NASCAR: Harvick looks to hold lead at Dover
by Shawn Sillinger
NASCAR rides into Dover International Speedway this weekend with Kevin Harvick planted on top of the Nextel Cup Standings. Harvick won the first race in the Chase last week, but there are still plenty of drivers within striking distance with nine races remaining. .
Heading into this weekend’s Dover 400, Harvick sits 35 points ahead of rookie Denny Hamlin in the driver’s standings. Hamlin finished fourth at New Hampshire last weekend behind Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon. The third-place finish moved Gordon into fourth place in the driver’s standings, where he sits 50 points behind Harvick. Other drivers that have a still have a good shot at the include Matt Kenseth, currently in third, Jeff Burton in fifth, Mark Martin in sixth and Dale Earnhardt Jr. in seventh.
Below Earnhardt Jr., the rest of the chase field will need a lot of help and a little luck to finish on top of the standings when the Chase comes to an end at Homestead in November. That includes Kasey Kahne, Jimmie Johnson and Kyle Busch, who are all more than 100 points back of Harvick.
Out of those three drivers, the one that looks to have the best chance of getting back into contention this weekend is Johnson. The No. 48 car has three career wins at Dover, including last season’s Dover 400. Johnson isn’t the leader in wins at Dover among the chasers, though. That title is jointly shared between Jeff Gordon and Mark Martin.
Martin and Gordon have each crossed the finish line first at Dover four times in their career. Martin won the Dover 400 three years in a row from1997-99. Gordon hasn’t won at Dover since 2001, but he did win there twice in one season back in 1996.
The only other chasers who have won before at Dover are Earnhardt Jr. and Kenseth, who have each won there once before. The more important of those is likely Kenseth, who won the Neighborhood Excellence 400 at Dover back in June this year.
Non-chase racers to keep an eye on this weekend – excluding Tony Stewart who is a threat to win anywhere anytime – include Ryan Newman and Greg Biffle. Newman won the Dover 400 in 2004 and 2005 and has three career wins at Dover. Biffle won the Neighborhood Excellence 400 in 2005.
The current odds on the Nextel Cup have Harvick and Kenseth on top, with both listed at +150. Other favorites include Gordon at +350, Earnhardt Jr at +500 and Jimmie Johnson at +600. The highest odds have Kasey Kahne at +1500 and Mark Martin at +1200. Despite sitting second in the current points standings, Hamlin hasn’t been given his own odds and sits with Jeff Burton in the field at +300.
