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DoverTrackMap

Dover's Track Map for 2024

Dover Motor Speedway (nickname: The Monster Mile) is a NASCAR race track located in Dover, Delaware.

The track is a 1 mile concrete oval with steep banking in both the turns and the straights. It currently has a capacity of 58,500 and is owned and operated by Speedway Motorsports.

Due to the track’s steep banking, relatively long turns and short straights, and a history of both long, grueling races for the drivers and equipment and unexpectedly severe crashes, Dover has the nickname “The Monster Mile”. It currently hosts 1 Cup Race, 1 Xfinity Series race, and 1 ARCA Menards East race.

Track History[]

Dover Motor Speedway opened as Dover Downs International Speedway in 1969. It was originally designed as a dual-purpose horse and motor racing facility, and thus the track contains a harness racing track that sits on the inside part of the oval course. It hosted its first NASCAR Cup Race, the Mason-Dixon 300 on July 6, 1969, which was won by Richard Petty.

Unique only for the 1969 race, was the position of the start-finish line. The start-finish line was placed on what is now the back straightaway, in front of an innovative air-conditioned grandstand. However, when fans sitting in the grandstand realized they would not see any pit-stop action, despite paying extra for the seats, There was nearly a riot. All future races then had the start-finish line on the front straightaway, perpendicular to pit road.[1]

In 1971, Dover began hosting two NASCAR Cup Series races, and removed all events not sanctioned by NASCAR to keep the focus on the spring and fall races. In 1982, The Xfinity Series began racing at Dover, and the Craftsman Truck Series began racing there in 2000. It has also hosted NASCAR ARCA Menards Series East Races and hosted the IndyCar Series in 1998 and 1999.

Seating capacity was expanded from 1986 through 2001, beginning with a modest 3,200 expansion of the 10,333 seat front stretch grandstand and peaking with a total capacity of 135,000. Other features and facilities were built over the same time, including a hotel and casino outside of the backstretch, and a crossover bridge at the exit of Turn 2.

When the track opened in 1969, Dover was paved in Asphalt. When the track was resurfaced in 1995, Concrete was used, which caused the track to pick up a short-lived secondary nickname of “White Lightning.” There was a revised pit entry and exit in 1996, with wider lanes being added to the aprons to ease the entry to and exit from pit road for the drivers.

In 2002, The gaming and horse racing operations split from the motorsports operation, with the gaming and horse operations retaining the Dover Downs name, and the motorsports company rebranding to Dover Motorsports, Inc. As a result, the track name changed to Dover International Speedway.

In 2004, a second bridge was built over the entry into Turn 3, which was known as the Monster Bridge. The Monster Bridge was not a typical crossover bridge, but rather it held 56 seats directly over the track, providing a unique and exciting view of cars racing down the back straight into turn 3.

In 2006, a multi-year capital improvement project began to makeover the facility. A new skybox and luxury suites, upgrades to grandstand seating, and a new media center opened in time for the 2007 spring races. In time for 2008, Dover built a 46-foot Monster Monument at Victory Plaza, a fiberglass sculpture of the track’s icon, Miles the Monster. It also contains 200 granite plaques dedicated to race winners and other legendary drivers. A new FanZone display area and new emergency services building outside of Gate 1 was built as well. The final phase of the improvement project focused on improving pit road, including building a new pit wall equipped with SAFER barrier technology, enabling a 43rd pit stall and enabling the track to lengthen all stalls by 4 feet. All grass was eliminated on the front stretch, and the pit wall was moved four feet closer to the track, creating a wider pit road.[2]

In 2011, Dover announced they would be gradually reducing capacity from 135,000 seats to 113,000 seats by 2014. Seating capacity continued to be reduced to 85,000 in 2016, and then to 58,500 seats in 2020. A new Cup Series garage was built in 2019.

In 2021, Dover’s second NASCAR Cup Race date was moved to Nashville Superspeedway, another track owned by Dover Motorsports, Inc. In November 2021, Dover Motorsports, Inc. was purchased by Speedway Motorsports Inc. causing the speedway to change its name from Dover International Speedway to Dover Motor Speedway.

NASCAR History[]

The NASCAR Cup Series began racing at Dover Motor Speedway in 1969, with a 300 mile race known as the Mason-Dixon 300. In 1971, Dover gained a second cup date, and both races became 500 mile races. For much of its history, its races were held from Late May through June and in September, making the races 'spring' and 'fall' events. Races were typically broadcast on TNN when the tracks negotiated their own TV contracts, because Dover's 500 mile races required large broadcast windows which were unattractive to other broadcasters. In 1997, Dover's races were shortened to 400 miles.

Jimmie Johnson has the most Cup wins at the track, with 11 wins. Richard Petty and Bobby Allison both have the second highest number of wins, at 7. David Pearson has won the most poles at the track, with 6. Chevrolet has the most wins by manufacturer at the track, with 43 wins over Ford's 27. There has been only 1 caution free race at the track, the 1971 Mason-Dixon 500, and the race with the most cautions was the 1993 Splitfire Spark Plug 500, with 16 cautions. The 1971 Delaware 500 had the fewest lead changes (3) while the 1980 CRC Chemicals 500 and 1986 Budweiser 500 had the most lead changes (29). Kyle Petty holds the record for the deepest starting position to win, where he started 37th and finished in Victory lane during the 1995 Miller Genuine Draft 500. The smallest race purse was posted during the first race at the track ($23,605), while the biggest purse was posted for the 2015 FedEx 400 presented by Autism Speaks ($5,381,332)[3]

Drivers who win races at Dover Motor Speedway receive a unique trophy: A sculpture of 'Miles the Monster' shaped in a way to hold a die-cast replica of the winner's car. The trophy is produced in Oklahoma by MTM Recognition, and is made of cement.[4] The first 'Miles' trophy was awarded in 2004, and has become a coveted trophy among NASCAR drivers and a fan-favorite for its unique design.

Current races[]

Records[]

See also[]

External links[]

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