Dover International Speedway
Track data
Race #: 13 of 36 (6-4-06) Track Size: 1 Mile
Event: The Neighborhood Excellence 400 Presented by Bank of America
Location: Dover, DE
Number of Laps: 400
Length of Event: 400 Miles
Length of Front Stretch: 1,076 Feet
Length of Back Stretch: 1,076 Feet
Degree of Banking on Straights: 9 degrees
Degree of Banking in Corners: 24 degrees
Qualifying/Race data:
Last year's event pole winner: None
Last year's event winner: Greg Biffle 122.626 mph 6-5-05 3 hrs, 15 min, 43 sec
Track qualifying record: Jeremy Mayfield 161.522 mph 6-4-04 22.288 seconds
400-Mile race record: Mark Martin 132.719 mph 9-21-97 3 hrs, 00 min, 50 sec
Historical data:
Previous winners at Dover:
Bobby Allison (7) Richard Petty (7) David Pearson (5) Bill Elliott (4) Harry Gant (4)
Ricky Rudd (4) Jeff Gordon (4) Mark Martin (4) Cale Yarborough (3) Dale Earnhardt (3)
Rusty Wallace (3) Ryan Newman (3) Jimmie Johnson (3) Darrell Waltrip (2) Benny Parsons (2)
Neil Bonnett (2) Tony Stewart (2) Jody Ridley (1) Geoffrey Bodine (1) Derrike Cope (1)
Ken Schrader (1) Davey Allison (1) Kyle Petty (1) Dale Jarrett (1) Bobby Labonte (1)
Dale Earnhardt Jr. (1) Greg Biffle (1)
Races won from the pole: 11 of 72 events (15%)
Races won from the top 10: 59 of 72 events (82%)
Races won from outside top 10: 13 of 72 events (18%)
Track Milestones
David Pearson won the first NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Busch Pole at Dover Downs International Speedway in
July 1969.
Richard Petty won the first NASCAR NEXTEL Cup race at Dover, the 1969 Mason-Dixon 300.
The NASCAR NEXTEL Cup race at Dover was changed from a 300-mile format to 500 miles in 1971 and
then to 400 miles in September 1997.
There has been only one postponed race at Dover – the 1975 Mason-Dixon 500, which had 140 laps run on
Sunday and then completed on Monday - May 19.
There has never been a caution-free race at Dover.
Qualifying Update
There have been only two different Bud Pole winners in the last six races at Dover. Jeremy Mayfield (two)
and Ryan Newman (two) are the only drivers to win a Bud Pole at Dover since 2002. Qualifying was canceled in
the fall of 2003 and spring 2005.
Track Update
In five of the last 12 years a single driver swept both races at Dover. Ryan Newman was the most recent
driver to sweep both races at Dover (2003). Other drivers to sweep both races since 1994: Jimmie Johnson
(2002), Tony Stewart (2000), Jeff Gordon (1996) and Rusty Wallace (1994).
Manufacturer Update
Dodge won its first Dover race since 1975, when Ryan Newman won there, from the Bud Pole, in June 2003.
Newman repeated as the race winner in the fall race, the first time Dodge posted consecutive victories at Dover.
Newman won again in the fall of 2004, giving Dodge three of their five Dover victories in the four-race span.
Would You Believe?
Tony Stewart has two victories and 11 top-10 finishes in 14 races at Dover and had never finished worse than
18th there. His two worst Dover finishes came in 2005 (15th and 18th), and in spite of those finishes, he has a 6.00
average finish - the all-time best among drivers with more than two starts there.
The Money
Purse $5,697,009
NASCAR NEXTEL Leader Bonus $40,000
Tire/Fuel Data
Goodyear Tire Codes: Left-side - D-4020; Right-side - D-4022
Other Nextel Cup Tracks With Same Tire Combinations: None
Estimated Pit Window: every 37-41 laps, based on fuel mileage (14-gallon fuel cell)
Notebook
The field will consist of 43 cars. The 43rd position is reserved for a past NASCAR NEXTEL Cup champion,
if needed. If unused, it will go to the next eligible owner.
Two qualifying laps will be used to determine the starting positions with the adjustments made afterwards as
required.
There have been 72 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup races at Dover International Speedway.
There was one race in 1969 and 1970, both 300-milers. There have been two races per year since 1971.
Three-hundred-and-forty-three drivers have competed at Dover.
