The 2019 NASCAR Cup series will move on next to its next race, which will be at the Dover International Speedway this coming Sunday, where the drivers will be vying to add points to their respective ledgers. Chase Elliott ruled at Talladega last week, but will he be able to snag another victory this weekend? Elliott aside, below are some of the drivers you should be taking a close eye on ahead of the RV 400.
Okay. Alright. We know that Busch hasn’t won in his last two races, which is quite a disappointment, given the high standards he set for himself with three wins already on the season. But then again, are we really going to put Busch in an another partition outside of the favorites? It just doesn’t feel right. Until Busch has shown a dramatic plummet or a sharp plunge in form, he’s going to be a formidable racer in the next races. And it’s not like he did utterly bad last week at Talladega, where he finished 10 despite starting at the No. 22 spot. Busch has three career wins in 28 starts in Dover, which includes his victory in 2017’s The Apache Warrior 400 presented by Lucas Oil. Going into the race, Busch has +250 odds to claim the 2019 Monster Energy Nascar Cup Series Championship.
Martin Truex Jr.
Truex struggled at Talladega last Sunday with a 20th finish, which was a letdown follow up to his impressive win at Richmond a week before. Having said that, Truex has plenty of good memories at the Dover International Speedway, and he’s looking to add more to them this coming weekend. Out of 26 career races at the track, Truex has managed to haul in two wins, five top 5s, 14 top 10s and 20 top 20s. His career average finish at Dover is 13.00. He first won there in 2007 then waited for almost an entire decade before winning there again in 2o16. Since then, Truex has four top-five finishes at Dover in five races.
SLEEPERS
Ryan Newman
Newman has ye to win a race this season, but he seems to be zeroing in on his first. That’s after stitching together three straight top 10 finishes. He has also placed no worse than 11th in each of his last four starts. The Dover International Speedway used to love Newman, as he had three wins between 2003 and 2008, but since then, he’s never won there. Still, when you account his body of work of late, you can do worse than lay money on the Team Roush Fenway Racing driver.
Jimmie Johnson
We’re still waiting for Johnson to be the ruthless driver he used to be back during his peak days, and the race at Dover could be the one to let the veteran’s vintage form come out. Johnson has had plenty of success at Dover, with 11 career wins there. Furthermore, it’s one of the only six tracks where he’s averaged 10th or better in terms of finish. Johnson last won in Dover in 2017 during the AAA 400 Driver for Autism, which was followed by a pair of top 10s and a 36th-place finish in the next three races there.
LONG SHOT
Paul Menard
Sitting on the 17th spot on the NASCAR Cup standings is Menard, who is still hunting for his first win of the season, though, he’s been showing flashes of good driving lately. He’s finished no worse than 16th place in four of his last five starts, including a sixth place at Bristol. Menard has also not won in any of his last 23 starts at Dover, but he’s got three top 10s and 11 top 20s there.
Writer’s Prediction
You heard it here – Jimmie Johnson turns back the hands of clock and gets the win at Dover!
