NASCAR Fantasy Fusion: AAA Drive for Autism at Dover

Drivers with Most Top 10s (Last 5 Years):
By Race
Martin Truex Jr. - 5
All with 4 - Kyle Larson, Jimmie Johnson and Denny Hamlin
All with 3 - Kevin Harvick, Clint Bowyer and Brad Keselowski

By Track
Martin Truex Jr. - 8
Both with 7 -  Jimmie Johnson and Kyle Larson
Both with 6 - Brad Keselowski and Denny Hamlin
All with 5 - Chase Elliott, Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch, Joey Logano and Clint Bowyer

Recent Pole Winners:  
2018 Kyle Larson
2017 Kyle Busch

Last Year's Race Winner: Kevin Harvick

The Likely Suspects: Dover International Speedway is not called The Monster Mile for nothing. The banked concrete track is challenging for many, but not these Dover elites: Kyle Larson, Kevin Harvick, Martin Truex Jr., Kyle Busch, Jimmie Johnson, Denny Hamlin, Clint Bowyer and Brad Keselowski.

My 2 Cents:  My no-brainer pick this week is Martin Truex Jr.. My next picks are Kyle Larson, Jimmie Johnson, Clint Bowyer, Daniel Suárez and William Byron. I will complete my team with Ty Dillon and Chris Buescher.

Second-Look Driver: This week's second-look driver is Daniel Suárez. Suárez loves racing at The Monster Mile and for good reason. Dover is one of only two tracks on the Cup Series schedule where he has earned Top 10 finishes in each of his starts there. In his four starts at Dover, Suárez has earned one Top 5 finish and four Top 10s, and has an average finishing position of 6.8.

Last week's second-look driver Ryan Blaney had a mixed day in the GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway ending with a 15th-place finish after starting seventh on the grid. He managed to avoid a few wrecks and even overcame a pit road speeding penalty during the first caution, but lacked drafting help at the end ultimately costing him a shot at the victory. He led four laps.

My Final Four: Martin Truex Jr., Clint Bowyer, Jimmie Johnson and Chris Buescher.

Points to Ponder:
  • The second-place starting position is the most proficient starting position in the field, producing more winners (18) than any other starting position at Dover International Speedway.  
  • Ryan Newman leads all active series drivers in poles at Dover with four poles (2003, 2005, 2006, 2007).
  • Jimmie Johnson leads the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series in wins at Dover International Speedway with 11 victories (2002 sweep, 2005 Playoffs, 2009 sweep, 2010 Playoffs, Spring of 2012, 2013 Playoffs, Spring of 2014, Spring of 2015 and Spring of 2017). 
  • Nine different manufacturers have won in the Monster Energy Series at Dover; led by Chevrolet with 40 victories; followed by Ford with 26, Dodge (seven), Mercury (seven), Pontiac (six), Toyota (five), Buick (three), Oldsmobile (two) and Plymouth (two).
  • Kyle Busch leads all active Monster Energy Series drivers in runner-up finishes at Dover with four.
  • Jimmie Johnson leads all active drivers in top-five finishes at Dover with 17, top-10 finishes with 24, and in laps led at Dover with 3,105 laps led in 34 starts.
  • Chase Elliott (six starts) leads all active drivers in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series in average finishing position at Dover with a 4.3.
      Remember, if you're playing Driver Group Game, make your picks by 8 a.m. ET on Friday, May 3, and pick your starters by 2 p.m. ET on race day, Sunday, May 5.

      Enjoy the race!
      ____________________

      Carol D’Agostino wields fantasy-racing superpowers. Each week, Carol researches statistics and combs through her personal racing notes to provide fans with fantasy racing advice at NASCAR Fantasy Fusion, a column she has written for Skirts & Scuffs since October 2011. Carol also does race coverage for Skirts & Scuffs at Richmond Raceway, and occasionally at her home track, Dover International Speedway. This year she joins the NASCAR Expert Picks panel at


      Fantasy Racing Cheat Sheet. When she isn’t crunching numbers, you’ll find Carol in business meetings or hammering out a news release or creating a marketing strategy at a small niche public relations firm she founded called Purple Cat. 
      NASCAR Fantasy Fusion: AAA Drive for Autism at Dover NASCAR Fantasy Fusion: AAA Drive for Autism at Dover Reviewed by Carol D'Agostino on Thursday, May 02, 2019 Rating: 5