Dover Motor Speedway (formerly Dover Downs International Speedway and later Dover International Speedway) is a race track in Dover, Delaware. The track has hosted at least one NASCAR Cup Series race each year since 1969, including two per year from 1971 to 2020. In addition to NASCAR, the track also hosted USAC[5] and the Indy Racing League. The track features one layout, a 1.03 mi (1.66 km) concrete oval, with 24° banking in the turns and 9° banking on the straights. The speedway is owned and operated by Speedway 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 had 135,000 seats, the largest sports venue in the mid-Atlantic region. 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. [6] On Nov. 8, 2021, it was announced that Dover Motorsports Inc. was purchased by Speedway Motorsports Inc.
Track history
In 1966, Melvin L. Joseph Construction Company, Inc.[3] began construction on the speedway, which was specialized for horse racing and auto racing.[2] The race track was completed three years later,[2] and would have its first race on July 6, 1969.[7] The inaugural race, the Mason-Dixon 300, was won by Richard Petty.[7]
Dover's asphalt surface in 1985
During the 1971 racing season, the speedway removed all the events not sanctioned by NASCAR to help keep focus on the two NASCARWinston Cup Series races, which were 500 miles each.[7] Eleven years later, the speedway added a NASCAR Budweiser Late Model Sportsman Series (now Xfinity Series) event, the Sportsman 200.[7] Starting in 1986, the speedway added[2] grandstand.[7] seats each year until 2001.[7][8] A second Xfinity Series race was also added to the speedway's schedule during the 1986 season.[7]
Eight years later, Delaware General Assembly passed legislation to allow slot machines at pari-mutuel horse racing venues.[7] In 1995, the speedway replaced its asphalt surface with concrete, making it the second NASCAR Cup Series track after Bristol Motor Speedway to have a full concrete surface.[7] During the same year, Dover Downs slots opened on December 29.[7] Two years later, the speedway changed the race distances of its NASCAR Cup Series races to 400 miles, beginning with the 1997 fall race.[7] In 1998, the speedway added an Indy Racing League event to the schedule,[9] but the race was removed after the 1999 season.[10] During the 2000 racing season, the speedway added a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series event.[7]Kurt Busch won the inaugural Truck race from the pole position.[7]
The glass-fronted enclosed grandstand was one of the original buildings on the property at Dover Motor Speedway.
After the gaming side of Dover Downs separated, Dover Motorsports, Inc. was created in 2002 to operate the speedway, now named Dover International Speedway.[7] Two years later, the speedway announced the completion of the Monster Bridge, which is a glass-enclosed structure that has 56 seats near the entrance to Turn 3, and its fall NASCAR Cup Series race became the second race in the newly formed, NASCAR Chase for the Championship.[7]
Dover Motor Speedway in 2007
On May 26, 2006, the speedway announced a multi-year capital improvement project called "The Monster Makeover", which would begin after the speedway's June NASCAR Cup Series race.[11] During the first stage of the improvement project in 2007, the speedway built a new 12-suite skybox complex and a new 2,100 square feet addition to the media center in the infield.[12] Other improvements included widened walkways behind three grandstands, renovated restrooms, more paved handicapped parking areas, expanded bus parking, as well as a sound system with improved audio quality for the grandstands.[12]
Aerial view of Dover Motor Speedway in 2017
In 2008, the second stage of the "Monster Makeover" took place. During the stage, the Monster Monument, a 46-feet tall fiberglass structure, was built in the new Victory Plaza, the FanZone area was expanded, and an emergency services building was built.[13] One year later, the speedway continued the improvement project by replacing the front stretch pit wall to install a longer SAFER barrier wall that would make a wider and safer pit road, as well as an additional pit stall.[14][15] On Dec. 30, 2011, the speedway announced an expansion of space per grandstand seat, reducing the track's number to 113,000 over the next two years.[16]
Shortly after the 2014 AAA 400, the speedway reduced its seat number to 95,500 by Christmas 2014 and 85,000 in 2016. The removal of the seats was completed by Christmas 2014.[17][18] Also after the 2014 AAA 400, the speedway began work on a $2.9 million project to install a new catchfence that was ready for the 2015 season. The new catchfence was 21 feet (6.4 m) high, as opposed to the old catchfence, which was 15 feet (4.6 m) high.[19] In 2016, the speedway added 479 feet of SAFER barriers along the backstretch and Turn 3, and reduced the number of pit stalls available by increasing each stall by 2 feet (0.61 m).[20]
In 2019, the speedway built a new and expanded Cup Series garage, located between Turns 1 and 2. The project also paved the inner portion of the track between Turns 1 and 2 and replaced the guardrail in this area with a SAFER barrier. Work on this project, which cost $5.5 million, began in May 2019 and was completed on Sept. 20, 2019, ahead of the race weekend in October.[21] After the 2019 season, the speedway removed approximately 25,000 seats in the lower level between Turns 3 and 4, reducing the track's capacity to 58,500.[22]
Since 2012, the Firefly Music Festival has been held in The Woodlands of Dover Motor Speedway, a 105-acre (42 ha) festival ground adjacent to the speedway. Firefly additionally utilizes some of the speedway's infrastructure for parking and camping. In recent years, the speedway’s infield has been used specifically for RV camping throughout the festival. The festival was not held in 2020 or 2023.
NASCAR moved one of Dover's race weekends in 2021 to Nashville Superspeedway, another track owned by Dover Motorsports.[23] On Nov. 8, 2021, Speedway Motorsports acquired track owner Dover Motorsports. As a result, Speedway Motorsports took over ownership of the track and it was renamed to Dover Motor Speedway.[24] As such, PRN replaced MRN for radio broadcasts at the speedway from 2023 onwards.
Panorama of Dover Motor Speedway
The Monster Monument at Victory Plaza
Miles the Monster
The speedway's mascot is called "Miles the Monster," which is a monster spawned from the track's nickname, "The Monster Mile."[25] The monster is featured on the winner's trophy, the track's tickets, memorabilia, website, and the 46-foot (14 m) Monster Monument.[25][26] A previous nickname that the track had was "White Lightning," used in the initial years after the track surface changed from asphalt to concrete.[27]
As of April 2023, the fastest official race lap records at Dover Motor Speedway (formerly Dover Downs International Speedway/Dover International Speedway) are listed as:
Greg Ray, Dallara IR-7, 1998, IRL)
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