The 2012 NASCAR Chase for the Sprint Cup Continues Sunday at Dover International Speedway

Who will be standing in Victory Lane on Sunday? It’s a tough call…Jimmie Johnson’s pair of runner-up finishes in the first two Chase races has given him a slim lead – a point over second place Brad Keselowski and seven points over third place Denny Hamlin – but this could be the week when Johnson can say a sixth NASCAR Sprint Cup championship is his to lose. While Dover International Speedway is known as the “Monster Mile”, Johnson has mauled the concrete-surfaced track into virtual submission. Over the past eight races there, Johnson has won four times (two in the Chase); posted top-five finishes six times and led 54 percent of the laps. His Driver Rating of 120.6 easily is tops at the Delaware track. Johnson’s June victory was his seventh, matching NASCAR Hall of Famers Richard Petty and Bobby Allison for the most Dover wins.

For Denny Hamlin on the other hand, Dover has traditionally been Hamlin’s road block. While Hamlin’s New Hampshire Motor Speedway victory last Sunday was impressive, this week doesn’t figure to be so easy considering the statistics. Dover is Hamlin’s second-to-worst track in terms of Driver Rating (78.6, eighth among Chase drivers). He finished 18th in June’s race — 11th among the eventual 12 Chase qualifiers. His best Dover finish is fourth, twice. On the flip side of the Dover coin, Hamlin has five finishes of 20th or worse.