2016 Citizen Soldier 400
Race details[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9]
Race 29 of 36 in the 2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Date October 2, 2016 (2016-10-02)
Location Dover International Speedway in Dover, Delaware
Course Permanent racing facility
1 mi (1.6 km)
Distance 400 laps, 400 mi (640 km)
Weather Cloudy with a temperature of 73 °F (23 °C); wind out of the northeast at 5 mph (8.0 km/h)
Average speed 130.969 miles per hour (210.774 km/h)
Pole position
Driver Team Penske
Time N/A
Most laps led
Driver Martin Truex Jr. Furniture Row Racing
Laps 187
Winner
No. 78 Martin Truex Jr. Furniture Row Racing
Television in the United States
Network NBCSN
Announcers Rick Allen, Jeff Burton and Steve Letarte
Radio in the United States
Radio MRN
Booth Announcers Joe Moore, Jeff Striegle and Rusty Wallace
Turn Announcers Mike Bagley (Backstretch)

The 2016 Citizen Soldier 400 was a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race that was held on October 2, 2016, at Dover International Speedway in Dover, Delaware. Contested over 400 laps on the one-mile (1.6 km) concrete speedway, it was the 29th race of the 2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season, third race of the Chase and final race of the Round of 16.

Report

Background

Dover International Speedway, the track where the race was held.

Dover International Speedway (formerly Dover Downs International Speedway) is a race track in Dover, Delaware, United States. Since opening in 1969, it has held at least two NASCAR races. In addition to NASCAR, the track also hosted USAC and the Verizon IndyCar Series. The track features one layout, a 1 mile (1.6 km) concrete oval, with 24° banking in the turns and 9° banking on the straights. The speedway is owned and operated by Dover Motorsports.

The track, nicknamed "The Monster Mile", was built in 1969 by Melvin Joseph of Melvin L. Joseph Construction Company, Inc., with an asphalt surface, but was replaced with concrete in 1995. Six years later in 2001, the track's capacity moved to 135,000 seats, making the track have the largest capacity of sports venue in the mid-Atlantic. In 2002, the name changed to Dover International Speedway from Dover Downs International Speedway after Dover Downs Gaming and Entertainment split, making Dover Motorsports. From 2007 to 2009, the speedway worked on an improvement project called "The Monster Makeover", which expanded facilities at the track and beautified the track. After the 2014 season, the track's capacity was reduced to 95,500 seats.

Entry list

No. Driver Team Manufacturer
1Jamie McMurrayChip Ganassi RacingChevrolet
2Brad KeselowskiTeam PenskeFord
3Austin DillonRichard Childress RacingChevrolet
4Kevin HarvickStewart-Haas RacingChevrolet
5Kasey KahneHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet
6Trevor BayneRoush Fenway RacingFord
7Regan SmithTommy Baldwin RacingChevrolet
10Danica PatrickStewart-Haas RacingChevrolet
11Denny HamlinJoe Gibbs RacingToyota
13Casey MearsGermain RacingChevrolet
14Tony StewartStewart-Haas RacingChevrolet
15Clint BowyerHScott MotorsportsChevrolet
16Greg BiffleRoush Fenway RacingFord
17Ricky Stenhouse Jr.Roush Fenway RacingFord
18Kyle BuschJoe Gibbs RacingToyota
19Carl EdwardsJoe Gibbs RacingToyota
20Matt KensethJoe Gibbs RacingToyota
21Ryan Blaney (R)Wood Brothers RacingFord
22Joey LoganoTeam PenskeFord
23David RaganBK RacingToyota
24Chase Elliott (R)Hendrick MotorsportsChevrolet
27Paul MenardRichard Childress RacingChevrolet
30Josh WiseThe Motorsports GroupChevrolet
31Ryan NewmanRichard Childress RacingChevrolet
32Jeffrey Earnhardt (R)Go FAS RacingFord
34Chris Buescher (R)Front Row MotorsportsFord
38Landon CassillFront Row MotorsportsFord
41Kurt BuschStewart-Haas RacingChevrolet
42Kyle LarsonChip Ganassi RacingChevrolet
43Aric AlmirolaRichard Petty MotorsportsFord
44Brian Scott (R)Richard Petty MotorsportsFord
46Michael AnnettHScott MotorsportsChevrolet
47A. J. AllmendingerJTG Daugherty RacingChevrolet
48Jimmie JohnsonHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet
55Reed SorensonPremium MotorsportsChevrolet
78Martin Truex Jr.Furniture Row RacingToyota
83Matt DiBenedettoBK RacingToyota
88Jeff GordonHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet
95Ty Dillon (i)Circle Sport – Leavine Family RacingChevrolet
98Timmy Hill (i)Premium MotorsportsChevrolet
Official entry list

