NASCAR Nationwide Series at Dover 2014: Full Schedule, Rankings and Preview
During his previous five full-time seasons in the Nationwide Series, Brendan Gaughan had never won a race at the level. By virtue of winning the VisitMyrtleBeach.com 300, Gaughan now has two victories in his last 14 starts.
Gaughan, 39, passed rookies Ty Dillon and Chase Elliott late before holding off Brian Scott for the checkered flag. Gaughan is still eighth in the standings due to consistency issues, but he is enjoying one of the best seasons of his career.
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Elliott and Dillon, on the other hand, continued their drive toward a championship with another top-five result. Dillon still trails by 38 total points, with Elliott separating himself from teammate Regan Smith thanks to another strong finish.
The Nationwide Series now heads to Dover for the next event but will be joined by several Sprint Cup regulars on the track again. Here's a look at the full schedule, standings and preview for the Dover 200.
Race Information
Where: Dover International Speedway, Dover, Delaware
When: Saturday, Sept. 27, 3:30 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN2
Live Stream: WatchESPN
Radio: Motor Racing Network
| 1 | Chase Elliott | 992 | 3 | 13 | 21 |
| 2 | Regan Smith | 972 | 1 | 7 | 23 |
| 3 | Ty Dillon | 954 | 1 | 5 | 20 |
| 4 | Brian Scott | 937 | 0 | 6 | 17 |
| 5 | Elliott Sadler | 931 | 1 | 5 | 19 |
| 6 | Trevor Bayne | 900 | 0 | 5 | 17 |
| 7 | Chris Buescher | 817 | 1 | 3 | 11 |
| 8 | Brendan Gaughan | 798 | 2 | 2 | 6 |
| 9 | Ryan Reed | 729 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 10 | James Buescher | 727 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Race Preview
Gaughan may have been the story over the weekend, but this looks like a Sprint Cup driver's race to win.
Back in May, Kyle Busch came away victorious, while Joey Logano and Kyle Larson both finished inside the top six. Hot off a win in New Hampshire, Logano will look to overtake Busch in Dover before they do battle again on Sunday.
Sliced Bread had a streak of five straight Nationwide wins at Dover come to an end, but he is looking to start a new one on Saturday. The 24-year-old driver spoke about losing to Busch in May, via Seth Livingstone of NASCAR.com.
"Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end," said Logano. "It was kind of frustrating out there today. I felt like we had the winning car, but we were too loose that last run and couldn't pass anyone. We never really had good enough restarts on the inside."
The two drivers combined to lead 182 of the 200 laps, but it was Elliott taking the other 18. He wasn't able to take down Busch or Logano, but the JR Motorsports driver was a consistent force at the top of the leaderboard.
Elliott may have been strong, but it was Trevor Bayne that was the top finisher out of full-time Nationwide drivers. Following the second-place finish for Bayne, Jerry Bonkowski of NBC Sports' MotorSportsTalk passed along his thoughts:
"Trevor Bayne has been like a door-to-door salesman this season: he keeps knocking but hasn’t quite been able to close the deal.
But after Saturday’s impressive second-place finish in the NASCAR Nationwide Series Buckle Up 200 Presented By Click It Or Ticket, Bayne is now on the verge of earning that elusive first win of the season.
"
Nearly four months later, Bayne has still yet to capture his first victory of the 2014 season. Returning to the track where he finished with his best result of the season, it might just be time for that elusive trip to Victory Lane.
Smith, Dillon and Scott all finished inside the top 10 in Dover, so the schedule also sets up well for them to make a push toward the title. In order to leap up the standings, they will need to finish well ahead of the young driver.
The Monster Mile is rarely conquered by any one driver, so Saturday promises to be another enthralling race. Nearing an end to the season, the title contenders and Sprint Cup regulars will put it all on the line again at Dover for the checkered flag.
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