Beccas Pace Lap

Dover International Speedway -- 05/31/2009

Author: Becca Gladden

Published: Friday May 29 2009 10:41pm

Becca's Pace Lap: The Autism 400 presented by Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips & Cheese @ Dover International Speedway

• Front Row: David Reutimann (P1), Kasey Kahne (P2)

• Pole Qualifying Speed: 156.794 mph

• Highest Starting Rookie: Joey Logano - starts 21st

• To the Rear: Jeff Gordon (hit the wall in practice)

• Fastest Qualifier by Manufacturer:
Chevy: Juan Pablo Montoya (3rd)
Dodge: Kasey Kahne (2nd)
Ford: Greg Biffle (5th)
Toyota: David Reutimann (1st)

• Outside the Top 35 Who Made the Field:
Dave Blaney
Mike Bliss
David Gilliland
Joe Nemechek
Tony Raines
Mike Skinner
Regan Smith
Scott Speed

• Outside the Top 35 Who Missed the Cut:
Derrike Cope
Brad Keselowski
Max Papis
David Starr

• Weather Forecast: Partly cloudy, 77°F, NW winds at 10-15 mph

• Race Notes:

Last year's race winner: Kyle Busch (June race)
Most recent winner here: Greg Biffle (September race)

Although Friday’s truck race was rained out, the weather for the rest of the weekend is expected to be okay with regard to precipitation.
Dover used to be known for one of the worst pit roads on the NASCAR circuit, but extensive remodeling during the off-season is expected to make it much more driver friendly, and there are now 43 pit boxes rather than the old 42.

Interestingly, the driver who holds the qualifying record at Dover is Jeremy Mayfield at 161.522 mph. Mayfield is currently embroiled in an ugly legal battle with the sanctioning body after he allegedly failed a drug test. Reports surfaced in the media today that the mystery prescription drug in question was Adderall, an amphetamine that Mayfield was reportedly taking for attention deficit disorder.

Barring the unforeseen, Kyle Busch will start sixth on Sunday. If he forges to the front quickly, it could be another long race for fans if Busch dominates as he has in numerous races the past two years.

Jeff Gordon slammed the wall hard in qualifying and will be going to a back-up car and starting from the rear of the field. Gordon, who’s been undergoing injections in his back for chronic back pain, said that the hit hurt both his car and his back.

Many consider Dover a Ford/Roush-friendly track, though the Roush boys have been a bit lackluster the past few weeks. However, with the Hendrick drivers’ relatively poor showing in qualifying Friday, this could be the week that “Concrete” Carl Edwards, Greg Biffle, or won of the other Roushketeers regains form.

Earlier this week, Denny Hamlin likened this track to Bristol. The winner at Bristol earlier this year in dominating fashion was … Kyle Busch.

• Quotes of the Week:

“Well the difference for him is that 80% of the grandstands are wearing green on Sunday. Not only do our fans support their drivers, they support the driver’s sponsors. They are the reason we all do this. So there are more people involved in this sport because of Dale Jr. than because of me or anybody else out there. I think that is what makes it different, you know. The fans put the pressure on the sponsors just as much as they do on the drivers. There are a lot of people that expect a lot out of him just because of who he is and how much attention he brings to the table. He brings a lot of money to the table because of his sponsors, so they expect performance.” – Martin Truex Jr., Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing No. 1, on the pressures facing friend and former teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr.

“It's just a track that is extremely demanding on the driver and also the vehicle itself, but the straightaways are a higher elevation in the corners and you're almost airborne in the turns, and then you've got to turn and come back out of the hole. There are multiple lines. It's almost a double apex, especially in 3 and 4. So there are just a lot of challenges and I think when a track is quirky and it's real challenging, I kind of excel and it just works for me.” – Jimmie Johnson, Hendrick Motorsports No. 48, on the challenges and characteristics of racing at Dover.

• Current oddsmakers' favorite:
Kyle Busch +500 (starts 8th)
Jimmie Johnson +700 (starts 5th)

• Long shots to watch:
Jeff Gordon +1500 (starts 42nd)
Brian Vickers +2500 (starts 9th)

* All information current at press time

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