Dover Domination: Jimmie Johnson Wins FedEx 400

Despite problems for Tony Stewart and Kyle Busch during Sunday’s FedEx 400 at Dover, both drivers were able to remain in the top 10 of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series point standings.

The same couldn’t be said for Carl Edwards, though, who dropped two spots to 12th and is on the outside of the Chase for now.

Throughout Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Dover International Speedway, Kevin Harvick easily had one of the fastest cars in the field. However, any chance he had of winning for the first time in 2012 was dealt a serious blow when during what should have been a routine pit stop, Harvick overshot his pit stall.

“I was having trouble all day,” Harvick said after the race. “The pit (box) was on the corner and I was having trouble picking up my mark and I tried to get too much in between the timing lines there and just over-shot the pit.

But in a race which featured a 12-car pileup just nine laps in, numerous engine failures and quite a few mistakes on pit road, there was Earnhardt Jr. persevering and finishing a very respectable fourth (you can see the full Dover results here).

According to Earnhardt Jr., the turnaround in performance on a track that has given him fits as of late is due to crew chief Steve Letarte for giving him a car that could handle the ever-changing track conditions that Dover often brings. It also didn’t hurt that Earnhardt Jr. himself drove a patient race on an afternoon when countless competitors found trouble, whether on the track or in the pits.

With the three drivers ahead of Brad Keselowski in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series point standings all experiencing trouble in Sunday’s Dover race, the Penske Racing driver figured his 12th-place result might have been good enough to move him into the top 10 in points.

Surprisingly, it wasn’t. Instead, Clint Bowyer leapfrogged Keselowski, who remained 11th but sits just five points out of a Chase spot that would let him use the bonus points he’s earned for his two wins.

Given his dismal luck and disappointing position in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series point standings, Jeff Gordon knows victories are the only thing that can turn his frustrating season around.

And at Dover on Sunday, it appeared Gordon had a car that could win. He led 60 laps, ran down and passed eventual race winner Jimmie Johnson and even pulled away from the No. 48 car when Gordon was caught a lap down.

The Hendrick Motorsports juggernaut is back.

Driving away from Kevin Harvick and Matt Kenseth after a restart with 31 laps left in Sunday’s FedEx 400 at Dover International Speedway, Jimmie Johnson made short work of his NASCAR Sprint Cup rivals.

Fans lamenting the lack of cautions and multi-car accidents didn’t have to wait long to get what they’ve been seeking when, just nine laps into today’s FedEx 400, a 12-car incident erupted off of Turn 2.

The pileup resulted from contact between Landon Cassill and Tony Stewart, who both turned sideways, leaving nowhere to go for the cars behind them. Among those collected were Cassill, Stewart, Juan Pablo Montoya, Casey Mears and Regan Smith.

Race day weather forecast for the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Dover International Speedway is mostly dry and partly sunny. There is just the slightest risk of an isolated pop-up shower or thunderstorm during the afternoon. If there is any activity, it will be more miss than hit

Expect a mix of sunshine and clouds for the afternoon as temperatures reach the upper 70s to near 80 degrees. There will be a stiff breeze out of the west between ten to twenty miles per hour.

Joey Logano smashed the glass slipper Saturday at Dover International Speedway.

Charging forward from the seventh position after a restart on Lap 158 of 200, Logano overtook pole-sitter Ryan Truex for the lead on Lap 195 to win the 5-Hour Energy 200 NASCAR Nationwide Series race, leading a 1-2-3 finish for Joe Gibbs Racing.

Sam Hornish Jr. looked at the reporters gathered around his car after a 13th-place finish in Saturday’s NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Dover and gave a slight wince.

The three-time IndyCar champion knew what the topic was: His contact with Danica Patrick with 67 laps to go in the race.

Mark Martin backed up his fast practice lap from Friday to win the pole position for Sunday’s FedEx 400 at Dover International Speedway, beating Jimmie Johnson as the final car to make an attempt in Saturday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series qualifying.

Martin’s pole was his third of the season in just 10 attempts, as the veteran driver is racing a part-time schedule this season.

Tony Stewart shifted in his seat and leaned back, looking thoughtful.

The defending NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion had just been asked to offer his theory on the surprising lack of caution flags so far this season, and he struggled to come up with an explanation.

Strong storms are possible this afternoon at Dover International Speedway. NASCAR fans attending the afternoon events like the Sprint Cup Series’ final practice and the Camping World Truck Series race will have to keep an eye out for possible storms.

It is likely that a severe thunderstorm watch will be issued for the Mid-Atlantic – including Delaware – later this afternoon and evening. When a thunderstorm watch is issued, it means severe weather is possible in and near the boxed-in area. It doesn’t mean severe weather is happening, it just means it could and people need to keep an eye out for that possibility.

The aura of invincibility that Ricky Stenhouse Jr. seemed to project over the first third of the season found a hitch at Charlotte Motor Speredway last weekend. As a result, the NASCAR Nationwide Series points race is back to a nip-and-tuck fight.

Stenhouse aims to rebound from his Charlotte misfortune in Saturday afternoon’s 5-Hour Energy 200 (ESPN, 2 p.m. ET) at Dover. He leads nearest challenger Elliott Sadler by 13 points heading to the series’ first stop at the Monster Mile.