Countdown to the Cup

The Chase continues this weekend at the Monster Mile ...

Date	Track	Time	TV
Sept. 14	Loudon	1 p.m.	ABC
Sept. 21	Dover	1 p.m.	ABC
Sept. 28	Kansas	1 p.m.	ABC
Oct. 5	Talladega	1 p.m.	ABC
Oct. 11	Charlotte	7 p.m.	ABC
Oct. 19	Martinsville	1 p.m.	ABC
Oct. 26	Atlanta	1 p.m.	ABC
Nov. 2	Texas	3 p.m.	ABC
Nov. 9	Phoenix	3 p.m.	ABC
Nov. 16	Homestead	3 p.m.	ABC

All times ET

5 -- Highest finish for a Chase champ at Dover:

No driver has won the Dover Chase race and gone on to win the championship. The last time a driver won the fall Dover race and the Cup Series title in the same season was Jeff Gordon in 1995.

In four Chase races at Dover, the highest an eventual season champion has finished was fifth: Kurt Busch in 2004.

4 -- Years of Chase history following Dover:

• In 2004, the inaugural Chase, Dale Earnhardt Jr. led the standings heading to Dover. He posted a ninth-place finish, while Jeff Gordon, third in the standings, finished third. Gordon moved up two spots to the top of the standings, and Earnhardt fell to third.

• In 2005, Dover again played the spoiler for the points leader. Tony Stewart led second-place Greg Biffle by 20 points after New Hampshire. Stewart finished 18th, one lap down, while Jimmie Johnson, fifth in points, won the race, propelling him four spots into the lead and relegating Stewart to fifth.

• In 2006, Kevin Harvick won the opening Chase race at New Hampshire and opened up a 35-point lead over second-place Denny Hamlin, the largest ever during the Chase heading to Dover. But Harvick finished 32nd after an engine failure while Richard Childress Racing teammate Jeff Burton, fourth in the points, won the race and moved up three spots to take the standings lead.

• In 2007, Johnson headed to Dover atop the standings while Hendrick Motorsports teammate Gordon was second. Johnson finished two laps down in 14th, but Gordon finished one lap down in 11th. Gordon managed to edge Johnson and take the lead, while Johnson fell to third.

It's noteworthy that Chase contenders have won all four Dover races:
• 2004 -- Ryan Newman: moved from ninth (-136) to eighth (-107) in points.
• 2005 -- Jimmie Johnson: moved from sixth (-53) to first (+7) in points.
• 2006 -- Jeff Burton: moved from fifth (-64) to first (+6) in points.
• 2007 -- Carl Edwards: moved from eighth (-63) to sixth (-28) in points.

The leader's average point lead after Dover? Yep -- 4:

3 -- Poles at Dover for ...

Jeff Gordon, tops among all Chase drivers. Three other Chasers -- Greg Biffle, Matt Kenseth and Jimmie Johnson -- have one each.

2 -- Chase drivers with a top-10 average finish at Dover:

• Defending race winner Carl Edwards, with a series-best 8.2 average finish: one victory, four top-five finishes -- including four consecutive top-threes -- and five top-10s in eight starts.

• Kyle Busch, with a 10.3 average finish: one win, five top-five finishes and five top-10s. He won the June race at the Monster Mile, beating Edwards by 4.224 seconds.

Other drivers who also average a top-10 finish: Martin Truex Jr. (9.6) and Ryan Newman (10.3).

1 -- Chase driver who is winless at Dover:

Kevin Harvick, who is 0-for-15 in the Cup Series and 0-for-12 in the Nationwide Series at the track.

The 12 Chase drivers have combined for 15 victories in the Cup Series at Dover: Jeff Gordon, 4; Jimmie Johnson, 3; Tony Stewart, 2; Carl Edwards, 1; Greg Biffle, 1; Dale Earnhardt Jr., 1; Jeff Burton, 1; Kyle Busch, 1; and Matt Kenseth, 1.

Chasers Denny Hamlin and Clint Bowyer have never won a Cup race at Dover, but both have one victory in the Nationwide Series.