Below is a look at some of the top statistical performers at Dover Motor Speedway in Dover, Delaware going into the Würth 400 on Sunday, April 30 at 2 p.m. ET on FS1, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
Dover Motor Speedway – Qualifying / Race Record Data
Track qualifying record:
Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 166.984 mph, 21.559 secs. Oct. 5, 2019
Track race record:
Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 135.734 mph, (02:56:49), Oct. 6, 2019
2022 Pole Winner:
Chris Buescher, Ford, 160.149 mph, 22.479 secs. April 30, 2022
2022 Race Winner
Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, 104.507 mph, (03:49:39), May 2, 2022
Dover Motor Speedway Stats & Tidbits:
Season Race #: 11 of 36 (04-30-22)
Track Size: 1-mile
Banking/Turn 1 & 2: 24 degrees
Banking/Turn 3 & 4: 24 degrees
Banking/Frontstretch: 9 degrees
Banking/Backstretch: 9 degrees
Frontstretch Length: 1,076 feet
Backstretch Length: 1,076 feet
Race Length: 400 laps / 400 miles
Stage 1 Length: 120 laps
Stage 2 Length: 130 laps
Final Stage Length: 150 laps
HISTORY
The official opening of Dover Motor Speedway, then called Dover Downs International Speedway, was in 1969.The first NASCAR Cup Series race at Dover Motor Speedway was held on July 6, 1969 and won by NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty driving a Ford for Petty Enterprises. The average speed of the race was 115.772 mph.The first two races at Dover were 300 miles. The race length was changed to 500 miles in 1971.The track surface was changed to concrete in 1995.The race length was changed to 400 miles beginning with the second race in 1997.The track name was changed to Dover International Speedway in 2002.The track was purchased by Speedway Motorsports Inc. in 2021 and the name of the track was changed to Dover Motor Speedway.There have been 104 NASCAR Cup Series races at Dover Motor Speedway, one race per year in 1969 and 1970, two races per year from 1971 to 2020. Starting in 2021, the track has hosted just one NASCAR Cup Series race per year.
STARTS
A total of 423 different drivers have competed in at least one NASCAR Cup Series race at Dover Motor Speedway; 311 drivers have competed in more than one.Ricky Rudd leads the NASCAR Cup Series in starts at Dover Motor Speedway with 56; followed by NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin with 55 starts.Kevin Harvick leads all active NASCAR Cup Series drivers in starts at Dover Motor Speedway with 42 starts; followed by Kyle Busch with 34 starts.A total of 67 different drivers have made their first NASCAR Cup Series career start at Dover Motor Speedway; the most recent was Josh Berry on May 16, 2021.RankDriverDateRankDriverDateRankDriverDate1Josh Berry5/16/202124Jay Sommers6/5/198847J.R. Charbonneau9/19/19822Ross Chastain6/4/201725D. Wayne Strout9/20/198748Jimmy Walker5/16/19823Ryan Sieg6/4/201726Larry Caudill9/20/198749Lowell Cowell5/17/19814Brett Moffitt6/1/201427Mark Gibson9/20/198750Joel Stowe9/14/19805David Ragan9/24/200628Rick Jeffrey9/20/198751John Callis9/14/19806Hideo Fukuyama9/22/200229Charlie Rudolph5/31/198752Jim Ingram5/18/19807Tony Raines6/2/200230Curtis Markham5/31/198753Jeff Halverson9/16/19798Carl Long9/24/200031Larry Pollard5/31/1987 0:0054Steve Peles5/20/19799Kurt Busch9/24/200032Bryan Baker9/14/198655Louis Gatto9/17/197810Matt Kenseth9/20/199833Howard Rose9/14/1986 0:0056Dave Dion5/21/197811Hermie Sadler6/2/199634Roy Lee Hendrick9/14/198657Wayne Morgan5/21/197812Michael Ritch9/17/199535Gary Fedewa5/18/198658Steve Stolarek9/18/197713Tim Fedewa9/18/199436Howard Mark5/18/198659Tommy Ellis9/19/197614Graham Taylor5/31/199237Jerry Holden5/18/198660Budd Hagelin5/16/197615Jerry Hill9/15/199138Chuck Walton9/15/198561John Harkins5/18/197516Steve Perry9/15/199139Johnny Coy Jr9/16/198462Toby Tobias9/16/197317Bobby Labonte6/3/199140Phil Good9/16/198463Eddie Pettyjohn6/3/197318Freddie Crawford6/3/199041Tommie Crozier9/16/198464A.J. Cox6/6/197119Andy Belmont9/17/198942Jim Southard5/20/198465Lawrence Fields6/6/197120Bill Flowers6/4/198943Laurent Rioux9/18/198366George Ashbrook7/6/196921Jimmy Spencer6/4/198944Natz Peters9/18/198367James Cox7/6/196922Norm Benning6/4/198945Jimmy Ingalls5/15/198323Dana Patten6/5/198846Gil Roth9/19/1982The best finish by a driver making his series career debut at Dover Motor Speedway was sixth by Matt Kenseth on September 20, 1998; he started 16th and finished sixth.Bobby Isaac leads the NASCAR Cup Series in average starting position at Dover Motor Speedway with a 2.2 in five career starts at Dover.Kyle Larson leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series in average starting position at Dover Motor Speedway with a 7.143 in 14 career starts.
