On Sunday afternoon the NASCAR Sprint Cup series was at Dover International Speedway for the FedEx 400 benefiting Autism Speaks.
Two vs. Four
Carl Edwards and Jimmie Johnson dominated the race. The duo led 324 of the 400 laps but under a late caution pit strategy took the two from battling for the win to battling for the top 10. Johnson would finish ninth and Edwards finished seventh.
Mark Martin stayed out while everyone pitted and would lead the field to final restart meanwhile Matt Kenseth along with others took two tires. Track position was so important all day long and Martin and Kenseth had it.
Kenseth quickly wrestled the lead from Martin and while the drivers who took four tires were forced to battle with the two tire gamblers; Kenseth pulled away to his second win of the season. Kenseth led just 33 laps but he led the most important one and that was the last.
Richard Petty Motorsports: The tale of two races
It was the tale of two stories for RPM and their drivers Marcos Ambrose and AJ Allmendinger. Many had picked Allmendinger to be the next driver to win their first career win.
After starting on the outside pole Allmendinger was running top five early on. At times he would run down early leader Johnson but was never able to get the lead under green. On lap 159, Allmendinger started reported engine problems. Drivers around him reported smoke coming from the Best Buy Ford.
Caution waved shortly after for rain and Allmendinger wouldn’t see the restart as his day ended on lap 166. He finished 37th.
His teammate Ambrose though day was much better. He ran top 10 for much of the race. He at times would run down the leaders but struggling with grip as the race worn on he couldn’t quite get the lead. Ambrose on the final caution of the day gambled and took just two tires.
While many of the leaders took four and were mired back mid pack Ambrose was able to capitalize and he tied his career best third on an oval track.
Early troubles…
Joey Logano had a eventful weekend starting with being right in the middle of a wild finish in the Nationwide race on Saturday. After starting fifth Logano was running in the top five when on lap 20 caution waved for debris. At the same time Logano got loose and spun. He didn’t suffer much damage but got four fresh tires and was back on track.
Logano lost a lap and long green flag runs meant Logano was never able to get back on the lead lap. He went on to finish 27th.
Greg Biffle who has run well at Dover in the past was running in the top 10 when prior to competition caution he told his team he was having throttle issues. Biffle under caution attempted to make repairs but was unable to stay on the lead lap.
Biffle had a very good car and after the repairs were made he was running lap times comparable at times with the leaders. Like Logano long green flag runs saw Biffle unable to get in position for the lucky dog. He ended up finishing 19th.
Lug Nuts…
- Tony Stewart never got started on Sunday after fueling issues forced him to pit under green and then handling issues saw Stewart six laps off the pace. He finished 29th and dropped to 10th in the standings.
- Clint Bowyer continued his climb up the standings on Sunday. After nearly getting lapped early in the race Bowyer and his team pulled off solid pit stops and Bowyer drove to a sixth place finish. He is now eighth in the standings but still looking for his first win.
- Regan Smith didn’t exactly have the follow up he was looking for at Dover. After running just inside the top 20 for most of the day. On lap 335 he headed to the garage with a broken track bar. He finished 39 laps down and in 34th.
For complete race results click here and for complete standings click here.
Next up is the NASCAR Sprint Allstar race and Showdown on Saturday night on SPEED.
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