NASCAR at Dover 2014: Latest NASCAR Team News, Drivers to Watch and More
One race remains before the first-ever cuts in the Chase for the Sprint Cup, and only two drivers have spots secured. The other 14, well, they'll have to put it all on the line at Dover to continue their championship hopes.
Joey Logano joined Brad Keselowski at the top of the Chase Grid with a sweep for Penske Racing through the first two Chase races. The current standings should come as no surprise with the two drivers winning nine of the 28 races this season.
Just behind the duo are Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch and three Hendrick drivers making up the top seven. Despite a rough finish for Jeff Gordon, he still sits comfortably in the Chase, but the same can't be said for Denny Hamlin or Kurt Busch.
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Before the AAA 400 gets underway, here's a look at the schedule, latest team news and top drivers for Dover.
Race Information
Where: Dover International Speedway, Dover, Delaware
When: Sunday, Sept. 28, 2 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN
Live Stream: WatchESPN
Radio: Motor Racing Network
| 1 | Brad Keselowski* | 2097 | 5 | 12 | 15 |
| 2 | Joey Logano* | 2096 | 4 | 12 | 17 |
| 3 | Kevin Harvick | 2090 | 2 | 10 | 15 |
| 4 | Jimmie Johnson | 2080 | 3 | 9 | 17 |
| 5 | Kyle Busch | 2077 | 1 | 6 | 11 |
| 6 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | 2077 | 3 | 11 | 17 |
| 7 | Jeff Gordon | 2070 | 3 | 10 | 18 |
| 8 | Matt Kenseth | 2057 | 0 | 10 | 17 |
| 9 | Carl Edwards | 2057 | 2 | 6 | 11 |
| 10 | AJ Allmendinger | 2056 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| 11 | Kasey Kahne | 2055 | 1 | 3 | 10 |
| 12 | Ryan Newman | 2055 | 0 | 2 | 10 |
| 13 | Denny Hamlin | 2049 | 1 | 6 | 12 |
| 14 | Greg Biffle | 2049 | 0 | 3 | 10 |
| 15 | Kurt Busch | 2047 | 1 | 6 | 8 |
| 16 | Aric Almirola | 2045 | 1 | 2 | 7 |
Latest Team News
Prior to the Chase starting, it was billed as a showdown between Penske and Hendrick Motorsports for the championship. So far, Penske has run away with the two-horse race.
Logano's victory in New Hampshire puts Penske just one behind Hendrick for the most wins on the season. Oh, and that's with half the drivers of Hendrick on the track each weekend.
Following the latest win for the team, Logano spoke about the team's confidence in the Chase, per Chris Estrada of NBC Sports' MotorSportsTalk:
"Personally, I consider [New Hampshire] my worst racetrack – terrible to say because it’s my home race track – but I’ve always struggled when I come here. To be able to win at your worst racetrack, that makes you feel like you can win anywhere. It’s special to be able to do that.
The confidence is high at the 22 team right now. All of Team Penske, we all feel like we’ve got some championships to win this year – not only on the Cup side, but the Nationwide side also, and with IndyCar. We’re just trying to catch up to them.
"
Penske may be on a high for now, but Hendrick's time is on the horizon.
The NASCAR circuit now heads to three tracks where Hendrick drivers have already won this season. Jimmie Johnson took the previous races at Dover and Charlotte—the site of the second Contender Round race—and Gordon took the first Kansas race.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. might have wrecked early at Talladega in May, but he has five victories at the track. Junior referenced the team's struggles so far and the turnaround coming up, via Estrada:
"I know everybody is looking at us like we are falling off a little bit, but Chicago hadn’t been a great track for us and New Hampshire hadn’t either. Dover has. So I will be surprised if we don’t go down there and be competitive.
We were racing for a win there last year and ran pretty good there this year [finished ninth]. I look forward to going and having a good car.
"
The battle between these two teams will continue to rage on throughout the Chase, with both still standing the best chance for a championship. If Harvick or Busch have anything to say about it, there could still be three teams in Miami with title aspirations.
Drivers to Watch
Jimmie Johnson
Any discussion about Dover begins and ends with JJ, who has swept the last two races at the track.
Johnson, once one of the young guns of the sport, is now a legend on the circuit for his domination at courses like Dover. He turned 39 last week and could become the youngest driver with a seventh title, as Jeff Gluck of USA Today notes:
The Hendrick struggles haven't skipped Johnson, as he hit a stretch of four finishes outside of the top 20 in five races prior to the Chase. But those struggles have been remedied with five top 10s in his last six races—none of which were wins.
Johnson spoke about the quality of finishes he needs in the Chase, per Alan Cavanna of NASCAR.com:
Mr. Six-Time himself hasn't quite been driving with the same confidence he usually has, but that should all change in Dover. After all, he has won six of the last 11 races at The Monster Mile and led 272 laps in June.
It's about time for Hendrick to answer the bell, and it should start with Johnson.
Kevin Harvick
It's hard to imagine the first season for Harvick with Stewart-Haas Racing going any better than it has so far, but it's possible. The man who finished third in the Chase last season is in contention every week and has found consistency in the postseason.
Since placing 19th in Atlanta, Harvick has three straight top-five finishes and led 200 laps during that stretch. Despite not having a win, Harvick dismissed the notion that the new Chase is about collecting checkered flags, per Mike Hembree of USA Today:
"I think the unique part of that (Keselowski's win) is that you're in, but it all starts over in two weeks. It's a short-term relief. Obviously, the next two weeks are different from last week. I think a lot of people are putting an emphasis on winning, and, obviously in this particular case, it worked out good for them. But the reality is that you want to move on, and consistency for the majority is more important than one winner.
In the end, the main goal is to move on. There are a lot of things to play out.
"
Anyone who has watched every race this season can speak to the talent of Harvick on the track. Mechanical issues and other problems have been setbacks, but he's remained one of the strongest drivers each week.
Having Tony Stewart's crew helping in the pits and one of the best drivers behind the wheel, the No. 4 team has a chance to win any week. In Dover, the phrase "4 the win" might just make a comeback—if he feels it's necessary.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
It's been a while since Earnhardt has been listed on these rankings, but this spot is certainly deserved.
During the final Dover race last season, Junior led 80 laps before ultimately getting overtaken by Johnson. The Hendrick driver has one win at the track and hasn't finished outside of the top 10 since placing 11th in the 2012 Chase race.
His lone victory at the track came back in 2001, so the odds of collecting a checkered flag aren't great. But after a strong finish last season just behind Johnson, the Hendrick duo has a chance to battle for the win at the end on Sunday.
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