Team 48 Dover Speedway Preview

Lowe’s Monte Carlo driver Jimmie Johnson and Team 48 travel to Dover International Speedway this weekend for Sunday’s 400-mile NASCAR Nextel Cup race. Johnson leads Matt Kenseth by 109 points in the season point’s race. Johnson has three Dover victories including last September’s race. The all-concrete surface of the high-banked mile oval poses a difficult challenge for drivers and teams.

DRIVER JIMMIE JOHNSON QUOTES:

DOVER’S CONCRETE VERSUS PAVEMENT AT MAJORITY OF TRACKS: “The track at Dover isn’t as sensitive to the heat pounding on it because of the concrete surface. The rubber takes to the track in a different manner than it takes to pavement tracks. The biggest difference is the surface and the way the track is laid down. When you think about concrete, it is laid in squares so you have multiple seams and it feels like driving on a washboard road at times because you are going over those seams where they poured the slab. It really jars the car and it is a rough ride all the way around the track. It is extremely hard on tires because of the steep banking and the speeds we carry. You have to have the setup under the car as perfect as you can get it to be able to manage your tires effectively throughout the race. If you get a long green flag run, you can’t be abusive to your car or your tires.

DO YOU HAVE TO ALTER YOUR DRIVING STYLE FOR DOVER? “Yes, a little bit because you really have to recognize when you are being abusive to the car and as a result to the tires. If the car isn’t handling right, especially if it is tight, you can’t just muscle through it like you might at other tracks. You have to take care of it and baby it a little bit. At other short tracks, you can just pound it and throw it around and you can’t hurt the tire, but at Dover you can, so you have to remember that.”

DO YOU LIKE DOVER? “I think Dover is so unique. There isn’t another track on the circuit that is remotely close to what you have at Dover. So, when you find the right setup with the race car and the driver has the right rhythm for it…it really just applies to (only Dover) so you can fine tune and hone in on it. A lot of people go to Kentucky and these other tracks, but you can’t take anything from there and apply it to Dover.”

Race Notes

Chassis