Top 10 in Average Starting Position at Dover (All-Time & Active)
RankAll-Time DriversAvg StartRacesRankActive DriversAvg StartRaces1Bobby Isaac2.20051Kyle Larson7.143142David Pearson2.688162Chase Elliott8.333123LeeRoy Yarbrough4.50023Denny Hamlin9.813324Bobby Allison6.400354Kyle Busch10.353345Friday Hassler6.50025Martin Truex Jr10.688326Cale Yarborough7.000206Brad Keselowski11.542247Kyle Larson7.143147Ryan Blaney12.167128Chase Elliott8.333128Joey Logano13.154269Ramo Stott8.50029Erik Jones13.7001010Rusty Wallace8.7954410William Byron14.258
POLES
A total of 43 different NASCAR Cup Series drivers have won the pole at Dover Motor Speedway.Eight of the 43 NASCAR Cup Series Dover Motor Speedway pole winners are active this weekend.Active Dover Pole WinnersPolesSeasonsDenny Hamlin42019, 2015, 2013, 2012Martin Truex Jr32017, 2011, 2010Chris Buescher12022Chase Elliott12019Kyle Larson12018Kyle Busch12017Brad Keselowski12014Kevin Harvick12014NASCAR Hall of Famer David Pearson leads the NASCAR Cup Series in poles at Dover Motor Speedway with six poles (1969, 1973 sweep, 1974, 1975, 1981) at the 1-mile track.Denny Hamlin leads all active NASCAR Cup Series drivers in poles at Dover Motor Speedway with four poles (2012, 2013, 2015, 2019).David Pearson (Ford) won the inaugural pole at Dover Motor Speedway in 1969 with a speed of 130.430 mph.Youngest series Dover pole winner: Chase Elliott (May 3, 2019 — 23 years, 5 months, 8 days).Oldest series Dover pole winner: Mark Martin (June 1, 2012 — 53 years, 4 months, 23 days).10 drivers have won consecutive poles at Dover Motor Speedway in the NASCAR Cup Series; led by NASCAR Hall of Famer David Pearson with three straight from 1973 (sweep) — 1974.Denny Hamlin (fall 2012, spring 2013) is the only active driver to accomplish the feat of wining consecutive poles at Dover Motor Speedway in the NASCAR Cup Series.Six drivers have posted their first career NASCAR Cup Series pole at Dover Motor Speedway:First-Time Pole WinnersDateChris BuescherSunday, May 1, 2022Matt KensethSunday, June 2, 2002Michael WaltripMonday, June 3, 1991Dick TrickleSunday, June 3, 1990Joe RuttmanSunday, May 15, 1983J.D. McDuffieSunday, September 17, 1978 A total of 35 different organizations have won a pole at Dover Motor Speedway in the NASCAR Cup Series.Team Penske leads the NASCAR Cup Series in poles at Dover with 11 poles among four drivers: Rusty Wallace (1993, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002), Jeremy Mayfield (2000), Ryan Newman (2003, 2005, 2006, 2007), Brad Keselowski (2014).A total of nine different manufacturers have won a pole in the NASCAR Cup Series at Dover Motor Speedway; led by Ford with 30 poles, and followed by Chevrolet (25), Dodge (12), Toyota (10), Pontiac (six), Mercury (five), Buick (2), Oldsmobile (one) and Plymouth (one).
