Rain at Dover washes out qualifying; Kenseth on pole

The good news for the guys in bowties is that Johnson is the all-time leader in wins at Dover with 10 in 27 starts.

That explains why Harvick _ the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup champion _ doesn’t appear to be sweating the fact that he’s one more poor finish away from being eliminated from title contention in this season’s Chase.

Kenseth was awarded the provisional pole for the AAA 400 at Dover global Speedway Friday.

On Thursday, he answered all questions.

Once you move past that group, the pressure starts to mount.

“That’s frustration”, NASCAR senior vice president and chief racing development officer Steve O’Donnell said on SiriusXM NASCAR’s “The Morning Drive” program.

Especially those who happen to be leading races. He stayed on the lead lap but sunk to 25th after the penalty.

All 43 Cup drivers taking part in this weekend’s race should still get a chance to practice in two separate sessions on Saturday. “There’s just so many coulda, woulda, shouldas”. I don’t know the answer to that a hundred percent. So it’s definitely something that you have to react pretty quickly on. “And I think the fit-factor couldn’t be any better”. “That’s the same way we approached Phoenix previous year….” Over those 27 races his average finish at Dover is an impressive 7.9.

Kenseth took advantage of Kevin Harvick’s fuel misfortune to take the Sylvania 300 at Loudon.

According to the latest oddsmakers, Kenseth now has 6/1 odds to win this race.

Right now, they only have to do it for the next two weeks, a stretch in which we’ll see what Harvick is truly made of, and if his bark and his bite can keep his Chase alive. But I think the Chase and racing for a championship brings the best out of a driver and of a team. We all know the brief history between these two.

Wanted to ask you about Tony’s announcement yesterday. “If he would come back, I’d be right there with him”, Patty said. It was a key mistake which cost him with over 50 laps to go. Or he can just win, something he’s never done at Dover in 29 starts. “But we had a great auto”. And I think this is a decision that he obviously feels comfortable with and seems to be excited about moving forward with his life in general. “We had a fast vehicle, and that was the most important thing”.Logano then caught himself thinking ahead and quickly shifted gears.

“As you look back on it, things could have ended better”.

“I’ve got my work cut out for me“, Busch said. “We are definitely happy that we have been through those moments and been able to capitalize on those situations”. “We got the penalty – just barely”. “I can’t imagine a few of the situations they are in. It was a bummer deal, but it puts us in a position now where we have to fight through this round and it’s no different than any other year”. Sixteen Chase drivers are in heading into Dover. Last week, Kevin Harvick looked like he was going to win and make a miraculous comeback to stave off elimination. However, Dover is a tricky track so the bottom three will likely change by the end of the race. So it’s definitely an interesting situation for sure.

Matt Kenseth talks with his daughter Kaylin before the NASCAR…