Mother Nature finally cooperated enough for NASCAR to get its fall race weekend in the First State underway Saturday.
Rain washed out all track activity Friday, including practice and qualifying for Sunday’s Sprint Cup “AAA 400”.
That means points leader Matt Kenseth will have the pole for the first knockout race in this year’s Chase for the Sprint Cup Championship. The field of 16 drivers contending for the title shrinks to 12 following this week’s race, as the four drivers with the lowest point totals are eliminated.
The first of two Sprint Cup practice sessions was held Saturday afternoon – and another is scheduled - weather permitting.
Jimmie Johnson – a 10-time winner at Dover – was among the drivers in the Chase Friday waiting to see when they’ll be able to get on the track. Johnson says his history of success could give him an edge if the weather limits practice time.
"We’d really like to get out there on the track and at least get an hour to feel things out and understand where the balance of the car is," said Johnson. "But if there is a track where limited track time would help us, it would be here.
Saturday’s schedule at the Monster Mile also includes the K&N Pro Series East “Drive Sober 150,” which was rained out Friday. It started Saturday afternoon at 12:30, and will be followed by the Sprint Cup Series final practice at 2p.m. The XFINTY series “Hisense 200” is still scheduled at 3:30 Saturday afternoon.
