GFT Facts & Stats Friday: NASCAR Cup Series Wurth 400 at Dover Motor Speedway
26 April 2024
By Bob Francis, Managing Editor
Go Full Throttle Racing News
DOVER, DE — The Monster Mile, Dover Motor Speedway is a one-mile concrete paved oval located in Dover, Delaware, and will be the site of this weekend’s NASCAR Cup Series race. Dover Motor Speedway, originally known as Dover Downs International Speedway, has hosted 105 NASCAR Cup Series races dating back to the inaugural event on July 6, 1969. This weekend’s Würth 400 will be 400 laps (400 miles) and will be broken up into three stages. The first stage will be 120 laps, the second stage will be 130 laps and the final stage will be 150 laps.
All the NASCAR Cup Series on-track action begins on Saturday, April 28 with practice from 10:30 a.m. ET directly followed by Busch Light Pole Qualifying at 11:20 a.m. ET. Both will be televised on FS1. Sunday’s Wurth 400 will be televised on FS1 at 1 p.m. ET. Radio coverage on: PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
Track Facts
Track Length: 1-Mile
Race Length: 400 Miles (400 laps)
Grandstand Seating Capacity: 85,000
Banking in Corners: 24 degrees
Banking on Straights: 9 degrees
Frontstretch: 1,076 feet
Backstretch: 1,076 feet
Qualifying & Race Records
Qualifying: Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 166.984 mph (21.559 sec.); Oct 2019
Race: 400 miles: Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 135.734 mph (2:56:49); Oct 2019
311 miles: Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 124.359 mph (2:30:03); Aug. 22, 2020
Track Records
Most Wins: 11 — Jimmie Johnson
Most Poles: 6 — David Pearson
Most Top Fives: 24 — Mark Martin
Most Top 10s: 33 — Mark Martin
Winning Car Owners:
Rick Hendrick 22
Joe Gibbs 10
Jack Roush 9
Roger Penske 8
Glen Wood 7
Richard Petty 6
Richard Childress 4
Tony Stewart 4
On a limited schedule Jimmie Johnson returns to the Monster Mile
The only driver Miles The Monster ever bows to is NASCAR Hall of Famer Jimmie Johnson, who conquered the Dover-mile 11-times in his lustrous Cup career. Now, on a limited schedule driving for Legacy Motor Club, a team he has part-ownership in, he returns to take on the Monster one more time.
In 38 starts, Johnson has put up 11 wins, 18 top fives, 27 top 10s and three poles. His average finish of 8.656 is second-best among active drivers and he holds the series-best rank in the following pre-race loop categories Average Running Position (8.912), Driver Rating (112.0), and Laps in the Top 15 (10,684 laps, 84.5%).
In Johnson’s last three starts at Dover he has finished inside the top-10; including his last start there in 2020 where he finished third. But this weekend will be his first attempt at the Monster Mile in the Next Gen car.
ACTIVE DRIVER STATISTICS
Johnson is one of eight past winners that are active this weekend.
Defending Dover winner Martin Truex Jr. is still looking for first win of 2024
Ranked second in the NASCAR Cup Series driver point standings following the 10th race of the season at Talladega Superspeedway, Martin Truex Jr. returns to Dover Motor Speedway looking for his first win of 2024. Just 15 points back from the driver standings lead, Truex is the only driver in the top five in the point standings without a win. But that could all change this weekend at the Monster Mile, because Truex is the defending winner of this race, and the one-mile concrete track has been particularly good to him over through the years.
Martin Truex Jr. is one of only two drivers all-time to earn their first NASCAR Cup Series career victory (June 6, 2007) at Dover Motor Speedway; he is joined by Jody Ridley (May 17, 1981).
Among active drivers Truex has the second-most wins at Dover Motor Speedway with four. In 33 career starts at Dover, Truex has also put up 10 top fives and 19 top 10s. His average finish at the track is 11.4.
Cup Playoff picture is coming through but still a little fuzzy
With 10 NASCAR Cup Series races in the books this season, the Playoff picture is somewhat taking shape. So far, seven drivers have earned their spot in the postseason by virtue of a win, leaving nine spots still up for grabs as the Cup Series heads to Dover Motor Speedway for the Würth 400 on Sunday, April 28 at 2 p.m. ET on FS1, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
The fast seven that have earned a spot in the Playoffs already this season on wins are William Byron (three wins), Denny Hamlin (two wins), Kyle Larson (one win), Chase Elliott (one win), Tyler Reddick (one win), Christopher Bell (one win), Daniel Suarez (one win).
