Johnson, Martin "too close" to tolerance from Dover

According to FoxSports.com, Jimmie Johnson and Mark Martin's cars were "too close" to tolerance on fitting the templates at NASCAR's R&D center. Martin was barely under; Johnson was barely over. No penalties are forthcoming, but they were told not to bring the cars back to the track.

Our View As the story developed into Friday morning, however, John Darby reported neither car was illegal (according to a trackside Tweet from @BobPockrass). The teams that win are going to get as close to the line as possible, so Johnson and Martin are still favorites for the Price Chopper 400 by Kraft Foods.

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Johnson sweeps Dover

Jimmie Johnson completed the sweep of Dover after leading the most laps and dominating the closing laps of the AAA 400.

Our View If Johnson wasn't your favorite to win a fourth straight championship before today, you have to give it some serious thought now.

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Dover pit stall selections

Jayski.com has posted the pit stall selections and as expected, Jimmie Johnson took the final stall leaving pit road.

Our View Juan Montoya and Ryan Newman are the only two other drivers with openings in front of them and this pit is extremely tight, so those are the only truly good stalls.

Greg Biffle, David Reutimann and Kasey Kahne each have an opening at the back.

Pit stall selection can often be the final piece of the puzzle for fantasy owners.

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Competition caution coming at Dover

NASCAR will throw a competition caution on lap 25 at Dover because of heavy rain overnight and this morning that washed the rubber off the track—whenever the AAA 400 starts, that is.

Our View Of course, Mother Nature has her own plans and rain keeps popping up and the race will most likely be delayed. The afternoon forecast is for clear skies, however.

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Johnson wins 1st Sat. Dover practice

Jimmie Johnson had the quickest average speed in Dover's first Saturday practice session with a speed of 148.984 during 29 laps.

Our View Johnson's fastest single lap of 151.989 was fourth best, which makes him just as appealing as Kurt Busch. He's bound to be a little more expensive in salary cap games, however.

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Ku Busch fastest in 1st Sat. Dover practice

Kurt Busch posted both the single fastest lap of 153.035 and the second quickest average speed of 148.943 mph during 33 laps.

Our View Last week, Busch was also fast in practice and at the end of the Sylvania 300 he was battling for the lead. If you were on the fence about him; this might push you over the edge.

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Finch to run fulltime in 2010?

NASCAR has requested that James Finch field a fulltime car in 2010, according to Lee Spencer, which reveals that the economic situation is not expected to be any better next year and full fields will be hard to come by.

Our View From a competitive standpoint the start and park drivers—which has been Finch's role in most of this year's races—have been frustrating, but it limits fantasy owners choices and makes their job just that much easier.

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Yahoo! Qualification Story – Dover

Jimmie Johnson, Juan Montoya, Ryan Newman, Greg Biffle, David Reutimann and Kasey Kahne provide you with a diverse list of marquee drivers and sleepers on the first three rows, which makes the game interesting this week. Check out the Dover edition of the Yahoo! qualification story .pdf story.

Johnson wins Dover pole

Jimmie Johnson backed up his fastest time in practice with the fastest time in qualification and will lead the field to the green on Sunday after posting a lap of 157.356 mph.

Our View Johnson was the winner this spring and he is well positioned to earn a second consecutive Hendrick Motorsports victory in the Chase.

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Johnson fastest in Dover practice 1

Jimmie Johnson posted the fastest single lap of practice at Dover International Speedway in practice for the AAA 400. His top lap of 158.026 was more than one mile per hour faster than second-place Ryan Newman with a 157.020.

Our View The top of the board was dominated by Chasers. In addition to Johnson and Newman, Juan Montoya (156.986), Greg Biffle (156.952) and Kurt Busch (156.474) rounded out the top five.

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Yahoo! Dover Preview

Last week the Chasers got off to a strong start at New Hampshire. Guess what, the same thing is going to happen again this week at Dover. Find out why in this week's Yahoo! preview (.pdf).