Dover’s not the easiest track to tame, thus the creative trophy the winner gets after conquering it ahead of the dozens of other NASCAR Cup Series drivers.
The trophy is a damned miniature monster with a stock car in its hand if that tells you anything. And this place has led to some struggles by certain drivers.
First of all, let’s point out that if David Ragan was in this race, he’d be No. 1 for the drivers that struggle most at Dover. In 27 races and 10,000+ laps run, he never had a top-10 finish and averaged a 25th-place finish. Dover was no “home” for David.
We were looking for current full-time drivers who have had success at certain styles of tracks in NASCAR, but not necessarily here. Who is worst among the full-time drivers in the Cup Series?
That’s up to you to decide, but here are the results of which current drivers have performed best (minimum 8 Cup starts):
Why?: Just one top 10 in 12 career starts.
The breakdown: Buescher is considered the true overachiever among his peers, making the NASCAR postseason because of clutch victories when he hasn’t run with the strongest teams, etc., etc. But this is one track that hasn’t helped him out much, averaging a 21.1 finishing spot.
Why?: He’s only raced here eight times, has no top 10s, and has never led a lap in 3,001 tries.
The breakdown: Wallace runs hot and cold when it comes to certain venues, and this is certainly one he struggles with. While he’s always been a threat at restrictor-plate races, he has an average finish here of 21.3 — among the lowest of the full-time racers in the Cup Series.
Why?: Three top 10s in 23 races.
The breakdown: The road-course superstar hasn’t found his groove at this Delaware venue. His average finish is 23.3, and he’s led only 152 of his 8,412 laps here. There’s no question he’s talented, but this track just doesn’t accentuate his skillset like certain others do.
Why?: In 17 career races, he averages a 19.3 finish at Dover.
The breakdown: Dillon has tracks where he excels, but sadly for the Richard Children Racing driver — this isn’t one of them. In those 17 career races, his best finish is a seventh place, and he’s led only 49 laps in more than 6,500 laps completed.
Why?: In 12 career races, his best finish is an eighth place — and arguments could be made that this is his worst track when it comes to locales the Cup Series has raced consistently since the beginning of his career.
The breakdown: If you break down Blaney’s career, the numbers back up the claim that this may be one of his worst tracks — with Richmond being the other one he really struggles on. With only 45 laps led in nearly 4400 laps run at Dover, its clear he’d rather be somewhere else.
Who is just outside the top five?: Aric Almirola, Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., Ross Chastain.
This isn’t the easiest track for certain drivers, and one can only imagine that some of these guys are thinking that they can’t wait to just get home on Sunday night and put this race in the rearview mirror.
NASCAR’s first race weekend of 2026 at Atlanta’s EchoPark Speedway proved that the hybrid intermediate drafting track might be NASCAR’s best. But, if you missed all that action, here’s a look at what the NASCAR community took away from the track’s first showing of the new year.
By now, it seems like everybody in the NASCAR world has heard some form of speculation that if Kyle Busch left Richard Childress Racing, he could be a candidate to go to Spire Motorsports.
While Rowdy hasn’t set any plans for 2027, this past weekend felt like an audition to fit into the fold with the team, racing alongside Spire’s top Cup Series talent, Carson Hocevar, in their two Truck Series entries at Atlanta.
Saturday, Busch added another win to his incredible Truck Series resume. Still, the real story was his teamwork with Hocevar, as the two brought home a one-two finish and celebrated like lifelong friends.
Corey Day is just two races into his first full-time NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series season with Hendrick Motorsports, but the dirt racing phenom is making headlines for all the wrong reasons.
When all was said and done, the 20-year-old scored his second-ever top five in the series Saturday. However, this wasn’t without controversy as Day found himself wrapped up in several incidents, including one that affected JR Motorsports drivers Carson Kvapil and Justin Allgaier.
