The 2022 NASCAR Cup Series will be burning rubber next at the Dover Motor Speedway for the 104th time. Who will be taking the checkered flag this weekend? Check out our preview of some of the favorites, sleepers, and a long shot in the upcoming 2022 DuraMAX Drydene 400.
The 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion is getting his groove back. After a 19th-place finish in the 2022 Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 400 at Martinsville Speedway, Larson has posted back-to-back 4th places in the 2022 Food City Dirt Race (Bristol Motor Speedway Dirt Track) and in the GEICO 500 (Talladega Superspeedway). With a race at Dover Motor Speedway coming right up, Larson is definitely a driver to keep a close eye on, considering his strong track record there. In 13 career starts at the said track, Larson has managed to crack the top 5 seven times, including a win in the 2019 Drydene 400.
Ranked first at the moment in the NASCAR Cup Series standings with 368 points, Elliott will look to give his points total anothe big boost this weekend. He hasn’t won a race yet this season, but he’s got seven top 10s already in eight starts. Elliott is on a two-race streak of top 10s, placing eighth in the 2022 Food City Dirt Race and seventh last Sunday in the 2022 GEICO 500. More than that, Elliott has a career average finish of 10.5 across 11 starts at Dover Motor Speedway.
Byron has gone cold a bit of late, failing to finish better than 15th place in each of his past two starts, but he could get it going anew this coming Sunday at Dover Motor Speedway, where he has two top 5s and three top 10s across seven total starts. He’s gone back-t0-back fourth place finishes in his past two appearances in Delaware.
Here’s what we said about Custer in our 2022 DuraMAX Drydene 400 sleepers article:
The Stewart-Haas Racing driver isn’t having a brilliant season, but that shouldn’t keep bettors from zeroing on him. After all, Custer has been a strong performer at Dover Motor Speedway, albeit in just three career appearances there. In those races, Custer has managed to place 10th in each of his last two races. He debuted on that track in the 2020 Drydene 311 in which he placed 11th.
Here’s what we said about Jones in our 2022 DuraMAX Drydene 400 sleepers article:
Jones just had his best performance in nearly two months last Sunday, as he finished sixth in the 2022 GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. He’s winless at over Motor Speedway so far in his NASCAR Cup Series career, but he’s got a pair of top 10s in nine starts there. His best finish in Delaware was fourth during the 2018 Gander Outdoors 400.