First practice

Kyle Larson was the fastest in the first practice session with a time of 21.742 and a speed of 165.578 mph (266.472 km/h).[10]

Pos No. Driver Team Manufacturer Time Speed
1 42Kyle LarsonChip Ganassi RacingChevrolet21.742165.578
2 19Carl EdwardsJoe Gibbs RacingToyota21.802165.122
3 20Matt KensethJoe Gibbs RacingToyota21.848164.775
Official first practice results

Qualifying

Qualifying for Friday was cancelled due to rain.[11] Brad Keselowski was awarded the pole position as a result.[12]

Starting lineup

Pos No. Driver Team Manufacturer
1 2Brad KeselowskiTeam PenskeFord
2 78Martin Truex Jr.Furniture Row RacingToyota
3 18Kyle BuschJoe Gibbs RacingToyota
4 20Matt KensethJoe Gibbs RacingToyota
5 22Joey LoganoTeam PenskeFord
6 4Kevin HarvickStewart-Haas RacingChevrolet
7 11Denny HamlinJoe Gibbs RacingToyota
8 48Jimmie JohnsonHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet
9 24Chase Elliott (R)Hendrick MotorsportsChevrolet
10 19Carl EdwardsJoe Gibbs RacingToyota
11 41Kurt BuschStewart-Haas RacingChevrolet
12 42Kyle LarsonChip Ganassi RacingChevrolet
13 1Jamie McMurrayChip Ganassi RacingChevrolet
14 3Austin DillonRichard Childress RacingChevrolet
15 14Tony StewartStewart-Haas RacingChevrolet
16 34Chris Buescher (R)Front Row MotorsportsFord
17 5Kasey KahneHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet
18 88Jeff GordonHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet
19 31Ryan NewmanRichard Childress RacingChevrolet
20 21Ryan Blaney (R)Wood Brothers RacingFord
21 47A. J. AllmendingerJTG Daugherty RacingChevrolet
22 17Ricky Stenhouse Jr.Roush Fenway RacingFord
23 6Trevor BayneRoush Fenway RacingFord
24 10Danica PatrickStewart-Haas RacingChevrolet
25 16Greg BiffleRoush Fenway RacingFord
26 27Paul MenardRichard Childress RacingChevrolet
27 43Aric AlmirolaRichard Petty MotorsportsFord
28 15Clint BowyerHScott MotorsportsChevrolet
29 13Casey MearsGermain RacingChevrolet
30 95Ty Dillon (i)Circle Sport – Leavine Family RacingChevrolet
31 38Landon CassillFront Row MotorsportsFord
32 23David RaganBK RacingToyota
33 7Regan SmithTommy Baldwin RacingChevrolet
34 44Brian Scott (R)Richard Petty MotorsportsFord
35 83Matt DiBenedettoBK RacingToyota
36 98Timmy Hill (i)Premium MotorsportsChevrolet
37 46Michael AnnettHScott MotorsportsChevrolet
38 32Jeffrey Earnhardt (R)Go FAS RacingFord
39 55Reed SorensonPremium MotorsportsChevrolet
40 30Josh WiseThe Motorsports GroupChevrolet
Official starting lineup

Practice (post-qualifying)

Second practice

Jeff Gordon was the fastest in the second practice session with a time of 22.428 and a speed of 160.514 mph (258.322 km/h).[13]

