Fords overflow in Cup playoffs
Harvick, 6 other blue oval drivers in 2nd round
There will be a very distinct blue oval look as the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series playoffs moves into the second round.
Twelve drivers remain in contention for the 2018 championship, and seven of those drivers carry the Ford logo. Stewart-Haas Racing advanced all four of its drivers to the Round of 12, and Team Penske saw its entire three-driver stable move forward. But that’s only the first piece of good news for the manufacturer.
Ford drivers have won 15 of the 29 races this season, outpacing rivals Toyota (12 wins) and Chevrolet (two). Three of those 15 victories came in consecutive races in late April and early May, and now the series returns to those three tracks — Dover International Speedway, Talladega Superspeedway and Kansas Speedway. SHR’s Kevin Harvick scored wins at Dover and Kansas, and Penske’s Joey Logano took the checkered flag at Talladega.
First up is a visit to the 1-mile concrete oval at Dover for Sunday’s Gander Outdoors 400 (2 p.m. ET, NBCSN), a prospect that should have the Ford drivers salivating.
While Harvick was celebrating a runaway win at the Monster Mile on May 6 — he led 201 of 400 laps — his closest competition came from his fellow Ford drivers. Blue oval drivers took five of the top eight spots and seven of the top 13 in the spring race — the same seven who advanced to the Round of 12.
“We had a really good car all weekend long back in May,” said SHR’s Clint Bowyer, who finished second behind teammate Harvick. “We were very good in terms of sheer speed, but Kevin was a little bit better.”
Kurt Busch, who won at Dover in 2011, finished fifth in May, one spot ahead of Brad Keselowski, who led 108 laps this spring and scored a Dover win in the 2012 playoff race to propel him to the championship. Last weekend’s winner Ryan Blaney (eighth in May), Aric Almirola (11th) and Logano (13th) round out the contingent of Ford drivers in the second round.
Still, don’t count out the Toyota and Chevrolet drivers on Sunday.
Toyota drivers have won the last two playoff races at Dover and three of the last five overall. Reigning series champion Martin Truex Jr. won in October 2016 and Kyle Busch, the 2015 Cup champion, won last October. Busch hits the second round atop the playoff standings while Truex sits third behind Harvick.
“I love that place,” Busch, who also won at Dover in 2010, said of the Monster Mile. “You carry so much speed at that racetrack. … It’s definitely a rollercoaster ride and you need to treat it like it’s fun and not be scared of the place.”
Chevrolet will have its own set of playoff contenders who can conquer the monster. Chase Elliott has four top-five results in five career Cup races at Dover and was the runner-up in last year’s playoff race. Kyle Larson has four topfives in nine starts and was runner-up in the spring of 2016 and 2017.
Then there’s all-time Dover wins leader Jimmie Johnson.
While the seven-time Cup Series champion was eliminated from championship contention last weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway while racing for the win on the final lap on the roval, don’t expect him to roll over for the remaining playoff drivers.
Johnson, who has 11 wins at Dover, will be as hungry for victory as anyone, especially after the heartbreak at Charlotte that stretched his winless streak to 52 races. His last victory, however, came at Dover in the spring of 2017, and Johnson’s longtime crew chief, Chad Knaus, sees an imminent return to victory lane.
When asked on Fox Sports’ “Race Hub” if a 2018 winless driver will prevail at one of the three second-round races, Knaus said, “Of course there’s going to be another first-time winner. It’s going to be the 48 (Johnson) at Dover this weekend.”