While Day has run up front at both Daytona and Atlanta, fans are wondering if the young driver’s dirt racing prowess will ever fully lead to success in NASCAR, or if these run-ins are merely a part of the learning process.
Even when Kyle Larson seems to have one of the best cars on track at Atlanta, he seems to find himself down and out more often than not.
This time, the crash that took out the No. 5 at Atlanta was of his own making, as the reigning Cup Series champion, who was racing Shane van Gisbergen for stage points, ran into the No. 97, spun, and hit the inside wall hard.
This DNF, while his first at Atlanta since 2024, was Larson’s sixth in total since the track’s 2022 reconfiguration, and one that will likely be replayed over and over when the series returns this summer.
Carson Hocevar again had a stellar run at Atlanta, and looked like the car to beat as the race entered the first of two overtime attempts.
Ultimately, Hocevar would run into Christopher Bell on the first attempt and, despite a run for the win, finish fourth on the second attempt, adding yet another what-if to his 2026 season with only two races in the books.
Hocevar is going to win a race, but it seems that even when he is at the front of the pack, luck is not on his side. The Michigan native’s search for his first win will continue into COTA, all while his list of enemies continues to grow.
Everybody loves a feel-good story, right? Well, after 138 races and 15 second-place finishes, Sheldon Creed finally found victory lane in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series.
He may not have had the best car, but Ross Chastain’s aggression running Austin Hill nearly off the track left the door open for the former RCR driver and teammate of Hill to score his first win.
The post from EllyProductions, a reference to his video about Creed’s second-place streak, may not be a meme, but it is funny enough to look back on one of the unluckiest streaks in recent NASCAR history.
What do you think about this? Let us know your opinion on Discord or X. Don’t forget that you can also follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.
Keelan Harvick, son of former NASCAR Cup Series champion Kevin Harvick, has signed a long-term developmental contract with Toyota.
Though signing with Toyota is far from his first move in building to an eventual NASCAR career, Harvick’s signing marks a significant moment in the 13-year-old prospect’s path to NASCAR, lending some direction to NASCAR fans’ many questions as to how he will make his way to the top of the sport.
For right now, however, the young driver will stick to late model racing, with Jenna Fryer of AP Sports reporting Harvick plans to continue to pilot his No. 62, now a Toyota, for Rackley WAR Racing and Kevin Harvick, Inc. throughout the 2026 season.
Despite his age, Harvick is considered one of a few young phenoms in stock car racing, having shown talent among seasoned veterans, including his father, NASCAR legend and FOX Sports Analyst Kevin, throughout last season racing Late Models and Super Late Models in top series like the CARS Tour and CARS Tour West.
During the 2025 season, Harvick nabbed four total wins in the CARS Tour Pro Late Model Tour, finishing fourth in points despite missing two events.
Though long-term plans are far from clear, Toyota has one of the most consistent paths for drivers to work their way from short tracks and into NASCAR’s three National Series.
Of course, there is no guarantee he will race for Toyota when/if he reaches the Cup Series, as many TRD Prospects have jumped ship when given an opportunity to move up the ladder.
However, if Harvick comes as advertised, it would be hard for the manufacturer to let him out of their ranks.
What do you think about this? Let us know your opinion on Discord or X. Don’t forget that you can also follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.
The Cutline is officially back, and the 2026 season is already unhinged. After months away, Armany returned fresh off attending the Daytona 500, only to dive straight into one of the most chaotic Atlanta weekends we’ve seen in years. Boneheaded moves, superspeedway carnage, overtime frustration, and a shocking 2-0 start for Tyler Reddick.
Armany and NASCAR Opinion break down every major flashpoint — from Larson’s 120% driving style to Alex Bowman’s rough start, to why Atlanta might now be the best superspeedway on the schedule. Add in overtime debates, rookie mistakes, and early Cutline rankings, and suddenly the season already feels like it’s accelerating fast. If this is how 2026 starts, buckle up. COTA is next, and the intensity isn’t slowing down.