Pos No. Driver Team Manufacturer Time Speed
1 88Jeff GordonHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet22.428160.514
2 17Ricky Stenhouse Jr.Roush Fenway RacingFord22.555159.610
3 31Ryan NewmanRichard Childress RacingChevrolet22.582159.419
Official second practice results

Final practice

Final practice was cancelled due to rain.[14]

Race

First half

Kyle Busch leads during the first half of the race

Under overcast Delaware skies, Brad Keselowski led the field to the green flag at 2:17 p.m. He held the lead for the first few laps until Martin Truex Jr. passed him going into turn 1 with ease to take the lead on the seventh lap. Kyle Busch powered by Truex in turn 2 on the outside to take the lead on lap 21. Debris coming from Kevin Harvick's car brought out the first caution of the race on lap 34. The issue was a flat right-rear tire related to a broken track bar mount.[15] Trevor Bayne was sent to the tail end of the field for speeding on pit road. Kyle Larson fell down a lap after making a stop to deal with electrical issues.[16] He said after the race that he didn't "know what happened with the battery or whatever. If we didn’t have the (penalty), we probably would have been alright because I was only a lap down. Nice little Christmas present for Austin (Dillon) there with both Ganassi cars going down."[17]

The race restarted on lap 40. Busch held the lead for nearly 40 laps before Truex retook it on lap 80, but Busch powered by him to take it back on lap 81. The second caution of the race flew on lap 104 for Ryan Blaney hitting the wall exiting turn 2.

The race restarted on lap 111. Truex worked under Busch in turn 2 to retake the lead on lap 130. Jamie McMurray was running 10th when he reported engine issues and started falling back on lap 167. The third caution of the race flew on lap 182 for Larson suffering a right-front tire blowout and slamming the wall in turn 1.[18] He said afterwards that there wasn't much he "could do. I cut the right-front tire down and got in the wall and still had good speed in the race car after that but it just didn’t work out. Our team has come a long way this season from where we started the year. We were pretty awful at the start of the season but then got a win at Michigan to lock ourselves in the Chase. That was good. I know we have the speed to have made it past a couple of rounds but it’s my typical luck I guess, where it just doesn’t work out.”[19]

The race restarted on lap 190. Jimmie Johnson beat Truex on the restart to take the lead on the ensuing lap. McMurray brought out the fourth caution of the race after suffering an engine failure on the frontstretch.[20] He said afterwards that the engine "vibrated earlier in the race and it went away. And it's weird because engine issues usually don't go away. It felt like it had power and then I don't know about 40 laps before it finally blew up, it just started vibrating real bad. Very unfortunate. It is just the way it goes. The No. 42 had their problem early in the race and then at that point I'm like, ‘Well it's kind of Austin (Dillon) and I that are going to battle this out.’ Our cars are pretty close so this is going to be a pretty good battle down to the end.”[19] He also added that keeping the car out as long as he did with engine issues was "wishful thinking at that point. No one wants to stay out and blow up, not to oil the track down. Also it's hard to diagnose the problem if the motor's blown up. Because you're in a position this weekend where you just have to go for it and what you hope is you've got something as simple as a plug wire or a spark plug that you can replace and the motor's not going to grenade. We came here and looked at it, and actually on the digital dash, we have a little diagnosis page and nothing is showing up, so we didn't know what was wrong. We were just going to salvage as long as we could."[21] He went on to finish 40th.[22]

Second half

Almirola comes in for a pit stop

The race restarted on lap 199. Green flag stops started on lap 277. Johnson pitted from the lead on lap 279 and handed it to Keselowski. He pitted the next lap and handed the lead to Greg Biffle. He pitted on lap 287 and the lead cycled to Truex. Johnson was handed a pass through penalty for his crew being over the wall too soon.[23] After the race, he said that what happened was "a unique circumstance on pit road. We had the No. 18 in the pit before us getting ready to pull out, the No. 43 leaving his stall. I got slowed up and had to check up and get behind two cars and unfortunately, I think it just threw the rhythm off of the pit stop."[24]

The final round of green flag stops began with 43 laps to go. Truex pitted from the lead with 36 laps to go and handed it to Johnson. He pitted with 34 to go and handed the lead to Jeff Gordon. He pitted with 27 laps to go and the lead cycled back to Truex. David Ragan was handed a pass through penalty for speeding on pit road.

