2014 FedEx 400 explained

Type:NAS
Race Name:FedEx 400
Details Ref:[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10]
Year:2014
Race No:13
Season No:36
Location:Dover International Speedway, Dover, Delaware
Course Mi:1
Course Km:1.6
Distance Laps:400
Distance Mi:400
Distance Km:643.737
Weather:Sunny with a high temperature of ; wind out of the East at .
Avg:117.724mph
Pole Driver:Brad Keselowski
Pole Team:Team Penske
Pole Time:21.892
Most Driver:Jimmie Johnson
Most Team:Hendrick Motorsports
Most Laps:272
Car:48
First Driver:Jimmie Johnson
First Team:Hendrick Motorsports
Network:Fox & MRN
Announcers:Mike Joy, Darrell Waltrip and Larry McReynolds (Television)
Joe Moore and Jeff Striegle (Booth)
Mike Bagley (Backstretch) (Radio)
Ratings:3.5/9 (Final)
3.3/9 (Overnight)
5.4 Million viewers[11]

The 2014 FedEx 400 benefiting Autism Speaks was a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car race held on June 1, 2014, at Dover International Speedway in Dover, Delaware. Contested over 400 laps on the 1miles oval, it was the 13th race of the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Jimmie Johnson won the race, his second of the season and ninth at Dover, while Brad Keselowski finished second. Matt Kenseth, Clint Bowyer, and Denny Hamlin rounded out the top five. The top rookies of the race were Kyle Larson (11th), Austin Dillon (20th), and Brett Moffitt (22nd).

Previous week's race

Jimmie Johnson passed Matt Kenseth with nine laps to go to win his first race of the season in the previous week's Coca-Cola 600. "There are more people fretting about things than myself," said Johnson. "I mean what 12 races? Give me a break. Obviously it's great to win and we are very happy to win here especially in the backyard of Hendrick Motorsports, Lowe's headquarters is just up the road as well." Jeff Gordon battled back spasms all weekend and after a two-tire pit stop late was in contention for the win but settled for a seventh-place finish and left Charlotte with the points lead.[12]

Report

Background

The track, Dover International Speedway, is a four-turn short track oval that is 1miles long.[13] The track's turns are banked at twenty-four degrees. The front stretch, the location of the finish line, is banked at nine degrees with the backstretch. The racetrack has seats for 113,000 spectators. Tony Stewart was the defending race winner from the 2013 event.

Entry list

The entry list for the FedEx 400 was released on Tuesday, May 27, 2014 at 9:37 a.m. Eastern time. Forty-three drivers were entered which meant no one failed to qualify.

DriverTeamManufacturer
1 Chevrolet
2 Brad Keselowski (PC2) Ford
3 Austin Dillon (R) Chevrolet
4 Chevrolet
5 Chevrolet
7 Michael Annett (R) Chevrolet
9 Ford
10 Chevrolet
11 Toyota
13 Chevrolet
14 Tony Stewart (PC3) Chevrolet
15 Toyota
16 Ford
17 Ford
18 Toyota
20 Matt Kenseth (PC5) Toyota
22 Ford
23 Alex Bowman (R) Toyota
24 Jeff Gordon (PC6) Chevrolet
26 Cole Whitt (R) Toyota
27 Chevrolet
31 Chevrolet
32 Blake Koch (i) Ford
33 Chevrolet
34 Ford
36 Chevrolet
38 Ford
40 Landon Cassill (i) Chevrolet
41 Kurt Busch (PC4) Chevrolet
42 Kyle Larson (R) Chevrolet
43 Ford
44 J. J. Yeley (i) Chevrolet
47 Chevrolet
48 Jimmie Johnson (PC1) Chevrolet
51 Justin Allgaier (R) Chevrolet
55 Toyota
66 Toyota
77 Ford
78 Chevrolet
83 Ryan Truex (R) Toyota
88 Chevrolet
98 Chevrolet
99 Ford
Official entry list
KeyMeaning
(R)Rookie
(i)Ineligible for points
(PC#)Past champions provisional

Practice

First practice

Kyle Busch was the fastest in first practice with a time of 21.648 and a speed of 166.297mph.

PosDriverTeamManufacturerTime
118 21.648 166.297
214 21.738 165.609
342 Kyle Larson (R) 21.794 165.183
Official first practice results

Qualifying

Brad Keselowski won the pole with a new track record time of 21.892 and a speed of 164.444mph. After the session, Keselowski stated that his team "gave me a great car here", as he entered the weekend looking for a second win of 2014.[14]

Qualifying results

PosDriverTeamManufacturer
12 21.991 21.892
218 21.898 21.980
322 21.973 21.993
448 21.958 22.037
542 Kyle Larson (R) 22.048 22.075
624 21.985 22.077
711 21.983 22.077
84 22.052 22.154
955 22.046 22.166
1015 22.073 22.189
1147 22.093 22.201
1216 22.082 22.361
1388 22.095
1431 22.099
1527 22.101
1678 22.107
175 22.128
1866 22.140
191 22.143
2014 22.147
2120 22.149
2213 22.188
233 Austin Dillon (R) 22.201
2441 22.221
2543 22.256
2617 22.257
279 22.260
2810 22.274
2999 22.281
3051 Justin Allgaier (R) 22.376
3126 Cole Whitt (R) 22.417
3238 22.439
3398 22.471
3434 22.582
3523 Alex Bowman (R) 22.586
3640 22.613
3744 22.630
3836 22.635
397 Michael Annett (R) 22.637
4033 22.703
4183 Ryan Truex (R) 22.767
4277 22.840
4332 23.024
Official qualifying results

Practice (post-qualifying)

Second practice

Brad Keselowski was also the fastest in the second practice session with a time of 22.542 and a speed of 159.702mph.

