Johnson’s Mauled ‘The Monster Mile’ Like No Recent Driver

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES

Johnson’s Mauled ‘The Monster Mile’ Like No Recent Driver

Jimmie Johnson’s pair of runner-up finishes has given him a slim lead – a point over Brad Keselowski; seven points over Denny Hamlin – and this should be the week Johnson can truly state a sixth NASCAR Sprint Cup championship is his to lose. Dover International Speedway is known as the "Monster Mile" but Johnson has mauled the concrete-surfaced track into virtual submission. Over the past eight races, Johnson has won four times (two in the Chase); posted top fives six times and led 54% (1,719/3,200) of the laps run. His Driver Rating of 120.6 easily is tops at the Delaware track. Johnson’s June victory was his seventh, matching NASCAR Hall of Famers Richard Petty and Bobby Allison for the most Dover wins.

Dover Traditionally Has Been Hamlin’s Road Block

Hamlin’s New Hampshire Motor Speedway victory was otherworldly. How else can one explain his methodical charge from a 32^nd-place qualifying effort to the lead before the SYLVANIA 300’s one-third mark; 193 laps led and a 2.675-second margin of victory despite a late caution? Hamlin called it beforehand and followed through for Joe Gibbs Racing’s 100^th NASCAR Sprint Cup victory.

This week doesn’t figure to be so easy. Dover is Hamlin’s second-to-worst track in terms of Driver Rating (78.6, eighth among Chase drivers). He finished 18^th in June’s race – 11^th among the eventual 12 Chase qualifiers. His best Dover finish is fourth, twice. On the flip side of the Dover coin, Hamlin has five finishes of 20^th or worse.

Keselowski Hasn’t Mirrored Penske’s Dover Success

Round 1 Chase leader Brad Keselowski doesn’t have a large body of work at Dover, just five starts in the NASCAR Sprint Cup, fewest among Chase qualifiers. He’s yet to show any degree of mastery of one of the schedule’s most difficult challenges. Keselowski finished 12^th in June and 20^th last September and just two laps led at the track. Keselowski’s Driver Rating (76.1) ranks 11^th among Chase contenders. Penske Racing has a win and four top-five finishes, all with Kurt Busch, between 2009 and 2011. Busch won last year’s AAA 400. Penske’s seven Dover victories is tied for third all-time with the Wood Brothers.

Dover’s Been ‘Tough Sledding’ For Stewart In Recent Seasons

Dover is a bit of a love-hate thing for Tony Stewart. The three-time and reigning NASCAR Sprint Cup champion, Stewart is 10 points behind Johnson in fourth place, and swept both Dover races in 2000. His past two performances at the "Monster Mile" have been throwaways: 25^th last fall and 25^th in June, when Stewart was swept up in a ninth-lap, 12-car accident. June’s finish was Stewart’s fourth straight of 20^th or worse. Stewart’s Dover Driver Rating (68.6) is 12^th and last among Chase qualifiers.

Duplicating Past Success Critical For Biffle, Truex, Kenseth

It could get late very early for several Chase drivers – among them Greg Biffle, Martin Truex Jr. and Matt Kenseth, ranked ninth through 11^th. They trail Johnson by 33, 34 and 35 points respectively after two Chase races. They need to pick up the pace and each has a positive history at Dover. Biffle and Kenseth each have won twice and Truex, a New Jersey native who considers Dover his home track, visited Victory Lane there in 2007. Truex finished seventh in Dover’s spring race. Kenseth, spring’s third-place finisher, has the field’s second best Driver Rating (110.5); Biffle its fourth (104.2). Roush Fenway Racing, which fields Fords for Biffle and Kenseth, is a nine-time Dover winner.