Qualifying was canceled for the 2005 MBNA RacePoints 400.
Retired driver, David Pearson leads all drivers with six Bud Poles at Dover.
Mark Martin leads all active drivers with four Bud Poles at Dover.
Greg Biffle is the defending champion of the The Neighborhood Excellence 400 Presented by Bank of
America.
Retired drivers, Bobby Allison and Richard Petty, lead all drivers each with seven NASCAR NEXTEL Cup
victories at Dover.
Mark Martin and Jeff Gordon lead all active drivers, each with four victories at Dover. Ryan Newman and
Jimmie Johnson follow with three each.
In the 35 years of twice-a-year NASCAR NEXTEL Cup racing at Dover (1971 to 2005), a sweep has
occurred nine times – including three of the past six seasons. Ryan Newman is the most recent driver to
win both Dover races in the same year (2003). Jimmie Johnson (2002), Tony Stewart (2000), Jeff Gordon
(1996), Rusty Wallace (1994), Dale Earnhardt (1989), Bill Elliott (1988), Bobby Allison (1983) and David
Pearson (1973) are the other drivers who swept both races in the same year.
Forty-five of 72 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup races at Dover have been won from a top-five starting position
while only 13 races have been won from a starting position outside the top 10.
Nine of the last 10 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup races at Dover have been won from a top-10 starting position,
including seven from the top five.
Hendrick Motorsports (four) along with Joe Gibbs Racing, Penske Racing and Roush Racing (three each)
have won 13 of the last 14 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup races at Dover. DEI has the other Dover victory since
1999.
Jeremy Mayfield set the track qualifying record for Dover with a qualifying lap of 161.522 mph for the
MBNA 400 “A Salute to Heroes” in June 2004. Mark Martin's 97.042 mph average speed for that race was
the slowest in history at Dover.
Ryan Newman (three) and Jimmie Johnson (three) have dominated victory lane in the eight races that they
have both competed in at Dover. Newman has a 6.50 average finish while Johnson has an 11.88.
Bobby Labonte posted 11 top-10 finishes, including 10 top-fives, in the 12 Dover races between 1995 and
2000. He has only one finish better than 12th in the 10 races there since.
Tony Stewart and Elliott Sadler have both competed in 14 Dover races without posting a DNF there.
Dover Success
Dover International Speedway is one of only three tracks where Ryan Newman has a better average finish
than his average start. In eight races at Dover, Newman has seven top-10s - including three victories – for an
average finish of 6.50. His average start is 7.13. The other tracks were Newman has finished better than he has
started (based on averages) are Daytona (23.33-19.89) and Sonoma (9.25/15.75).
Recent Rookie Success at Dover
Kyle Busch finished second in both of his first two races at Dover.
Scott Riggs posted his career-first top-five finish when he finished fifth at Dover in June 2004.
Jamie McMurray and Greg Biffle both posted a top-10 finish at Dover in their rookie season (2003).
Jimmie Johnson won his first NASCAR NEXTEL Cup attempt at Dover (June 2002). Ryan Newman
finished fourth in that race – also his first time to compete at Dover. Johnson also won his second race at
Dover with Newman finishing eighth.
Kevin Harvick posted top-10 finishes in both of his races at Dover in his rookie season (2001).
Dale Earnhardt Jr., finished 10th in his first race at Dover (2000).
Matt Kenseth finished sixth or better in his first three races at Dover, including his career-first NASCAR
NEXTEL Cup start (substituting for Bill Elliott in September 1998).
Tony Stewart finished fourth and second in his first two races at Dover (1999).
Starting Up Front is not Important at Dover International Speedway
Only one of the last 10 races at Dover was won from a starting position outside the top 10. Seven of those 10
races were won from a top-five starting position.
Dover Pole Winners
Ryan Newman and Jeremy Mayfield have each won two of the last six Bud Poles at Dover. Qualifying was
canceled in the other two races.
Dover Streaks
Ryan Newman has started from the top five in the last seven races at Dover, the longest current streak. He has
eight races at Dover and started 38th there in his first race in June 2002.
Mark Martin has scored top-five finishes in his last four races at Dover.
Ryan Newman has scored seven top-10 finishes in his eight races at Dover. Three of those finishes were
victories. His last Dover victory came in September 2004.
Owner Wins at Dover International Speedway
Car owner Rick Hendrick has scored 10 wins at Dover International Speedway, the most of any car owner.
