson won at "The Monster Mile," as he defeated Mark Martin by 1.970
seconds to complete the Dover Double. Johnson has enjoyed remarkable success at
DIS winning six times with 13 top-10 finishes. In 19 starts, his average
finish is 9.6 with 1,829 laps led.
Greg Biffle produced his second career win at Dover in 2008, as he defeated
Matt Kenseth for his 14th career Sprint Cup title. Biffle, who added another
title in August, also captured the spring Dover race in 2005. Kenseth led for
a race-high 136 laps, but finished 0.934 of a second behind.
Carl Edwards streak of four straight top-10 finishes in September at Dover
ended in 2009, as he placed 11th. In 2007, he captured the checkered flag,
as he led the final 38 laps to defeat Greg Biffle by less than a second. Matt
Kenseth had dominated the race, leading for 192 laps, however, he failed to
finish due to engine problems and placed 35th.
In 2006, Jeff Burton cruised to an almost eight second win over Edwards, as he
captured the 18th of his 21 Sprint Cup career titles. Burton led for only six
laps, but it was the final six that led him to victory. Pole sitter Jeff Gordon
finished third, while Matt Kenseth, who dominated the race, leading for 215
laps, finished 10th.
The second and third starting positions has been the most productive at Dover,
producing 13 winners each, while the pole has produced 13. Jeff Gordon, Mark
Martin and Bill Elliott each have four Dover victories, while Johnson has
six. Prior to Johnson doubling in 2009, Ryan Newman was the last driver to
double at Dover in the same season, capturing both races in 2003. Tony Stewart
(2000) has also accomplished this feat in the past decade. Matt Kenseth will
attempt to join that list, as he raced to victory back in May.
THIS AND THAT FROM DOVER: The official opening of Dover International
Speedway, then called Dover Downs International Speedway, was in 1969. The
track name was changed to Dover International Speedway in 2002. There have
been 83 NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Dover International Speedway since the
track opened. The furthest back in the field a race winner started was 37th,
by Kyle Petty in 1995. 50 races at Dover have been won from a top-five starting
position; 18 races have been won from a starting position outside the top 10.
By the way, during the Chase era (2004-Present), the points leader after the
second Chase race has never gone on to win the championship. In four of the
seven previous Chases, though, the driver in second after two Chase races did
go on to win the championship - including Jimmie Johnson in each of the last
three seasons.
The Chase for the Sprint Cup championship continues with the October 9th
running of the Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway, as Greg Biffle defends
his title.
09/27 16:22:13 ET
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As of September 27, 2011, at 04:22 PM ET
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