Truex drove on to score the victory.[25]

Post-race

Driver comments

Martin Truex Jr. won the race.

Truex said in victory lane that he "can't even believe it man -- it’s just living a dream right now. It’s a fairytale. I don’t even know what to say" and that his team just needs "to go out there each week and try to be as prepared as we can. We’re not going to change who we are. We didn’t do that before the Chase started. We just got hot and we got momentum, and hopefully we don’t lose it. I mean, I don’t know how we got it, I don’t know how to keep it, I just know that we’re going to continue to approach these races the same way, and hopefully it works out for us.”[26]

“What an awesome weekend for us, I love this place,” he added in the media center following the race. “I’ve had a lot of heartbreaks since my first win here back in ’07. I’ve had a lot of heartbreaks. I’ve led a lot of laps. I’ve been in position to win multiple times, and it never seemed to work out for multiple reasons. Today I’m just thankful to have a great team, to have been able to lead lap 400 and get back to victory lane at a track that’s so special to me.”[27]

After advancing into the Round of 12 with an eighth-place finish, Austin Dillon said that his team "just stayed focused, and once again, God just blessed us because I'm still awestruck. Things like this just don't happen. I'm proud to be going on to the final 12 and having race cars that are capable of keep on moving on.”[28]

Following his first top-10 finish in relief for Dale Earnhardt Jr., Gordon said of his 10th-place finish that he "felt like we had a really good race car all weekend long,’’ Gordon told NBC Sports after the race. “I realized real early on we were going to have our work cut out for us, starting 18th. It was really tough getting through traffic. I kind of led them down a path. We were loose that first run and over-tightened it and that didn’t do us any favors. But we got it tuned up and had some great pit stops and got our way into the top 10. I wanted to get a top-10 in this car before my time in the car is over. We got that. Now let’s go get a top-five or something better at Martinsville.’’[29]

"We were much better than we were yesterday [in practice]," Tony Stewart said after being knocked out of his final Chase appearance with a 13th-place finish. "[I'm] really proud of our team. We kept making it better all day. That is good as we had."[30]

Race results

Pos Grid No. Driver Team Manufacturer Laps Points
1 278Martin Truex Jr.Furniture Row RacingToyota40045
2 318Kyle BuschJoe Gibbs RacingToyota40040
3 924Chase Elliott (R)Hendrick MotorsportsChevrolet40038
4 12Brad KeselowskiTeam PenskeFord40038
5 420Matt KensethJoe Gibbs RacingToyota40036
6 522Joey LoganoTeam PenskeFord40035
7 848Jimmie JohnsonHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet39935
8 143Austin DillonRichard Childress RacingChevrolet39933
9 711Denny HamlinJoe Gibbs RacingToyota39932
10 1888Jeff GordonHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet39932
11 2217Ricky Stenhouse Jr.Roush Fenway RacingFord39930
12 175Kasey KahneHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet39929
13 1514Tony StewartStewart-Haas RacingChevrolet39928
14 1019Carl EdwardsJoe Gibbs RacingToyota39927
15 1141Kurt BuschStewart-Haas RacingChevrolet39826
16 2743Aric AlmirolaRichard Petty MotorsportsFord39825
17 1931Ryan NewmanRichard Childress RacingChevrolet39724
18 2516Greg BiffleRoush Fenway RacingFord39624
19 2147A. J. AllmendingerJTG Daugherty RacingChevrolet39622
20 236Trevor BayneRoush Fenway RacingFord39521
21 3444Brian Scott (R)Richard Petty MotorsportsFord39520
22 2627Paul MenardRichard Childress RacingChevrolet39519
23 1634Chris Buescher (R)Front Row MotorsportsFord39418
24 2815Clint BowyerHScott MotorsportsChevrolet39417
25 1242Kyle LarsonChip Ganassi RacingChevrolet39416
26 2913Casey MearsGermain RacingChevrolet39415
27 3583Matt DiBenedettoBK RacingToyota39314
28 2410Danica PatrickStewart-Haas RacingChevrolet39313
29 3138Landon CassillFront Row MotorsportsFord39212
30 3223David RaganBK RacingToyota39211
31 337Regan SmithTommy Baldwin RacingChevrolet39110
32 3095Ty Dillon (i)Circle Sport – Leavine Family RacingChevrolet3900
33 3746Michael AnnettHScott MotorsportsChevrolet3878
34 3698Timmy Hill (i)Premium MotorsportsChevrolet3860
35 3955Reed SorensonPremium MotorsportsChevrolet3856
36 3832Jeffrey Earnhardt (R)Go FAS RacingFord3845
37 64Kevin HarvickStewart-Haas RacingChevrolet3544
38 2021Ryan Blaney (R)Wood Brothers RacingFord2813
39 4030Josh WiseThe Motorsports GroupChevrolet1962
40 131Jamie McMurrayChip Ganassi RacingChevrolet1921
Official race results