At the other end of the Playoff outlook sits two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Joey Logano, currently 16th in the standings, tied in points with RFK Racing’s Chris Buescher in 17th — the first position outside the postseason cutoff. Just behind Buescher in the 18th spot is two-time Cup Series champion Kyle Busch, who is 11 points back from Logano and Buescher.
Kyle Larson Leads Driver Rankings for Dover
DOVER-SPECIFIC STATISTICS
(Following statistics are Loop Data from 2005 — Present)
Ryan Blaney (№12 Team Penske Ford)
· One top five, three top 10s
· Average Finish of 18.231, 13th-best
· Average Running Position of 13.652, 10th-best
· Driver Rating of 86.5, 10th-best
· 3,465 Laps in the Top 15 (68.9%), eighth-most
Alex Bowman (№48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet)
· One win, five top fives, five top 10s
· Average Finish of 17.833, 12th-best
· Average Running Position of 18.759, 13th-best
· Driver Rating of 77.9, 13th-best
· 2,234 Laps in the Top 15 (48.2%), 13th-most
Kyle Busch (№8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet)
· Three wins, 13 top fives, 21 top 10s; one pole
· Average Finish of 14.229, ninth-best
· Average Running Position of 11.200, fifth-best
· Driver Rating of 101.6, third-best
· 10,541 Laps in the Top 15 (76.2%), fourth-most
William Byron (№24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet)
· Three top fives, four top 10s
· Average Finish of 12.889, sixth-best
· Average Running Position of 11.958, seventh-best
· Driver Rating of 90.2, seventh-best
· 2,276 Laps in the Top 15 (66.4%), ninth-most
Chase Elliott (№9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet)
· Two wins, nine top fives, nine top 10s; one pole
· Average Finish of 9.846, third-best
· Average Running Position of 12.385, eighth-best
· Driver Rating of 96.0, fifth-best
· 4,045 Laps in the Top 15 (80.4%), second-most
Ty Gibbs (№54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota)
· One top 15
· Average Finish of 13.000, seventh-best
· Average Running Position of 11.018, fourth-best
· Driver Rating of 88.7, ninth-best
· 316 Laps in the Top 15 (79.0%), third-most
Denny Hamlin (№11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota)
· One win, seven top fives, 15 top 10s; four poles
· Average Finish of 16.091, 11th-best
· Average Running Position of 13.009, ninth-best
· Driver Rating of 90.1, eighth-best
· 8,629 Laps in the Top 15 (66.2%), 10th-most
Jimmie Johnson (№84 Legacy Motor Club Toyota)
· 11 wins, 18 top fives, 27 top 10s; three poles
· Average Finish of 8.656, second-best
· Average Running Position of 8.912, series-best
· Driver Rating of 112.0, series-best
· 10,684 Laps in the Top 15 (84.5%), series-most
Brad Keselowski (№6 RFK Racing Ford)
· One win, five top fives, 11 top 10s; one pole
· Average Finish of 12.880, fifth-best
· Average Running Position of 11.542, sixth-best
· Driver Rating of 91.8, sixth-best
· 7,121 Laps in the Top 15 (72.4%), seventh-most
Kyle Larson (№5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet)
· One win, seven top fives, 11 top 10s; one pole
· Average Finish of 8.600, series-best
· Average Running Position of 10.766, second-best
· Driver Rating of 102.6, second-best
· 4,489 Laps in the Top 15 (74.6%), sixth-most
Joey Logano (№22 Team Penske Ford)
· Five top fives, 15 top 10s
· Average Finish of 14.481, 10th-best
· Average Running Position of 14.695, 12th-best
· Driver Rating of 84.2, 11th-best
· 7,003 Laps in the Top 15 (65.8%), 11th-most
Martin Truex Jr (№19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota)
· Four wins, 10 top fives, 19 top 10s; three poles
· Average Finish of 11.424, fourth-best
· Average Running Position of 10.884, third-best
· Driver Rating of 101.1, fourth-best
· 9,777 Laps in the Top 15 (75.0%), fifth-most
GFT Analysis: Kyle Larson leads in almost every category of Dover data analytics:
- Larson has the highest Driver Rating at Dover of the Top 16 competitors
- Larson leads the NASCAR Cup Series driver point standings
- Larson leads in the GFT AI Driver Rankings at 124.9 vs Byron (P2) at 96.5
GFT Race Prediction Model **INITIAL** Picks for NASCAR Fantasy LIVE — Wurth 400 at Dover Motor Speedway
**NOTE** Be sure to follow us on X (aka Twitter) to see the updated GFT NASCAR Fantasy Live picks AFTER we ingest the Practice and Qualifying data. For a Sunday race, this usually happens overnight Saturday and is published Sunday morning at least 2 hours before the green flag.
