Getty Images
The Monster Mile has chewed up Denny Hamlin in two of the past three races.Make-or-break race looms for Hamlin at Monster Mile
No. 11 hits rough part of schedule based on average finish
type size: + -
If Denny Hamlin is going to win his first Cup Series championship, he is going to have to overcome a serious monkey on his back -- the Monster Mile.
It's hard to say one race is a "must-win" in the 10-race Chase, but for Hamlin, Sunday's running of the AAA 400 at Dover International Speedway (1 p.m. ET, ABC) is as close to one as possible.
In a word, Hamlin has been horrific at Dover recently. His 25.6 average finish at the Monster Mile is the lowest average finish at a track for Hamlin. Things started out well for him at Dover; his first three races had finishes of 11th, ninth and seventh. But in the past four events, he has a 36th, two 38ths and 43rd.
It's vital for Hamlin to erase the Dover woes and post a top-15 because the schedule doesn't get better for the No. 11 driver. Next week the series heads to Kansas, Hamlin's third-worst track with an average finish of 22.5. A few weeks after that looms Talladega, Hamlin's fifth-worst track, with an average finish of 18.9.
Hamlin has a ton of momentum heading into Sunday's race. He's in the middle of a seven consecutive top-10 streak with two wins and a second last week at New Hampshire. He will need all the positive vibes he can muster to get a "monster" finish Sunday and keep his title hopes alive.
Inside the Data
Chase drivers at Dover
| Driver | Starts | Wins | Top-fives | Top-10s | Poles | Laps Led | Avg. Start | Avg. Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carl Edwards | 10 | 1 | 5 | 7 | 0 | 297 | 15.5 | 7.6 |
| Ryan Newman | 15 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 4 | 813 | 8.5 | 10.3 |
| Jimmie Johnson | 15 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 1 | 935 | 12.5 | 10.4 |
| Greg Biffle | 14 | 2 | 6 | 9 | 1 | 463 | 12.6 | 10.6 |
| Tony Stewart | 21 | 2 | 10 | 13 | 0 | 1072 | 19.2 | 11.7 |
| Jeff Gordon | 33 | 4 | 14 | 20 | 4 | 2231 | 10.6 | 12.4 |
| Mark Martin | 46 | 4 | 21 | 29 | 4 | 1723 | 11.4 | 12.7 |
| Kurt Busch | 18 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 225 | 10.9 | 20.5 |
| Brian Vickers | 11 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 16.2 | 21.5 |
| Kasey Kahne | 11 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 64 | 15.3 | 24.1 |
| Juan Montoya | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 18.2 | 24.4 |
| Denny Hamlin | 7 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 61 | 16.3 | 25.6 |
DID YOU KNOW?
3In three of the five Chase seasons, the points leader leaving New Hampshire has gone on to win the title (Kurt Busch, '04; Tony Stewart, '05 and Jimmie Johnson '07).
NECESSITOUS NUMBERS
1Only one time in the Chase era has the points leader after New Hampshire left Dover with the points lead -- Carl Edwards in 2008.
1Carl Edwards is the only driver to average a finish inside the top 10 at Dover (7.6).
4Ryan Newman has four consecutive top-10 finishes in the Cup Series. He finished sixth at Bristol, ninth at Atlanta, 10th at Richmond and seventh at New Hampshire.
4Not to be outdone, Mark Martin has four consecutive top-fives in the Cup Series. Martin finished second at Bristol, fifth at Atlanta, fourth at Richmond and won last week at New Hampshire.
5A Roush Fenway driver has won at Dover in each of the past five seasons: Mark Martin (Spring 2004), Greg Biffle (Spring 2005), Matt Kenseth (Spring 2006), Carl Edwards (Fall 2007) and Greg Biffle (Fall 2008).
9.2Average starting position of the winner in the Chase race at Dover. Three of the five races have been won from a top-five starting spot but Jeff Burton won in 2006 after starting 19th, and Carl Edwards won in 2007 after starting 15th.
21Points leader Mark Martin is the all-time leader at Dover with 21 top-five finishes. His 29 top-10s is also a track record.
150Driver Rating for Jimmie Johnson in his victory at Dover in May, a perfect score. Johnson led 298 of the 400 laps run.
200Congratulations to Brian Vickers, who will make his 200th Cup Series start at Dover becoming the youngest driver to reach 200 starts in the series.
250Congratulations to Greg Biffle, who will be making his 250th Cup Series start Sunday at Dover. In the past four races at Dover, Biffle has finished in the top three with a win, a second and two thirds.
750Congratulations to Mark Martin, who will be making his 750th Cup Series start Sunday at Dover. Martin is ninth on the all-time list, one behind Michael Waltrip, who started his 750th Cup race last week at New Hampshire.
Also
| POPULAR ALERTS | ||||
|
Sprint Cup Series
Standings
| Pos. | +/- | Driver | Points | Behind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | -- | Mark Martin | 5230 | Leader |
| 2. | +1 | Jimmie Johnson | 5195 | -35 |
| 3. | +1 | Denny Hamlin | 5195 | -35 |
| 4. | +7 | Juan Montoya | 5175 | -55 |
| 5. | +2 | Kurt Busch | 5165 | -65 |
| 6. | -4 | Tony Stewart | 5156 | -74 |
| 7. | +3 | Ryan Newman | 5151 | -79 |
| 8. | -- | Brian Vickers | 5140 | -90 |
| 9. | +3 | Greg Biffle | 5138 | -92 |
| 10. | -4 | Jeff Gordon | 5128 | -102 |
| 11. | -2 | Carl Edwards | 5117 | -113 |
| 12. | -7 | Kasey Kahne | 5069 | -161 |
Most Popular
Headlines
Videos
Searches
News
- Evernham trying to clear way for return to garage
- Hendrick absent from title clincher with family issue
- Junior still tabloid fodder; Gordon still has a desire
Features
- Junior leads list of drivers who need to step up in '10
- Despite rough season, Roush drivers ones to beat
- Johnson takes Chase class to school, earns the grade
Opinions
- The one man responsible for creating the monster
- Toughest driver in garage may not be who you think
- Miami's most popular driver not who you think
Cup Series News
- Victory has Hamlin ready to fight for Cup title in 2010
- Martin can't mount charge needed to push Johnson
- Montoya, Stewart let anger get best of them in finale
- For four drivers, '09 finale more than end to season
- Johnson eases to record fourth consecutive title
- Evernham trying to clear way for return to garage
Remember To Check Out
|
All External sites will open in a new browser window. NASCAR.COM does not endorse external sites. |
|
© 2001-2009 NASCAR | Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. All Rights Reserved. |
|
Turner Entertainment Digital Network NASCAR.COM is part of the Turner Sports and Entertainment Digital Network. |
