NASCAR Drivers Battle Each Other and “Miles the Monster” at Dover

Posted on May 28, 2015
Miles the Monster at Dover International Speedway
Photo courtesy of NASCARmedia.com/Getty Images

This week the NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers will have to battle each other AND “Miles the Monster” in the FedEx 400 benefiting Autism Speaks at Dover International Speedway.

When NASCAR heads to the mile long track at Dover there is always an additional adversary that the drivers and teams are forced to deal with … the track. You know that the track is a difficult one on the cars when it earns the nickname “The Monster Mile” and gives birth to a mascot named “Miles the Monster.”

The track has a rough concrete surface that has 24 degrees of banking through the turns. If the teams do not have the cars set up right, the track will wear the tires out quickly. The result of the worn tires can be and more times than not, IS that car losing control and wrecking.

Photo courtesy of NASCARmedia.com/Rainier Ehrhardt/NASCAR via Getty Images
Photo courtesy of NASCARmedia.com/Rainier Ehrhardt/NASCAR via Getty Images

There is room to pass at Dover International Speedway. However, if either car racing close is dealing with worn tires and loses control the result can be a multi-car accident that ruins the day for the cars involved. That requires drivers to not only be aware of their own car’s handling, but also how the cars around are handling.

Photo courtesy of NASCARmedia.com/Rob Carr/Getty Images
Photo courtesy of NASCARmedia.com/Rob Carr/Getty Images

Here are the top ten NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers in driver rating at Dover International Speedway.

#1 – Jimmie Johnson 122.3 driver rating with 9 wins

#2 – Matt Kenseth 108.3 driver rating with 2 wins

#3 – Kyle Busch 105.5 driver rating with 2 wins

#4 – Carl Edwards 99.2 driver rating with 1 win

#5 – Greg Biffle 97.4 driver rating with 2 wins

#6 – Jeff Gordon 96.5 driver rating with 5 wins

#7 – Kyle Larson 93.0 driver rating with 0 wins

#8 – Clint Bowyer 92.5 driver rating with 0 wins

#9 – Brad Keselowski 92.1 driver rating with 1 win

#10 – Kurt Busch 91.0 driver rating with 1 win

When you consider that Jimmie Johnson is the all-time leading winner at Dover you have to consider him a favorite to win the FedEx 400 benefiting Autism Speaks. You could even make the argument that Jimmie is the only driver that has tamed “Miles the Monster” since he has won nearly half of the last 20 Sprint Cup races held at the track including this race in 2014. He could easily add a tenth “Miles the Monster” trophy to his collection.

Photo courtesy of NASCARmedia.com/Todd Warshaw/Getty Images
Photo courtesy of NASCARmedia.com/Todd Warshaw/Getty Images

Jeff Gordon also has to be considered a serious contender for the win this week. He is sixth on the list for driver ratings. However, he has won five times at the track including the fall race at Dover in 2014. Jeff could score his first win of the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup season at the track that where he last scored a victory.

The two drivers that are not in the top ten in driver ratings at Dover that I will be watching closely for the win are Martin Truex Jr. and Kevin Harvick. Martin could be considered a “dark horse” pick for the race. He has a win at the track although he is not in the top ten above. However, he has been fast every week this season and I feel would have won the race last week had the fuel mileage card not have been played by Carl Edwards to win at Charlotte.

It is hard to call Kevin a “dark horse” in any race as the defending Sprint Cup Champion and with the kind of season he has been having this year. However, with an 86.5 driver rating at Dover and an average finish of 15.2 in the past 20 races at the track; perhaps this is one of the few places where the “dark horse” term would be acceptable for Kevin. Still, based on his performance this year Kevin could finally get “Miles the Monster” off his back and in his trophy case this week.

Photo courtesy of NASCARmedia.com/Rainier Ehrhardt/NASCAR via Getty Images
Photo courtesy of NASCARmedia.com/Rainier Ehrhardt/NASCAR via Getty Images

So many factors can change the outcome of a Sprint Cup race at Dover that it will be difficult to know who will win the race until the final lap and possibly the final 100 yards of the race. Drivers will need to be near perfect on the track to survive to the end with a chance to win. Teams will need to be mistake free during pit stops to keep from putting the driver in a position to have either another driver or “Miles the Monster” take them out of contention.

More times than not, the unexpected does happen at Dover. That makes NASCAR racing on the “Monster Mile” exciting for the fans to watch. We will see which driver wins the battle with their competitors AND “Miles the Monster” when the FedEx 400 benefiting Autism Speaks goes under the green flag Sunday, May 31st at around 12 noon central time live from Dover International Speedway.

By: Buck Stevens

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