Fast Forward ~ The AAA 400 At dover Fantasy Race Picks And Preview
“The future is like a corridor into which we can see only by the light coming from behind.”
–Edward Weyer, Jr.
The Track: Dover
International Speedway
Season Race #: 26 of 36 (09-28-14)
Track Size: 1-mile
Banking/Turn 1 & 2: 24 degrees
Banking/Turn 3 & 4: 24 degrees
Banking/Frontstretch: 9 degree
Banking/Backstretch: 9 degree
Frontstretch Length: 1,076 feet
Backstretch Length: 1,076 feet
The Race: AAA 400
400 Laps/ 400 Miles
Defending Champion: Jimmie Johnson, 130.909 MPH
Most recent winner: Jimmie Johnson, 117.724 MPH
Track Record: Mark Martin, 132.719 MPH, September 1997
Race Record: Mark Martin, 132.719 MPH, September 1997
Qualifying record: Brad Keselowski, 164.444mph, 5/30/2014
2013 Purse: $5,934,999
TV:ESPN, 2:00PM EST 6/1/2014
Radio: Motor Racing Network (MRN) Sirius XM 90; www.MRN.com
The History:
July 6, 1969- Richard Petty wins the first Sprint Cup Series race at Dover
May 31, 1992-Harry Gant becomes the oldest Dover winner at 52 years, 4 months, 21 days.
1995-Dover becomes the first track to be completely paved with concrete. The white surface earned the track the nick name of “White Lightning.” Kyle Petty won the first race on the new surface.
September 21, 1997-Mark Martin wins the fastest race ever completed at Dover.
September 23, 2001-Dover becomes the first track to hold a Sprint Cup Series race post 9/11. The race was won by Dale Earnhardt, Jr.
June 1, 2008-Kyle Busch becomes the youngest Dover winner to date, at 23 years and 29 days.
September 29, 2013-Jimmie Johnson wins his seventh Dover race, breaking a tie with Bobby Allison and Richard Petty for most career wins at the track. (Now 8 wins.)
The Contenders:
Top 10 Driver Ratings at Dover
#48-Jimmie Johnson 122.5
#20-Matt Kenseth 108.3
#18-Kyle Busch 105.3
#99-Carl Edwards 100.0
#16-Greg Biffle 98.9
#24-Jeff Gordon 94.5
#15-Clint Bowyer 92.1
#41-Kurt Busch 91.6
#78-Martin Truex Jr. 89.3
#31=Ryan Newman 88.1
Note: Driver Ratings compiled from 2005-2013 races (19 total) among active drivers at Dover International Speedway.
The Picks: As is customary, before we get to this week’s picks for Dover, let’s take a look back at our picks from last week…
Player |
Selection |
Race Pts |
Previous Pts |
Total Pts |
Behind |
Wins |
DNFs |
Vivian |
22 |
47 |
2055 |
2102 |
0 |
5 |
2 |
Darrell |
42 |
42 |
2052 |
2094 |
-8 |
3 |
2 |
Mr. Pole |
2 |
38 |
2056 |
2094 |
-8 |
6 |
2 |
Jim Fitzgerald |
4 |
43 |
2050 |
2093 |
-9 |
2 |
2 |
Kevin Abraham |
22 |
47 |
2038 |
2085 |
-17 |
3 |
4 |
Brian Marchetti |
2 |
38 |
2046 |
2084 |
-18 |
1 |
3 |
PattyKay Lilley |
2 |
38 |
2044 |
2082 |
-20 |
1 |
1 |
Barbara |
4 |
43 |
2027 |
2070 |
-32 |
1 |
3 |
Alabama Fitz |
20 |
23 |
2038 |
2061 |
-41 |
2 |
6 |
Mr. Winner |
20 |
23 |
2037 |
2060 |
-42 |
1 |
3 |
Nate |
24 |
18 |
2035 |
2053 |
-49 |
1 |
3 |
Mr. Seven |
2 |
38 |
1084 |
1122 |
-980 |
0 |
0 |
Points |
|||||||
Player |
Selection |
Race Pts |
Previous Pts |
Total Pts |
Behind |
Wins |
DNFs |
Vivian |
22 |
47 |
2055 |
2102 |
0 |
5 |
2 |
Jim Fitzgerald |
4 |
43 |
2050 |
2093 |
-9 |
2 |
2 |
Kevin Abraham |
22 |
47 |
2038 |
2085 |
-17 |
3 |
4 |
Darrell |
42 |
42 |
2052 |
2094 |
-8 |
3 |
2 |
Mr. Pole |
2 |
38 |
2056 |
2094 |
-8 |
6 |
2 |
Brian Marchetti |
2 |
38 |
2046 |
2084 |
-18 |
1 |
3 |
PattyKay Lilley |
2 |
38 |
2044 |
2082 |
-20 |
1 |
1 |
Barbara |
4 |
43 |
2027 |
2070 |
-32 |
1 |
3 |
Alabama Fitz |
20 |
23 |
2038 |
2061 |
-41 |
2 |
6 |
Mr. Winner |
20 |
23 |
2037 |
2060 |
-42 |
1 |
3 |
Nate |
24 |
18 |
2035 |
2053 |
-49 |
1 |
3 |
Mr. Seven |
2 |
38 |
1084 |
1122 |
-980 |
0 |
0 |
JIM FITZGERALD: Joey Logano won at New Hampshire, and Vivian and Kevin both took advantage, scoring a win and probably moving on into the next round. We have one race remaining before we start eliminating some players, and that’s Dover, so let’s get down to it. I'm going to get this one started. Where are we? Dover? Okay. My pick is Jimmie Johnson. Jimmie Johnson, Jimmie Johnson, Jimmie Johnson. I don't care if the 48 team is not running as they normally do. I'm taking Jimmie Johnson at Dover.
