The NASCAR Chase moves back into action at the AAA 400 at the Dover International Speedway on Sunday afternoon. Perennial NASCAR Champ Jimmie Johnson has won at Dover before seven times as a matter of fact and an eighth victory there this weekend would be a big boost for Johnson in his quest to once again win the Sprint Cup Championship.
The track at Dover is a one mile oval with high banks built for speed. Johnson goes into Dover in third place in the Chase competition and hungry for a win. He is trailing first place Matt Kenseth by only 18 points and a mere 4 points behind second place Kyle Busch.
But such is the reputation of Jimmie Johnson out in Las Vegas that handicappers have made him the favorite to win at Dover with 7-to-2 odds…but then again, Johnson is almost always the favorite to win almost any race. It’s a bit like Tiger Woods, no matter where the match… no matter how he has been playing recently Tiger is always the favorite with oddsmakers everywhere.
Winning at Dover would also be a healthy shot to the morale of Johnson and his crew who have struggled lately. They won at Dover en route to Sprint Cup Championships in 2009 & 2010 and you can bet that the entire team will be putting fourth their best efforts this Sunday.
Joe Gibbs Racing boasts both the first and second place drivers in the Chase at this point and they are showing no signs of slowing down at all. Matt Kenseth and Kyle Busch finished 1-2 in Chicagoland and then again at New Hampshire last weekend.
Jimmie Johnson had top-five finishes in both events but will have to do better than that if he expects to catch the Gibbs boys. Although Johnson is favored at the Dover race, Matt Kenseth has taken over the favorite spot in the Sprint Cup Competition at 6-5 while Johnson and Kyle Busch are tied for second at 2-to-1.
The track at Dover is known as the ‘Monster Mile’. The race was won last year by Brad Keselowski who used Dover as a springboard to the Sprint Cup title. Although Keselowski has not won a race all season this year, the books are still showing him considerable respect by posting him at 12-to-1.
Another winless but popular driver this year, Jeff Gordon, is also listed at 12-to-1 to win at Dover.
