4 days agoDespite qualifying back in 29th for Sunday's Wurth 400 at Dover Motor Speedway, Chase Elliott was able to rally for yet another top-five finish at the one-mile race track. Chase now has 10 top-five results in 14 career starts at Dover, and his 9.5 average finish at "The Monster Mile" is only bested by one other driver's: his teammate, Kyle Larson's average finish of 8.2 there. With this solid run at Dover, Elliott now sits third in the points standings through the first 11 races of the season and has the second-best average finish (10.3) of all drivers this year.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: Jayski
4 days agoAlex Bowman had a solid points day at Dover Motor Speedway this past weekend, scoring a total of 41 championship points after finishing eighth in Stage 1, second in Stage 2, and eighth at the checkered flag for the end of the race. However, the day could have been much better for Bowman, who came into Dover with five top-five finishes in his last six starts at the track. After the race, the Hendrick Motorsports driver stated, "But all in all, an OK day for our Ally No. 48 team. Eighth here is pretty bad for me, but I mean it's still a good point and a step in the right direction. A little more consistency than we've seen, so hopefully we can keep plugging away at it."
--Jordan McAbeeSource: Sportskeeda
4 days agoWilliam Byron has been one of the luckiest drivers since the start of the 2022 NASCAR Cup season, but yesterday's race at Dover proved to be an exception. Byron took the lead from Ryan Blaney in the middle of Stage 1 before Martin Truex, Jr. overtook him with six laps left in the stage. Byron remained second until a botched pit stop dropped him to 18th. Once he got stuck in traffic, he was unable to move up through the pack before being taken out in a crash with Christopher Bell and Bubba Wallace. Zane Smith spun out Wallace and Byron was collected in the aftermath, relegating him to a 33rd-place finish. Since he is already locked in the Playoffs and still tied with Denny Hamlin for the most wins this season, the poor finish does basically nothing to diminish Byron's championship prospects.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
4 days agoMartin Truex, Jr. was considered one of the pre-race favorites for the race at Dover this past weekend, but he came up short and ultimately finished third in the event. Truex did win Stage 1 after hunting down William Byron on an extended green-flag run at the end of that stage, but he lost the lead to Kyle Larson on a mid-race pit stop exchange and was unable to reclaim it. Truex, along with his teammate (eventual winner, Denny Hamlin), was the only driver to make a pass for the lead in the race who was not also passed for the lead, and he was rewarded with the second-highest driver rating despite finishing third in the race. He also ranked third in speed and continues to lead the NASCAR Cup Series in speed percentile this season at 86.61 despite not winning yet, so a win is likely forthcoming.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
4 days agoKyle Larson finished a close second to Denny Hamlin in this past weekend's Dover race. He led 39 laps after first beating Martin Truex, Jr. on a green flag pit cycle to win Stage 2 and again took the lead on a caution-flag exchange of pit stops on lap 325. In both cases, Larson eventually lost the lead to Hamlin, first in the pits under caution and later on the penultimate restart when Hamlin took the lead immediately before the crash that took out Christopher Bell, Bubba Wallace, and William Byron. Although he failed to pass Hamlin for the lead, Larson's finish was deserved as he also ranked second in speed and third in driver rating (only barely behind Martin Truex, Jr.) It was a strong run for Larson, but ultimately he could not overcome Hamlin's successful aero-blocking in a race where it was difficult to pass except on restarts.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
4 days agoDenny Hamlin scored his third win of the season at the Würth 400 at Dover this past weekend, a win that was forecasted by many models, including our own Jordan McAbee's algorithm-predicted finishing order two days ago. Hamlin's win shouldn't have come as a surprise because many observers expected that the tire wear at Dover would be similar to that at Bristol, a race where Hamlin dominated. Although the Dover race ended up not being much like Bristol, Hamlin still won, led the most laps, posted the fastest average speed, and took the lead from the other leading favorite, Kyle Larson, on the lap 329 restart shortly before the race's biggest crash. With his win, Hamlin ties William Byron in wins with 3 this season and extends his lead in most races with an on-track pass for the lead to 8. Denny continues to rank second in speed for the season to his teammate, Martin Truex, Jr.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
4 days agoAfter finishing second in the last two races, Brad Keselowski fell back to Earth on Sunday as he finished 30th in the Wurth 400 at Dover Motor Speedway. Despite only qualifying 24th, Keselowski worked his way up the field early in the race until an incident late in stage one took him out of contention for the day. On lap 118, as he was running 13th, the RFK driver-owner blew a tire, causing him to spin out. Unable to rebound from this setback, the 40-year-old end up completing just 383 of the scheduled 400 laps in Sunday's contest, the eighth fewest of the day. The timing of Keselowski's disastrous performance could not have come on a worse week for the DFS community as he was the second most owned driver in DraftKings featured contest (33.42%) but scored the eighth fewest points on the slate (9.60 DK points). Nevertheless, the No. 6 will try and shake off Sunday's disappointment next weekend at Kansas, a track he has won at twice in his Cup career.
--Adam Erhardt - RotoBallerSource: Jayski.com
4 days agoRyan Blaney finished seventh in Sunday's Wurth 400 at Dover Motor Speedway, marking his fifth top-10 finish of the season. Overall, it was a solid race for the reigning Cup Series champion as he led 47 laps, recorded 23 fastest laps, and spent 99.5% of the race in the top 15. For his efforts, the Team Penske star earned 54.10 points on DraftKings, the sixth-highest total on the slate. Despite not having any wins this season, following Sunday's race, Blaney sits seventh in the NASCAR playoff standings, just six points behind William Byron who has three wins on the year. Up next for the Cup Series is a trip to Kansas, a track he finished 12th at last fall.