WINS
A total of 39 different NASCAR Cup Series drivers have won at Dover Motor Speedway; 23 of 39 drivers have won multiple times in the series at the 1-mile track.Eight of the 39 NASCAR Cup Series Dover Motor Speedway race winners are active this weekend.Active Dover Race WinnersWinsSeasonsKevin Harvick32020, 2018, 2015Martin Truex Jr32019. 2016, 2007Kyle Busch32017, 2010, 2008Chase Elliott22022, 2018Alex Bowman12021Denny Hamlin12020Kyle Larson12019Brad Keselowski12012Jimmie Johnson leads the NASCAR Cup Series in wins at Dover Motor 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).Kevin Harvick (2015, 2018, 2020), Martin Truex Jr. (2007, 2016, 2019) and Kyle Busch (2008, 2010, 2017) lead all active NASCAR Cup Series drivers in victories at Dover Motor Speedway with three each.The first NASCAR Cup Series race at Dover Motor Speedway was held on July 6, 1969 and won by NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty (Petty Enterprises, Ford).12 drivers have posted consecutive wins at Dover Motor Speedway, including three consecutive by David Pearson (fall 1972 and 1973 sweep), Rusty Wallace (fall 1993 and 1994 sweep) and Jeff Gordon (fall 1995 and 1996 sweep).Youngest Dover Cup race winner: Chase Elliott (October 7, 2018 — 22 years, 10 months, 0 days).Oldest Dover Cup race winner: Harry Gant (May 31, 1992 — 52 years, 4 months, 21 days).Two NASCAR Cup Series drivers have posted their first career win at Dover Motor Speedway:Martin Truex Jr. (June 6, 2007)Jody Ridley (May 17, 1981).A total of 22 different starting positions have led to wins in the 104 NASCAR Cup Series races at Dover Motor Speedway.13 of the 104 (12.5%) NASCAR Cup Series races at Dover Motor Speedway have been won from the pole or first starting position. The most recent was Jimmie Johnson in 2010. The list of wins from the pole at Dover is below: DriversDate DriversDate1Jimmie Johnson9/26/20108Rusty Wallace9/19/19932Jimmie Johnson9/27/20099Bill Elliott9/16/19903Ryan Newman6/1/200310Cale Yarborough9/19/19764Bobby Labonte6/6/199911David Pearson5/18/19755Mark Martin9/20/199812David Pearson9/16/19736Mark Martin9/21/199713David Pearson6/3/19737Jeff Gordon6/2/1996The second place starting position is the most proficient starting position in the field, producing more winners (20) than any other starting position at Dover Motor Speedway (19.23%) — the most recent was Denny Hamlin‘s win on August 22, 2020.
NASCAR Cup Series Wins by Starting Positions at Dover Motor Speedway
Starting PositionWinsWinning %Starting PositionWinsWinning %11312.50%1321.92%22019.23%1421.92%31312.50%1554.81%487.69%1621.92%554.81%1721.92%643.85%1943.85%743.85%2210.96%854.81%2410.96%910.96%2610.96%1065.77%2710.96%1121.92%3710.96%StatsWinning %WinsWinning from the First Starting Position:12.50%13Winning from the Front Row:31.73%33Winning from a Top-Five Starting Position:56.73%59Winning from a Top-10 Starting Position:75.96%79Winning After Starting Outside the Top 20:4.81%5The deepest in the field that a race winner has started at Dover Motor Speedway in the NASCAR Cup Series is 37th, by Kyle Petty in the spring of 1995.The deepest in the field that an active race winner has started at Dover is 26th, by Martin Truex Jr. in the spring of 2007.A total of 27 different organizations have won in the NASCAR Cup Series at Dover Motor Speedway; including seven active organizations entered this weekend:Active OrganizationsWinsSeasonsHendrick Motorsports222022, ‘21, ‘18, ’17, ’14 sweep, ’13, ’12, ’10, ’09 sweep, ’05, ’02 sweep, 1996, ’95, ’92, ’91, ’86Joe Gibbs Racing92020, ’19, ’17, ’16, ’10, ’08, ’00 sweep, 1999RFK Racing92011, ’08, ’07, ’06, ’05, ’04, 1999. ’98, ’97Team Penske82012, ’11, ’04, ’03 sweep, 1994 sweep, ’93Wood Brothers Racing71981, ’79. ’78, ’75, ’73 sweep, ’72Stewart-Haas Racing42020, ’18, ’15, ’13Richard Childress Racing42006, 1993, ’89 sweepHendrick Motorsports has the most wins at Dover Motor Speedway in the NASCAR Cup Series with 22 victories among seven drivers: Jimmie Johnson (11), Jeff Gordon (five), Chase Elliott (two), Geoff Bodine (one), Ken Schrader (one), Ricky Rudd (one), and Alex Bowman (one).Nine different manufacturers have won in the NASCAR Cup Series at Dover Motor Speedway; led by Chevrolet with 43 victories; followed by Ford with 27, Dodge (seven), Mercury (seven), Toyota (seven), Pontiac (six), Buick (three), Oldsmobile (two) and Plymouth (two).
