With a pair of road courses in the rearview mirror, the NASCAR Cup and Xfinity Series will return to a traditional oval – taking on the track deemed the “Monster Mile”.

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Kicking off the sport’s annual visit to Dover Motor Speedway will be the Xfinity Series in Saturday’s BetRivers 200, where Chevrolet will contest to extend its monstrous season win streak to 12-straight in the division. On Sunday, NASCAR’s premier series will take its turn on the concrete oval in the AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 400. The 400-mile race will mark the penultimate race in NASCAR’s In-Season Challenge, where Kaulig Racing’s Ty Dillon will carry the banner for the Bowtie brigade into the Final Four.

Chevrolet at the “Monster Mile”

In over 55-years of playing host for NASCAR, Chevrolet has earned a combined 76 wins across the sport’s top-two divisions at Dover Motor Speedway including 43 Cup Series wins and 33 Xfinity Series wins – a record that leads its manufacturer competitors.

The Bowtie brand last visited victory lane at Dover Motor Speedway in the debut race for the Next Gen car (2022) – a win by Hendrick Motorsports’ Chase Elliott that led the manufacturer to a podium sweep with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (second) and Ross Chastain (third). In addition to leading the series in overall wins, Chevrolet also holds the record for consecutive wins in NASCAR’s top division at the track with six-straight (2013-2015). Also earning record-setting success at the “Monster Mile” is Hendrick Motorsports, who heads into the weekend with 22 all-time Cup Series wins at the track – a feat exactly double the next leading organization, Joe Gibbs Racing, with 11 wins. Four of the six active past Dover winners come from the Chevrolet camp including Kyle Busch, who is the series’ only active three-time winner at the Delaware venue.
 

TY DILLON REPRESENTS TEAM CHEVY IN FINAL FOUR

On a final lap pass at Sonoma Raceway, the Cinderella story continued for Team Chevy’s Ty Dillon – driving his No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet to yet another upset finish en route to a spot in the Final Four for NASCAR’s In-Season Challenge. The race to the one-million-dollar grand prize started at EchoPark Speedway, where Dillon picked up a season-best eighth-place finish. The 33-year-old Welcome, North Carolina, native has since driven his Kaulig Racing-prepared Chevrolet to a trio of top-20 finishes to keep their team in the fight – a journey that saw matchups with top seed driver, Denny Hamlin, and former Cup Series champion, Brad Keselowski. Next on deck, Dillon and the No. 10 team will face Toyota’s John H. Nemechek for a spot in the championship round.
 

EYEING DOUBLE-DIGITS

With yet another masterful performance making left- and right-hand turns, Trackhouse Racing’s Shane van Gisbergen took the checkered flag at Sonoma Raceway to become the NASCAR Cup Series’ fourth three-time winner this season. With now three-straight wins for the Bowtie brigade, the manufacturer will look to climb into a double-digit win count in Sunday’s 400-mile race at Dover Motor Speedway. Chevrolet’s series-leading nine trips to victory lane have come with five different drivers – giving the manufacturer the most early playoff berths heading into the final six races of the series’ regular season.

Busch Closing In

With a pair of top-10 finishes and stellar points days, Kyle Busch and the No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet team has been the biggest mover up the playoff standings – gaining nine points to now sit just 37-points below the cutline heading into the Dover race weekend. The momentum comes in advance of a strong track for the 40-year-old Las Vegas, Nevada, native. Busch most recently drove his Richard Childress Racing-prepared Chevrolet to a fourth-place result at the “Monster Mile” – his 14th career top-five finish at the track to lead the series’ active drivers. The feat is among a handful of series-leading statistics for Busch at the Delaware venue, with the Team Chevy driver also pacing the field with three wins, four runner-up finishes, 22 top-10s and 1,375 laps led in 36 career starts.
 

JR MOTORSPORTS CLOSING IN ON A MILESTONE

It’s been a strong summer stretch for JR Motorsports, with the Chevrolet organization earning a trip to victory lane in five of the past six NASCAR Xfinity Series races. With its most recent win at Sonoma Raceway last weekend, the Chevrolet organization is closing in on milestone feat – heading to Dover Motor Speedway with 98 all-time Xfinity Series wins.

JR Motorsports made the leap into the Xfinity Series in 2005, with the organization’s first win coming at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in March 2008 with Mark Martin behind the wheel. JR Motorsports reached its first landmark victory during the 2020 season at Richmond Raceway when veteran driver, Justin Allgaier, drove the organization’s No. 7 Chevrolet entry to its 50th all-time win in the series. A partner from its inception, JR Motorsports has helped power Chevrolet to its last two milestone victories in the series with Chase Elliott’s victory at Richmond in Sept. 2015 marking the Bowtie brand’s 400th all-time Xfinity Series win, and Josh Berry delivering the manufacturer its 500th all-time Xfinity Series win at Las Vegas in Oct. 2022.
 