PosDriverTeamManufacturerTime
12 22.542 159.702
24 22.593 159.431
399 22.662 158.856
Official second practice results

Final practice

Jimmie Johnson was the fastest in final practice with a time of 22.661 and a speed of 158.863mph.

PosDriverTeamManufacturerTime
148 22.661 158.863
22 22.746 158.270
331 22.747 158.263
Official final practice results

Race

First half

Start

The race began at 1:18 p.m local time. Kyle Larson had to start from the rear of the field due to an engine change. Kyle Busch led his 10,000th lap in Sprint Cup Series competition on lap 29, becoming the 15th driver to reach the milestone.[15] Alex Bowman brushed the wall and brought out the first caution on lap 65. Following the pit stops, Denny Hamlin and David Ragan were both caught speeding on pit road. Kyle Busch led the first 81 laps but was passed by Jimmie Johnson for the lead. Coming off turn four, Clint Bowyer squeezed Busch into the wall on lap 124; Busch hit the wall in turn one and brought out the second caution of the race. He attempted to get back at Bowyer but his crew chief told him it was not Bowyer's fault.[16] Bowyer later regarded the race as a "frustrating day", compromising his own race and Busch's race.

Trouble in turn two

Coming off turn two, A. J. Allmendinger came across Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and got loose. He collected Greg Biffle and both got loose. Biffle went into the wall tail-first, hit Stenhouse, and sent him into the outside wall and head first into the inside one on the backstretch. Landon Cassill and Ryan Truex also spun out in Turn 1. This brought out the third caution of the race. The race was then red-flagged, while Justin Allgaier also took damage when he was clipped in the side by Allmendinger. Kevin Harvick took the lead from Johnson on the restart while on lap 157, Jamie McMurray hit a piece on concrete in Turn 2, hit the wall in Turn 3 and brought out the fourth caution. This happened in a similar fashion to Jeff Gordon at Martinsville Speedway in 2004. NASCAR was forced to red flag the race for a second time to fix a hole in the track, while the concrete also damaged the glass covering the crossover bridge that crosses over the top of Turn 2. The race was suspended for 22 minutes, with Harvick holding the lead at the restart. However, just after the restart, Harvick had a tire go down and Matt Kenseth took the lead.

Second half

Johnson retook the lead on lap 178, and upon completing lap 215, he became the all-time leader in laps led at Dover. Bowman hit the wall for a third time in turn 1 and brought out the fifth caution on lap 222. J. J. Yeley brought out the sixth caution on lap 240 after blowing his engine, while debris brought out the seventh caution with forty laps to go. Casey Mears' right-rear tire came apart and the inner-liner rubber that came off the tire brought out the eighth caution with eight laps to go. Johnson held off a four lap charge by Brad Keselowski to take his second win of the season – successively, for the 13th time in his career – and 68th of his career. "It is incredible," Johnson said. "This race car was awesome. I just have so much to be thankful for. Chad (crew chief Knaus) told me I'd love the car, and sure enough, from the time we unloaded the car, he was right." Keselowski described his day as "up and down" and that his car did not progress as much as he had liked until the halfway mark of the race.[17]

Race results

PosGridDriverTeamManufacturerPoints
14 48 400 48
21 2 400 43
321 20 400 42
410 15 400 41
57 11 400 39
616 78 400 38
720 14 400 37
83 22 400 36
913 88 400 35
1015 27 400 34
115 42 Kyle Larson (R) 400 33
1225 43 400 32
1319 1 400 31
1429 99 400 30
156 24 400 29
1627 9 400 28
178 4 399 28
1824 41 399 26
1917 5 399 25
2023 3 Austin Dillon (R) 398 24
2111 47 397 23
2218 66 396 22
2328 10 396 21
2438 36 396 20
2522 13 395 19
2630 51 Justin Allgaier (R) 395 18
2731 26 Cole Whitt (R) 394 17
2833 98 390 16
2932 38 388 15
3043 32 388 0
3114 31 387 13
3241 83 Ryan Truex (R) 387 12
3342 77 383 11
3436 40 382 0
3539 7 Michael Annett (R) 378 9
3634 34 350 8
3740 33 297 7
3812 16 292 6
3937 44 232 0
4035 23 Alex Bowman (R) 208 4
4126 17 131 3
422 18 125 3
439 55 73 1

