Oct 2, 2016; Dover, DE, USA; Sprint Cup Series driver Kyle Busch (18) and driver Martin Truex Jr. (78) and driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (17) and driver Jimmie Johnson (48) during the Citizen Soldier 400 at Dover International Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
NASCAR’s first elimination race of the Chase cut the grid from 16 down to 12. Check out a few winners and losers from Dover.
The first elimination race of the Chase came in the form of Dover as drivers like Jamie McMurray, Austin Dillon, Tony Stewart and Chris Buescher looked to get above the cut line.
While three of those four drivers ended up being eliminated, we saw Austin Dillon race his way above the line to keep his season alive.
Early on in the race, Kyle Larson suffered from an electrical problem that led to his downfall. After coming down pit road, he was then hit with a penalty. Later on in the race, he got into the wall and ended the race six laps down and below the cut line. Besides Larson’s turn of events, everything else was rather routine as the field saw no major shakeups.
As for the other drivers, Martin Truex Jr. continued his dominance and went on to capture his fourth victory of the season while Jimmie Johnson and Kyle Busch showed strength, as they were able to lead the majority of the laps that Truex didn’t lead.
Let’s take a look at a few winners and losers from the Citizen Soldier 400 at Dover.
Oct 1, 2016; Dover, DE, USA; Sprint Cup Series driver Jamie McMurray (1) during practice for the Citizen Soldier 400 at Dover International Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Loser: Chip Ganassi Racing
Heading into the day at Dover, Kyle Larson was in the 12th and final spot above the cut line while Jamie McMurray was a few points below.
However, the trouble started early for the team. Kyle Larson’s No. 42 car lost power within the first 40 laps of the race. After visiting pit road he was hit with a penalty for having too many members over the wall.
That put him three laps down and likely in need of a miracle to advance in the Chase. Later on, he got into the wall which basically ended any chance he had as he went five laps down. He went on to finish the day six laps down and in 25th place.
Jamie McMurray’s engine blew up about halfway through the race, which ended his day and sent him to a 40th-place finish as he failed to make it to the second round for the second consecutive season.
Though there was hope entering the day for CGR, it was quickly erased. The team, however, did move in the right direction this season as they helped Kyle Larson get to Victory Lane at Michigan earlier in the year.
For the rest of 2016, they’ll simply be looking to put together great performances as both the No. 1 and No. 42 teams have been eliminated from the Chase.
Oct 2, 2016; Dover, DE, USA; Sprint Cup Series driver Brad Keselowski (2) is introduced before the start of the Citizen Soldier 400 at Dover International Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Winner: Brad Keselowski
Brad Keselowski is having one of the best seasons of his career–and it just keeps getting better.
He’s already picked up four wins on the season, but his outings in the Chase have been impressive. Though he hasn’t led many laps in the past three races, he’s put together great finishes, ending Chicagoland in fifth, New Hampshire in fourth and–most recently–Dover in fourth.
On Sunday, Keselowski stayed in the top-5 for the majority of the day, challenging for the lead at times and staying in contention for the win.
While Keselowski isn’t earning the wins that he needs to help push him into the next round, he’s arguably the best driver next to Martin Truex Jr. right now, and certainly one of the favorites to make it to the Championship 4 at Homestead.
He’ll head into the Round of 12 with confidence as the Cup Series is set to visit Charlotte and Kansas, two tracks he’s won at, and Talladega, his most winningest track.
Oct 2, 2016; Dover, DE, USA; Sprint Cup Series driver Jimmie Johnson (48) during the Citizen Soldier 400 at Dover International Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Loser: Jimmie Johnson’s Penalty
The story of Jimmie Johnson’s 2016 season has been the fact that he has suffered from issues–like accidents or pit road miscues–during critical times in races.
At Chicagoland, he led 118 laps but ended up finishing 12th after a late speeding penalty. At Dover, he led 90 laps and was looking like the favorite to win when he was hit with a penalty for crewmen coming over the wall too soon on Lap 282.
