Motorsport track in the United States
Dover Motor Speedway
"The Monster Mile"
|
---|
|
Oval (1969?present)
|
Location
| 1131
North Dupont Highway
,
Dover, Delaware
, 19901, U.S.
|
---|
Time zone
| UTC?5
(
UTC?4
DST
)
|
---|
Coordinates
| 39°11′22.56″N
75°31′49.12″W
/
39.1896000°N 75.5303111°W
/
39.1896000; -75.5303111
|
---|
Capacity
| 58,500
[1]
|
---|
Owner
| Speedway Motorsports
(November 2021?present)
Dover Motorsports
(July 1969?October 2021)
|
---|
Operator
| Speedway Motorsports
(November 2021?present)
|
---|
Broke ground
| 1966
[2]
|
---|
Opened
| 6 July 1969
; 54 years ago
(
1969-07-06
)
[2]
|
---|
Architect
| Melvin Joseph
[3]
|
---|
Former names
| Dover Downs International Speedway
[2]
(1969?2002)
Dover International Speedway
(2002?2021)
|
---|
Major events
| Current:
NASCAR Cup Series
Wurth 400
(1969?present)
Dover 400
(1971?2020)
NASCAR Xfinity Series
BetRivers 200
(1982?present)
Drydene 200
(1986?2020)
ARCA Menards Series East
General Tire 125
(1998, 2001?2002, 2004?present)
Future:
ARCA Menards Series
(2024)
Former:
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
KDI Office Technology 200
(2000?2020)
Indy Racing League
(1998?1999)
USAC Championship Car
(1969)
|
---|
|
Surface
| 1969?1994: Asphalt
1995?present: Concrete
|
---|
Length
| 1.03 miles (1.66 km)
|
---|
Turns
| 4
|
---|
Banking
| Turns: 24°
Straights: 9°
[4]
|
---|
Race lap record
| 19.622 seconds (183.468 mph (295.263 km/h)) (
Greg Ray
,
Dallara IR-7
,
1998
,
IRL
)
|
---|
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
[
edit
]
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]
During the 1971 racing season, the speedway removed all the events not sanctioned by NASCAR to help keep focus on the two
NASCAR
Winston 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]
On September 23, 2001, the Cup Series returned to racing at Dover after the
September 11 attacks
for the
MBNA Cal Ripken Jr. 400
, in which
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
received the checkered and American flag at the same time.
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]
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]
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
Miles the Monster
[
edit
]
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]
Races
[
edit
]
Current races
[
edit
]
Source:
[28]
Former races
[
edit
]
Track records
[
edit
]
NASCAR
[
edit
]
Lap records
[
edit
]
As of April 2024, the fastest official race lap records at Dover Motor Speedway (formerly Dover Downs International Speedway/Dover International Speedway) are listed as:
NASCAR Cup Series statistics
[
edit
]
*
from minimum 5 starts.
[35]
Race results
[
edit
]
USAC Championship Car results
[
edit
]
Season
|
Date
|
Race Name
|
|
Driver
|
Chassis
|
Engine
|
Race Distance
|
Race Time
|
Average Speed
(mph)
|
Laps
|
Miles (km)
|
1969
[5]
|
August 24
|
Delaware 200
|
57
|
Art Pollard
|
Gerhardt
|
Plymouth
|
200
|
200 (321.868)
|
1:36:01
|
124.978
|
Indy Racing League results
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
"Track Facts"
.
Dover Motor Speedway
. Speedway Motorsports
. Retrieved
August 17,
2023
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
"Dover Downs International Speedway Construction Begins"
. Joseph Frederick & Sons. Archived from
the original
on October 29, 2012
. Retrieved
May 31,
2012
.
- ^
a
b
"The Melvin L. Joseph Construction Company, Inc"
. Melvin L. Joseph Construction Company, Inc
. Retrieved
May 31,
2012
.
- ^
"Dover International Speedway Track Specifications"
. Dover International Speedway. Archived from
the original
on July 29, 2018
. Retrieved
May 31,
2012
.
- ^
a
b
"1969 Delaware 200"
. Racing-reference.info
. Retrieved
May 31,
2012
.
- ^
"DOVER MILESTONES - Dover Speedway"
. Archived from
the original
on November 15, 2019.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
i
j
k
l
m
n
o
"History Highlights"
. Dover International Speedway. Archived from
the original
on June 14, 2012
. Retrieved
May 31,
2012
.
- ^
"Dover"
. NASCAR. February 1, 2007
. Retrieved
May 31,
2012
.
- ^
McKee, Sandra (July 18, 1998).
"Dressed-up Dover Downs welcomes Indy cars 107,000 seats overlook tricky one-mile oval"
.
Sun Staff
. Dover, Delaware. The Baltimore Sun
. Retrieved
May 31,
2012
.
