FYI WIRZ: NASCAR's Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Others Take on FedEx 400 at Dover

The top five point leaders in NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series seek good results and point buffers as they head into race 13—halfway to the Chase playoffs.

This week’s fender contest is the FedEx 400. The race, which is a benefit for Autism Speaks, is set to take place at Dover International Speedway this Sunday, June 3. Folks in the stands will enjoy 400 laps for 400 miles on the one mile oval with 24 degree banking. Those without tickets can view the action on FOX, at 12:30 p.m. ET.

Professional drivers all swear that their work is all about winning, but getting into the playoffs is the regular season goal, making consistency key. No driver will say he wants to finish fourth, but after the dust settles from the wind created by 800 to 850 horsepower stock cars, he will gladly put the points in the till and move on to the next race.

This week, Greg Biffle, Matt Kenseth, Denny Hamlin, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jimmie Johnson bring their top points to Delaware.

All but Earnhardt have won at least one race this year, though Earnhardt has had nine top-10 finishes, more than any other Sprint Cup driver in 2012. Earnhardt gets flak for not winning, but he has earned $2,668,820 for himself and NASCAR team owner Rick Hendrick—not too shabby at this point in the season.

Select quotes from the top five often tell much about the hard personality of racetracks, because even tracks of the same distance have different design characteristics. The Monster Mile at Dover is concrete, not asphalt, and that gives the oval unique features.

Comparing comments from the point hounds before they climb into their race cars and attach their steering wheels is always good fan preparation for the upcoming race.

Dover is next.

Greg Biffle (No. 16 Ford)

“Dover is a place I’ve had some success at. As a driver, you have to be on your toes at Dover. You want your car to be a little loose, but at the same time, it can’t be too loose. I have high expectations for this weekend.”

Matt Kenseth (No. 17 Ford)

“Dover is my favorite track on the Sprint Cup circuit, and it’s been a place where we’ve had a lot of success at as well, so I just love racing there. The track is so fast and challenging, and it’s unique because of the way you drive up out of the turns. The turns sit a bit lower than the straightaways, and you can feel it when you’re driving out there. We’re just going to continue to try and put ourselves up front and into position to be able to be consistent each and every week."

Denny Hamlin (No. 11 Toyota)

“We just need a little bit more of everything—we need a little bit more motor, a little bit more aero and a little bit more mechanical. We’ll get there. We have a lot of stuff that we learned with our race cars. We’re definitely making strides in the right direction.”

Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No 88 Chevrolet)

“Dover has been good to me at times and a challenge at times. I like asphalt better than I like concrete, but as high-banking and as fast as Dover is, concrete was the only thing could really put down that would survive. Once the concrete ages a couple of years it gets joints in it, and it becomes kind of like a wooden deck. It gets bumps in it, and you just hop all the way around the racetrack. That’s just the way it goes.”

Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Chevrolet)

“It just suits my driving style, and I guess you could say my stats show that. You really have to learn how to get through the corners there. If you get it to turn in the center, and you get good forward grip off of the corner, you will typically turn a good lap. That’s the tough part, though, figuring out how to get your car do that. I’m looking forward to seeing what we’ve got for it, though.”

After the checkered flag waves, it’s likely that some or most of these drivers will have packed away top points, as they leave Dover for Pocono.

FYI WIRZ is the select presentation of topics by Dwight Drum at Racetake.com. Unless otherwise noted, all information and quotes were obtained from personal interviews or official release materials provided by NASCAR and team representatives.