Final Sprint Cup Series practice results: Kevin Harvick leads Dover ‘Happy Hour’

The 16-driver field is sliced to 12 following Sunday’s race at Dover global Speedway. “But if there is a track where limited track time would help us, it would be here”. It is the first round of eliminations in the chase this Sunday, at the AAA 400 at Dover. Harvick seemed to have a win wrapped up last week, but ran out of gas in the closing laps. Scott Brzozowski will move from the No. 24 team to Earnhardts No. 88 team as its starting front-tire changer. “Everybody wins. That’s why they’re so great”. That’s 10 wins in 27 starts – absolutely incredible. It will be Puccia’s decision as to whether he will return for Sunday’s Sprint Cup race at the Monster Mile. And that means that NASCAR will crown a new champion in this season.

To be safe, check back today, when Busch will find out if he is an insider or an outsider as a viable NASCAR Sprint Cup championship contender. He’s won three of the past four races and seven of the last 13.

But how does Johnson’s mastery translate to what we’re now seeing in the series?

Ryan Newman, who used consistency to race his way into the championship round past year, was fourth and Kenseth was fifth to give JGR three drivers in the top-five.

Kyle Busch (6-1 Stations) – Kyle Busch missed the early months of the season with a leg injury sustained opening weekend at Daytona, but roared back and secured his spot in the Chase with multiple wins. The 16-man field will be cut to 12 after the event, to eight after the sixth race and to four after the ninth. Edwards last won at Dover in 2007. In this year’s spring race Harvick led 91 laps and finished second to his “pal” Jimmie Johnson.

Harvick indicated that even though he was outside, he felt that area should be treated as private. Good, though probably not good enough on Sunday.

“It looks like for a few reason it must not have got full on our last pit stop of the race or the fuel cell bladder is coming apart”, he said.

Following Dover, the four drivers with the lowest points totals and winless in the three-race Challenger Round will be eliminated from the postseason. Harvick is 0 for 29 at Dover. Awesome format, NASCAR, way to go!

“It used to be a mark on the wall and it was “go” in the vicinity of this mark”, said Jeff Gordon. Gordons last victory came in this race last season, and hoped it wouldnt be remembered as the final one of his career.“We didnt have to win that race in order to move on, we just needed to have a solid day, ” Gordon said.

The circumstances in New Hampshire certainly amps up the pressure to have a strong finish this weekend in soggy Dover, where paddleboarding may be a better competitive fit in light of the weather conditions from Hurricane Joaquin.

Because Dover’s layout is nothing like any other track on the circuit, there isn’t a lot to compare it to.

Rain has forced all track activities to be cancelled Friday at the Monster Mile.