Looking ahead to Dover

1. Mark Martin: 5,230 points … Has finished in the top five in last four races entering Dover. … Has an average finish of 12.6 in 46 career starts at Dover with 4 wins, 21 top fives and 29 top 10s. … Has four top-10 finishes in last five races at Dover. … Has led only 23 laps in last six Dover races.

2. Jimmie Johnson: 35 points out of first place. Fourth-place finish last week at New Hampshire was only 2^nd top 10 in the seven races since his Indy win. … Has 4 wins, six top 5s and 10 top 10s in 15 starts at Dover.  … Has an average finish of 10.4 at Dover. … Johnson will use the same chassis he drove at Michigan last month where he led 133 laps before running out of fuel in the closing laps. Also used that chassis at Chicago (8^th) and Michigan in June (22nd but led 146 laps and had to pit for fuel at the end while at the front).

3. Denny Hamlin: 35 points out of first place. Has had seven consecutive top-10 finishes entering Dover. In last two races he was first (Richmond) and second (New Hampshire). … Has failed to finish two of the last four Dover races. … Has not finished better than 36^th in any of the last four Dover races, dropping his average finish at the track to 25.5. … Using same car he drove to a sixth-place finish with at Atlanta earlier this month. Car also placed fifth at Chicago and 12^th at Texas earlier this year.

4. Juan Pablo Montoya: 55 points out of first place. His third-place finish at New Hampshire last weekend was the second time he’s placed third in the last three races. … Has an average finish of 24.4 at Dover in five starts with only one top 10. Best finish there is a 10^th in Sept. 2007 races. … Has finished 30^th or worse in last two Dover starts. … Will use a new chassis this weekend.

5. Kurt Busch: 65 points out of first place. Has five top-10 finishes in the last seven races heading to Dover. … Has an average finish of 20.5 at Dover with 0 wins, 3 top fives and 5 top 10s in 18 starts there. … Has led only 20 laps at Dover in last seven races there. … Will have a new car for Dover. It’s the first of a new series of cars at Penske Racing.

6. Tony Stewart: 74 points out first place. Has failed to score a top-10 finish in each of the past five races. … Has an average finish of 11.6 in 21 starts at Dover with 2 wins, 10 top-fives and 13 top 10s.

7. Ryan Newman: 79 points out of first place. Has scored four consecutive top-10 finishes. … Has an average finish of 10.3 at Dover in 15 starts with 3 wins, 6 top fives and 9 top 10s.

8. Brian Vickers: 90 points out of first place. Has finished 12^th or better in each of the last 10 races. … Has an average finish of 21.5 in 11 Dover starts with 0 wins, 0 top fives and 1 top 10. … Has only led 7 laps at Dover and that came in his first race there in 2004. … Making his 200^th career Cup start this weekend.

9. Greg Biffle: 92 points out of first place. Won this race a year ago. … Has finished in the top three in four consecutive Dover races. … Has seven consecutive top-10s at the track. … Has an average finish of 10.6 with 2 wins, 6 top fives and 9 top 10s in 14 starts. … Is using same car he drove at both Pocono races where it has placed 11^th and 15^th.

10. Jeff Gordon: 102 points out of first place. Has an average finish of 12.3 with 4 wins, 14 top fives and 20 top 10s in 33 starts at Dover. … Has three top 10s in the last five races.

11. Carl Edwards: 113 points out of first place. Comes to Dover with a 7.6 average finish there with 1 win, 5 top fives and 7 top 10s in 10 starts there. … Has finished 15^th or worse in four consecutive races. … Has led 4 laps in the last 13 races.

12. Kasey Kahne: 161 points out of first place. Has an average finish of 24.0 at Dover with 0 wins, 0 top fives and 2 top 10s in 11 starts there. … Suffered first DNF of the season last week at New Hampshire when his engine blew and he finished 38^th. … Win at Atlanta is only top 10 in the last six races.

             That will do for now. Headed to get on my plane.

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