StatChat - NASCAR Cup Series @ Dover
When the checkered flag flies on Sunday at Dover, we will officially be halfway to the end of the regular season. Is this where it’s no longer socially acceptable to say it’s still early? Almost every year there are some surprise winners, but this year there are still some top contenders who have yet to win a race.
14 races and 6 playoff spots remain. Denny Hamlin looks like a safe bet to make the playoffs, even if he goes winless, as his point lead is still quite substantial. But what happens if we get another couple of unexpected winners? With some new tracks still left to visit on the regular season schedule, many of which are road courses, there is certainly room for some surprises. Tyler Reddick has been showing some speed lately, Matt DiBenedetto has been in contention a few times, even Daniel Suarez has been impressive with a brand new team. If even just one of those drivers wins, it could really upset the playoff picture. It will certainly be interesting to watch unfold over the next weeks!
Dover International Speedway is a 1-mile oval nicknamed “The Monster Mile.” It first opened in 1969, with Richard Petty winning the first NASCAR Cup race there (the Mason-Dixon 300) the same year. It originally was built with an asphalt surface, but it was replaced with a unique concrete surface in 1995.
This weekend’s race will be known as the “Drydene 400,” and will be 400 laps (for a total of 400 miles), with stage breaks occurring at 120 – 240 – 400, and a competition caution at lap 35. The fuel window is approximately 88-92 laps.
NASCAR has run 4,372.85 miles so far this year.
Top 5 Career Average Finishers at Dover:
| Kyle Larson | 7.42 over 12 races |
| Cole Custer | 10.50 over 2 races |
| Chase Elliott | 11.30 over 10 races |
| Martin Truex Jr. | 11.50 over 30 races |
| Brad Keselowski | 12.64 over 22 races |
Bottom 5 Career Average Finishers at Dover:
| Quin Houff | 34.33 over 3 races |
| Michael McDowell | 31.95 over 20 races |
| Ross Chastain | 30.67 over 6 races |
| Ryan Preece | 24.50 over 4 races |
| Alex Bowman | 20.80 over 10 races |
Dover is a Short Track
Top 5 Career Average Finishers at Short Tracks:
| Denny Hamlin | 11.67 over 150 races |
| Kyle Busch | 11.70 over 156 races |
| Brad Keselowski | 12.63 over 113 races |
| Chase Elliott | 12.65 over 52 races |
| Joey Logano | 13.13 over 121 races |
Jimmie Johnson has the most victories at Dover, having won 11 times. Bobby Allison and Richard Petty each have 7 wins. For current drivers, Kevin Harvick, Martin Truex Jr., Kyle Busch, and Ryan Newman each have 3 wins.
Notable drivers who have not won at Dover:
| Joey Logano | (has won at 15 other tracks) |
Martin Truex Jr. scored his first Cup Series win at Dover, winning in his 58th Cup Start.
Based on their point pace, let’s have a look at who’s having a better year than last year.
Drivers Faring Better than in 2020
| William Byron | +378 pts |
| Daniel Suarez | +298 pts |
| Denny Hamlin | +283 pts |
| Christopher Bell | +247 pts |
| Michael McDowell | +240 pts |
Drivers Faring Worse than in 2020
| Aric Almirola | -506 pts |
| Erik Jones | -303 pts |
| Kurt Busch | -275 pts |
| Kevin Harvick | -261 pts |
| Alex Bowman | -211 pts |
While some drivers may be doing better this year than they did in 2020, how does this year stack up against their entire career? This statistic does not include rookies, as this is their first full year in the Cup Series.
Drivers Having their BEST Career Year
| Denny Hamlin | 7.25 |
| William Byron | 9.67 |
| Ryan Blaney | 13.17 |
| Austin Dillon | 13.58 |
| Michael McDowell | 15.58 |
| Chris Buescher | 15.83 |
Drivers Having their WORST Career Year
| Ross Chastain | 19.25 |
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In 2017, NASCAR introduced the concept of Stage Racing, which pauses the race at certain intervals and awards bonus points for the top 10 at that moment. Here are the Top-5 Stage Point earners so far this year:
Stage Point Leaders:
| Denny Hamlin | 172 pts |
| Ryan Blaney | 94 pts |
| Martin Truex Jr. | 92 pts |
| Kyle Larson | 86 pts |
| Brad Keselowski | 85 pts |
For those that aren’t aware, the Manufacturer Standings are calculated by awarding points to the highest finisher for each manufacturer according to their finishing position. (40 for 1st, 35 for 2nd, 34 for 3rd, etc.) No stage points or playoff points count.
Manufacturer Standings
| Ford | 428 |
| Chevrolet | 427 |
| Toyota | 422 |
Here is the same formula, but used on a team-vs-team basis:
Chartered Team Standings
| Joe Gibbs | 421 |
| Hendrick | 417 |
| Penske | 399 |
| Stewart-Haas | 351 |
| Richard Childress | 309 |
| Chip Ganassi | 286 |
| Roush Fenway | 283 |
| JTG-Daugherty | 281 |
| Front Row | 267 |
| Wood Brothers | 244 |
| Trackhouse | 204 |
| Richard Petty | 185 |
| 23XI | 184 |
| Spire | 154 |
| Rick Ware | 104 |
| Live Fast | 80 |
| StarCom | 61 |
The race begins Sunday, May 16that 2:00 pm EST (11:00 am PST) – Enjoy the race everyone!
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Or you can email directly: acarabine@racingrefresh.com
Is there an error? Is there a stat missing that you’d like to see? Let us know!
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