ADDITIONAL FINISHING POSITIONS
Runner-Up Finishes:
A total of 55 different drivers have finished runner-up in the series at Dover Motor Speedway.NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin leads the series in runner-up finishes at Dover with eight second-place finishes.Kyle Busch leads all active NASCAR Cup Series drivers in runner-up finishes at Dover with four.
Top Five in Runner-Up Finishes at Dover (All-Time & Active)
RankAll-Time DriversRunner-UpsRankActive DriversRunner-Ups1Mark Martin81Kyle Busch42Dale Earnhardt52Kyle Larson33Bobby Allison43Martin Truex Jr3Cale Yarborough44Brad Keselowski2David Pearson4Kevin Harvick2Jeff Gordon4Kyle Busch4Richard Petty4
Top-Five Finishes:
A total of 99 different drivers have finished in the top-five in the NASCAR Cup Series at Dover Motor Speedway.NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin leads the series in top-five finishes with 24 top fives.Kyle Busch leads all active NASCAR Cup Series drivers in top-five finishes at Dover with 13 top fives.
Top Five in Top-Five Finishes at Dover (All-Time & Active)
RankAll-Time DriversTop FivesRankActive DriversTop Fives1Mark Martin241Kyle Busch132Dale Earnhardt192Kevin Harvick103Bobby Allison183Chase Elliott9Jeff Gordon184Martin Truex Jr9Jimmie Johnson185Kyle Larson7
Top-10 Finishes:
A total of 164 different drivers have finished in the top-10 in the NASCAR Cup Series at Dover Motor Speedway.NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin leads the series in top-10 finishes at Dover with 33 top 10s.Kevin Harvick leads all active NASCAR Cup Series drivers in top-10 finishes at Dover with 23.
Top Five in Top-10 Finishes at Dover Motor Speedway (All-Time & Active)
RankAll-Time DriversTop 10sRankActive DriversTop 10s1Mark Martin331Kevin Harvick232Jeff Gordon272Kyle Busch21Jimmie Johnson273Martin Truex Jr184Richard Petty264Joey Logano15Ricky Rudd265Denny Hamlin14
Average Finish:
Charlie Glotzbach (two starts) leads the NASCAR Cup Series in average finishing position at Dover Motor Speedway with a 2.5.Kyle Larson (13 starts) leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series in average finishing position at Dover with a 6.9.
Top 10 in Average Finishing Position at Dover (All-Time & Active)
RankAll-Time DriversAvg FinishRacesRankActive DriversAvg FinishRaces1Charlie Glotzbach2.50021Kyle Larson6.929142Ramo Stott6.00022Chase Elliott9.750123Kyle Larson6.929153Martin Truex Jr11.750324David Pearson8.000164Kevin Harvick12.881425Bill Dennis8.50025Brad Keselowski13.083256Daniel Suarez8.66766Erik Jones13.600107LeeRoy Yarbrough9.00027Joey Logano13.846268Bobby Allison9.257358William Byron14.00089Jimmie Johnson9.658389Kyle Busch14.0293410Chase Elliott9.7501310Denny Hamlin16.43832
LAP LEADERS
A total of 122 different drivers have led at least one lap in the NASCAR Cup Series at Dover Motor Speedway.Jimmie Johnson leads the NASCAR Cup Series in laps led at Dover with 3,113 laps led in 38 starts.Kevin Harvick leads all active series drivers in laps led at Dover Motor Speedway with 1,666 in 42 races.
Top 10 in Laps Led at Dover Motor Speedway (All-Time & Active)
RankAll-Time DriversRacesLedCompleted% Led1Jimmie Johnson383,11314,78721%2Bobby Allison352,80215,58618%3Jeff Gordon472,39618,78813%4Richard Petty462,20618,91912%5Dale Earnhardt442,15119,21111%6Bill Elliott432,05018,91011%7Cale Yarborough202,0498,50224%8David Pearson162,0416,34632%9Mark Martin551,76922,1188%10Harry Gant311,72712,03814%RankActive DriversRacesLedCompleted% Led1Kevin Harvick421,66616,44810%2Kyle Busch341,31612,17411%3Martin Truex Jr321,00112,3408%4Kyle Larson148995,60916%5Denny Hamlin3267811,8956%6Brad Keselowski244039,0444%7Chase Elliott123943,93510%8AJ Allmendinger231528,4122%9Alex Bowman121424,4073%10Aric Almirola19867,2631%The most laps led by the race winner in a NASCAR Cup Series race at Dover Motor Speedway was 491 of the scheduled 500 laps (98.2%) on September 15, 1974 by NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty. Petty started from the second position.The most laps led by a driver that did not win the NASCAR Cup Series race at Dover Motor Speedway was 404 of the scheduled 459 laps (88%) on May 17, 1981 by Neil Bonnett. He started from the third position and finished 13th.The fewest laps led by a race winner in a NASCAR Cup Series race at Dover Motor Speedway were just three laps of the scheduled 400 on June 2, 2013 by NASCAR Hall of Famer Tony Stewart. He started from the 22nd position.
