Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400 Preview: The Monster Mile

Dover Motor Speedway plays host to this week's Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400. This is the one and only race of 2025 at the concrete oval in Delaware. For many years this track has hosted two annual NASCAR Cup Series events, but schedule shuffling reduced that to just one event three seasons ago. Dover Motor Speedway is also known as the "Monster Mile", and for good reason. It's like a super-sized Bristol Motor Speedway, with similar banking and track surface all in a one-mile oval. Dover has a short track feel but produces the high 160+ mph speeds of the larger tracks on the circuit. The high speeds are due to the 24 degree banking in all turns and the extreme grip that the concrete paved surface provides. It's a lightning fast track, and it produces some exciting, side-by-side racing. 

As many drivers have shown in the past, it takes a good balance of aggression and patience to tame the monster. It's this balance that the drivers will need to master if they hope to conquer the competition and this fierce track. With this being the first and only race of the season at the Monster Mile, the learning curve will be steep this weekend. Those teams that can adapt the fastest after the green flag drops will be the ones to succeed this Sunday afternoon. This is race number 11 of the season, so urgency to better one's position in the driver standings will pick up the pace at the Dover oval. We'll surely see some of that urgency in the racing this Sunday afternoon at the Monster Mile.

Since this is our lone race of the season at Dover, we need to check in briefly with the electronic loop stats from this high-banked oval. Current trends at this track should hold pretty true to form this weekend since teams have now been racing with the new generation stock car for three seasons plus now. The Dover oval is such a unique animal that those who have historically performed well here tend to edge out those current streaking drivers. They are easily identified in the table below. The loop stats cover the last 36 races at Dover Motor Speedway.

The Monster Mile has been a track of manufacturer parity since about 2016. Ford, Toyota and Chevrolet have each won at Dover in the last five events there. Chevrolet and Toyota drivers have won eight of the last nine events at Dover. However, Ford has just one win in those last nine races at this one-mile track. The drivers of the blue oval brand have a lot of catching up to do if they hope to get back into victory lane at the Monster Mile for the first time since the 2020 season.   

In this event one year ago, we witnessed Denny Hamlin dominate and beat the duo of Kyle Larson and Martin Truex Jr. to capture the win in the Wurth 400. The driver of the No. 11 Toyota led 136 laps on the day, including the final 72 laps of that event en route to capturing his second-career Dover victory. That three-driver battle was really the main storyline of that spring afternoon. Kyle Busch was also strong in his RCR No. 8 Chevrolet, winning the pole, leading 34 laps on the day before fading to fourth-place by the checkered flag. It will be interesting to see if Toyota can hold onto their recent Dover success in light of some of the parity we've witnessed this season. It would seem to be an uphill battle for Ford drivers like Ryan Blaney and Joey Logano who haven't visited victory lane since early June. We'll outline the drivers who will likely dominate and a few others about to make surprise runs at Dover Motor Speedway.

The Contenders – Drivers in the hunt for the win

Denny Hamlin – After Hamlin's runner-up at Bristol and win on the high banks of Darlington earlier this spring, we feel compelled to believe that this driver and team will rise up and be a factor in this Dover race. Those recent performances on historically strong ovals in his resume is very reassuring, heading into the Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400. Hamlin has been a career-long performer at the Monster Mile with two wins (including this event one year ago), 16 Top-10 finishes and over 800 laps led. The 47-percent Top-10 rate is above norms and good indicator of potential for the No. 11 Toyota team. Hamlin dominated this event one year ago and that's a great sign heading into this Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400.

Kyle Larson – Larson hopes went up in smoke during a late-race spin at Sonoma last week, but he'll hit the reset button at Dover this Sunday. He has just 16-career starts at the Monster Mile, but they're starts that are packed full of results. Larson has one victory, four runner-up finishes, eight Top-5 and 12 Top-10 finishes in those efforts. That puts his average finish at a sparkling 8.2 at this facility. Larson has led 938-career laps at the Monster Mile, so he's quite used to racing up front here. With his runner-up finish in this event one year ago, the driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet has to be seen as one of the top contenders to win this Sunday at Dover Motor Speedway.

William Byron – Byron has been pretty sharp this season with one win and 11 Top 10's entering this weekend, he's been a top performer in the NASCAR Cup Series. His excellence at Dover Motor Speedway is well documented. Byron will be making just his 11th-career Dover start this Sunday, so the statistical sample size is a bit small. The young driver has three fourth-place finishes in three of his last five starts at the Dover oval. Byron led a whopping 193 laps in this event two years ago and looked locked into victory lane before fading late to fourth-place. He should be racing among the leaders in the Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400 and in contention for the win at the Monster Mile.

