Preview of the Sprint Cup AAA Drive for Autism 400

NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series resumes this Sunday at Dover International Speedway for the AAA Drive for Autism 400. The event will begin at 1 PM, E.T. and will be shown on FS1. Kevin Harvick will start from the pole position due to the qualification round being rained out. The starting grid will place the cars in order from their fastest runs in the first practice. Harvick’s #4 Freaky Fast Jimmy Johns Chevrolet turned the quickest circuit with a time of 27.799 seconds at 161.145 miles per hour.

Sprint Cup Series’s fan favorite Dale Earnhardt Jr. will be right next to Kevin Harvick in the second starting spot. The #88 Nationwide Chevrolet driver finished in third the last time he raced at Dover International Speedway in the fall of 2015. Earnhardt has found his way into victory lane here once before, but it has been fifteen years since he accomplished that feat. The Hendricks Motorsport standout has been quick all weekend long in the practice rounds and will look to improve on his 15th place finish in Kansas last week.

Reigning and defending Sprint Cup champion Kyle Busch will start in the third position right behind fellow speedster Kevin Harvick. Busch is no stranger to running well at the track known as the Monster Mile. The Joe Gibbs Racing hot-rod finished second to Kevin Harvick in last year’s fall contest and Busch has crossed the finish line out in front in the spring of 2008 and again in the spring of 2011. Sprint Cup Series enthusiasts will have their fantasy tickets littered with the #18 M&M’s Toyota.

Kyle Busch’s teammate Carl Edwards will be slotted in the fourth position. Edwards has won here in the fall of 2007 and found plenty of speed in this weekend’s practice. The #19 Stanley Toyota was third quickest in the second round of practices and 11th in the third and final go. Edwards will once again be surrounded with teammates and has as good as shot as anybody to race to glory on Sunday afternoon.

Sandwiched in between Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Carl Edwards and Denny Hamlin sits Ricky Stenhouse Jr. The #17 SunnyD Ford has shown some improvement in qualifying rounds throughout the Sprint Cup season and had his best finish of 2015 here in the fall of last year. Until Stenhouse Jr. can show me that he can place in the top 15 more times than not, I will say a repeat of last year’s event here will not occur. I’d stay clear of him on your fantasy draws, even as a B Driver.

The Daytona 500 winner, Denny Hamlin, is running out of the sixth spot. Hamlin had a fast race car here last spring and has displayed plenty of speed in the practice rounds. The #11 FedEx Toyota from Joe Gibbs Racing has been competitive on the 1.5 mile tracks and under for the last few years. Hamlin has never won at Dover International Speedway in a Sprint Cup car, but has to be a major consideration on fantasy tickets now that he has moved into the B or second tier driver selections.

Martin Truex Jr. will be right behind his teammate Denny Hamlin in seventh when the green flag waves in Dover. Truex  will look to rebound from his disappointing finish in last week’s event in Kansas. The #78 Furniture Row Toyota Camry dominated the race at Kansas Motor Speedway leading the majority of laps, but bad luck and a questionable pit stop ruined his chances of claiming his first victory of the season. I believe Truex Jr. will bounce back and is a solid selection as a B driver on fantasy tickets. All of the Joe Gibbs Racing team has produced top tens throughout the 2016 Sprint Cup Season.

Kurt Busch’s 41 Hass Automation/Monster Energy Drink Chevrolet will take off out of the ninth position. Busch took the checkered flag here in the fall of 2011 and his teammate Kevin Harvick is sitting on the pole. Busch turned in top-five times in both the second and third practice and should be competitive at the Monster Mile on Sunday.

Rounding out the top ten is the #20 Dollar General Toyota driven by Sprint Cup champion Matt Kenseth. The speedster has had a run of bad luck this year but has fielded competitive cars through the Sprint Cup Racing year season. Even though it seems that Kenseth might be somewhat jinxed this year, I wouldn’t hesitate to select him as a fantasy driver in the second tier category.

Starting Line-up for the AAA Drive for Autism 400 at Dover International Speedway: