2015 Week 13 Pit Road: Dover

Weekly Review and Power Rankings

Week 13: FedEx 400 Benefiting Autism Speaks

By Richard Tix

We are just going to skip right to the Power Rankings this week. I missed just about everything except for the occasional look at the running order. I do apologize for falling behind this past week for everyone who check's out NASCAR Behind the Wall daily/weekly, but I was getting married! So, hopefully it was an ok excuse. 

I will try and get everything in this week, but next week I will miss the Power Rankings and previews most likely as I will be on my honeymoon. Once back, it will be back to our regularly schedule Behind the Wall information! 

ifantasyrace.com has a ton of fantasy information if that is what you're looking for and they can help keep you in the loop. Also, they have a great DraftKings deal going on still, for any fantasy lovers. 

You can also check out TimerSports.blogspot.com  for more fantasy info. You can still check back her at NASCAR Behind the Wall as I will still try and get a few updates up.

Pit Road Power Rankings Week 13 (Week 12)

1. Kevin Harvick (LW-1)- Sometimes I feel I should just name these the "Everyone after Kevin Harvick Rankings." After a great 2014 season, 2015 has actually been better (so far). All he needs to do is focus on winning another Championship. Finish: 2nd
2. Jimmie Johnson (LW-4)- It wasn't the typical JJ Dover win, as he only lead 23 total laps, but again he took the #48 to Victory Lane. That totals 4 wins in 2015. Finish: 1st
3. Martin Truex Jr (LW-2)- Truex is within 44 points of Harvick, yet he has zero wins. Just think about that for a second (Harvick has 2 wins and 9 top 5's, Truex has 3 top 5's). Truex is also up 32 points on Joey Logano. But, when will the win come? He was so close at Dover. Finish: 6th
4. Dale Earnhardt Jr (LW-3)- Jr didn't have a great day on Sunday. He wasn't a front runner at all and he struggled to get there. It was his third worst race via "driver rating" of the season. Finish: 14th
5. Jeff Gordon (LW-8)- 2015 isn't going as well as 2014 was for Gordon, but he still has stayed pretty consistent. After a few sup par finishes, Gordon finally got back in the top 10 on Sunday. Finish: 10th
6. Brad Keselowski (LW-9)- BK has been in the middle of this large grouping of drivers in the second tier for 2015. First tier is Harvick and JJ (maybe Truex), and then there is a long list thought about 10 or 11 on this ranking in another tier. All these guys have show glimpses, but right now its the Kevin and Jimmie show. Finish: 12th
7. Ryan Newman (LW-7)- Dover was an uncharacteristic poor finish for Newman. It hasn't happened much in the last two seasons, so he may bounce back at Pocono. Finish: 18th
8. Joey Logano (LW-10)- JoLo is still starting out races up front (most of the time in the top 5), but hasn't been pulling off top 5's and top 10's at as high of a rate as the beginning of 2015. JoLo and the #22 team have nothing to worry about, but will be focusing on finishing for the Chase. Finish: 11th
9. Kurt Busch (LW-5)- Dover was Kurt's worst finish of the season and actually his first outside the top 15 in his first 10 races. At this point is doesn't matter as he has a win and is sitting nicely in 15th. Finish: 31st
10. Matt Kenseth (LW-6)- I thought after a few really good races and a fourth place starting position Kenseth would challenge for the win. Then he has troubles with his car and he had to settle for packing it up with a back of the pack finish. Finish: 39th
11. Kasey Kahne (LW-NR)- Kahne finally got back in the top 10 on Sunday for the first time since Richmond. He still has only lead laps in three races this year, but the top 5 at Dover is promising. Finish: 4th
12. Paul Menard (LW-NR)- Menard has been quiet, but he has worked his way to 12th in the points standings. At Dover he notched his third top 10 of the season and his first since Talladega. Finish: 8th

Dropped Out: Carl Edwards (LW-11) and Kyle Busch (LW-12)

Just Missed: Kyle Larson and Aric Almirola

Honorable Mention: David Ragan in the #55 (13th)

2015 Week 13 Preview: Dover

FedEx 400 Benefiting Autism Speaks

Dover International Speedway

By Richard Tix

NASCAR gets back to some "short track racing" this week after a few stops at the 1.5's. The Monster Mile is a fast 1 mile track and will give some guys an opportunity for a good finish. But, can anyone catch Jimmie Johnson?

Johnson has 9 wins in 26 races, which breaks down to a winning percentage of 34.62. In his last 21 races Johnson has Just two finishes outside of the top 15 (16th and 17th) 16 top 10's, and 7 wins (dates back to 2004). Since 2009 he has 6 of those 9 wins (12 races). If you are still doing the math, that means JJ is winning 50% of the time NASCAR heads to Dover in the last 12 stops.

So again, can anyone catch JJ? Well, take a look below to get an idea who might, and who most likely will not challenge him this Sunday.

Also, check out ifantasyrace.com and there DraftKings deal! It's a great deal for Fantasy nuts, so don't miss out!

