NASCAR had plenty of rain in Dover, Delaware yesterday! The weather was relentless, and the rain just kept coming down. Due to the continuously inclement weather, NASCAR brought in a percentage-based metric to decide which driver would lead Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series Race. Many drivers and fans are not thrilled about this, but at the end of the day, NASCAR puts a lot of effort into the safety of its drivers, and using this metric was one such occasion. It was just too dangerous to drive yesterday in Dover.

Today, Chase Elliot will be in the pole position in Dover. Alongside him in the front row will be Chase Briscoe from Joe Gibbs Racing. Also in the top five is William Byron, who is currently leading the NASCAR Cup Series with 668 points! Our pole position driver, Elliot, is second in line for the Cup Series points standings with 654 points himself! Will today’s race bring changes to where Byron and Elliot stand on the leaderboard for this year’s NASCAR Cup Series standings?

Dover Motor Speedway – What’s It All About?

Today’s race will take place on another high-banked track! Many people compare Dover Motor Speedway to Bristol, with their high banks and somewhat similar length. Dover Motor Speedway features turns with angles of 24° and then 9° on the straightaways. That’s quite a difference! This track is also nicknamed “The Monster Mile”, being 1.03 miles long with steep banks, allowing high speeds on each of the four turns. While the straightaways offer a brief recovery period from the turns, drivers have to exercise control and diligence when racing on this concrete track.

Dover Motor Speedway is an oval-shaped track, consisting of 400 laps and an estimated 400 miles on concrete. There will be three stages today, with Stage 1 consisting of 120 laps, Stage 2 comprising 130 laps, and the final stage featuring 150 laps. Drivers will have to pay close attention today, seeing as higher-banked tracks like today’s always have a bit more edge to them.

NASCAR Starting Lineup AutoTrader EchoPark 400

1. #9 Chase Elliot –  Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
2. #19 Chase Briscoe – Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
3. #20 Christopher Bell –Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
4. #45 Tyler Reddick – 23XI Racing Toyota
5. #24 William Byron – Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
6. #88 Shane Van Gisbergen – Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
7. #71 Michael McDowell – Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
8. #22 Joey Logano – Team Penske Ford
9. #54 Ty Gibbs – Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
10. #8 Kyle Busch – Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
11. #60 Ryan Preece – Roush Fenway Keselowski (RFK) Racing Ford
12. #17 Chris Buescher – RFK Racing Ford
13. #11 Denny Hamlin – Joe Gibbs Racing
14. #21 Josh Berry – Wood Brothers Racing Ford
15. #6 Brad Keselowski – RFK Racing Ford
16. #48 Alex Bowman – Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
17. #16 AJ Allmendinger – Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
18. #99 Daniel Suárez – Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
19. #1 Ross Chastain – Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
20. #7 Justin Haley – Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
21. #10 Ty Dillon – Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
22. #23 Bubba Wallace – 23XI Racing Toyota
23. #3 Austin Dillon – Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
24. #34 Todd Gilliland – No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford
25. #5 Kyle Larson – Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
26. #2 Austin Cindric – Team Penske Ford
27. #43 Erik Jones – Legacy Motor Club Toyota
28. #42 John Hunter Nemechek – Legacy Motor Club Toyota
29. #41 Cole Cluster – Haas Factory Team Ford
30. #38 Zane Smith – Front Row Motorsports Ford
31. #12 Ryan Blaney – Team Penske Ford
32. #35 Riley Herbst – 23XI Racing Toyota
33. #77 Carson Hocevar – No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
34. #47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – HYAK Motorsports Chevrolet
35. #51 Cody Ware – Rick Ware Racing Ford
36. #4 Noah Gragson – Front Row Motorsports Ford
37. #44 JJ Yele – No. 44 NY Racing Team Chevrolet

Where To Catch Today’s Race

Today’s race will kick off shortly after 2 p.m. EST, given the weather is clear enough for safe driving conditions. Today’s race will be covered on television by TNT and streamed for free on FUBO. As always, the HBO/MAX app will have coverage for in-car cameras. You can also listen to today’s race on NASCAR.com and on Channel 90 on SiriusXM radio.

Some of you may even be lucky enough to be enjoying today’s race in person! If you are, feel free to share your photos and experience with New Leaf News on X, formerly known as Twitter. You can also send in any shared moments from your experience to our Instagram or Facebook! Today’s race is sure to be interesting, given the high banks and an unusual qualifying situation.