We’re down to the final race of the Round of 16, and only one spot is left up for grabs for an automatic berth into the next stage of the Sprint Cup Series postseason. The famed Dover International Speedway will be the setting for this weekend’s Citizen Soldier 400, with all participants (outside of Martin Truex Jr. and Kevin Harvick) itching to secure their spot in the Round of 12.
Let’s take a look below at a few notable racers that could conquer the Monster Mile this Sunday.
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This week’s list of favorites wouldn’t be complete without mentioning future Hall-of-Famer Jimmie Johnson. As most NASCAR fans are aware of, Johnson has the most wins in Dover (10), as well as total number of laps led (3,003).
Right now, No. 48 is safely positioned in eighth place in the driver’s standings, meaning he’ll likely qualify for the Round of 12 without adding another Miles the Monster trophy to his collection. Then again, Johnson would love to gain better ground in the rankings as the playoff eliminations go on, and he’s definitely capable of wowing the Delaware crowd this Sunday all over again.
Brad Keselowski
Much like Johnson, Brad Keselowski is having a resurgent campaign this 2016. Both of them are equally-priced at +750 to win the Sprint Cup title at that, but Keselowski’s form this season has simply been more phenomenal. He’s sitting comfortably atop the drivers standings with the most top-five finishes for the year (14) and is also tied with Kyle Busch for the most wins with four.
We don’t expect the Penske Racing standout to tank his way to the finish line this Sunday, either. Keselowski finished sixth or better in five of his last eight races in Dover, even winning on the Monster Mile back in 2012. He also has the third-best average finish on the course (7.60) since 2014.
Matt Kenseth
More consistent than dominant, Matt Kenseth still has the ability to surprise this week on one of his favorite tracks.
Although Kenseth only has a pair of wins and five top-five finishes for the season, that one win happened to be in Dover this past May. In fact, the 44-year-old veteran has five top-10 finishes in his last seven appearances on the Monster Mile, and he also led in laps in nine of his last 11 starts there.
Sleeper
Kyle Larson
Desperation is a good motivating factor this week for Kyle Larson, who’s right on the bubble for the next round of the postseason at 12th place in the standings.
Despite the underwhelming 10th– and 12th-place finishes in his past couple of starts, Larson has got to like his chances of advancing to the Round of 12 this Sunday. The former Sprint Cup Series Rookie of the Year is the only driver to finish in the top 10 in Dover in four-straight races to date, and he also has the best average finish of 6.20 amongst all drivers with more that one start on the track since 2014.
Long Shot
Chris Buescher
The Long-Pond honeymoon has long lost its magic, as Chris Buescher, who qualified for the Round of 16 by surprisingly winning at rainy Pocono in July, is no longer a threat to the rest of the field.
Buescher is on the verge of taking an early vacation at 16th place in the drivers standings after failing to finish in the top 15 in his last five starts. And even though he won a race in Dover on May of 2015, it was at an Xfinity Series event and not the Sprint Cup. His performances for the season in the top tier of the stock-car racing circuit has not been as impressive at all, save for that one shocker in Pocono.
Writer’s Prediction
Keselowski instantly qualifies for Round of 12 with a resounding win.
