Thursday, September 23, 2010

Driver Chassis Selections for Dover AAA 400

1. Denny Hamlin: Coming off third top 10 in nine starts; Fourth-place finish in May ended a streak of five finishes of 22nd or worse; 26.4 average finish in the seven races with the COT; Will pilot the same car (chassis No. 279) that he finished fifth with at Pocono in August.
2. Kevin Harvick: Coming off seventh top 10 in 19 starts; 10.5 average finish in his last four starts; 17.1 average finish in the seven races with the COT; Will pilot chassis No. 301 for the fourth time in 2010; This chassis saw its best finish come at Texas in seventh.
3. Kyle Busch: Coming off second win in five starts with Joe Gibbs Racing; Win in May ended a streak of three consecutive finishes of 23rd or worse; Combined to lead 289 laps in the races he won; Posted four top fives in previous six starts with Hendrick Motorsports; 17.3 average finish in the seven races with the COT.
4. Jeff Gordon: Four-time winner; Last won in 2001 after leading 381 laps from the second-starting position; Scored 21st top 10 in 35 starts in this event last year; Finished 11th in May; Seventh-best average finish (10.7) in the seven races with the COT.

5. Kurt Busch: 19th-place finish in May ended two-race streak of fifth-place finishes; Led 99 laps in this event last year; 22.0 average finish in the seven races with the COT; Will debut a new car (chassis No. 736) in the AAA 400.
6. Jimmie Johnson: Scored fifth win in this event last year; Swept events in 2002 and 2009; Has combined to lead 875 laps in last four races; Fourth-best average finish (8.4) in the seven races with the COT; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 558) that he finished 22nd with at Indianapolis in July.
7. Carl Edwards: One victory and five top fives in 12 starts; Won this event in 2007; Has finished 11th or better in last eight starts; Has never finished worse than 18th (track debut, 2004); Second-best average finish (5.0) in the seven races with the COT.
8. Greg Biffle: Two-time winner; Second-best track on the circuit based on his 10.5 average finish; Has finished eighth or better in nine of the last 11 races; Leads all drivers with a 4.9 average finish in the seven races with the COT; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 671) that he finished 10th with at Texas.
9. Jeff Burton: Finished second in May for sixth top 10 in 12 starts with Richard Childress Racing; Won this event in 2006; Scored eight top 10s in previous starts with Roush Racing; Sixth-best average finish (10.0) in the seven races with the COT; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 314) that he finished fourth with at Atlanta earlier this month.
10. Tony Stewart: 6.7 average finish in three starts with Stewart-Haas Racing; Swept the two races in 2000 driving for Joe Gibbs Racing; 17.3 average finish and six laps led in the seven races with the COT; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 530) that he finished ninth with at Dover in May.
11. Matt Kenseth: Won the 2006 spring race after leading 83 laps; Coming off fifth consecutive top five; Third-best average finish (8.0) in the seven races with the COT; Only finish outside the top 10 in his last nine starts was the result of engine failure after leading 192 laps in the 2007 fall race; Will pilot the same car (chassis No. 672) that he finished fifth with at Michigan.
12. Clint Bowyer: Three top-10 finishes of eighth are best track results in nine starts; Last top 10 came in this event in 2008; Finished 17th in May after a pit road penalty for leaving his stall with the jack underneath the No. 33 Chevrolet; 15.3 average finish in the seven races with the COT; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 298) that he most recently led 59 laps en route to a ninth-place finish at Pocono in June.
13. Ryan Newman: 10.3 average finish in three starts with Stewart-Haas Racing; Three-time winner with Penske Racing, including a sweep in 2003; Has led 842 laps in 17 starts, including 325 en route to victory in the 2004 fall race; Eighth-best average finish (12.6) in the seven races with the COT; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 516) that he most recently finished sixth with at Bristol.
14. Jamie McMurray: Scored best finish (second) with Roush Racing in the 2006 spring race after leading 95 laps; Five top-10 finishes in 14 starts with an average finish of 17.9; Finished 32nd in May; 21.7 average finish in the seven races with the COT; Will pilot the same car (chassis No. 803) that he qualified seventh and finished third with at Bristol last month.
15. David Reutimann: Coming off first top 10 (fifth) in six starts; Won the pole for the 2009 spring race; Led 25 laps in that event en route to 18th-place finish; 17.7 average finish.
16. Juan Pablo Montoya: Scored best finish in this event last year in fourth; Finish was second top 10 in seven starts; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 903) that he most recently finished seventh with at Bristol last month.
17. Mark Martin: Four-time winner in 48 starts; His 22 top-five finishes and 1,720 laps led are a personal best at any track; 9.0 average finish in three starts with Hendrick Motorsports; Fifth-best average finish (9.3) in the seven races with the COT.
18. Dale Earnhardt Jr.: 24.2 average finish in five starts with Hendrick Motorsports; Scored seven top 10s and one win in previous 16 starts with Dale Earnhardt, Inc.; Has yet to lead a lap in the seven races with the COT; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 556) that he most recently finished 25th with at Chicago.
19. Kasey Kahne: Average finish of 22.5 with five DNFs in 13 starts; Two of three total top 10s at track came with Richard Petty Motorsports in 2009; Finished 20th this spring after starting second and leading 24 laps; Has led a total of 88 laps at the track in three events.
20. Martin Truex Jr.: Won only Cup Series race to date in spring 2007 event with Dale Earnhardt, Inc.; Finished 12th this spring after grabbing the pole in track debut with Michael Waltrip Racing; That finish marked his best since a sixth-place finish in spring of 2008; 14.9 average finish in nine starts.

No comments: