2014 FedEx 400

2014 FedEx 400
Race details[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10]
Race 13 of 36 in the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season

Layout of Dover International Speedway
Date June 1, 2014
Location Dover International Speedway, Dover, Delaware
Course Permanent racing facility
1 mi (1.6 km)
Distance 400 laps, 400 mi (643.737 km)
WeatherSunny with a high temperature of 71 °F (22 °C); wind out of the East at 6 miles per hour (9.7 km/h).
Average speed 117.724 mph (189.458 km/h)
Pole position
Driver Brad Keselowski Team Penske
Time 21.892
Most laps led
Driver Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports
Laps 272
Winner
No. 48
 Jimmie Johnson
 Hendrick Motorsports
Television in the United States
Network Fox & MRN
Announcers Mike Joy, Darrell Waltrip and Larry McReynolds (Television)
Joe Moore and Jeff Striegle (Booth)
Mike Bagley (Backstretch) (Radio)
Nielsen 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 1 mile (1.6 km) 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

Qualifying for the race

The track, Dover International Speedway, is a four-turn short track oval that is 1 mile (1.6 km) 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.[13] The racetrack has seats for 113,000 spectators.[13] 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.

No. Driver Team Manufacturer
1 Jamie McMurray Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet
2 Brad Keselowski (PC2) Team Penske Ford
3 Austin Dillon (R) Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
4 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet
5 Kasey Kahne Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
7 Michael Annett (R) Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet
9 Marcos Ambrose Richard Petty Motorsports Ford
10 Danica Patrick Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet
11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
13 Casey Mears Germain Racing Chevrolet
14 Tony Stewart (PC3) Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet
15 Clint Bowyer Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota
16 Greg Biffle Roush-Fenway Racing Ford
17 Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. Roush-Fenway Racing Ford
18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
20 Matt Kenseth (PC5) Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford
23 Alex Bowman (R) BK Racing Toyota
24 Jeff Gordon (PC6) Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
26 Cole Whitt (R) BK Racing Toyota
27 Paul Menard Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
31 Ryan Newman Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
32 Blake Koch (i) Go FAS Racing Ford
33 David Stremme Circle Sport Chevrolet
34 David Ragan Front Row Motorsports Ford
36 Reed Sorenson Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet
38 David Gilliland Front Row Motorsports Ford
40 Landon Cassill (i) Circle Sport Chevrolet
41 Kurt Busch (PC4) Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet
42 Kyle Larson (R) Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet
43 Aric Almirola Richard Petty Motorsports Ford
44 J. J. Yeley (i) Xxxtreme Motorsports Chevrolet
47 A. J. Allmendinger JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet
48 Jimmie Johnson (PC1) Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
51 Justin Allgaier (R) HScott Motorsports Chevrolet
55 Brian Vickers Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota
66 Brett Moffitt Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota
77 Dave Blaney Randy Humphrey Racing Ford
78 Martin Truex, Jr. Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet
83 Ryan Truex (R) BK Racing Toyota
88 Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
98 Josh Wise Phil Parsons Racing Chevrolet
99 Carl Edwards Roush-Fenway Racing Ford
Official entry list
Key Meaning
(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 166.297 mph (267.629 km/h).

Pos No. Driver Team Manufacturer Time Speed
1 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 21.648 166.297
2 14 Tony Stewart Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 21.738 165.609
3 42 Kyle Larson (R) Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 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 164.444 mph (264.647 km/h). 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

Pos No. Driver Team Manufacturer R1 R2
1 2 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford 21.991 21.892
2 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 21.898 21.980
3 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 21.973 21.993
4 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 21.958 22.037
5 42 Kyle Larson (R)[N 1] Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 22.048 22.075
6 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 21.985 22.077
7 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 21.983 22.077
8 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 22.052 22.154
9 55 Brian Vickers Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 22.046 22.166
10 15 Clint Bowyer Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 22.073 22.189
11 47 A. J. Allmendinger JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 22.093 22.201
12 16 Greg Biffle Roush Fenway Racing Ford 22.082 22.361
13 88 Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 22.095 —
14 31 Ryan Newman Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 22.099 —
15 27 Paul Menard Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 22.101 —
16 78 Martin Truex, Jr. Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet 22.107 —
17 5 Kasey Kahne Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 22.128 —
18 66 Brett Moffitt Identity Ventures Racing Toyota 22.140 —
19 1 Jamie McMurray Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 22.143 —
20 14 Tony Stewart Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 22.147 —
21 20 Matt Kenseth Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 22.149 —
22 13 Casey Mears Germain Racing Chevrolet 22.188 —
23 3 Austin Dillon (R) Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 22.201 —
24 41 Kurt Busch Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 22.221 —
25 43 Aric Almirola Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 22.256 —
26 17 Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. Roush Fenway Racing Ford 22.257 —
27 9 Marcos Ambrose Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 22.260 —
28 10 Danica Patrick Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 22.274 —
29 99 Carl Edwards Roush Fenway Racing Ford 22.281 —
30 51 Justin Allgaier (R) HScott Motorsports Chevrolet 22.376 —
31 26 Cole Whitt (R) BK Racing Toyota 22.417 —
32 38 David Gilliland Front Row Motorsports Ford 22.439 —
33 98 Josh Wise Phil Parsons Racing Chevrolet 22.471 —
34 34 David Ragan Front Row Motorsports Ford 22.582 —
35 23 Alex Bowman (R) BK Racing Toyota 22.586 —
36 40 Landon Cassill Circle Sport Chevrolet 22.613 —
37 44 J. J. Yeley Xxxtreme Motorsports Chevrolet 22.630 —
38 36 Reed Sorenson Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet 22.635 —
39 7 Michael Annett (R) Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet 22.637 —
40 33 David Stremme Circle Sport Chevrolet 22.703 —
41 83 Ryan Truex (R)[N 2] BK Racing Toyota 22.767 —
42 77 Dave Blaney Randy Humphrey Racing Ford 22.840 —
43 32 Blake Koch Go FAS Racing Ford 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 159.702 mph (257.015 km/h).

Pos No. Driver Team Manufacturer Time Speed
1 2 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford 22.542 159.702
2 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 22.593 159.431
3 99 Carl Edwards Roush Fenway Racing Ford 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 158.863 mph (255.665 km/h).

Pos No. Driver Team Manufacturer Time Speed
1 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 22.661 158.863
2 2 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford 22.746 158.270
3 31 Ryan Newman Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 22.747 158.263
Official final practice results

Race

First half

Start

Kyle Busch leading the race following the restart from the first caution

The race began on 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 82 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. The race was then red-flagged, while Justin Allgaier also took damage when he was clipped in the side by Biffle. Kevin Harvick took the lead from Johnson on lap 142 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 179, 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 218. 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

Pos Grid No. Driver Team Manufacturer Laps Points
1 4 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 400 48
2 1 2 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford 400 43
3 21 20 Matt Kenseth Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 400 42
4 10 15 Clint Bowyer Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 400 41
5 7 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 400 39
6 16 78 Martin Truex, Jr. Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet 400 38
7 20 14 Tony Stewart Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 400 37
8 3 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 400 36
9 13 88 Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 400 35
10 15 27 Paul Menard Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 400 34
11 5 42 Kyle Larson (R) Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 400 33
12 25 43 Aric Almirola Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 400 32
13 19 1 Jamie McMurray Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 400 31
14 29 99 Carl Edwards Roush Fenway Racing Ford 400 30
15 6 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 400 29
16 27 9 Marcos Ambrose Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 400 28
17 8 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 399 28
18 24 41 Kurt Busch Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 399 26
19 17 5 Kasey Kahne Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 399 25
20 23 3 Austin Dillon (R) Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 398 24
21 11 47 A. J. Allmendinger JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 397 23
22 18 66 Brett Moffitt Identity Ventures Racing Toyota 396 22
23 28 10 Danica Patrick Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 396 21
24 38 36 Reed Sorenson Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet 396 20
25 22 13 Casey Mears Germain Racing Chevrolet 395 19
26 30 51 Justin Allgaier (R) HScott Motorsports Chevrolet 395 18
27 31 26 Cole Whitt (R) BK Racing Toyota 394 17
28 33 98 Josh Wise Phil Parsons Racing Chevrolet 390 16
29 32 38 David Gilliland Front Row Motorsports Ford 388 15
30 43 32 Blake Koch Go FAS Racing Ford 388 0
31 14 31 Ryan Newman Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 387 13
32 41 83 Ryan Truex (R) BK Racing Toyota 387 12
33 42 77 Dave Blaney Randy Humphrey Racing Ford 383 11
34 36 40 Landon Cassill Circle Sport Chevrolet 382 0
35 39 7 Michael Annett (R) Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet 378 9
36 34 34 David Ragan Front Row Motorsports Ford 350 8
37 40 33 David Stremme Circle Sport Chevrolet 297 7
38 12 16 Greg Biffle Roush Fenway Racing Ford 292 6
39 37 44 J. J. Yeley Xxxtreme Motorsports Chevrolet 232 0
40 35 23 Alex Bowman (R) BK Racing Toyota 208 4
41 26 17 Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. Roush Fenway Racing Ford 131 3
42 2 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 125 3
43 9 55 Brian Vickers Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 73 1

