NASCAR preview: AAA 400
The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series returns to the Monster Mile at Dover International Speedway on Sunday for the second race in the Chase for the Championship.
Jimmie Johnson will start from the pole in Sunday’s race after recording a speed of 157.356 mph in qualifying on Friday. Johnson is the WagerWeb.com betting favorite after winning at Dover earlier this year. Johnson was dominant in late May, leading 298 laps after starting eighth for his fourth win in 15 starts. He was fourth last week at New Hampshire for his first top-five finish since winning at the Brickyard in July.
“The first couple tracks are good for some guys in the Chase and it’s about minimizing mistakes,” said Johnson, seeking his first sweep of the one-mile concrete oval since his 2002 rookie season.
Mark Martin of course won the first race of the Chase last week in New Hampshire, and he has opened as the second betting favorite on WagerWeb.com. Martin loves this track, as he has four wins and 29 top-10s and four consecutive top-five finishes in 46 starts at Dover.
Carl Edwards is among the betting favorites on WagerWeb.com despite being winless on the season. Edwards, who finished a disappointing 17th last week, has never finished outside the top 20 at Dover. He has six consecutive top-10 finishes on the Monster Mile, including a win, and has led significant laps in every one of those six races.
A good sleeper bet on WagerWeb.com this week would be Greg Biffle. He hasn’t finished outside the top 10 at Dover since 2004, and has two wins and four consecutive top-three finishes to his credit at the track.
What’s going on with Tony Stewart? After winning at Watkins Glen in August, Stewart’s best finish has been 11th. Last week, Stewart settled for a 14th-place finish when an axel problem forced him to spend valuable time on pit road for repairs.
“We definitely didn’t have the run last weekend like we would have liked,” Stewart said.
In the points race, the distance between first and second is only 35 points, but eighth-place Brian Vickers is already 90 points behind. Kasey Kahne’s blown engine at New Hampshire dropped him 161 behind Martin, so he needs a good finish this week.
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