Scott, Caruth Among Notable NXS Entries

A trio of Team Chevy drivers with Rev Racing roots will be reunited at Dover Motor Speedway this weekend. Joining Rev Racing alumni and now full-time NASCAR Xfinity Series driver, Nick Sanchez, for Saturday’s 200-mile race will be Lavar Scott and Rajah Caruth.

Lavar Scott is set to make his Xfinity Series debut at the “Monster Mile” with Alpha Prime Racing. The 21-year-old New Jersey native is currently in his sixth season competing with Rev Racing. Last season, Scott took on the ARCA Menard Series full-time – closing out the campaign with the ‘Rookie of the Year’ honors. With his sophomore season well underway, the Team Chevy driver currently sits third in the points standings and just 17-points out of the lead.

Rajah Caruth will be making his return to the Xfinity Series for the first time since 2023 this weekend – piloting a third entry for Jordan Anderson Racing. Caruth made his series’ debut at Richmond Raceway in April 2022, with this weekend’s trip to Dover Motor Speedway marking his 20th career start in the division. The 23-year-old Georgia native signed with Rev Racing in 2019 – becoming the first NASCAR Drive for Diversity Development driver that began his racing career on iRacing. Caruth moved up into the NASCAR national ranks in 2022 to compete in his rookie campaign in the Truck Series. The accolades in his young Truck Series career includes two victories, as well as the title as the series’ Most Popular Driver (2024).
 

Chevrolet’s season statistics with 20 NASCAR Cup Series races complete:

Wins: 9

Poles: 10

Laps Led: 2,459

Top-Fives: 42

Top-10s: 89

Stage Wins: 19

Chevrolet’s season statistics with 19 NASCAR Xfinity Series races complete:

Wins: 17

Poles: 12

Laps Led: 2,366

Top-Fives: 65

Top-10s: 125

Stage Wins: 27

Chevrolet’s season statistics with 15 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races complete:

Wins: 6

Poles: 2

Laps Led: 854

Top-Fives: 35

Top-10s: 71

Stage Wins: 7

BOWTIE BULLETS:

· Victories by active Chevrolet drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series at Dover Motor Speedway:

Kyle Busch – three wins (2017, 2010, 2008)

Chase Elliott – two wins (2022, 2018)

Alex Bowman – one win (2021)

Kyle Larson – one win (2019)

· In 106 NASCAR Cup Series races at Dover Motor Speedway, Chevrolet has recorded a series-leading 43 victories – two of which came in the series’ last four races at the track with Chase Elliott (2022) and Alex Bowman (2021).

· With Connor Zilisch’s win at Sonoma Raceway, Chevrolet carries a double-digit win streak of 11 consecutive NASCAR Xfinity Series wins this season. The victory – Chevrolet’s 17th in 19 Xfinity Series races this season – have been earned by 10 drivers from four different Chevrolet organizations.

· Chevrolet has earned at least half of the top-10 finishing results in 12 of the 20 points-paying races thus far this season, including a season-high seven top-10 finishes at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway.

· In 128 points-paying races in the Next Gen era, Chevrolet leads all manufacturers with 61 victories – a winning percentage of 47.66%.

· With its 43 NASCAR Cup Series Manufacturer Championships, 33 NASCAR Cup Series Driver Championships, and 875 all-time NASCAR Cup Series wins, Chevrolet continues to hold the title as the winningest brand in NASCAR Cup Series history.
 

TUNE-IN:

NASCAR Cup Series

Challenge Round 4 – AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 400

Sunday, July 20, at 2 p.m. ET

(TNT, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90)

NASCAR Xfinity Series

BetRivers 200

Saturday, July 19, at 4:30 p.m. ET

(CW, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90)
 

QUOTABLE QUOTES:

Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet

When you see Dover Motor Speedway coming up on the calendar as a driver, what are some things that come to mind that you know you have to concentrate on or be key on, that you may not have to worry about at other tracks on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule?

“Intensity is the first thing I think. You know, you’re going to have a wicked up pace at Dover Motor Speedway. It’s a fast, impressive place, and breathtaking when you go off in the corner. 
It’s one of those places that it gets the heart pumping.”

You have three top-10s at Dover Motor Speedway. What’s it going to take to get a fourth, and why is this track so tough?

“It’s physically demanding. The car is getting beat up a lot. I feel like the way the track is, you’re going from these big elevation changes down into the corner and out of the corner. It puts a lot of G-force load on you. I think trying to find a car that works well while your tires are worn from the concrete is tough. There are a lot of challenges at Dover Motor Speedway, and it’s not the easiest place to pass once it gets rubbered up.”

For a new fan, how would you explain the difference between driving on concrete versus asphalt tracks?

“When the rubber starts to fill those crevices in the concrete, the best way I could explain it is your front tires feel very greasy, like they just kind of slide across the top of the track and you don’t really feel them ever take a good bite. You’re sliding up, and when it’s ready to go back left, you pick up the gas and try and get back going. On asphalt tracks, you always have that edge. You can feel the right front. At Dover Motor Speedway and Bristol Motor Speedway, you’re a little bit on top of the track as it rubbers up.”

Dover Motor Speedway is challenging because you go from 24 degrees of banking to nine degrees. Is this one of the tracks that you have to play that game the most of ‘loose is fast’?