Race summary

  • Lead changes: 6 among different drivers
  • Cautions/Laps: 4 for 22
  • Red flags: 0
  • Time of race: 3 hours, 3 minutes and 15 seconds
  • Average speed: 130.969 miles per hour (210.774 km/h)

Media

Television

NBCSN covered the race on the television side. Rick Allen, Jeff Burton, and Steve Letarte had the call in the booth for the race. Dave Burns, Mike Massaro, Marty Snider and Kelli Stavast handled pit road on the television side.

NBCSN
Booth announcersPit reporters
Lap-by-lap: Rick Allen
Color-commentator: Jeff Burton
Color-commentator: Steve Letarte
Dave Burns
Mike Massaro
Marty Snider
Kelli Stavast

Radio

MRN had the radio call for the race, which was simulcast on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio.

MRN
Booth announcersTurn announcersPit reporters
Lead announcer: Joe Moore
Announcer: Jeff Striegle
Announcer: Rusty Wallace
Backstretch: Mike BagleyAlex Hayden
Winston Kelley
Steve Post

Standings after the race

References

  1. "2016 Sprint Cup Series schedule" (PDF). Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. January 26, 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 7, 2016. Retrieved September 27, 2016.
  2. "Dover International Speedway". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. January 3, 2013. Archived from the original on April 29, 2017. Retrieved September 27, 2016.
  3. "Entry List". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. September 27, 2016. Archived from the original on July 27, 2016. Retrieved September 27, 2016.
  4. "First Practice Results". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. September 30, 2016. Archived from the original on October 1, 2016. Retrieved September 30, 2016.
  5. "Starting Lineup". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. September 30, 2016. Archived from the original on October 1, 2016. Retrieved September 30, 2016.
  6. "Second Practice Results". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. October 1, 2016. Archived from the original on October 2, 2016. Retrieved October 1, 2016.
  7. "Citizen Soldier 400 Results". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. October 2, 2016. Archived from the original on October 3, 2016. Retrieved October 2, 2016.
  8. "Points standings" (PDF). Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. October 3, 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 5, 2016. Retrieved October 3, 2016.
  9. "Manufacturer standings" (PDF). Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. October 3, 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 5, 2016. Retrieved October 3, 2016.
  10. Spencer, Lee (September 30, 2016). "Larson tops first Cup practice at Dover". Motorsport.com. Dover, Delaware: Motorsport Network, LLC. Retrieved September 30, 2016.
  11. Gelston, Dan (September 30, 2016). "Keselowski sits on 3rd Chase race pole after rain at Dover". Associated Press. Dover, Delaware: AP Sports. Associated Press. Archived from the original on October 3, 2016. Retrieved September 30, 2016.
  12. "Dover Cup Qualifying Rained Out". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. September 30, 2016. Archived from the original on October 1, 2016. Retrieved September 30, 2016.
  13. Spencer, Lee (October 1, 2016). "Jeff Gordon leads second Cup practice at Dover". Motorsport.com. Dover, Delaware: Motorsport Network, LLC. Retrieved October 1, 2016.
