The first round of this year’s Chase is down to the final race at Dover International Speedway this weekend. In this edition of Checkered Countdown the five best finishes ever occurred at this track are listed to get you in the right mood for the weekend.
Two drivers are already locked in the second round, Kevin Harvick and Martin Truex Jr thanks to their wins. For the other 14 everything is still possible and this will make for an interesting race to say the least. The fierce fight will take place on the high banks of Dover, a track that held its first NASCAR race way back in 1970. This Monster Mile was repaved in 1995 with concrete in place of the asphalt that was used previously. In 2015 Jimmie Johnson won his tenth race at this venue, an all-time record while Mark Martin has the most top tens with 33.
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No. 5 Stewart wins by leading just the final three laps (2013).
In yet another Dover race dominated by Johnson in the spring of 2013 it was Tony Stewart to go to victory lane. During the final restart on lap 381 Johnson was black flagged for jumping the restart, falling all of a sudden out of contention. This gave the lead to Juan Pablo Montoya who was still looking for his first oval win during his last NASCAR season.
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Stewart though quickly ran Montoya down setting up a fight for the win. With three laps to go the driver of the #14 car moved to the outside of the colombian and could then complete the pass in turn three. From that point on it was easy for the three-time champion to get the checkered flag for the first time in 2013. A disappointed Montoya would finish second.
No. 4 Kyle Petty wins his last Winston Cup race by holding off Bobby Labonte and Ted Musgrave (1995).
A race for the win without the usual protagonists took place at Dover in 1995. Kyle Petty dominated the event but in the closing stages he was run down by Bobby Labonte and Ted Musgrave. The distance between the leader and the two chasers kept changing due to lapped cars but while coming to the white flag Labonte was finally able to try a move on the outside. The two raced side-by-side on the backstretch but Petty had the preferred line going into turn three and got clear of the #18 car. From there on it was easy for the second-generation driver to get the job done, while Labonte was able to edge in front of Musgrave only in a photo finish. This would be the last victory for Petty in Winston Cup.
No. 3 Greg Biffle wins after a crazy three-way battle against his teammates Matt Kenseth and Carl Edwards (2008).
The last 30 laps of the 2008 Dover fall race were filled with action. Carl Edwards was in the lead but his two teammates Biffle and Kenseth were just behind him ready for a pass. The three started battling for the top spots with the positions changing continuously. When Edwards lost a little bit of ground the battle was not over between the two top running drivers: Biffle was clearly faster than Kenseth but could not get around him on the inside, where he was not as strong.
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The driver of the #17 car always made sure he was using the outside line to take it away from his teammate and stay in front of him. This helped Edwards get back into contention but with eight laps to go the final lead change eventually took place, with Biffle using a lapped car to his advantage to pass Kenseth on the outside. From there on he could cruise to victory lane with no issues in front of both of his teammates. Quite a result for Roush Fenway Racing.
No. 2 Johnson works his way through the field on four new tires, takes the lead with just three laps to go (2009).
After leading for most of the day, during the final pit stop Chad Knaus called for four new tires on the #48 car. This gave Johnson a grip advantage on the rest of the field but shuffled him back in the middle of the pack. In the meantime, once the race restarted Biffle and Stewart stretched out and started battling for the lead. But Johnson was already running them down and the battle between the two front-runners made things even easier for the at-the-time champion.
When Biffle finally gave the top spot to Stewart, the driver of the #48 quickly followed and the battle was on. Johnson had an advantage when running the higher line, but Stewart would always take it to protect himself. It was only with three laps to go that the pass was performed: after receiving a bump on the frontstretch Stewart finally chose the bottom lane. It was an easy move for Johnson, who won after passing half of the pack during the last stint.
No. 1 Matt Kenseth holds off Kyle Larson in the final laps (2016).
The closing stages of this spring’s Dover race were very exciting too. After the final caution Matt Kenseth was in the lead but Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott were catching him. The battle between the first two erupted with four laps to go: Kenseth allowed Larson to take the inside line in turn one but the pass was not completed. The Ganassi driver got loose in the middle of the corner and could not take the lead. The fight continued with Larson often sideways while Kenseth was very smooth and was always able to clear him. Elliott closed in on them in the final two laps but there was no time left to try a move: Kenseth crossed the finish line first, with just a car length over Larson who would have to wait until Michigan to get the first win of his career.
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