Race statistics

Media

Radio

Standings after the race

Drivers' Championship standings
PosDriverPoints
11Matt Kenseth463
12Jeff Gordon461 (−2)
13Carl Edwards438 (−25)
24Jimmie Johnson436 (−27)
5Dale Earnhardt Jr.429 (−34)
16Joey Logano414 (−49)
47Kyle Busch411 (−52)
18Brad Keselowski404 (−59)
59Denny Hamlin379 (−84)
310Kyle Larson (R)377 (−86)
111Ryan Newman374 (−89)
12Kevin Harvick373 (−90)
513Brian Vickers366 (−97)
214Paul Menard362 (−101)
15Austin Dillon (R)358 (−105)
516Greg Biffle357 (−106)
Manufacturers' Championship standings
PosManufacturerPoints
1Chevrolet585
2Ford558 (−27)
3Toyota528 (−57)

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Schedule . ESPN . 2014-05-27.
  2. Web site: The FedEx 400 . NBC Sports . Rotoworld.com . 2013-05-29 . 2013-05-31 . Brown, Brian . https://web.archive.org/web/20130608134342/http://www.rotoworld.com/articles/nas/43341/229/fedex-400 . 2013-06-08 . dead .
  3. Web site: Dover International Speedway. NASCAR Media Group, LLC.. January 3, 2013. NASCAR.com. May 28, 2014.
  4. Web site: First Practice Results. Motor Racing Network. May 30, 2014. MRN.com. May 30, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140531185038/http://www.mrn.com/Race-Series/NASCAR-Sprint-Cup/Statistics/Additional-Statistics/2014/05/FedEx-400-Benefiting-Autism-Speaks-1st-Practice-Speeds.aspx. May 31, 2014. dead.
  5. Web site: Qualifying Results. Motor Racing Network. May 30, 2014. MRN.com. May 31, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140531183514/http://www.mrn.com/Race-Series/NASCAR-Sprint-Cup/Statistics/Additional-Statistics/2014/05/FedEx-400-benefiting-Autism-Speaks-Qualifying-Results.aspx. May 31, 2014. dead.
  6. Web site: Second Practice Results. Motor Racing Network. May 31, 2014. MRN.com. May 31, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140601004015/http://www.mrn.com/Race-Series/NASCAR-Sprint-Cup/Statistics/Additional-Statistics/2014/05/FedEx-400-Benefiting-Autism-Speaks-2nd-Practice-Speeds.aspx. June 1, 2014. dead.
  7. Web site: Final Practice Results. Motor Racing Network. May 31, 2014. MRN.com. May 31, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140601004035/http://www.mrn.com/Race-Series/NASCAR-Sprint-Cup/Statistics/Additional-Statistics/2014/05/FedEx-400-Benefiting-Autism-Speaks-Final-Practice-Speeds.aspx. June 1, 2014. dead.
  8. Web site: FedEx 400 Results. NASCAR Media Group, LLC.. June 1, 2014. NASCAR.com. June 2, 2014.
  9. Web site: Points Standings. NASCAR Media Group, LLC.. June 1, 2014. NASCAR.com. June 2, 2014.
  10. Web site: Manufacturer Standings. Staff Report. NASCAR Media Group, LLC.. June 1, 2014. NASCAR.com. June 2, 2014.
  11. Web site: Sprint Cup TV Ratings: NASCAR on FOX Finale Ties Net's Second-Lowest Rating. Paulsen. Sports Media Watch. June 7, 2014. SportsMediaWatch.com. June 8, 2014.
  12. Web site: Johnson Back In Victory Lane. Pistone. Pete. Motor Racing Network. May 25, 2014. MRN.com. May 27, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20141129050821/http://www.mrn.com/Race-Series/NASCAR-Sprint-Cup/News/Articles/2014/05/Jimmie-Johnson-Wins-Coca-Cola-600.aspx. November 29, 2014. dead.
  13. Web site: The Dover International Speedway. Dover International Speedway. 2013-05-27. 2018-07-29. https://web.archive.org/web/20180729143054/http://www.doverspeedway.com/track-specs/. dead.
  14. Web site: Keselowski on Dover Pole. Motor Racing Network. May 30, 2014. MRN.com. May 31, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140601003020/http://www.mrn.com/Race-Series/NASCAR-Sprint-Cup/News/Articles/2014/06/Keselowski-on-Dover-Pole.aspx. June 1, 2014. dead.
  15. Web site: Dover Sweep Hopes End for Busch. Pistone. Pete. Motor Racing Network. June 1, 2014. MRN.com. June 1, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140603054756/http://www.mrn.com/Race-Series/NASCAR-Sprint-Cup/News/Articles/2014/06/Dover-Sweep-Hopes-End-for-Busch.aspx. June 3, 2014. dead.
  16. Web site: Wreck ends Busch's hopes of triple header sweep. NASCAR Media Group, LLC.. June 1, 2014. NASCAR.com. June 1, 2014.
  17. Web site: Johnson on Dover Cloud Nine. Pistone. Pete. Motor Racing Network. June 1, 2014. MRN.com. June 1, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140605053447/http://www.mrn.com/Race-Series/NASCAR-Sprint-Cup/News/Articles/2014/06/Johnson-on-Dover-Cloud-Nine.aspx. 2014-06-05. dead.