Hendrick's victories were scored by five different drivers: Jeff Gordon (four), Jimmie Johnson (three), Ken
Schrader, Ricky Rudd and Geoffrey Bodine (one each).
Recent Domination at Dover International Speedway
Tony Stewart has won two races at Dover. His 6.0 average finish there is the best among active drivers with
more than two starts there. Stewart has scored 11 top-10 finishes in his 14 races at Dover. Despite his great
record at Dover, he finished 15th and 18th there in 2005, his worst season at Dover since he first raced there in
1999.
Kyle Busch finished second in both of his races at Dover in 2005.
Ryan Newman has won three of the last six races at Dover.
Leading The Way at Dover
Jeff Gordon ranks fourth all-time in laps led at Dover, leading 2,117 laps in 26 races there. Bobby
Allison holds the record leading 2,803 laps in 35 races at Dover.
Would You Believe?
All three manufacturers have won in the last three races at Dover. Chevrolet (Jimmie Johnson - fall 2005),
Ford (Greg Biffle - spring 2005) and Dodge (Ryan Newman - fall 2004).
How Slow Can You Go?
The spring race at Dover in 2004 was run with an average speed of 97.042 mph. This is the only race in
Dover's 72-race history that fell below a 100 mph average speed.
Dover Standouts
Ricky Rudd had 55 career starts at Dover International Speedway, more than any other driver.
Kyle Petty leads all full-time drivers with 47 starts at Dover International Speedway.
David Pearson scored six Bud Poles at Dover International Speedway, leading all drivers.
Mark Martin leads all active drivers with four Bud Poles at Dover International Speedway.
Bobby Allison and Richard Petty lead all drivers each with seven victories at Dover International Speedway.
Dale Earnhardt and Mark Martin lead all drivers with 19 top-five finishes at Dover International
Speedway.
Mark Martin leads all full time, active drivers with 16 top-five finishes at Dover.
Mark Martin has scored 24 top-10 finishes at Dover, the most among full time, active drivers.
Ryan Newman leads all active drivers with a 7.125 starting average in eight races at Dover International
Speedway.
Kyle Busch has a 2.0 finishing average in his two races at Dover, the best of all active drivers.
Milestones
Jeff Gordon is expected to make his 450th NASCAR NEXTEL Cup career start at Dover International
Speedway. All of his starts are consecutive.
Jamie McMurray is expected to make his 125th consecutive NASCAR NEXTEL Cup start at Dover.
Who's Hot
Three races ago Greg Biffle was 232 points behind 10th. After his seventh-place finish at Lowe's he is
now 86 points behind 10th, a gain of 146 points on 10th in three races. Biffle has scored top-10 finishes in
his last three races.
Greg Biffle has posted 11 straight top-10 starts, a streak that began at California Speedway.
Kasey Kahne and Jimmie Johnson have each won three races in 2006, the most of all drivers.
Jimmie Johnson and Matt Kenseth are the only drivers to score seven top-five finishes in the 12 races
this season.
Jimmie Johnson is the only driver to score nine top-10 finishes in the first 12 races of 2006.
Mark Martin and Jimmie Johnson have each scored top-15 finishes in 11 of the 12 races of 2006.
Greg Biffle is the only driver to lead at least one lap in 10 of the 12 races this season.
Matt Kenseth ranks second in the point standings after Lowe's. After 12 races one year ago, he ranked
23rd.
Jeff Burton has climbed from 21st to 8th in the point standings since Martinsville. In those six races he
scored five top-10 finishes and all six were top-15s. One year ago he ranked 17th.