Media

Television

Fox Sports
Booth announcersPit reporters
Lap-by-lap: Mike Joy
Color-commentator: Larry McReynolds
Color commentator: Darrell Waltrip 		Matt Yocum
Steve Byrnes
Krista Voda
Jeff Hammond

Radio

MRN Radio
Booth announcersTurn announcersPit reporters
Lead announcer: Joe Moore
Announcer: Jeff Striegle 		Backstretch: Mike Bagley Winston Kelly
Steve Post
Alex Hayden
Woody Cain

Standings after the race

Drivers' Championship standings
Pos Driver Points
1 1 Matt Kenseth 463
1 2 Jeff Gordon 461 (−2)
1 3 Carl Edwards 438 (−25)
2 4 Jimmie Johnson 436 (−27)
5 Dale Earnhardt, Jr. 429 (−34)
1 6 Joey Logano 414 (−49)
4 7 Kyle Busch 411 (−52)
1 8 Brad Keselowski 404 (−59)
5 9 Denny Hamlin 379 (−84)
3 10 Kyle Larson (R) 377 (−86)
1 11 Ryan Newman 374 (−89)
12 Kevin Harvick 373 (−90)
5 13 Brian Vickers 366 (−97)
2 14 Paul Menard 362 (−101)
15 Austin Dillon (R) 358 (−105)
5 16 Greg Biffle 357 (−106)
Manufacturers' Championship standings
Pos Manufacturer Points
1 Chevrolet 585
2 Ford 558 (−27)
3 Toyota 528 (−57)
  • Note: Only the first sixteen positions are included for the driver standings.

Note

  1. ↑ Kyle Larson started from the rear after an engine change.
  2. ↑ Ryan Truex started from the rear for going to a backup car.

References

  1. ↑ "2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Schedule". ESPN. Retrieved 2014-05-27.
  2. ↑ Brown, Brian (2013-05-29). "The FedEx 400". Rotoworld.com. NBC Sports. Retrieved 2013-05-31.
  3. ↑ "Dover International Speedway". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. January 3, 2013. Retrieved May 28, 2014.
  4. ↑ "First Practice Results". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. May 30, 2014. Retrieved May 30, 2014.
  5. ↑ "Qualifying Results". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. May 30, 2014. Retrieved May 31, 2014.
  6. ↑ "Second Practice Results". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. May 31, 2014. Retrieved May 31, 2014.
  7. ↑ "Final Practice Results". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. May 31, 2014. Retrieved May 31, 2014.
  8. ↑ "FedEx 400 Results". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. June 1, 2014. Retrieved June 2, 2014.
  9. ↑ "Points Standings". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. June 1, 2014. Retrieved June 2, 2014.
  10. ↑ Report, Staff (June 1, 2014). "Manufacturer Standings". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. Retrieved June 2, 2014.
  11. ↑ Paulsen (June 7, 2014). "Sprint Cup TV Ratings: NASCAR on FOX Finale Ties Net's Second-Lowest Rating". SportsMediaWatch.com. Sports Media Watch. Retrieved June 8, 2014.
  12. ↑ Pistone, Pete (May 25, 2014). "Johnson Back In Victory Lane". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. Retrieved May 27, 2014.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 "The Dover International Speedway". Dover International Speedway. Retrieved 2013-05-27.
  14. ↑ "Keselowski on Dover Pole". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. May 30, 2014. Retrieved May 31, 2014.
  15. ↑ Pistone, Pete (June 1, 2014). "Dover Sweep Hopes End for Busch". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. Retrieved June 1, 2014.
  16. ↑ "Wreck ends Busch's hopes of triple header sweep". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. June 1, 2014. Retrieved June 1, 2014.
  17. ↑ Pistone, Pete (June 1, 2014). "Johnson on Dover Cloud Nine". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. Retrieved June 1, 2014.
Previous race:
2014 Coca-Cola 600		 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
2014 season		 Next race:
2014 Pocono 400