Get up to speed on this week’s lead footers and brake pedal hoarders from Dover! (Photo by Chris Trotman/Getty Images)
NASCAR recently did their take of “The Mash” – “The Monster Mash” at Dover!
Miles was in rare form this past Sunday as the Monster Mile in Dover Delaware took the field to task, especially late in Sunday’s running of the AAA 400 Drive For Autism.
Before heading off to the Pocono Raceway, lets see was survived the Monsters grasp
On The Gas…
5) Dale Earnhardt Jr. – Earnhardt’s fans may be wondering if their driver can win and get into the playoffs. It’s one step at a time as we’ve hit the halfway point of the regular season. Fortunately, Junior broke into the top 10 at Charlotte and just missed it last week at Dover, coming home 11th.
4) Daniel Suarez – At Charlotte, this rookie barely missed out on finishing in the top ten. Last week at Dover, Suarez was one spot shy of cracking the top five for the first time in his career. Ultimately, as Joe Gibbs Racing improves, so do the results for Daniel Suarez.
3) Ty Dillon – For the first time this season, Ty Dillon led laps that didn’t involve the draft or staying staying out under caution. In summary, Dillon led 27 laps and had a strong showing until getting turned in the only overtime restart while running third. Still, it’s a lot to build on for the Germain Racing driver.
2) Kyle Larson – Previously, Larson led five laps since leading 202 at Bristol and finishing sixth. He dominated on the concrete beast, leading 241 circuits until falling short on a Green-White Checkered restart. With another runner up finish, he upset some fans and Martin Truex Jr because he was “racing” and not pulling over. What a concept.
1) Jimmie Johnson – Let’s see a show of hands with those who were surprised to see Johnson winning at Dover (I was one of those). All he does is win, even being relegated to the back of the pack for an unapproved adjustment.
Now, let’s review the flip side at Dover. Which cars did “Miles the Monster” have for a late Sunday lunch?
On The Brakes…
5) Joey Logano – Following some Friday afternoon struggles in qualifying, Logano managed to show a little speed in the early going. Yes, there was hope for the driver of the No. 22 Ford. In the end, tires were on the menu for “Miles the Monster” ate up the right front tire of Logano’s car, hitting the wall prior to halfway. The final tally showed that he brought it home to a 25th finish.
4) David Ragan – Talk about pouring salt to the wounds. After another hard hit due to a tire failure, Ragan may have upset Kyle Larson when the caution came out for No. 38 in the wall with seven laps to go.
3) Clint Bowyer – Running inside the top 10 on lap 97, Bowyer had a mechanical failure. As he said on Twitter, “Got the best damn oil known to mankind just couldn’t seem to keep it in the tank.” As a matter or fact, an oil leak would cost him 18 laps in the garage.
2) Kurt Busch – “Miles the Monster” did not like the idea of Monster Energy not being on the No. 41 car. Let’s say he took it out on Kurt Busch. Busch tangled with the No. 2 car on a lap 66 restart, going a lap down for repairs. As if that wasn’t enough, Dover came back to bite the No. 41 car again on lap 95, cutting down a right rear tire and sending Busch into the wall of voodoo.
1) Brad Keselowski – It’s been two weeks in a row for Keselowski where he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Contact with Kurt Busch on lap 66 sent Keselowski’s No. 2 Ford hard into the turn one wall. From there, Keselowski’s team did not even attempt to repair the car under the five minute clock, ultimately scoring a 38th place finish.
As expected, “The Monster Mile” did not play well with others. All told, 12 cars wrecked on the final lap. Ultimately, there were tire failures and frustration at Dover.
Now, it’s onto Pocono, where life can be strange.
