NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
FedEx 400 benefiting Autism Speaks

Odds to Win Race

The FedEx 400 is the first Sprint Cup race in Dover before the AAA 400 in the fall and first attached its name with the non-profit organization, Autism Speaks, in 2007. The race was first run in 1971 and was originally a 300-mile race for two years before being a 500-mile race and moved to the current format in 1998. Since the change, Jimmie Johnson (2002, 2009, 2012, 2014), Kyle Busch (2008, 2010), Matt Kenseth (2006, 2011) and Tony Stewart (2000, 2013) have each one more than once with Jeff Gordon (1996, 2001) being the only racer to win in both lengths. With Johnson and Gordon’s wins here, Hendrick Motorsports now has eight career victories from their athletes and four more than any other group. The one-mile, oval track will feature 24-degree turns and a concrete surface which typically features speeds in the low to mid 120 MPH range on average for the victor. Let’s take a look at the entrants for the week and find some racers who could take the checkered flag on Sunday.

Kyle Busch (15/1) - In his first race back, the All-Star Race, Busch was solid with a sixth-place finish amongst some of the best in the sport and he followed that up by improving his pole position of 17th to a finish of 11th in Charlotte last week. Busch has always enjoyed running on this track and has two career wins here while posting the third-best driver rating (105.5). In his 20 races, he has four DNF, but in the other 16 has finished in the top-10 13 times and besides his two victories owns another seven top-five showings. Busch will continue to get back into the swing of things and should shortly be competing at his usual elite level.

Martin Truex Jr. (14/1) - Truex Jr. owns a mere two victories in his 345 career races, so his fairly low odds for a victory may seem off, but he does have one of those wins here (2007) and is on pace to have his best Sprint Cup Series finish as he currently sits in 10th in the standings. He has just two double-digit finishes over his 12 starts this year and is running hot as he comes off his best race of the year when he led 131 laps in Charlotte, eventually falling to fifth in the pack. He knows how to navigate this track as evidenced by his two past pole wins and has added another seven top-10s on top of his 2007 win. Truex Jr. has been the best racer this year without a win and although it doesn’t happen often for him, one should be coming very soon.

Jeff Gordon (15/1) - Gordon is by far the most experienced driver in the field this week as his 44 visits to Dover are 12 more than his next closest competitor, Matt Kenseth (32). He has an average finish of 11.4 in that time and has 25 top-10s, 18 top-fives and five victories; with his latest coming last year at the AAA 400. He hasn’t earned a win just yet in his farewell season, but has owned the lead plenty of times and has finished in the top-five at three of his past six races. Gordon may not be at the level he once was, but he has the fourth-fastest green flag speed (144.169 MPH) here in his career and should be able to dot the top of the leaderboard throughout the day.

Greg Biffle (75/1) - This is one of Biffle’s favorite tracks as he is the fifth-best racer here according to driver rating (97.4) and has grabbed a win at both the FedEx 400 (2005) and AAA 400 (2008). He has 517 career quality passes (fourth-most) when at Dover and also ranks top-five in average green flag speed (144.050 MPH) and fastest laps run (435). Biffle is coming off his best stretch of the year in which he has placed in the top-13 at each of the past four races, winning the Sprint Showdown and coming up just short in Charlotte with a runner-up performance. The 45-year-old has 19 career Sprint Cup wins and could surprise many this week in Delaware.

Clint Bowyer (75/1) - Bowyer is another racer who has had tons of success in Dover and in 18 appearances owns 11 top-10 finishes, but has not been able to add to his eight career wins when at this venue. It hasn’t been a great 2015 campaign for the 35-year-old, but his 92.5 driver rating in Dover (eighth-best) should allow him to do better than expected when all is said and done. Look for Bowyer to add to his solid resume at this track and compete for his third top-10 of the year.