NASCAR Sprint Cup series race at Dover on Sunday helped some driver’s championship hopes and hurt others. Find out where the top 12 faired following Dover.
1. Denny Hamlin
For Denny Hamlin Dover International Speedway arguably was is worse track in the Chase. Hamlin himself set an eighth place finish as the goal for their day on Sunday. He started fifth and ran around the top 10 for most of the day. For a track where Hamlin has struggled his top 10 run was a solid building block in stretch run for the title. Finishing ninth allowed has Hamlin atop the standings for another week.
Points behind: -0
2. Jimmie Johnson
It shouldn’t have surprised many that Jimmie Johnson won on Sunday and reasserted himself in the title hunt. Johnson had five win at Dover heading into Sunday’s race. Johnson led 191 laps. If you were already counting him out, Johnson once again proved why he has won the last four titles. They are able to adjust and adapt quicker than any other driver in the field. His dominating run lifted him from eighth in the standings to second and hot on the heels of Hamlin.
Points behind -35
3. Kyle Busch
The Chase has not been very kind to Kyle Busch in the last couple seasons but in 2010 Busch is quietly sitting third in the standings. On Sunday, Busch ran top for most of the day. In fact he led laps late in the race but the car quickly went away from him. Busch is in the cat bird seat just waiting for Hamlin or Johnson to make a mistake. He finished a solid sixth and maintained third in the standings.
Points behind: -45
4. Kurt Busch
It was a very interesting race for Kurt Busch on Sunday. During a pit stop under caution Busch was caught speeding on pit road. Busch who was running top 10 prior to that was forced to tail end of the lead lap. It didn’t take long though for Busch to work his way back into the top where he finished fourth. We have seen on multiple occasions when Busch is unhappy with the car, a penalty or bad pit stop the team struggles to regain composure. That was not the case on Sunday and he helped keep his title hopes alive.
Points behind: -59
5. Kevin Harvick
Usually for Kevin Harvick he can start mid pack but by halfway he is usually running top 10 or better. Dover was looking like to be another race where Harvick overcame a poor qualifying lap and finish top 10 or even top five. This week the team just didn’t have the car. Harvick worked his way into the top 10 after halfway but long green runs and not many chances to work on the car saw Harvick struggle as the laps wound down; he finished15th. Finishing 15th isn’t awful but when eight Chasers finish in front of you it means you are losing points.
Points behind -65
6. Carl Edwards
Carl Edwards was the most consistent Ford on Sunday in fact he ran top 10 most of the day. After starting 10th, Edwards quickly worked his way to the top five. He didn’t have a race winning car but his overall consistency on Sunday helped gain him points in the standings. He finished fifth on Sunday. With no wins Edwards is motoring right along but to beat Johnson and Hamlin victory lane will be needed.
Points behind: - 73
7. Jeff Burton
Early on in the race on Sunday, I wondered where is Jeff Burton? It didn’t take long before the race hit halfway for my question to be answered. Burton methodically worked his way from a top 20 car to a top five car. In fact Burton had one of the better cars in second half of the race and worked his way to second, which is where he finished. Burton knows how to get it done and his solid finish on Sunday moved him up in the title hunt.
Points behind: -80
8. Jeff Gordon
Jeff Gordon has had past success at Dover and by past I mean nine years ago. Dover hasn’t been to kind to Gordon in recent races and Sunday was no different. He started 15th but worked his way into the top 10. The car was a handful and Gordon found himself running seventh heading into final stop of the day. This is where trouble found them. During the stop, the tire changer struggled with the lug nuts and under green that cost him five positions. When he left pit road he cycled to 12th and was only able to gain one position back to 11th. Gordon is consistently inconsistent and that won’t win you a title; at least not this year.
Points behind: -83
9. Greg Biffle
Out of all the Chasers on Sunday, I was most disappointed by Biffle. He needed a good solid run and finish if he wants back in on the title hunt. Instead he got a disappointing run and finish all capped off getting caught on pit road when caution waved for Matt Kenseth. Biffle was never able to recover and finished 19th. Biffle and his team have their work cut out for them if they want to just be a factor in the title run.
Points behind: -140
10. Tony Stewart
From nearly winning at New Hampshire but running out fuel on the final lap to finishing 21st a Dover, Tony Stewart’s title hopes haven’t gone exactly as planned. Stewart at Dover has been hit and miss in his career. His 25th starting position wasn’t exactly helping either. To gain track position the team took two tires early but quickly struggled with an ill handling race car and battling guys around them on four tires. During one round of pit cycles Stewart was caught speeding and they never recovered. He finished 21st and quickly saw his title hopes go up in smoke.
Points behind: -162
11. Matt Kenseth
For Matt Kenseth his day at Dover started off actually fairly promising. A solid qualifying effort and a very good car had them running top 10 for the early half of the race. During a cycle of green flag stops Kenseth missed pit road. In the process of trying to slow down enough to pit he flat spotted his tires and the tire blew a few moments later. They were able to make some repairs but what looked like a promising day turned into an 18th place finish. Kenseth and his team have a lot of work to do if they want to be Chase contenders-in 2011.
Points behind: -165
12. Clint Bowyer
It was a rough week for Clint Bowyer following his win at New Hampshire. In the spotlight all weekend long, Bowyer was looking to get back on track. Instead his week went from bad to worse and his poor finish of 25th put an exclamation point on the week. He never had the car to run up front but had worked his way to the top 10. He was caught speeding on pit road under green and ended up three laps down at one point. Bowyer title hopes were dim already after the penalty but his day on Sunday all but closed the book on his championship hopes.
Points behind: -235
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