Chase Briscoe – The driver of the No. 19 Toyota is coming off an impressive runner-up finish at Sonoma and looking to ride that momentum coming to Delaware. Briscoe has just four-career starts at the Monster Mile, with mixed results, so he likely won't be on too many fantasy racing radar screens for the Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver won a few weeks ago at Pocono and he's surged to eighth-place (season-high) in the point standings coming into Dover. Briscoe was a strong fourth-place in the race earlier this season at Bristol and that's a very good comp for Dover Motor Speedway. We believe this surging driver and team will battle with the leaders at the Monster Mile.  

Solid Plays – Near locks for a Top 10 with an outside shot to win

Alex Bowman – Bowman has been on a good run this season. He enters this weekend 10th in the driver standings and performing well on short tracks to this point. Bowman has had a lot of recent success at the Monster Mile and his team's experience will show through in Sunday's Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400. Bowman has a win and six Top 10's in his last seven Dover starts. The veteran driver rides a four-race Dover Top-10 streak into this Sunday's 400-lap battle on the high banks. The No. 48 Chevrolet team won the pole earlier this season and led 39 laps at Bristol Motor Speedway, and that's a good indicator heading into this event at the Monster Mile.

Chase Elliott – The No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports team has been on a roll in recent weeks and they're visiting a great track to keep Elliott on a roll. The young driver has made 14-career starts at Dover Motor Speedway, and they've been eye-popping efforts. Elliott has 10 Top-5 finishes in those starts, including two victories. The last of those wins came in this event three years ago. He led 73 total laps and captured the victory in the 2022 Drydene 400. Elliott has been Top 5 or Top 10 on most of the short tracks this season and that's a great indicator for this weekend. With a 9.5 average finish and career 71-percent Top-5 rate at the Monster Mile, you'll find few drivers who are better here.  

Ryan Blaney – The Penske Racing star is mired in a three-race Top-10 skid, but he should have little trouble getting back on track at the Monster Mile. Blaney has been pretty decent on the short tracks this season and the Top-5 finish at Bristol stands out. The driver of the Penske Racing No. 12 Ford has not been a career-long performer at Dover Motor Speedway. With just four-career Top 10's here, some fantasy racing players will be tempted to bench Blaney this weekend. We believe that would be a mistake. He rides a two-race Dover Top-10 streak into this weekend, and he led 47 laps and finished a strong seventh-place in this event one year ago.   

Christopher Bell – The Joe Gibbs Racing youngster has turned around some early career struggles at the Monster Mile in his last three starts at the one-mile oval. Bell has grabbed fourth- and sixth-place finishes at the track since 2022 and lowered his career average finish at Dover to a more acceptable 19.0. Those are a stark contrast to his first three Dover starts where he didn't crack the Top 20. Bell and the No. 20 Toyota team are  in the middle of a career-best season and performing extremely well. He's coming off a strong fifth-place finish at Sonoma Raceway this past Sunday. Bell should be pointed towards a Top-10 finish in the Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400.

Sleepers – Drivers with good history at Dover & solid upside

Ross Chastain – He's needing a good performance coming to Dover this week. Fortunately, this has been a good oval for Chastain the last three seasons. The veteran driver has finishes of second-, third- and 12th-place in the last three starts on the high banks of the Monster Mile. That works out to a stellar 5.7 average finish across the span and much lower than Chastain's career average finish at Dover. The high banks of Bristol and Darlington rewarded the No. 1 Chevrolet team with a pair of seventh-place finishes earlier this season. That's a good indicator of potential for Chastain and the Trackhouse Racing team at Dover Motor Speedway.

Chris Buescher – The Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing veteran doesn't have the career-long stats at Dover Motor Speedway that grab attention, but his last three starts at the Monster Mile are pretty defining. Buescher won the pole here in 2022, led 18 laps and nabbed an impressive eight-place finish. He followed that up with an equally impressive ninth-place finish two seasons ago on the high banks of Dover. The driver of the No. 17 Ford has been pretty sharp of late with two Top-5 and four Top-10 finishes in the last six events for an impressive 9.8 average finish. We expect Buescher and this race team to be on their game Sunday afternoon in Delaware.   

Kyle Busch – Busch has been an incredible career-long performer at Dover, and his recent road racing efforts at Chicago and Sonoma have been encouraging. The three-time Monster Mile winner sports a strong 61-percent Top-10 rate and he's captured the last two pole positions at the one-mile concrete paved track. Busch's short track struggles this season are very concerning. However, the veteran RCR driver did nab Top-15 and Top-10 finishes on the higher banked tracks of Darlington and Bristol earlier this spring. Considering the current momentum of the No. 8 Richard Childress Racing team and Busch's 36 starts of Dover experience, we believe he'll stay on a roll in the Autotrader EchoPark 400.

Brad Keselowski – Keselowski is on a bit of a heater entering this Sunday's Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400. The owner/driver of the No. 6 Ford has second-, ninth- and 11th-place finishes in three of his last four events. Dover Motor Speedway has been a good oval for Keselowski over the years. He's a one-time winner here and his 11 Top-10 finishes work out to a reasonable 42-percent Top-10 rate. In this event two seasons ago, the veteran driver scrambled to a steady eighth-place finish in the Wurth 400. Considering his recent level of performance and career long experience at Dover Motor Speedway, we believe this veteran driver and team will be sharp on the high banks of the Monster Mile this weekend. 

Tyler Reddick – Reddick is hot, riding a three-race Top-10 streak as the NASCAR Cup Series visits Delaware this week. Dover Motor Speedway hasn't been his best track in his brief Cup Series career, but Reddick has captured seventh-, eighth- and 11th-place finishes in three of his last four starts at the Monster Mile. He'll play off that experience in Sunday's Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400. The 23XI Racing driver did claim a strong fourth-place finish on the high banks of Darlington earlier this season and that's a good indicator for Dover. Reddick is a driver with a lot of short track appeal, so Dover's one-mile distance and high banking play to his strengths as a driver. He'll race among the lead pack and battle for a Top 10 at Dover Motor Speedway.

Ty Gibbs – Gibbs seems to have turned his slow season around. The Joe Gibbs Racing youngster has two Top-5, three Top-10 and six Top-15 finishes in the last six events coming into Dover this week. The driver of the No. 54 Toyota has always liked high-banked ovals and his third-place finish earlier this season at Bristol is a testament to that. As for Dover Motor Speedway, Gibbs has just two Cup Series starts here. They've been solid 10th- and 13th-place efforts, so that's very encouraging. The young driver made two Xfinity Series starts in his time at this oval and they were both Top-5 finishes. Gibbs knows his way around the concrete Monster, and it should show in the Autotrader EchoPark 400.

Slow Down - Drivers to avoid this week

Joey Logano – The Penske Racing star hasn't been a world beater on the short tracks this season, and his 24th-place finish at Bristol earlier this season tells the tale for the No. 22 Ford team. Logano has 15-career Top-10 finishes at DIS, and that places his career Top-10 rate at a steady 54-percent at this challenging facility. The driver of the No. 22 Ford hasn't been very sharp in his last three Dover outings and that's concerning, so we've downgraded him to the slow down list this week as a caution. Finishes of 29th-, 31st- and 16th-place the last three seasons at the Monster Mile make Logano a fantasy racing non-starter this Sunday afternoon.

Austin Cindric – Cindric's recent Top-10 drought reached three races this past weekend after finishing 30th-place at Sonoma Raceway. Things don't get any easier for Cindric and the No. 2 Ford team this Sunday at the Monster Mile. The one-mile oval of Dover will likely play out like his prior short track starts this season. With one Top-20 finish and an average finish of 24.3, there's not much to get excited about. The Penske Racing driver has three prior Cup Series starts at the Monster Mile and those were disappointing 36th-, 26th- and 15th-place finishes. Cindric is clearly a driver to avoid in fantasy lineups for the Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400.     

Michael McDowell – Despite coming off recent Top 5's at Mexico City and this past week at Sonoma Raceway, this is a weekend to fade the Spire Motorsports veteran. McDowell has had his struggles on ovals and particularly short ones this season. His 30th-place finish this spring at Bristol Motor Speedway is a prime example. McDowell has 24 starts of experience at the Monster Mile and no Top-10 finishes to his credit. He only has three Top-20 finishes during that lengthy time. The career average finish checks in at a disappointing 30.8. The driver of the No. 71 Chevrolet was a 36th-place finisher in this Dover event one year ago.  

Bubba Wallace – The 23XI Racing veteran rides a four-race Top-20 slump into Dover, Delaware this weekend. Wallace has fallen on hard times and has slipped to 13th-place in the driver point standings over the past four events. The Monster Mile is probably not the best track for the veteran driver to end his skid. Wallace has 10-career starts at the one-mile oval with no Top-10 finishes and only two Top-15 finishes. That works out to a 21.4 average finish across his career at Dover. Wallace crashed a disappointing 32nd-place in this event one year ago. His 19th-place finish, two laps down at Bristol Motor Speedway earlier this season, does nothing to temper our expectations.