Top 10 in Points at This Track
Point
Standings Driver Starts Wins Best Top 5s Top 10s
1st Johnson, Jimmie 8 3 1 (3 Times) 4 6br>
2nd Kenseth, Matt 14 *** 2 (1 Time) 3 7br>
3rd Martin, Mark 39 4 1 (4 Times) 19 24br>
4th Stewart, Tony 14 2 1 (2 Times) 9 11br>
5th Earnhardt Jr., Dale 12 1 1 (1 Time) 3 5br>
6th Kahne, Kasey 4 *** 16 (1 Time) *** ***br>
7th Gordon, Jeff 26 4 1 (4 Times) 12 16br>
8th Burton, Jeff 24 *** 2 (1 Time) 4 8br>
9th Busch, Kyle 2 *** 2 (2 Times) 2 2br>
10th Harvick, Kevin 10 *** 4 (1 Time) 1 4br>
First
Jimmie Johnson finished second in the Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway and remained first in the
NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point standings, moving to 109 points ahead of second-place Matt Kenseth. Johnson is
the only driver to score nine top-10 finishes in 12 races this season. Johnson's three victories (Daytona, Las Vegas
and Talladega) remain the most by a driver this season, tying Kasey Kahne who also has three wins. In 2006
Johnson has scored 11 top-15s in the first 12 races and is tied with Mark Martin who also has 11 top-15 finishes,
the only drivers to do so. Johnson ranked first in the point standings after Race No. 12 in 2005 with a 71-point
lead over then second-place Greg Biffle. Johnson has ranked among the top-10 for 81 straight races, since Atlanta
in March 2004. He has competed in eight races at Dover International Speedway, scoring three victories. He
won both races there in his rookie season in 2002. He has scored top-10 finishes in his last three races at Dover.
Johnson has an 11.875 average finish at Dover International Speedway. Johnson finished fourth in this race one
year ago and posted his third Dover victory there last September. He led the most laps in his first two races at
Dover, his only Dover races to do so. Johnson finished on the lead lap in both races there in 2005. Johnson has
won at least one race each season for five consecutive years (2002-2006).
Second
Matt Kenseth finished fifth in the Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway scoring his eighth top-10
finish in 2006. Seven of his eight top-10 finishes in 2006 are top-fives. Kenseth scored his first victory of 2006 at
California. He has scored 10 top-15 finishes this season. Kenseth climbed from third to second in the NASCAR
NEXTEL Cup point standings. One year ago he ranked 23rd in the point standings after 12 races. Kenseth has
ranked among the top-five in the point standings since his victory in Race No. 2 at California. He has competed
in 14 races at Dover International Speedway scoring seven top-10 finishes. Kenseth has scored only one top-10
finish in his last four races at Dover. His other three finishes were DNFs. He finished seventh in this race one year
ago and 35th there last September. He has a 16.071 finishing average at Dover. He has led in just two of his 14
races at Dover. He has never led the most laps in a race at Dover. Kenseth finished on the lead lap in just one of
his last four races at Dover. Kenseth has won at least one race each season for five consecutive years (2002-2006).
Third
Mark Martin finished fourth in the Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway and climbed from fourth
to third in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point standings. At this point one year ago he ranked 12th in the point
standings. Martin has scored 15 top-15 finishes in the 16 races since Atlanta last October. He has had only one
DNF (Talladega in October 2005 - Accident) in the 36 races since Dover in June 2005. Martin has competed in 39
races at Dover International Speedway, scoring four victories there, most recently in May 2004. Martin has scored
24 top-10 finishes at Dover International Speedway the most of all full time drivers. He finished third in this race
one year ago and fourth there last September. Martin has a 13.153 average finish at Dover International Speedway.
He has led 1,658 laps there, ranking ninth all-time at Dover International Speedway. While he has led in 26 of his
races at Dover, he has led the most laps in just three of his 39 races there. Martin has finished on the lead lap in his
last four races at Dover.
Fourth
Tony Stewart finished 42nd in the Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway and dropped from second to
fourth in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point standings. Stewart has finished 42nd and 43rd in 2006. Stewart had
led at least one lap in the first nine races but has failed to lead in the last three. His 60 lap leader bonus points are
second only to Biffle who has 70. Stewart has led 801 laps, the most of all drivers, but only two more than Biffle
who has led 799. Six of his seven top-10 finishes in 2006 are top-fives. He has competed in 14 races at Dover
International Speedway scoring two victories and 11 top-10 finishes. Despite his good record at Dover, Stewart
finished 15th in this race one year ago and 18th there last fall, his worst season at Dover. Both of Stewart's Dover
victories came there in 2000. Stewart has no DNFs at Dover International Speedway. He has a 6.0 finishing
average at Dover International Speedway, the best average finish among drivers with more than two starts there.
He has led in 10 of his 14 races at Dover, leading 1.066 laps, 11th all time. He has led the most laps in four of his
14 races at Dover but has not finished on the lead lap in his last two races there. Stewart has won at least one race
each season for eight consecutive years (1999-2006).