- ^
"INDYCAR: IRL: IRL 2000 Schedule Announced"
. Motorsport.com. November 2, 1999
. Retrieved
May 31,
2012
.
- ^
"Dover plans massive improvement project"
.
Autostock
. NASCAR. May 26, 2006
. Retrieved
May 31,
2012
.
- ^
a
b
"Dover in first phase of Monster Makeover"
.
Official Release
. NASCAR. February 28, 2007
. Retrieved
May 31,
2012
.
- ^
"Monster of a structure: Monument set for Dover"
.
Track Release
. NASCAR. January 26, 2008
. Retrieved
May 31,
2012
.
- ^
"Third phase of construction at Dover track under way"
.
Track Release
. NASCAR. January 8, 2009
. Retrieved
May 31,
2012
.
- ^
"SAFER installation ends Dover renovation project"
.
Official Release
. NASCAR. May 15, 2009
. Retrieved
May 31,
2012
.
- ^
"Dover International Speedway announces seat-widening plan to begin in 2012"
. Doverspeedway.com. December 30, 2011
. Retrieved
December 30,
2011
.
- ^
Offredo, Jon (October 15, 2014).
"Dover International Speedway trims seating"
.
The News Journal
. Wilmington, DE: Gannett
. Retrieved
October 16,
2014
.
- ^
Pockrass, Bob (May 29, 2015).
"Dover International Speedway to further reduce seating capacity"
. ESPN
. Retrieved
October 25,
2019
.
- ^
"Dover installing new catch fence"
. ESPN. Associated Press. September 29, 2014
. Retrieved
October 16,
2014
.
- ^
"Dover International Speedway Extends SAFER Barriers"
.
Motor Racing Network
. May 9, 2016. Archived from
the original
on May 12, 2016
. Retrieved
May 10,
2016
.
- ^
"Dover to build new, expanded NASCAR Cup Series garage following May 3?5 tripleheader weekend"
. Dover International Speedway. April 29, 2019
. Retrieved
May 1,
2019
.
- ^
Finney, Mike (October 23, 2019).
"Addition by subtraction: Dover International Speedway reduces seats, stresses 'fan experience'
"
.
Delaware State News
. Dover, DE
. Retrieved
October 25,
2019
.
- ^
Humbles, Andy (June 2, 2020).
"2021 NASCAR Cup Series race to be scheduled at Wilson County's Nashville Superspeedway"
.
The Tennessean
. Retrieved
June 2,
2020
.
- ^
"Speedway Motorsports to Acquire Dover Motorsports, Inc"
.
www.businesswire.com
. November 8, 2021
. Retrieved
November 9,
2021
.
- ^
a
b
"Miles the Monster"
. RoadsideAmerica.com
. Retrieved
May 31,
2012
.
- ^
"Unique trophies in NASCR"
.
NASCAR
. September 25, 2014
. Retrieved
April 26,
2018
.
- ^
"Stewart says Dover not such a monster"
. The Augusta Chronicle. Associated Press. July 17, 1998
. Retrieved
May 31,
2012
.
- ^
"2021 Race Schedule"
.
Dover International Speedway
. December 17, 2020
. Retrieved
January 3,
2021
.
- ^
"Dover International Speedway Track Records"
. Dover International Speedway. Archived from
the original
on June 14, 2012
. Retrieved
May 31,
2012
.
- ^
"Dover Downs - Motor Sport Magazine"
.
Motor Sport Magazine
. Retrieved
November 9,
2023
.
- ^
"1998 Dover Downs Indycars"
.
Motor Sport Magazine
. July 19, 1998
. Retrieved
April 28,
2024
.
- ^
"NASCAR Cup 2019 Dover Race Fastest Laps"
. May 6, 2019
. Retrieved
June 1,
2022
.
- ^
"NASCAR Truck 2019 Dover Race Fastest Laps"
. May 3, 2019
. Retrieved
June 1,
2022
.
- ^
"2024 BetRivers 200 Race Statistics"
. April 27, 2024
. Retrieved
April 28,
2024
.
- ^
"Dover International Speedway Track News"
. Jayski's NASCAR Silly Season Site. Archived from
the original
on June 6, 2012
. Retrieved
June 1,
2012
.
- ^
"1998 Pep Boys 400K"
. Racing-reference.info
. Retrieved
May 31,
2012
.
- ^
"1999 MBNA Mid-Atlantic 200"
. Racing-reference.info
. Retrieved
May 31,
2012
.
External links
[
edit
]
Articles and topics related to Dover International Speedway
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Education
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Landmarks
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This list is incomplete.
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Paved ovals
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Dirt ovals
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Road courses
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Ovals (over 1 mile)
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Ovals (under 1 mile)
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Road Courses
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Indoor ovals
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International
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National
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Geographic
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