The next Nationwide Series race is the 5-Hour Energy 200 at Dover International Speedway, Saturday, September 28th at 3:30pm ET. Television coverage is on ESPN with radio coverage on MRN, SiriusXM, channel 90 for all 200 laps, covering 200-miles of racing action.
For Sam Hornish Jr, Dover International Speedway presents a challenge while competing for his first series’ championship. In four starts, he’s finished in the top-ten once – this past June when he placed seventh, while last season he scored 13th and 18th-place finishes. His first series race at the track came in May 2008, resulting in a 23rd-place showing. Hornish has never led a lap in Dover, and although he’s been running at the end of all four races, he’s only finished on the lead-lap once – earlier this summer – giving him an average-finish of 15.3.
Adding to any concerns, Hornish’s closest competitor, Austin Dillon, has a better track record in Dover and is slowly cutting into Hornish’s lead. After the Kentucky 300 last weekend, Dillon was able to shave off three points from Hornish’s lead, which now stands at 15-points. Dillon finished second in the race to Ryan Blaney, while Hornish finished a strong fourth.
In three starts at Dover, Dillon has never finished outside the top-ten and in the June race this year, he led 43 laps including the first 35 circuits after starting on the pole. He finished the race eighth and in two races last season, Dillon placed sixth and tenth with an average finishing position of 8.0.
After 27 races in 2013, Hornish has put together impressive stats with one win, 13 top-fives, 21 top-tens and three poles. Although Dillon is winless this year, his credentials are also noteworthy of ten top-fives, 17 top-tens and six poles, including a series-record four consecutive.
The only driver in the top-five that has a Nationwide victory at Dover is Brian Vickers, who is fifth in the standings (-60). The victory was one of three that came in 2003 on his way to the championship. Regan Smith (third, -45) and Elliott Sadler (fourth, -54) round out the top-five contenders.
Joey Logano knows how to compete on the concrete surface of Dover. With nine series’ starts at the Monster Mile, his poorest finish is 14th, coming in September 2009.
In Logano’s last three starts, he’s visited victory lane each time and has led 404 of a possible 600 laps in those trips and could make it a fourth straight this Saturday. In addition to his three wins, he’s compiled five top-fives, six top-tens, two poles and an impressive average finishing position of 5.9.
Logano is piloting the No. 22 Penske Racing car for his 12th time this weekend in hopes of delivering another win. His only other start for the season is in the No. 48 at Watkins Glen.
Four different drivers have wheeled the No 22 to victory ten times in 2013, including Logano with a win at Dover in June and Chicagoland in July. Brad Keselowski, AJ Allmendinger and Ryan Blaney, who won last weekend at Kentucky, combine for the other eight wins. Based on past success at Dover, Logano is the prime candidate to win the No. 22 team’s 11th victory.
The new crop of young, successful drivers in the series gives NASCAR a promising future. While the Nationwide series is a nice blend of veteran and up-and-coming drivers, it’s the latter that are turning heads.
There are now six drivers in the top-15 in points, 25 years or younger including, Brian Scott (25), Austin Dillon (23), Parker Kligerman (23), Trevor Bayne (22), Kyle Larson (21) and Alex Bowman (20). Between the six drivers, Scott is the most experienced with 136 series races under his belt. Of the six, only Dillon and Bayne have victories over the course of their careers both with two.
All six drivers have completed in 27 events in 2013 and have compiled a joint season of one win, 31 top-fives, 74 top-tens and eight poles. Dillon is now second in the point standings, Scott is seventh, Bayne eighth, Larson ninth, Kligerman tenth and Bowman 11th.
This weekend at Dover is a homecoming of sorts for Kendall Park, NJ native, Phil Gould, who is the crew chief of the No. 2 Richard Childress Racing car of Brian Scott.
TJ Duke will attempt to make his track début this weekend at Dover in the No. 79 car and could be his third overall start in the series. His previous two starts came in 2011.
Justin Allgaier, Michael Annett, Kyle Busch, Joey Logano and Josh Wise are making their tenth series’ start at Dover on Saturday.
