NASCAR invades Dover this weekend for the AAA 400 Drive For Autism as drivers look to conquer the Monster Mile. Let’s look at some of the top stories from the week.
Following the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte, the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series heads to Dover for the AAA 400 Drive For Autism. This week, there was one minor penalty handed out to a top team. Dale Earnhardt Jr. looks to build on momentum from last week. Richard Petty Motorsports announced a familiar face will be filling in for Aric Almirola. And an iconic car made it back to victory lane for the first time in over 15 years. Let’s take a look at each story.
The No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing team penalized
It was a slow week in terms of NASCAR dealing out penalties. They did, however, hand out one penalty to the No. 4 team of Stewart-Haas racing. Kevin Harvick‘s ride was caught with an improperly installed lug nut in post-race inspections.
Crew chief Rodney Childers was hit with a $10,000 fine due to a safety violation. The infraction holds what we can consider a minor penalty. Harvick will not be docked any points and no suspensions will be handed out.
Harvick started the Coca-Cola 600 on the pole. It was his third pole of the season. He ended up finishing the longest race of the season in 8th place. Currently, Harvick sits in 4th in the Cup Series standings and has yet to earn a victory in 2017.
Dale Jr. looking to build on a top 10 run
In our weekly Dale Jr. update, we look into the No. 88’s second top 10 finish of 2017. Following a 5th place finish at Texas, Jr. posted finishes of 38th, 30th, 22nd and 20th before finishing 10th last week.
The final season hasn’t been great. Dale Jr. has been frustrated with his finishes. His fans are no different. But JR Nation joins Dale in hoping this top 10 at Charlotte will jump-start this last run of races. He will put his 2016 finish of 32nd out of his mind as he tries to win at Dover for the first time since 2001.
That win was a memorable one in the highly decorated career. The Cup Series’ favorite young star prevailed in the first race following the 9/11 attacks which was held at Dover. In total, Dale Jr. has posted 12 top 10’s with a track average of 16.2. Can Dale Jr. use the Monster Mile to continue to build some momentum?
Regan Smith back behind the wheel of the No. 43
With Aric Almirola still sidelined, Richard Petty Motorsports continue to have to fill their No. 43 ride with an interim driver in Dover. For the third straight week, Regan Smith will fill that role. Smith has already filled in for All-Star weekend and the Coca-Cola 600, both in Charlotte.
So far, Smith has failed to qualify for the All-Star Race by way of the Monster Energy Open. That seemed like a tall task on a short week where Almirola’s status was unknown. Last weekend, Smith finished 22nd, which was three spots better than his initial qualifying position of 25th.
This week at Dover, fans shouldn’t expect too much from the No. 43. Smith has a track average of 27.2 in 12 starts at the Monster Mile. Of course, don’t tell the team that expectations are low. We all understand the reality of the ride, but Smith will go out there and try to compete like any other driver would.
Richard Petty Motorsports has not yet announced replacement plans for anything after Dover. Expect them to continue to announce on a weekly basis, but it looks like Smith will drive in most, if not all of the races that Almirola misses.
The No. 3 made it back to Victory Lane for the first time since 2000
It was a surreal sight early Monday morning. Austin Dillon drove the No. 3 car to victory for the first time since Dale Earnhardt last did it in 2000. The car number, owned by Richard Childress, was not used since Earnhardt’s passing in 2001.
Childress decided to bring the number back in 2014. The driver he brought it back for was his own grandson, Dillon. Since that time, Dillon was not having such a great start to his young career. But that all changed with one call by a new crew chief.
Dillon led only two laps in the Coca-Cola 600 last week. Those two laps were the final laps of the race. A fuel mileage strategy allowed Dillon to make it to the end before Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. could catch back up to him.
It was a great moment for NASCAR. An iconic number winning a race with a young star behind the wheel. Whether you support the decision to bring back the No. 3 or not, there is no denying that seeing it win a race brought back some fantastic memories as well as flashed a glimpse of what could be in Dillon’s future.