NASCAR: Dover Post-Race Grades

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DOVER, DE – OCTOBER 01: Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 M&M’s Caramel Toyota (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images) /

#4 through #1

Penske Racing, Ford. BRAD KESELOWSKI (4TH). B+. Brad Keselowski had already clinched his position heading into Dover and took home a 10th place finish, which places Keselowski in 4th place in the playoff standings and well within striking distance of the top spot. With two strong finishes during the regular season at Talladega and Kansas, Keselowski will look to be better at the Round of 12 opener at Charlotte where he finished 39th in May.. No. 2

A. There really isn’t anything negative to say about Kyle Larson’s opening round of the playoffs. Larson finished 5th twice (Dover, Chicago) and 2nd (New Hampshire) to close out the first round. If Larson can maintain finishes like those, there is no question he will be a contender at Homestead-Miami.. No. 42. Chip Ganassi Racing, Chevrolet. KYLE LARSON (3RD)

No. 18. Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota. KYLE BUSCH (2ND). A+. If Martin Truex Jr. has his eye on only one driver, it would be the driver who has won the last two races, Kyle Busch. Busch cruised to victory in New Hampshire and in the closing laps at Dover, he was able to secure his second win of the playoffs. This means 67% of the first round’s races were won by Kyle Busch. If Busch is able to keep up this run he is on, consider him the favorite to win it all.

MARTIN TRUEX JR. (1ST). A. One driver who wasn’t talked about a whole lot at Dover was the current points leader, Martin Truex Jr. Truex Jr. managed to take his Furniture Row Racing Toyota to a 4th place finish. Truex Jr. will head into the Round of 12 with everything going in the right direction and will need to keep it that way to score his first career championship.. No. 78. Furniture Row Racing, Toyota

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At any rate, the class size will be smaller next week with just 12 drivers still in the hunt for the championship. If there is any good news for the field, it would be that the first race is at Charlotte Motor Speedway, where Kyle Busch has never won in the Cup Series. However, in May he did finish 2nd to Austin Dillon in a fuel mileage race. Had Dillon ran out of gas, Busch would have easily made the pass on the final lap to win.

Furthermore, the Round of 12 is set and the world’s best drivers will battle over the next three weeks to see who makes the Round of 8. Both Charlotte and Kansas will be tracks where disaster can be avoided. However, anything is possible. The second leg of the Round of 12 is the “wild card” Talladega. This means gaining a strong finish at Charlotte to kick off the round is crucial.

In any case, we say goodbye to the playoff chances for Kasey Kahne, Kurt Busch, Ryan Newman and Austin Dillon. The Round of 12 will be a battle for all of those involved, with consistency being crucial toward making it to the Round of 8.

Next: 10 NASCAR drivers who deserve better rides

Will Martin Truex Jr. and Kyle Busch continue their dominance, or will one of the other 10 Round of 12 drivers take home a win? Will Talladega play nice for the playoff drivers or will drivers be swept up in the “big one”, ruining their championship dreams?

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