DOVER, Del. — Jimmie Johnson is in a slump — a big one, by his standards.
He has finished two of the last three races in the garage instead of on the track. Johnson hasn’t won in six races and no longer holds the Sprint Cup points lead.
For all the issues that have hit Johnson’s No. 48 team this season, he still has three wins and is a lock to qualify for the Chase for the championship.
Johnson could start to put some of the doubts to rest with a strong performance today at Dover International Speedway.
He’s at one of his favorite tracks on the one-mile concrete at Dover. He swept both races last year and has three other wins and 11 top-10 finishes since 2002.
Johnson did have the top practice time in Saturday’s first session. He was 16th in the second session.
Busch wins.
Kyle Busch won the Nationwide Series race from the pole at Dover International Speedway.
Busch needed a green-white checkered finish. And what a finish. The final laps were marred by wrecks, including one in which Clint Bowyer intentionally hit Denny Hamlin in retaliation for an earlier accident. Bowyer was immediately parked and ordered to the NASCAR hauler.
The race was red flagged for 11 minutes, 43 seconds after an accident. Ryan Newman, Jamie McMurray, Reed Sorenson and Jason Leffler rounded out the top five.
Top fuel: Dixon has top run.
Larry Dixon qualified first in top fuel at the NHRA Southern Nationals in Commerce, Ga.
Dixon’s run at 316.08 mph in 3.822 seconds put him first heading into today’s eliminations.
Ashley Force Hood qualified first in funny car with a pass of 4.104 seconds at 304.60 in a Ford Mustang. In pro stock, Allen Johnson finished first, and Hector Arana topped pro stock motorcycle.
F1: Webber rolls.
Red Bull driver Mark Webber was fastest in qualifying for today’s Monaco Grand Prix.
The AP
Today’s races
NASCAR SPRINT CUP Autism Speaks 400
Site: Dover, Del. TV: 10 a.m., KDVR-31.
Track: Dover International Speedway (oval, mile).
Race distance: 400 miles, 400 laps.
Points standings
1. Kevin Harvick 1,622
2. Jimmie Johnson 1,512
3. Kyle Busch 1,509
4. Jeff Gordon 1,475
5. Matt Kenseth 1,472
6. Denny Hamlin 1,458
7. Greg Biffle 1,431
8. Kurt Busch 1,420
9. Jeff Burton 1,394
10. Mark Martin 1,357
11. Carl Edwards 1,345
12. Dale Earnhardt Jr. 1,318
Next race: NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race, May 22, Charlotte Motor Speedway, Concord, N.C.
FORMULA ONE Monaco Grand Prix
Site: Monte Carlo, Monaco.
TV: 6 a.m., Speed.
Track: Circuit de Monaco (street course, 2.075 miles).
Race distance: 161.9 miles, 78 laps.
Next race: Turkish Grand Prix, May 30, Istanbul Speed Park, Istanbul.
NHRA Southern Nationals
Site: Commerce, Ga.
TV: 5 p.m., ESPN2 (tape).
Track: Atlanta Dragway.
Next event: NHRA Summer Nationals, May 21-23, Heartland Park Topeka, Topeka, Kan.
