Denny Hamlin

Last weekend was a very good showing for the points leader. Despite getting spun out by Carl Edwards during the event, Hamlin was able to rebound and finish second. Hamlin was extremely upbeat about the showing.

Coming into the Monster Mile, however, Hamlin was less than excited.

With an average finish 22.8, including two DNFs and just two top fives, the driver hoped to just survive the weekend at DIR.

“That is the on track that has killed our Chase chances every single year,” Hamlin said. “It’s the second race of the Chase. For whatever reason, if you start off the Chase good, it seems to carry you through.”

Also on Friday Hamlin took a shot at fellow Chaser Clint Bowyer, saying among other things that Bowyer’s No. 33 Richard Childress Racing entry have been warned “for months” about the legality of their cars. You can see all of Hamlin’s comments here.

During the first practice session on Saturday, Bowyer’s teammate Kevin Harvick obviously took the remarks made about his teammate to heart. The No. 29 hit Hamlin during the opening laps of the session, causing damage to both machines- who because of points are right next to each other in the garage area. NASCAR officials had to separate the teams as tempers came to a head, and heated words were exchanged until the cars returned to the track.

Hamlin refused to speak to the media after the first section, but did issue comments after Happy Hour, where he ended seventh.

“I spoke my mind yesterday and I feel like I said a lot of truth, and a lot of times that’s not popular with the teams that are involved,” Hamlin said. “That’s something I’ve always done is speak my mind. It’s not always in my best interest to do so.” Hamlin was fined $50,000 earlier this season by NASCAR for remakrs they deemed detrimental to the sport.

The No. 11 FedEx Toyota will start the AAA 400 at the Dover International Speedway fourth.

Kevin Harvick

Dover has been a very hot and cold track for Harvick.

Harvick will be making his 350th Cup Series start this weekend, and his 20th at the Monster Mile. Despite having no wins and having led just two races there, Harvick has collected seven top tens at the track.

Coming into this weekend’s event, however, Harvick has momentum on his side, coming off his 12th top five of the season.

As mentioned before, Harvick and Hamlin were involved in a practice incident on Saturday and spent most of the session in the garage making repairs.

“We’re a tight bunch [at RCR],” said Harvick. “It’s always been that way.”

He would finish Happy Hour 15th fastest and will start Sunday’s event way back in the 33rd position.

Kyle Busch

In 2009, Kyle Busch missed the Chase to the Sprint Cup. The year prior to that, despite coming into the Chase with eight wins, Busch had a dismal final ten races and finished 10th in the standings.

He looks to better that in 2010, and started the Chase off in Loudon collected his 15th top ten of the year. Busch also won the race at Dover this past May, as well as a win in 2008. However, his average finish is 15.5 and he has two DNFs at the track.

 

Rowdy dominated Saturday’s Dover 200, leading 192 of the 200 laps and winning his 11th Nationwide race of the year, beating Sam Ard’s previous all-time series record of ten.

“I can’t say enough about these guys on this Joe Gibbs Racing team; they did a phenomenal job,” Busch said in Victory Lane. “This car was flawless. It was really good.”

Prior to the Nationwide race, Busch finished his Cup practice sessions in third and 19th.

So will we see new or old Kyle Busch on Sunday? Busch will start the AAA 400 in the 11th position.

Carl Edwards

Coming into this year’s Chase, Roush Fenway Racing had three cars in the top 12, yet have been counted out when it comes to the championship. Entering the Dover International Speedway, Edwards is seventh in points, jumping two positions after his 11th place finish in New Hampshire.

“You know, with only 10 races in the Chase, there is a little bit of urgency, but it’s still 10 races,” the driver of the No. 99 Ford said. “Last week, for instance, wasn’t exactly what we wanted, but it wasn’t a disaster, either.”

Edwards finished third in Saturday’s Dover 200, and will take the green flag Sunday in 10th.

Jeff Burton

Despite the drama his teammates and owner have been embroiled in this weekend, Jeff Burton has been the silent teammate at Richard Childress Racing. Finishing the three practice sessions of the weekend 24th, ninth and third. Burton comes into Dover ninth in points, gaining a spot after his top 15 in New Hampshire.

When asked if he was concerned about the legality of his No. 31 Catepillar Chevrolet, Burton was adament in RCR’s innocence.

“We have a lot of belief at RCR about integrity and about doing things the right way and by no means did the No. 33 car go to the racetrack believing in any form of fashion that they would have any trouble with tech whatsoever,” Burton told the media on Friday.

Burton starts Sunday’s race 27th.

Matt Kenseth

Prior to the race at Dover, former champion Matt Kenseth made a pit stop along with fellow NASCAR drivers and president Mike Helton to Walter Reed Army Medical Center, spending time with wounded soldiers and their families.

Kenseth had one of the worst weekends among the Chasers last weekend at New Hampshire, finishing 23rd (his worst finish this season was a 28th at Talladega). He’s 11th in points, 136 points behind Hamlin.

The 2003 champ will also be tracking his race in the Chase for the USA Today, and you can read his second entry in their series here.

Kenseth will start Sunday’s race 14th.

Thanks to Jayski, Racing Reference, the Associated Press, Scene Daily, FOXNews, Paddock Talk, NESN.com, Miami Herald and NASCAR.com for the information, quotes and statistics used in this piece.