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FYI WIRZ: NASCAR's Chase Race Gets Halfway at Monster Dover

Dwight Drum@@racetakeX.com LogoCorrespondent IIIMay 28, 2015

Jeff Gordon answers media in Charlotte.
Jeff Gordon answers media in Charlotte.Credit: Dwight Drum

It’s called the Monster Mile, Dover International Speedway, for a good reason. It’s steep configuration, nothing like a normal mile that any of us walk or drive routinely, often bashes hasty moves from stock car drivers.

The intimidating one-mile concrete oval has 24-degree banking in the corners and nine-degree banking on the straightaways.

NASCAR drivers won’t ignore the difficulty of the famed concrete track in Dover, Delaware, when the NSCS competes 400 miles during the FedEx 400 Benefiting Autism Speaks on May 31.

Nine drivers have wins in 2015 and know they will be competing in the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship during this 13th race of the season at Dover. Drivers without wins know when the green flag waves; they too will be halfway through qualifying races. All drivers crave wins, as those amount to their best chance for a championship run. 

Seven of NASCAR’s top drivers talked about the Monster Mile at Dover and what challenges they face. Knowing what drivers expect often enhances fan perception.

Kevin Harvick, with two wins, continues to be first in points during a very productive year. He spoke of the obstacles the drivers will encounter at Dover. 

“Laps seem to happen very fast there and you want to try and have the best-handling race car you can have,” he said. “If you’re off even a little bit, you’ll go multiple laps down in a hurry. It’s a fun, very fast race track that’s really hard to get everything right.”

Martin Truex Jr. was optimistic even though he understands Dover's difficulty.

"If your car is off in Dover, it can be the most miserable 400 laps of your life,” he said. “There's a fine line of being good and horrible. We learned the past two races that we can contend for the win. We keep on making progress. That's always a good sign." 

Jimmie Johnson has three wins to keep his championship hopes intact. He seemed eager for Dover.

“At Dover, you have such loading characteristics, as you’re on the straightaway and kind of lunge off the corner, that you can draw some similarities between Dover and Charlotte,” he said. “Dover isn’t easy, but it just suits my driving style, and I love it.”

Like many drivers Matt Kenseth considers Dover one of his favorite tracks.

“A big focus of having a good car at Dover is to have your corner balance just right in order to get your car to turn how you need it to and still be able to pass,” he said. “It’s so important to have corner balance in clean air and dirty air, which is difficult to do.” 

Jeff Gordon shared some technical aspects of conquering the Monster.

“We’re going to be carrying more speed through the center of the corners this year,” he said. “The car will need to ‘rotate’ so you can get back in the gas quickly.”

Kurt Busch added specifics about the concrete track. 

“Dover is a tough track with how the banking transitions in and out of the corner,” he said. “Then rubber buildup on the concrete surface changes throughout the weekend. You can’t simulate how the racetrack is going to drive at the end of the race.” 

Carl Edwards has the momentum of a Charlotte win heading into Dover. He shared details about the track for fans. 

“We’re headed to Dover coming off of a huge win,” he said. “I love Dover; it’s very fast. It’s got probably the biggest sensation of speed of any track that we go to. It’s just a fun place where I’ve had a lot of success.”

The consensus among these top drivers seems to be that they love the thrill of racing the Monster Mile. Perhaps that reality will help fans enjoy the event, too.

Fans without tickets can view the speedy action at 1 p.m. on Fox Sports 1 on Sunday.

Jimmie Johnson explains at Charlotte.
Jimmie Johnson explains at Charlotte.Credit: Dwight Drum

FYI WIRZ is the select presentation of topics by Dwight Drum at Racetake.com. Unless otherwise noted, information and all quotes were obtained firsthand or from official release materials provided by sanction and team representatives.