NASCAR at Dover 2015: Start Time, Ticket Info, Lineup, TV Schedule and More – Bleacher Report

It’s elimination time in NASCAR‘s Chase for the Sprint Cup as the 16 drivers head into Sunday’s AAA 400 at Dover International Speedway.

Matt Kenseth and Denny Hamlin sit in great standing with automatic bids into the next round after wins, but nothing is guaranteed for the other 14 drivers going into one of the series’ trickiest and most competitive tracks.

With big names such as Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick on the bubble, the last race before 12 drivers move on in the bracket isn’t one to miss. Here’s everything you need to know about the event.

Viewing Details

Where: Dover International Speedway

When: Sunday, Oct. 4, at 2:30 p.m. ET

Watch: NBC Sports Network

Live Stream: NBC Live Extra

Tickets: ScoreBig.com

Sprint Cup Standings

NASCAR at Dover Lineup

Drivers to Watch

Jimmie Johnson 

One can’t talk about Dover and not bring up Jimmie Johnson.

Johnson boasts 10 wins and 15 top-five performances at the track in just 27 starts. So, yes, he’s a favorite to make some serious noise this weekend.

Now resting in fifth place, Johnson is in solid position to advance in the bracket. He finished 11th in Chicago before winding up in sixth in New Hampshire.

Despite his success at this weekend’s track, Johnson isn’t willing to lean on past performances, as he told Fox Sports’ Jared Turner:

You can’t put your guard down. You’ve got to go in and race. Dover is a great track for us. A victory could be a huge shot in the arm for our team and really get some good momentum going for us. We’ll go there and give 100 percent, and hopefully it’s a trophy. If not, hopefully it’s an advancement to the next round.

With Johnson overcoming a flat tire and using cautions to get back into the top 10 last week, it’s safe to presume he’s in for a big day at one of his favorite tracks.

Kyle Busch

It can’t end like this, right?

Everyone should know Busch’s plight by now. He’s perhaps the season’s best story, coming back from an early injury to stand as one of the hottest drivers in the series down the stretch and force his way into the Chase. 

In the Chase’s first round, though, Busch has struggled, sitting in 13th in the standings.

Despite leading 121 laps, he wound up finishing ninth in Chicago. He turned around and had issues in New Hampshire, winding up in 37th despite starting in 17th.

Now, Busch heads into a race he finished 10th at one season ago, and he will hope the 37th-place finish was an anomaly.

With the pressure on, look for Busch to handle his fuel situation better than he did in the Windy City. He knows what it takes to advance—now, it’s a matter of going out and getting it done. 

Jeff Gordon

Look, people won’t stop asking the question until it happens or he bows out of the Chase.

When is Jeff Gordon going to seize a checkered flag?

The farewell season hasn’t been kind to Gordon when it comes to wins. Despite this and the fact that Gordon broke the sport’s iron-man streak last weekend in New Hampshire after making his 789th consecutive start, crew chief Alan Gustafson remains adamant that anything that doesn’t pertain to winning the Chase isn’t important, per Turner:

To be honest with you, I want to get into Homestead in the championship battle with a chance to win. That’s really all my focus is. There’s nothing I could say about his career and his accomplishments that will do it justice. He’s just an amazing race-car driver. We’re just focusing on doing the best we can and getting better every week.

Gordon found a way to overcome car issues last weekend to place seventh, helping him reach 10th in the standings. Perhaps most importantly, Gordon won this race last season.

Granted, Gordon’s Chase chances could go either way, depending on how he performs Sunday. For the drama and the fact that it could be his last race, Gordon is the driver to watch.

Stats and info courtesy of ESPN.com unless otherwise specified.