--Adam Erhardt - RotoBallerSource: Jayski.com
4 days agoComing off of his best career Cup Series finish last week at Talladega (third), Noah Gragson follows up Dover with a finish of sixth. Starting from the fifth position, Gragson looked strong early on as he maintained a top-5 running position for most of the first stage. Gragson, however, would eventually fade back to 12th at the end of stage one after his handling during a longer run would go away. Unfortunately for Gragson, he would continue to be back in traffic during the second stage, fail to score stage points, and be at the tail end of the Top 20. During the final stage, however, Gragson improved his car, and he would catch a break when a caution allowed him to regain track position. Gragson would remain competitive as he would obtain back-to-back top-10 finishes for the first time in his Cup Series career. As the Cup Series next heads to Kansas, Gragson looks to capture more success at a track where he has two top-20 finishes in three starts.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: NASCAR.com
4 days agoIn this week's Wurth 400 at Dover Motor Speedway, Kyle Busch finished fourth. Starting at the front as the pole sitter, Busch led the opening 34 laps before getting passed by Ryan Blaney. Busch remained steady, however, and scored points at the end of the first two stages. The No. 8 Chevrolet driver would remain in the Top 10 despite some minor pit road struggles where his crew would not fully fuel the car. Busch would eventually rally back to capture just his second top-5 finish of the year. This finish also marked Busch's second top-10 finish at Dover within the last five Cup Series events at the site. As the Cup Series heads to Kansas next week, Busch looks to continue building momentum at a track where he saw success with two wins and 15 top-10 finishes, including last year's race there, where he placed seventh.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: NASCAR.com
5 days agoDaniel Hemric did it again on Sunday. The Kaulig Racing Chevrolet started 14th and was in first place for five laps. He was the fifth of five Chevy's to wind up in the Top 10 on Sunday from "The Monster Mile." Hemric was 22nd after both stages but made a charge over the final long run. In the last 10-15 laps, the Chevy driver was turning in laps in the 24.3-24.6 second range. That beat out the likes of Martin Truex Jr and Alex Bowman. Only Kyle Larson and Denny Hamlin were faster by the end of the race. Hemric's ninth gives him hope for Kansas on Sunday.
--Chris Wassel - RotoBallerSource: NASCAR.com
5 days agoTy Gibbs did not win the Wurth 400 but did managed to finish tenth on Sunday evening. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver began 19th and improved to tenth. Gibbs was running pretty well as the race moved along. He was 17th after Stage 1 then 11th after Stage 2. It was an interesting week for the No. 54 Toyota. Gibbs never had the race speed out of the turns to contend but was fast enough late (Top 10 in the final two segments). It will be intriguing to see what happens at Kansas. Gibbs was running third last year before an accident ended his day last May.
--Chris Wassel - RotoBallerSource: NASCAR.com
5 days agoJoe Gibbs Racing driver Martin Truex Jr. will start 15th in this week's race at Dover Motor Speedway, the Wurth 400. This marks the lowest start position of the year since Daytona and the third Dover race in a row where Truex will start outside the Top 10. Truex is one of the most accomplished drivers in the field at Dover with four wins, 19 top-10 finishes, and 1,064 laps led, which is the third-most of active drivers. Truex is also the defending winner of this week's cup race at DMS. After 10 races so far this year, Truex has nine top-15 finishes while leading in seven different Cup events. In practice, Truex ranked 13th in five-consecutive lap averages but fourth in 10 consecutive lap averages, displayed a car that's great on longer runs. With solid Place Differential upside and being one of the betting favorites at one of his best tracks, Truex is a driver all fantasy players should consider for DFS this week.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: Driveraverages.com
5 days agoTyler Reddick qualified fourth for this week's NASCAR Cup Series race at Dover. This is the highest starting position of his Cup career and just the second time Reddick will start in the Top 10 at the Delaware track. In five starts at Dover, Reddick has two top-10 finishes, including his best finish of seventh, which he collected in his first year driving for 23XI Racing. Reddick is one of the most consistent drivers so far this year, as he scored one win and is tied for the most top-10 finishes of all racers after 10 Cup events. In practice, Reddick displayed top-10 speeds in all eligible categories, including ranking seventh in five-consecutive lap averages. Despite little Place Differential upside, Reddick is a driver that can gain a quality finish regardless of track type as indicated by his 2024 consistency this season so far. Fantasy players should roster the driver of the No. 45 Toyota in tournament formats this week.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: Driveraverages.com
5 days agoIn qualifying for this week's Wurth 400 at Dover Motor Speedway, Michael McDowell scored a starting position of eighth. McDowell's starting position this week is the highest of his Cup career at Dover and will be the sixth time he will start from the Top 10 this season. In 23 Cup starts at DMS, McDowell has three top-20 finishes, with his best finish being 17th, which he obtained in 2022. In 10 races so far this year, McDowell has three top-20 finishes, all being 11th or better. The driver of the No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford has also captured positive Place Differential thrice this year. In practice, only McDowell's single-lap and five-consecutive lap averages were ranked among the Top 10 fastest, showcasing how McDowell's car has takeoff speed early in a run. Fantasy players should not expect McDowell to remain in the Top 10, especially with his long-run practice speeds not being favorable. It is recommended to fade McDowell in all formats for this week's race at Dover, especially when his history at the site is unfavorable.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: Driveraverages.com
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