The Good

• Jimmie Johnson- People have been clamoring a lot lately about Dover getting two stops on the season, most of that is because of this guy. He has been so good here that the races have been too much about the 48. In his last 14 races here he has 12 top 10's, 10 top 5's, and 6 wins. So, it might really be all because of JJ that people are being turned off by the "Monster Mile" lately.
• Jeff Gordon- Last year Gordon won at Dover in the Fall after leading 94 laps. It wasn't as dominant as JJ, but Gordon still knows how to get around the Monster Mile, remember he still has 5 career wins here.
• Matt Kenseth- In his last 18 Dover starts he has 14 top 10's, 12 top 5's, and 2 wins. The last one hasn't come since 2011, but when you are talking about a track where JJ has won 6 since 2009 (12 races), one win in that span isn't too bad.

The Middle

• Clint Bowyer- Last time around in the Fall Bowyer was on the "Good" list, this time he moves down? Why the move after finishing 9th and notching his 8th top 10 in a row? Well, because for all the good he has done he still hasn't won a race at Dover. A win will change all of this "Middle" talk and move him back up the list.

The Bad

• Sam Hornish Jr- His last start here was 2012, but even back then he wasn't running well at Dover. In 7 starts he only has 2 top 20's and 3 top 25's. 
• Austin Dillon- It's still early in his career, but his first three starts he didn't finish higher than 20th. He only had that one top 20 even after qualifying 10th last time around in the Fall of 2014. 
• Kasey Kahne- The rough streak here at Dover continues for Kahne. He now has five straight finishes without a top 10 and only two of those were top 15's. If you look back to his last 10 races he only has two top 10's and 4 top 15's. 

Track Stats

• Richard Petty won the first 3 of 4 races at Dover, including the first two in 1969 and 1970
• The race has been won from the Pole 13 times.
• Kyle Petty won after starting 37th in 1995, the furthest back a Dover race has been won
• Toyota hasn't won a Dover Cup race since 2010 (Kyle Busch), or 9 races. Dodge has won twice since then
• The most cautions was 16 in 1993, Rusty Wallace eventually won the race
• Current drivers with more then 1 Dover win (Jimmie Johnson-9, Jeff Gordon-5, Ryan Newman-3, Tony Stewart-3, Kyle Busch-2, Matt Kenseth-2, and Greg Biffle 2)
• Current drivers with one Dover win (Brad Keselowski, Bobby Labonte (part time), Martin Truex Jr, Carl Edwards, Dale Earnhardt Jr, and Kurt Busch)
• Most career wins at Dover: Jimmie Johnson (9), Richard Petty (7), and Bobby Allison (7).
• Most career top 5s at Dover: Mark Martin (24) followed by Dale Earnhardt (19)
• Most career top 10's at Dover: Mark Martin (33), Richard Petty (26), and Ricky Rudd (26)
• Most career pole awards at Dover: David Pearson (6), Rusty Wallace (5), and Mark Martin (5)
• Most career starts at Dover is Ricky Rudd with 56.

Track Info

• Surface: 1995-Present: Concrete
• Was Asphalt from 1969-1994
• Length: 1 mile
• Banking
• Turns: 24 degrees
• Straight: 9 degrees

