Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Johnson Favored to Win 2012 Dover AAA 400

Johnson is 4-to-1 favorite to sweep Dover for third time in career (Getty) 
By Micah Roberts
The Linemakers on Sporting News

Denny Hamlin made good on his called shot of winning at New Hampshire last week, but that might be the end of those kinds of predictions, especially this week at Dover. Between car owner Joe Gibbs, dating back to his NFL days, never wanting to give his opponents bulletin board material, to the fact that Hamlin has a 20.5 average finish at Dover, Hamlin should be pretty quiet, on and off the track, this week.

Hamlin may have an edge on the four 1.5-mile tracks coming up and should fare better than most at Phoenix and Martinsville, but Dover is another story. Dover is Jimmie Johnson territory. Johnson has rarely run out of the top10 at this track and has conquered it seven times over his career, including the race this past June, when he led 289 of the 400 laps.

Hamlin, on the other hand, has not performed well at Dover over his 13 career starts on the track. His best was fourth-place — one two occasions — and he has finished 36th or worse four times. He comes in on a three-race stretch of mediocrity on the track that has seen him finish 16th or worse each time.

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