Dover Motor Speedway facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
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
Owner	Speedway Motorsports (November 2021–present) Dover Motorsports (July 1969–October 2021)
Operator	Speedway Motorsports (November 2021–present)
Broke ground	1966
Opened	6 July 1969; 55 years ago (1969-07-06)
Architect	Melvin Joseph
Former names	Dover Downs International Speedway (1969–2002) Dover International Speedway (2002–2021)
Major events	Current: NASCAR Cup Series Würth 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)
Oval (1969–present)
Surface	1969–1994: Asphalt 1995–present: Concrete
Length	1.03 mi (1.66 km)
Turns	4
Banking	Turns: 24° Straights: 9°
Race lap record	19.622 seconds (183.468 mph (295.263 km/h)) ( Greg Ray, Dallara IR-7, 1998, IRL)

Dover Motor Speedway is a famous race track in Dover, Delaware. It is also known as "The Monster Mile." The track has hosted exciting NASCAR Cup Series races every year since 1969. Other big races, like USAC and the Indy Racing League, have also been held here.

The track is shaped like an oval and is about 1.03 mi (1.66 km) long. It has a special concrete surface. The turns are banked at 24 degrees, and the straight parts are banked at 9 degrees. Speedway Motorsports owns and runs the speedway.

The track was built in 1969 by Melvin Joseph. It first had an asphalt surface. But in 1995, it was changed to concrete. In 2001, the track could hold 135,000 people. This made it the biggest sports place in the mid-Atlantic area. The track's name changed from Dover Downs International Speedway to Dover International Speedway in 2002. This happened when the gaming part of the company split off. From 2007 to 2009, the speedway had a big improvement project. It was called "The Monster Makeover." On November 8, 2021, Speedway Motorsports Inc. bought the track. It was then renamed Dover Motor Speedway.

What is the history of Dover Motor Speedway?

Construction on the speedway started in 1966. It was built for both horse racing and car racing. The track was finished three years later. The very first race was held on July 6, 1969. This first race was called the Mason-Dixon 300. The famous driver Richard Petty won it.

Dover's asphalt surface in 1985

In 1971, the speedway decided to focus only on NASCAR races. They removed other events from their schedule. Eleven years later, a NASCAR Xfinity Series race was added. It was called the Sportsman 200. Starting in 1986, the speedway added more seats every year. This continued until 2001. A second Xfinity Series race was also added in 1986.

In 1995, the track's surface was changed to concrete. This made it only the second NASCAR Cup Series track to have a full concrete surface. Bristol Motor Speedway was the first. In 1997, the NASCAR Cup Series races became shorter. They changed from 500 miles to 400 miles. In 1998, an Indy Racing League event was added. But this race was removed after the 1999 season. A NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series event was added in 2000. Kurt Busch won the first Truck race.

The glass-fronted enclosed grandstand was one of the original buildings on the property at Dover Motor Speedway.

On September 23, 2001, NASCAR races returned to Dover. This was after the September 11 attacks. In the race, Dale Earnhardt Jr. crossed the finish line. He received both the checkered flag and the American flag.

In 2002, Dover Motorsports, Inc. was created. This company was made to run the speedway. The track was then named Dover International Speedway. Two years later, the "Monster Bridge" was completed. This is a glass-enclosed area with 56 seats. It is near the entrance to Turn 3.

Dover Motor Speedway in 2007

On May 26, 2006, the speedway announced a big project. It was called "The Monster Makeover." This project would improve the track over several years. In 2007, they built a new skybox complex. This had 12 suites. They also added to the media center. Other improvements included wider walkways. Restrooms were updated, and parking was improved. A better sound system was also installed.

Aerial view of Dover Motor Speedway in 2017

In 2008, the second part of the "Monster Makeover" happened. The "Monster Monument" was built. This is a 46-foot tall fiberglass statue. It stands in the new Victory Plaza. The FanZone area was also made bigger. In 2009, the speedway made the pit road wider and safer. They installed a longer SAFER barrier wall. In 2011, the speedway announced they would make grandstand seats larger. This meant fewer total seats, down to 113,000.

After the 2014 AAA 400 race, the speedway reduced its seats again. By Christmas 2014, there were 95,500 seats. In 2016, there were 85,000 seats. The speedway also installed a new catchfence. This fence was 21 feet (6.4 m) high. The old one was 15 feet (4.6 m) high. In 2016, more SAFER barriers were added. These were along the backstretch and Turn 3.

2017 Apache Warrior 400 at Dover Motor Speedway

In 2019, a new and larger Cup Series garage was built. It is located between Turns 1 and 2. This project also paved the inner part of the track. It replaced the guardrail with a SAFER barrier. This project cost $5.5 million. It was finished in September 2019. After the 2019 season, about 25,000 seats were removed. This brought the track's capacity down to 58,500.

Since 2012, the Firefly Music Festival has been held nearby. It takes place in "The Woodlands of Dover Motor Speedway." This is a 105-acre festival ground next to the track. The festival uses some of the speedway's areas for parking and camping. The speedway's infield is used for RV camping during the festival. The festival did not happen in 2020 or 2023.

In 2021, NASCAR moved one of Dover's race weekends. It went to Nashville Superspeedway. This track was also owned by Dover Motorsports. On November 8, 2021, Speedway Motorsports bought Dover Motorsports. This meant Speedway Motorsports took over the track. It was then renamed Dover Motor Speedway.

Panorama of Dover Motor Speedway

Who is Miles the Monster?

The Monster Monument at Victory Plaza

The speedway's mascot is called "Miles the Monster." This monster comes from the track's nickname, "The Monster Mile." You can see the monster on the winner's trophy. It is also on tickets, souvenirs, and the track's website. There is even a 46-foot (14 m) tall Monster Monument. A long time ago, the track was also called "White Lightning." This was when the surface changed from asphalt to concrete.

What races are held at Dover Motor Speedway?

2022 DuraMAX Drydene 400 at Dover Motor Speedway

Current races

• NASCAR Cup Series Würth 400 (1969–present)
• NASCAR Xfinity Series A-GAME 200 (1982–present)
• ARCA Menards Series East General Tire 125 (1998, 2001–2002, 2004–present)

Source:

Former races

• Indy Racing League (1998–1999)
• NASCAR Cup Series Dover 400 (1971–2020)
• NASCAR Xfinity Series Drydene 200 (1986–2020)
• NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series KDI Office Technology 200 (2000–2020)
• USAC Championship Car (1969)

Track records

NASCAR

Lap records

As of April 2024, here are the fastest official race lap records at Dover Motor Speedway:

NASCAR Cup Series statistics

* from minimum 5 starts.

See also

In Spanish: Dover International Speedway para niños