NASCAR Dover 2014: Prospect of elimination puts squeeze on drivers

When the Chase for the Sprint Cup was blown up this past January, NASCAR chairman Brian France spoke frequently about wanting to manufacture “Game 7” type moments where drama, desperation and excitement combine to create indelible memories.

NASCAR gets its first crack at a Game 7 moment Sunday at Dover International Speedway where the first of three Chase elimination races will occur. And as desired when the multi-round elimination format was conceived, there is no shortage of drama.

Positions eight through 16 in the standings are separated by a mere 12 points. Only five will avoid elimination following Sunday’s AAA 400. That tightness, along with the possibility of having their championship aspirations extinguished, has drivers recognizing the magnitude of Dover.

“This is the most important race of my career because it’s the most significant of my career at this point,” said Denny Hamlin, 13th in points. “We got to get the job done and I’m going to do my part to try to make sure we’re successful.”

That Hamlin finds himself on the wrong side of the cutline, six points behind 12th-place Kasey Kahne, is because of a fueling issue a week ago at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. What was a strong run that would have ensured advancement -- Hamlin led 32 laps -- was negated and he finished 37th. Fortunately for him, several other Chase drivers had problems as well and he still has a reasonable shot to move on.

“No matter what happened last weekend it didn’t affect my mindset as far as what my expectations were when I got to this race track,” Hamlin said. “There’s just a little bit more pressure to perform well this weekend. We hope that things fall our way.”

Hamlin’s Dover approach is straightforward and simplistic: focus on what he can control.

Having qualified third, Hamlin said leading a lap early, which would secure him a bonus point, is his “No. 1 priority.” From there his effort is concentrated on finishing in the top-five, a result Hamlin estimates should get him out of the first Chase round.

One thing Hamlin will not do is “scoreboard watch” and concern himself with how other bubble drivers are performing. Hamlin knows that anything short of a win (a victory automatically advances a driver) leaves his playoff hopes to chance. But although he placed fifth in the spring Dover race, the one-mile track is not one of Hamlin’s best. In 17 career starts he has just three top-fives, and his average finish of 19.6 is second-worst among ovals.

“For us, we don’t control our own destiny unless we win,” he said. “I really don’t want to know. Honestly, this will be the hardest race I’ll definitely ever drive for 400 miles. I’m just going to be as aggressive as I can, not put myself in a bad position.”

Hamlin’s comments echo those of Carl Edwards, another driver fighting to extend his playoff run Sunday. Sitting eighth in the standings, Edwards can afford to be a bit more conservative but like Hamlin plans on taking control of his Chase destiny.

“I love racing here and hopefully we can just have a good, solid run and move on to the next round,” Edwards said.

However, the one thing drivers can’t control is what happens around them. And at Dover, with its high speeds and high banking, trouble can easily manifest itself on every lap.

Due to the steep incline, when a single-car spin occurs, that vehicle will slide towards the bottom of the track and into the path of traffic. Hence the reason Dover is nicknamed the “Monster Mile” with a deserved reputation for chewing up cars.

“The pressure is definitely on,” Edwards said. “Of all the tracks we could come to and have this (elimination) race, this is probably the most dangerous for everyone. It’s hard on everything. It’s hard on the engines, the drivers, the cars. It’s easy to get caught up in a wreck and for that reason there is a lot of anxiety down there in the garage.”

Yet not every Chase driver is feeling pressure Sunday. Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano of Team Penske are securely in the next round based on their wins at Chicagoland Speedway and New Hampshire, respectively. And Dover pole-sitter Kevin Harvick should be considered a near-lock, as he’s ranked third in points.

“Just try to win, that’s really the thinking at this particular point,” Harvick said. “Obviously, points-wise, we feel like we’re in good shape and we just want to keep building on the momentum we have.”

Then there is AJ Allmendinger, who unlike the majority of the Chase field, does not drive for a big-dollar, multi-car organization.

Allmendinger, 10th in points, and his midsize JTG Daugherty team are considered Chase Cinderellas. They came into the playoffs with muted expectations and just getting out of Round 1 would be viewed as an accomplishment.

“No one really expected us to be here anyway and to have a shot at making it to the next round,” Allmendinger said. “So, I’m just going to go out there and give it everything I have.

“Whatever happens in the race happens. I’m not going to worry about who is around me in points or anything like that. I just want to go out there and give everything I have, and if at the end of the day it is enough to make it to the next round, then great. If not, that is all we can do.”