2014 FedEx 400
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).
| Race details[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 13 of 36 in the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series | |||
 The race under green flag | |||
| 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) | ||
| Weather | Sunny 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 | 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] | ||
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 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.
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
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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
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
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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
| 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 |
Race statistics
- Lead changes: 18 among different drivers
- Cautions/Laps: 8 for 41
- Red flags: 2 for 29:01
- Time of race: 3 hours, 23 minutes and 52 seconds
- Average speed: 117.724 miles per hour (189.458 km/h)
Media
Television
| Fox Sports | |
|---|---|
| Booth announcers | Pit 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 announcers | Turn announcers | Pit reporters |
| Lead announcer: Joe Moore Announcer: Jeff Striegle | Backstretch: Mike Bagley | Winston Kelly Steve Post Alex Hayden Woody Cain |
Standings after the race
|
|
Note
- Kyle Larson started from the rear after an engine change.
- Ryan Truex started from the rear for going to a backup car.
References
- "2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Schedule". ESPN. Retrieved 2014-05-27.
- Brown, Brian (2013-05-29). "The FedEx 400". Rotoworld.com. NBC Sports. Archived from the original on 2013-06-08. Retrieved 2013-05-31.
- "Dover International Speedway". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. January 3, 2013. Retrieved May 28, 2014.
- "First Practice Results". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. May 30, 2014. Archived from the original on May 31, 2014. Retrieved May 30, 2014.
- "Qualifying Results". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. May 30, 2014. Archived from the original on May 31, 2014. Retrieved May 31, 2014.
- "Second Practice Results". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. May 31, 2014. Archived from the original on June 1, 2014. Retrieved May 31, 2014.
- "Final Practice Results". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. May 31, 2014. Archived from the original on June 1, 2014. Retrieved May 31, 2014.
- "FedEx 400 Results". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. June 1, 2014. Retrieved June 2, 2014.
- "Points Standings". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. June 1, 2014. Retrieved June 2, 2014.
- Report, Staff (June 1, 2014). "Manufacturer Standings". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. Retrieved June 2, 2014.
- 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.
- Pistone, Pete (May 25, 2014). "Johnson Back In Victory Lane". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. Archived from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved May 27, 2014.
- "The Dover International Speedway". Dover International Speedway. Retrieved 2013-05-27.
- "Keselowski on Dover Pole". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. May 30, 2014. Archived from the original on June 1, 2014. Retrieved May 31, 2014.
- Pistone, Pete (June 1, 2014). "Dover Sweep Hopes End for Busch". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. Archived from the original on June 3, 2014. Retrieved June 1, 2014.
- "Wreck ends Busch's hopes of triple header sweep". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. June 1, 2014. Retrieved June 1, 2014.
- Pistone, Pete (June 1, 2014). "Johnson on Dover Cloud Nine". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. Archived from the original on 2014-06-05. Retrieved June 1, 2014.
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Sprint Cup Series 2014 season |
Next race: 2014 Pocono 400 |