TRACK/EVENT SPECIFIC STATS
Since the advent of electronic scoring, the closest Margin of Victory (MOV) in the NASCAR Cup Series at Dover Motor Speedway was the September 25, 2005 race, won by Jimmie Johnson over Kyle Busch with a margin of victory of 0.080 second.
Top Five Closest Margin of Victories at Dover Motor Speedway (NCS):
Margin of VictoryDateWinnerRunner-Up0.080Sunday, September 25, 2005Jimmie JohnsonKyle Busch0.091Sunday, June 1, 1997Ricky RuddMark Martin0.187Sunday, May 15, 2016Matt KensethKyle Larson0.220Sunday, June 4, 1995Kyle PettyBobby Labonte0.265Sunday, October 7, 2018Chase ElliottDenny Hamlin
Top Five Largest Margin of Victories at Dover Motor Speedway (NCS):
Margin of VictoryDateWinnerRunner-Up22.071Sunday, June 6, 1999Bobby LabonteJeff Gordon13.117Sunday, May 31, 1998Dale JarrettJeff Burton10.334Sunday, September 21, 1997Mark MartinDale Earnhardt9.501Monday, May 6, 2019Martin Truex JrAlex Bowman8.149Sunday, September 26, 2004Ryan NewmanMark MartinThere have been four NASCAR Cup Series races resulting in NASCAR Overtime at Dover Motor Speedway:Scheduled No. Of LapsActual No. Of LapsOvertime LapsRace WinnerDate4004066Jimmie Johnson6/4/20174004055Jimmie Johnson5/31/20154004044Jimmie Johnson9/25/20054004044Chase Elliott10/7/2018 None of the 104 NASCAR Cup Series races at Dover Motor Speedway have been shortened due to weather conditions.Qualifying has been cancelled due to weather conditions in the NASCAR Cup Series at Dover Motor Speedway nine times: Fall 1984, Spring 2001, Fall 2003, Spring 2005, Spring 2011, Fall 2015, Spring and Fall of 2016, Spring 2018In 2020, qualifying was cancelled for both races due to the pandemic. The first event‘s (8/22) starting lineup was determined by Metric Qualifying and the second race‘s (8/23) was determined by inverting the field.In 2021, qualifying for the NASCAR Cup Series was cancelled due to the pandemic and the starting lineups were set by Metric Qualifying. Martin Truex Jr. started from the first position.
FEMALE COMPETITORS
Two female drivers have competed at Dover Motor Speedway in the NASCAR Cup Series: Janet Guthrie and Danica Patrick.DriverStarting PositionFinishing PositionDateDanica Patrick2418Sunday, October 1, 2017Danica Patrick3110Sunday, June 4, 2017Danica Patrick2428Sunday, October 2, 2016Danica Patrick3113Sunday, May 15, 2016Danica Patrick2421Sunday, October 4, 2015Danica Patrick3315Sunday, May 31, 2015Danica Patrick1325Sunday, September 28, 2014Danica Patrick2823Sunday, June 1, 2014Danica Patrick3129Sunday, September 29, 2013Danica Patrick3924Sunday, June 2, 2013Danica Patrick3828Sunday, September 30, 2012Averages28.721.3DriverStarting PositionFinishing PositionDateJanet Guthrie1511Sunday, September 18, 1977Janet Guthrie1133Sunday, September 19, 1976Averages13.022.0
NASCAR IN DELAWARE
A total of 199 NASCAR national series races have been held in the state of Delaware – all at Dover Motor Speedway.Track NameCityCupXFINITYTruckCombinedFirst YearDover Motor SpeedwayDover10476212011969
DELAWARE DRIVERS IN NASCAR
Ten drivers in NASCAR national series history have their home state recorded as Delaware; none of the 10 have recorded a victory in NASCAR national series competition.Drivers From Delaware (Hometowns)1Russell Bennett (Milford)2Trevor Collins (Seaford)3A.J. Cox (Wilmington)4Eddie Dickerson (Milford)5CJ Faison (Seaford)6Lou Johnson (Wilmington)7Joe Martin (Lewes)8Eddie Pettyjohn (Milton)9Joe Phipps (Newark)10Ray Sherman (Shermoont)
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