  14. "Rain Cancels Final Practice at Dover". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. October 1, 2016. Archived from the original on October 3, 2016. Retrieved October 1, 2016.
  15. Scott, David (October 2, 2016). "NASCAR: Martin Truex Jr. grabs victory at Dover". The Charlotte Observer. Dover, Delaware: The McClatchy Company. Retrieved October 3, 2016.
  16. Mastro, Tim (October 2, 2016). "Truex roars to Sprint Cup victory at Dover". Delaware State News. Dover, Delaware: Independent Newsmedia Inc. Retrieved October 3, 2016.
  17. Gluck, Jeff (October 2, 2016). "Truex wins again; Larson, McMurray, Stewart, Buescher eliminated from Chase". USA Today. Dover, Delaware: Gannett Company. Retrieved October 3, 2016.
  18. Northam, Mitchell (October 2, 2016). "Kyle Larson's Chase doomed by mechanical issues, penalty". USA Today. Dover, Delaware: Gannett Company. Retrieved October 3, 2016.
  19. 1 2 Utter, Jim (October 2, 2016). "Both Ganassi drivers fail to advance in NASCAR Sprint Cup Chase". Motorsport.com. Dover, Delaware: Motorsport Network, LLC. Retrieved October 3, 2016.
  20. James, Brant (October 2, 2016). "James: Chip Ganassi Racing comes up short in Chase". USA Today. Dover, Delaware: Gannett Company. Retrieved October 3, 2016.
  21. Ruffin, Jessica (October 2, 2016). "Larson, McMurray ousted from Chase after Dover woes". NASCAR.com. Dover, Delaware: NASCAR Media Group, LLC. Retrieved October 3, 2016.
  22. Beard, Brock (October 2, 2016). "CUP: Jamie McMurray knocked out of the Chase by first last-place finish since 2008". brock.lastcar.info. LASTCAR.info. Retrieved October 3, 2016.
  23. Jensen, Tom (October 2, 2016). "Jimmie Johnson: 'One got away' after pit road mistake at Dover". Foxsports.com. Dover, Delaware: Fox Sports Digital Media. Retrieved October 3, 2016.
  24. Spencer, Lee (October 2, 2016). "Pit road error costs Johnson another potential win". Motorsport.com. Dover, Delaware: Motorsport Network, LLC. Retrieved October 3, 2016.
  25. Gelston, Dan (October 2, 2016). "Truex dominates at Dover for 2nd Chase victory of season". Associated Press. Dover, Delaware: AP Sports. Associated Press. Archived from the original on October 5, 2016. Retrieved October 2, 2016.
  26. Bienvenu, Lionel (October 2, 2016). "Denver's own Furniture Row NASCAR team driver Martin Truex Jr. won at Dover on Sunday". Denver 7. Dover, Delaware: E. W. Scripps Company. Retrieved October 3, 2016.
  27. Finley, Michael (October 2, 2016). "Truex dominates, outlasts "The Monster" at Dover". SpeedwayMedia.com. Dover, Delaware: USA Today Sports Digital Properties. Retrieved October 3, 2016.
  28. Ryan, Nate (October 2, 2016). "Austin Dillon: 'A lot of guys in this don't think we should be here, and I'm proud'". NASCARTalk.NBCSports.com. Dover, Delaware: NBC Sports. Retrieved October 3, 2016.
  29. Long, Dustin (October 2, 2016). "After top-10 finish, Jeff Gordon excited for 'something better' in Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s car at Martinsville". NASCARTalk.NBCSports.com. Dover, Delaware: NBC Sports. Retrieved October 3, 2016.
  30. Pockrass, Bob (October 2, 2016). "Tony Stewart eliminated from Chase; Austin Dillon advances". ESPN.com. Dover, Delaware: ESPN Internet Ventures. Retrieved October 3, 2016.
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