ALABAMA FITZ: Going with the defending champ of a race bit me last week when I chose Matt Kenseth. That's okay, my second choice didn't make it either. Matt did pick up two spots in the standings even though he finished 21st. I agree with Jim. I'm going to do it one more time and pick Jimmie Johnson to win Dover. He only has one more race to qualify for the next round, and I hope to see it here at Dover.
PATTYKAY LILLEY: Folks that have never seen a race and feel they've missed nothing still know that Jimmie Johnson wins at Dover. It's a given. Well... he's won 9 of the 25 races he's run here, so he wins a tad better than a third of the time. In my dictionary, that defines Sir Jimmie as b-o-r-i-n-g! Since the entire Chase thing is beneath my dignity, I can't and won't settle for boring if I can help it. This past week, Brian and I had the class of the field, or at best, one of two that dominated the entire race. Enter the dang caution flag and Brad gets a very unfriendly bump from... oh, the humanity... his own teammate... allowing the other half of the class to take the lead. In a subsequent caution, rinse and repeat as Joey erases the chances of Not so Happy Harvick. This has never been Harvick's track, but there's nothing I like more than a driver with a freaky fast car and a reason for the steam coming from his ears. I'm ridin' down and dirty with Keelan's Daddy at Dover, and if we don't win... so what? At least we had fun losing.
KEVIN ABRAHAM: I have never seen so many emails come into my phone in one day like the ones from everyone discussing their picks for Dover. Harvick has been freaky at this track...too freaky to win for my taste. I could join the love fest for Jimmie Johnson, and while my head and the numbers back that up, I am going with my gut pick. The driver I see winning has a team that always seems to have a decent setup for Dover, even though they may not have the wins to back up the fact they know the track well. I am climbing out onto the fan bridge in turn three and picking Aric Almirola to win and keep his 'Chase' chances alive.
BRIAN MARCHETTI: I have to say, it's funny to me that we all look at Johnson as a less than "his average" par performer, me included, yet when I look at the Standings, he sits comfortable in 4th. Johnson should be my pick, as I have never had any reason to doubt the combo of JJ and Chad, even when they cheated. But equally, I like Matt on this track. However, I’m taking Jimmie Johnson to win at Dover.
JIM FITZGERALD: Let’s hear what our fans have to say about picking a winner at Dover…
Nate: I’m going with Matt Kenseth to win at Dover.
Darrell: I debated and debated this week about a pick for Dover. Struggled with it. So I'm going to play it safe and take Jimmy Johnson.
Barbara: And I’ve decided to stay away from all our Chasers (Jeff & Matt both rank high at Dover) and put my pick on the Rookie: #42, Kyle Larson.
Vivian: I’m going to have to go with Jimmie Johnson for the win!
JIM FITZGERALD: Well, there are all the cards laid out on the table. There are eliminations on the line, and the wrong choice could move you out, and the right one could move you in. We’ll find out this weekend how it all plays out, so until then, keep the shiny side up!!
Our Picks For This Week!
Kevin Abraham |
Alabama Fitz |
Jim Fitzgerald |
PattyKay Lilley |
Brian Marchetti |
Darrell |
Nate |
Who is YOUR pick to win this week?
Correctly choose the winner before the green flag drops on Sunday, and you'll be entered into a drawing to win some racing stuff!