Dover International Raceway
Race	Date	Cars	Winner(s)	St	Car
1969-29	7/6/1969	32	Richard Petty	3	'69 Ford
1970-41	9/20/1970	36	Richard Petty	2	'70 Plymouth
1971-22	6/6/1971	40	Bobby Allison	2	'69 Mercury
1971-43	10/17/1971	40	Richard Petty	4	'71 Plymouth
1972-13	6/4/1972	40	Bobby Allison	2	'72 Chevrolet
1972-26	9/17/1972	40	David Pearson	2	'71 Mercury
1973-13	6/3/1973	40	David Pearson	1	'71 Mercury
1973-24	9/16/1973	40	David Pearson	1	'71 Mercury
1974-12	5/19/1974	35	Cale Yarborough	3	'74 Chevrolet
1974-25	9/15/1974	40	Richard Petty	2	'74 Dodge
1975-12	5/18/1975	35	David Pearson	1	'73 Mercury
1975-22	9/14/1975	37	Richard Petty	3	'74 Dodge
1976-12	5/16/1976	39	Benny Parsons	7	Chevrolet
1976-24	9/19/1976	36	Cale Yarborough	1	Chevrolet
1977-12	5/15/1977	36	Cale Yarborough	6	Chevrolet
1977-24	9/18/1977	40	Benny Parsons	7	Chevrolet
1978-11	5/21/1978	40	David Pearson	3	Mercury
1978-24	9/17/1978	37	Bobby Allison	2	Ford
1979-12	5/20/1979	31	Neil Bonnett	5	Mercury
1979-25	9/16/1979	36	Richard Petty	4	Chevrolet
1980-12	5/18/1980	34	Bobby Allison	8	Ford
1980-25	9/14/1980	40	Darrell Waltrip	2	Chevrolet
1981-12	5/17/1981	32	Jody Ridley	11	Ford
1981-25	9/20/1981	34	Neil Bonnett	3	Ford
1982-11	5/16/1982	32	Bobby Allison	3	Chevrolet
1982-24	9/19/1982	35	Darrell Waltrip	3	Buick
1983-10	5/15/1983	36	Bobby Allison	10	Buick
1983-24	9/18/1983	36	Bobby Allison	7	Buick
1984-11	5/20/1984	36	Richard Petty	5	Pontiac
1984-24	9/16/1984	40	Harry Gant	3	Chevrolet
1985-10	5/19/1985	32	Bill Elliott	4	Ford
1985-22	9/15/1985	39	Harry Gant	4	Chevrolet
1986-10	5/18/1986	37	Geoffrey Bodine	3	Chevrolet
1986-23	9/14/1986	40	Ricky Rudd	11	Ford
1987-11	5/31/1987	39	Davey Allison	2	Ford
1987-23	9/20/1987	40	Ricky Rudd	13	Ford
1988-11	6/5/1988	40	Bill Elliott	17	Ford
1988-23	9/18/1988	40	Bill Elliott	3	Ford
1989-11	6/4/1989	35	Dale Earnhardt	2	Chevrolet
1989-23	9/17/1989	40	Dale Earnhardt	15	Chevrolet
1990-11	6/3/1990	36	Derrike Cope	15	Chevrolet
1990-23	9/16/1990	40	Bill Elliott	1	Ford
1991-11	6/2/1991	35	Ken Schrader	19	Chevrolet
1991-23	9/15/1991	40	Harry Gant	10	Oldsmobile
1992-11	5/31/1992	40	Harry Gant	15	Oldsmobile
1992-23	9/20/1992	36	Ricky Rudd	6	Chevrolet
1993-12	6/6/1993	38	Dale Earnhardt	8	Chevrolet
1993-24	9/19/1993	37	Rusty Wallace	1	Pontiac
1994-12	6/5/1994	42	Rusty Wallace	6	Ford
1994-25	9/18/1994	40	Rusty Wallace	10	Ford
1995-12	6/4/1995	42	Kyle Petty	37	Pontiac
1995-25	9/17/1995	40	Jeff Gordon	2	Chevrolet
1996-12	6/2/1996	42	Jeff Gordon	1	Chevrolet
1996-25	9/15/1996	41	Jeff Gordon	3	Chevrolet
1997-12	6/1/1997	43	Ricky Rudd	13	Ford
1997-26	9/21/1997	42	Mark Martin	1	Ford
1998-12	5/31/1998	43	Dale Jarrett	4	Ford
1998-26	9/20/1998	43	Mark Martin	1	Ford
1999-13	6/6/1999	43	Bobby Labonte	1	Pontiac
1999-27	9/26/1999	43	Mark Martin	8	Ford
2000-13	6/4/2000	43	Tony Stewart	16	Pontiac
2000-27	9/24/2000	43	Tony Stewart	27	Pontiac
2001-13	6/3/2001	43	Jeff Gordon	2	Chevrolet
2001-27	9/23/2001	43	Dale Earnhardt, Jr.	3	Chevrolet
2002-13	6/2/2002	43	Jimmie Johnson	10	Chevrolet
2002-28	9/22/2002	43	Jimmie Johnson	19	Chevrolet
2003-13	6/1/2003	43	Ryan Newman	1	Dodge
2003-28	9/21/2003	43	Ryan Newman	5	Dodge
2004-13	6/6/2004	43	Mark Martin	7	Ford
2004-28	9/26/2004	43	Ryan Newman	2	Dodge
2005-13	6/5/2005	43	Greg Biffle	2	Ford
2005-28	9/25/2005	43	Jimmie Johnson	5	Chevrolet
2006-13	6/4/2006	43	Matt Kenseth	19	Ford
2006-28	9/24/2006	43	Jeff Burton	19	Chevrolet
2007-13	6/4/2007	43	Martin Truex, Jr.	26	Chevrolet
2007-28	9/23/2007	43	Carl Edwards	15	Ford
2008-13	6/1/2008	43	Kyle Busch	3	Toyota
2008-28	9/21/2008	43	Greg Biffle	5	Ford
2009-13	5/31/2009	43	Jimmie Johnson	8	Chevrolet
2009-28	9/27/2009	43	Jimmie Johnson	1	Chevrolet
2010-12	5/16/2010	43	Kyle Busch	4	Toyota
2010-28	9/26/2010	43	Jimmie Johnson	1	Chevrolet
2011-11	5/15/2011	43	Matt Kenseth	24	Ford
2011-29	10/2/2011	43	Kurt Busch	2	Dodge
2012-13	6/3/2012	43	Jimmie Johnson	2	Chevrolet
2012-29	9/30/2012	43	Brad Keselowski	10	Dodge
2013-13	6/2/2013	43	Tony Stewart	22	Chevrolet
2013-29	9/29/2013	43	Jimmie Johnson	8	Chevrolet
2014-13	6/1/2014	43	Jimmie Johnson	4	Chevrolet
2014-29	9/28/2014	43	Jeff Gordon	6	Chevrolet

Dover Weekend Articles:

• Dover TV Schedule
• Power Rankings
• Driver Entry List- Jayski
• ifantasyrace.com
• TimerSports