“Our practice session on Saturday morning is important because as the track changes during the race, you need one balance at the beginning of practice that you probably aren’t going to have during the race. So you’re trying to set up for race pace, but you go really fast at the beginning when the track rubbers down, so the pace changes tremendously and you’ve got to have a good team behind you that can keep up with that. As a driver, I’ve got to know that it’s not going to drive perfect at all times. You look forward to when the rubber gets laid down because you’re going to have a better car at that point in the race.”

Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

“Our (No.) 5 Team always seems to be fast at Dover; I like that it has multiple grooves, and you can move around to find speed. Our team could really use a good solid weekend to get back on track.”

Justin Haley, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet

Coming off a strong performance in Sonoma, what are you looking forward to at Dover Motor Speedway?

“We had a great weekend in Sonoma and finished strong. That momentum will help us this weekend at Dover to get a strong qualifying draw. I feel like Dover hasn’t changed much over the years and there’s not a big resin build up on the track. I think it takes all weekend to get the rubber built up to make it racy. I feel like the Cup cars are super-fast there and it’s packed with fans. Dover is a fun track and I’ve always enjoyed the Monster Mile, so we’re hoping for a strong result this weekend.”

Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

Elliott on approaching the final races of the regular season:

“We want more. We want more wins, more of all of it. We want it all. For us, it’s just about continuing to bring the pace that we’ve brought over the last month and a half or so. I’ve been really pleased with just where we’re at and the things we’re talking about and the things we’re working on and the things we’re doing – a lot of really good stuff right now.”

AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet

“Dover has always been a track I enjoy racing. The last couple years we have had really good speed and that’s made it even more fun driving the Next Gen car around Dover. We have the opportunity to have a solid weekend and get back on track after Sonoma.”

William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

“I’m excited to get back to a more ‘normal’ oval this weekend. It’s been awhile but we’re strong at these types of tracks coming up. Last week was solid and we needed that but now this is almost like a reset button to get back to what we do best. We’ve always been strong at Dover (Motor Speedway) just haven’t been able to close the deal. I’m confident we will have speed off the truck, just looking to execute and hopefully close the deal finally.”

Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Hyak Motorsports Chevrolet

“Dover has always been a really good track for us, and I’m focused on getting back to finishing these races strong.”

Alex Bowman, No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

Bowman on leaving road courses for Dover Motor Speedway:

“Honestly, I like road courses, but I am happy about returning to an oval. Dover has always been a place that fits my driving style. It’s fast, it’s technical, and it demands a lot from both the driver and the car. The transitions off the corners are intense, and the concrete surface makes it unlike anywhere else we go. That 2021 win is still one of my favorite moments with this team.”

Michael McDowell, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet

What are your thoughts heading back to a track where you have back-to-back top-10’s and how do you feel about NASCAR’s attempt at street racing?

“I wish I knew how to figure it out. Dover has been one of those tracks that is just so tough for me. I think Dover is fun because of the commitment, the speed and the way that you drop into the hole. It is just a cool experience. The track will still take your breath away. It’s nerve-wracking when you unload and qualify. I enjoy the challenge, I just haven’t run well there. Last year was the first year where we were putting together a really solid race and we finished top-10 in the First Stage but I had a penalty on pit road, and then the right-front hub broke. It felt like that was the first time we could contend for a top-10 or a top-five finish there. So, I am going to build off that and focus on last year and not the 14 years before that, because it has been a tough place for me. That being said, I enjoy that. I enjoy the places where we struggle. I enjoy the struggle. I enjoy when it sucks, because I am determined for that to not be the case and I want to fix it. I want to focus on fixing it and I am determined to fix it. So, for me it is one of those places where the challenge creates some sort of opportunity, and last year we were 60 percent of the way to fixing it. Hopefully ,this year we can fix it all the way and have a good run.”

Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet

What is it like to race at Dover?

“If we didn’t have Bristol on the schedule, I think Dover would be a very eye-opening experience. It reminds me a lot of Bristol with the concrete surface and banking, but at Dover you’re carrying a lot more speed. The lap time isn’t as fast and it feels slower than it really is, but it’s definitely a handful. Dover is its own challenge, just because you have to figure out how to get your car to a place where you’re comfortable carrying so much speed through those really high-banked corners. There are definitely moments where your mind is probably saying there’s no way we can run almost wide open here in qualifying, but we do it every time. It’s a tough track mentally and physically.”

Connor Zilisch, No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevrolet

“Dover is high banked, high grip, concrete racetrack. A lot of rubber gets put down and the track changes a lot throughout a run, and you have to keep up with how it changes throughout the race. We were fast at Bristol and finished second at Nashville, the other concrete tracks we go to, so I’m optimistic about this weekend. I won the ARCA race at Dover last year and I really enjoy that racetrack. We’ve been fighting for wins on these tracks so hopefully we can have a solid day and be there when it counts at the end. I’m excited to keep the momentum up that we’ve had the last couple of months with our Carolina Carports team.”

GMPR