Fifth
Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished 11th in the Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway and remained fifth in the
point standings. One year ago he ranked 15th in the point standings. Earnhardt has scored nine top-15 finishes in
the 12 races in 2006. He has competed in 12 races at Dover International Speedway, scoring one victory and five
top-10 finishes. His only Dover victory came there in September 2001. He finished 22nd in this race one year ago
and finished 31st there last September. Earnhardt has a 16.4 average finish at Dover. He has led in seven of his 12
races at Dover. The 193 laps that he led there in route to his only Dover victory remain the most that he has led
there and the only time that he has led the most laps in a race at Dover. Earnhardt Jr. has finished on the lead lap in
just four of his races at Dover, including just once in his last five races there.
Sixth
Kasey Kahne finished first in the Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway scoring his third victory in 2006,
all on SMI-owned 1 1/2-mile tracks. Kahne has scored seven top-10 finishes in 2006. Two of Kahne's victories
in 2006 (Atlanta and Texas) came from the Bud pole starting position. Kahne has scored eight top-15 finishes in
the first 12 races in 2006. One year ago he ranked 16th in the point standings. Kahne has competed in just four
races at Dover finishing 16th or worse in all four. He finished 35th in this race one year ago and 16th there last
September. Kahne has a 28.5 average finish at Dover. He scored three DNFs in his first three races at Dover.
Kahne has never finished a NASCAR NEXTEL Cup race at Dover on the lead lap. Kahne has won at least one
race each season for two consecutive years (2005-2006).
Seventh
Jeff Gordon finished 36th in the Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway and dropped from sixth to
seventh in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point standings. It marked his second DNF in 2006 and fifth finish of 21st
or worse. Gordon ranked fifth in the point standings at this point one year ago, 231 points behind then point leader
Jimmie Johnson. He is now 410 points behind current point leader Johnson one year later. Gordon has competed
in 26 races at Dover International Speedway, scoring four victories and 16 top-10 finishes. His last Dover victory
came in June 2001. His four victories at Dover are the most the among active drivers, tying Mark Martin. Gordon
finished 39th in this race one year ago and 37th there last September, his worst season of finishes at Dover in
his career. Gordon has a 12.884 average finish at Dover International Speedway. He has led 2,117 laps at Dover,
ranking fourth all-time there. He has scored just one top-10 finish in his last four races there. His other three
finishes were all DNFs. Gordon has led the most laps in five of his 25 races at Dover. He has not finished on the
lead lap in three of the last four races at Dover.
Eighth
Jeff Burton finished sixth in the Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway and climbed from 10th to eighth
in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point standings. Burton climbed to his highest points ranking in 2006 and is at
his highest points ranking since he ranked fourth after Las Vegas in March 2003, 118 races ago. He has scored
seven top-10 finishes in 12 races this season. One year ago he ranked 17th in the point standings. Burton has
competed in 24 races at Dover International Speedway and has scored eight top-10 finishes. His last Dover top 10
came there in this race in 2004 when he finished fourth. That was his only top-10 finish in his last six races there.
He finished 12th in this race one year ago and 11th there last September. While he has led in six races at Dover,
Burton has never led more than 15 laps in a race there except for the fall race in 2006 when he led 39. Burton has
an 18.708 average finish at Dover International Speedway.
Ninth
Kyle Busch finished 38th in the Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway and dropped from seventh to
ninth in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point standings. This was his third finish of 32nd or worse in his last five
races. Busch has scored six top-10 finishes in 12 races this season. One year ago he ranked 22nd in the point
standings. Busch has scored eight top-15 finishes in the 12 races in 2006. He has competed in two races at Dover
finishing second in both races there in 2005. His 2.0 average finish is the best among all drivers at Dover. He has
led 90 laps at Dover, leading all in this race one year ago.
10th
Kevin Harvick finished 34th in the Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway and dropped from ninth to
10th in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point standings. One year ago he ranked seventh in the point standings. This
was his third finish of 23rd or worse in the last four races. Harvick has scored five top-10 finishes in 2006. He has
competed in 10 races at Dover International Speedway posting four top-10 finishes. He finished 25th in this race
one year ago and 19th there last September. He has been running at the finish in all 10 of his races at Dover. He
has a 17.6 average finish at Dover International Speedway. He has led in only one race at Dover and when he did
so he led the most laps in that race (133) and scored his best Dover finish of fourth (September 2003). That was
the only race in his last eight races at Dover in which he finished on the lead lap.