Another look at what earned the 48 team the penalty. #TheChase pic.twitter.com/ozhQP4ExMQ
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) October 2, 2016
After a valiant effort, he was able to push himself all the way back up to 7th and was never in danger of falling below the cut line. However, the pit road penalties are becoming a problem for him and his team.
Instead of Martin Truex Jr., it very well could’ve been Johnson with two wins in the opening round of the Chase, but he found himself racing through on points and looking forward to Charlotte and Kansas, where he’s been very good at in the past.
Johnson ended up earning a great finish, but he was in a great position to earn his 11th win at Dover until that penalty.
Oct 1, 2016; Dover, DE, USA; Team owner Dale Earnhardt Jr surveys the track before the Drive Sober 200 at Dover International Speedway. NASCAR postpones race to Sunday due to rain. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Winner: Dale Earnhardt Jr. Making The Trip To Dover
It’s been a tough season for Dale Earnhardt Jr. Earlier in the season, he found out that his 2016 campaign was over due to concussion-like symptoms. But fortunately, he was able to make a trip out to Dover International Speedway for the weekend events and the race.
In the process he gave us a few thoughts on his current situation (via USA TODAY):
“My crew chiefs and all the management at HMS tell me that it’s good for them, so I like being around them,” he said. “We’re all good friends, so it’s good to see ‘em. But they’re working, too, so I try to stay out of the way. But I want to be here, I guess, just to kind of see what they’re doing, what they’re dealing with, so when I get back in the car it’s not so foreign, I don’t have a lot of catching up to.”
Brant James of USA TODAY also added in that Earnhardt Jr. has been racing in a simulator recently as a step in his journey towards getting back to the track.
Overall, it was great to see him making an appearance at the track and taking in the activities that went on throughout the weekend. It seems like he has already taken steps forward in his recovery process and I look forward to hearing about signs of improvement from him in the future.
Oct 2, 2016; Dover, DE, USA; Sprint Cup Series driver Kevin Harvick (4) leaves the track during the Citizen Soldier 400 at Dover International Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Loser: Kevin Harvick’s Track Bar Mount
It wasn’t long before Kevin Harvick found himself in the garage on Sunday.
About 30 laps into the race, Harvick cut a tire that sent him to the garage, however, while the No. 4 team was assessing the damage, they found a broken track bar mount. After getting Harvick fixed up and ready to go, he was about 40 laps down and ended up finishing 37th.
After the race, crew chief Rodney Childers informed a fan that the incident probably would’ve happened in final practice had the weather not had an impact on the day.
Probably would have broke in practice, yes.. https://t.co/vUe2TnwXrB
— Rodney Childers (@RodneyChilders4) October 3, 2016
Harvick was fortunate that he won last weekend at New Hampshire. If he entered the weekend at Dover without a win, he likely would’ve been knocked out of the Chase since his issue kept him out of the race for so long.
It just goes to prove how important those Chase wins can be.
Oct 2, 2016; Dover, DE, USA; Sprint Cup Series driver Martin Truex Jr. (78) celebrates winning the Citizen Soldier 400 at Dover International Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Winner: Creating A Legacy
What we have seen from Martin Truex Jr. in 2016 has been something we aren’t accustomed to seeing in NASCAR.
This driver won just three races in his first 381 starts in the Cup Series and now has four in the last 17 races (via Bob Pockrass of ESPN), not to mention the fact that he’s doing all of this under a single-car team in a season where he could’ve very well won three to four more trophies had he not had bad luck late in a few races.
On Sunday, Truex, who is having the best season of his career, finished up another dominating performance with 187 laps led and a win at Dover–the first track he won at in the Cup Series.
He’ll move on to Charlotte next weekend where we saw him lead 392 of 400 laps in May. By the way, he’ll be driving the same car next weekend that he drove back in the Coca-Cola 600.
After seeing his 2016 season so far and watching another race filled with domination, one thing is obvious: the championship is Martin Truex Jr.’s to lose at this point.
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