Chips Are On The Table: Logano, Busch Rolling The Dice At Dover
Winning is everything and at Dover International Speedway – which sits next to a casino –Joey Logano (four) and Kyle Busch (four) have won eight out of the last twelve NASCAR Nationwide Series races at the famed one-mile concrete track. Dominant powerhouses on a high-speed, physically demanding track are what Logano and Busch have been and with this weekend’s owner championship implications on the line, the showdown between the two veteran drivers is that much more exciting.
Busch returns to the No. 54 Toyota for car owner Joe Gibbs this weekend. Busch has made 20 starts this season posting four wins, 19 top fives, six poles and an average finish of 3.2 – his series career best. Busch was dialed-in at Dover earlier this season; he won the Camping World Truck Series race, the Nationwide Series event and may have had a clean sweep if not for an accident in the Sprint Cup Series race. Busch has made 18 series starts at Dover posting four wins (spring 2014, 2010 sweep and fall 2008), nine top-fives, and 13 top-tens.
Car owner Joe Gibbs will be looking for more of that dominance come this weekend, he is now 37 points behind Roger Penske’s No. 22 Ford team in the owner championship standings with six races remaining in the season.
Team Penske has been exceptionally hot in the Sprint Cup Series this season, so it’s not surprising the success has trickled down to the Nationwide Series, especially with drivers like Joey Logano in the No. 22 car. Logano, who has 21 series career wins, has made eight series starts this season and is still looking for his first victory of 2014. In eight starts this season, Logano has posted six top-fives and seven top-tens. He finished third behind Busch and Trevor Bayne after starting from the pole in the first Dover race of the season. Logano, 24, is looking to extend his streak of consecutive seasons with at least one Nationwide Series win to seven. Since Logano entered the series in 2008, he has won at least one race each season. Mark Martin holds the all-time record with nine straight years with an Nationwide Series victory.
Statistically Dover is Logano’s best track on the series schedule, in 11 starts he has posted four consecutive wins (2012 and 2013 sweeps), seven top fives, eight top-tens, four poles and an average finish of 5.2.
“I really want to get a win and I think we will,” said Logano. “I would like to extend that streak. I’d love to be able to fight with my teammate (Brad Keselowski) and see if one of us can get to nine straight years with Nationwide Series wins and match Mark’s (Martin) record. And I think we can do it, especially this weekend at Dover. It’s always been one of my favorite race tracks and the one I’ve run the best at. I just want to get this No. 22 team in Victory Lane again and help extend the point lead in the Owner Championship. That’s pretty important to all of us right now.”
Gaughan Not Forgotten, RCR Is JR Motorsports Biggest Threat To The Title
After a strong showing by Richard Childress Racing’s Brendan Gaughan, Brian Scott and Ty Dillon last weekend at Kentucky that had the trio finishing 1-2-3 respectively, it is clear RCR is the biggest threat to the JR Motorsports drivers Chase Elliott and Regan Smith for the NASCAR Nationwide Series title.
With just six races remaining in the 2014 season, Chase Elliott holds on to points lead by 20 markers over Regan Smith in second and 38 points ahead of third place, Ty Dillon. Just behind his RCR teammate is Brian Scott sitting fourth, 55-points back from the standings lead. All within striking distance.
In a season that has seen JR Motorsports win nine of the 27 races, last weekend’s victory by Richard Childress Racing may have been a shift in momentum with six races remaining in the 2014 season. Gaughan’s second win of the season and fourth for the RCR organization in 2014 is the beginning of a late season swing.
Ty Dillon’s championship focus couldn’t be much clearer.
“Win races,” said Dillon. “We have the capability of doing so; we just need to win races. I think this past weekend in Kentucky really showed that we can lead laps, we can run in the top five and we’re still in contention for this championship.”
It took a late season run by RCR’s Austin Dillon to win the title in 2013; he was 15 points back from the standings lead with six races remaining in the season. Brother Ty has twice that to overcome, dictating a near flawless half-dozen races for the No. 3 team to charge up the series standings.
Ty Dillon has made three starts at Dover posting two top-tens and an average finish of 13.0. Brian Scott won his first NASCAR national series career race in the Camping World Truck Series at Dover in 2009. He has made nine Nationwide Series starts at Dover posting one top five, and four top-tens.
Chase Elliott made his series track début at Dover earlier this season, starting second and finished fifth.
Bayne’s First Win Of The Season Could Come From Taming The Monster
Roush Fenway Racing’s Trevor Bayne has shown consistency this season, but has yet to seal the deal and bring home his first win of 2014. That could all change this weekend at Dover International Speedway.
Bayne’s best performance this season came at Dover in the spring. He started fifth and ran consistently in the top-ten, eventually finishing runner-up to Kyle Busch.
Bayne’s pre-race Loop Data statistics confirm his recent success at Dover. He has a driver rating of 98.4, the best among the championship contenders with more than one start and his average running position is 8.3. Bayne has made six starts at Dover posting two top-fives and five top-tens.
In 27 starts this season, Bayne has posted five top fives and 17 top-tens with an average finish of 10.9. This weekend could be the opportunity for Bayne to join his Roush Fenway Racing teammate and Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidate Chris Buescher in the win column. Buescher’s rookie season has been solid posting one win (Mid-Ohio), three top-fives and 11 top-tens.
Also Noteworthy in the Nationwide Series
Milestone Watch: JR Motorsports driver Regan Smith will attempt to post his 50th NASCAR Nationwide Series top-10 career finish this weekend. Smith has made nine starts at Dover posting two top-tens and an average finish of 19.2.
Justin Boston will be making his second Nationwide Series career start for Joe Gibbs Racing this weekend at Dover International Speedway. Boston’s first showing of the season came last weekend at Kentucky where he started ninth and finished 12th.
There are three Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Challengers on the Dover 200 preliminary entry list: Kyle Busch, Joey Logano and Aric Almirola. Almirola is making his second series start of the season in Fred Biagi owned No. 98 Ford. His last start was at Chicagoland Speedway where he started 10th and finished 14th.