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Dover
International Speedway

Dover International Speedway is a
NASCAR-sanctioned 1 mile (1.6 km) race track
located in Dover, Delaware, owned by, and
serving as the corporate headquarters of,
Dover Motorsports, Inc. It is co-located
with a harness racing track, Dover Downs,
and shares the complex with Dover Downs
Hotel & Casino. At one time both the
entertainment complex and the speedway were
owned by the publicly traded Dover Downs
Entertainment, but they have since been
split into two separate companies. Among
NASCAR enthusiasts, the track has earned the
nickname of "The Monster Mile".
In February 2002, Dover Downs
Entertainment changed its name to Dover
Motorsports following the spin-off of its
gaming operations to its existing
shareholders. As a result, the name of the
track was changed from Dover Downs
International Speedway to Dover
International Speedway. Dover Motorsports,
Inc. continues to maintain its corporate
headquarters at the racetrack.
Dover is unique in many ways. It is
exactly one mile long; technically this
means that it is neither a superspeedway nor
a short track. The speedway surface is
concrete; most NASCAR track surfaces are
asphalt (Dover was at one time an asphalt
track, however; it wasn't until the
mid-1990s that the asphalt surface was
replaced with concrete). Dover is one of
three concrete ovals used in NASCAR's three
major series; Bristol Motor Speedway and
Dover's sister track Nashville Superspeedway
are the others (Dover and Bristol are the
only two of the concrete tracks used by the
Sprint Cup Series as Nashville has yet to
receive a premier series date since its 2001
opening, despite hosting Nationwide, Truck,
and IndyCar races).
The racetrack is home to the second
race in the Chase for the Sprint Cup and
celebrated its 40th anniversary during the
2008 season.
At one time the Winston Cup (now
Sprint Cup Series) races held here were
500 miles (800 km) long until a NASCAR rules
change limited 500-mile (800 km) races to
being held only at tracks over a mile in
length; the current Sprint Cup Series races
here are 400 miles (640 km) in distance.
Dover also hosted Indy Racing League races
in 1998 and 1999 won by Scott Sharp and Greg
Ray.
Dover Motorsports owns Dover
International Speedway and several other
motorsports facilities, including Nashville
Superspeedway, Gateway International Raceway
in St. Louis and Memphis Motorsports Park.
The Dover Motorsports ownership is one of
only three publicly held ownership groups of
NASCAR tracks, the other two being
International Speedway Corporation,
controlled by NASCAR's founding France
family and owners of the Talladega and
Daytona tracks, among others, and Speedway
Motorsports, Inc., led by Bruton Smith,
which owns Charlotte Motor Speedway and
Texas Motor Speedway, among others. Aside
from these three ownership groups, NASCAR
tracks are privately held by one or a few
individuals.
The Monster Makeover & The
Monster Monument at Victory Plaza
In May 2006, Dover International
Speedway announced plans for the “Monster
Makeover", a multi-year capital improvement
project that will continue to bring new fan
amenities and renovations to the
135,000-seat motorsports facility.
The first phase of construction
included a new skybox complex, a revamped
and expanded media center, and several other
capital improvement projects around the
facility. Phase I of construction was
completed in June 2007.
The second phase of construction which
started in 2008, improvements included the
addition of the 46-foot (14 m) Monster
Monument at Victory Plaza, presented by
American Automobile Association – a
larger-than-life sculpture of Dover’s
signature icon Miles the Monster – an
expanded FanZone display area, and continued
beautification of the entire facility.
The Monster Monument at Victory Plaza,
presented by AAA, is one of the largest
fiberglass structures in the country. The
monument stands 46 feet (14 m) tall, and
depicts Dover’s signature icon Miles the
Monster.Over 200 granite plaques circle the
base of the structure and are dedicated to
legendary drivers who have made their mark
on the Dover International Speedway record
books.
The new, 7.8 acres (32,000 m2),
FanZone display area features fan
experiences, sampling, interactive
attractions, driver appearances and more.
It’s free and open to the public every day
of race weekend.
The third phase of construction began
in mid-December 2008 in which crews removed
the existing 1160 ft. inside steel retaining
wall that separated pit road from the apron
and concrete racing surface. The demolition
makes way for a new 1592 ft. concrete wall
that will be fully equipped with a SAFER
barrier.
The new inside retaining wall will be
432 ft. longer than the previous
configuration and will be extended further
into Turn 4, allowing the track to add a
43rd pit stall for competitors. The wall
will also be set nearly five feet closer to
the track apron, eliminating all grass on
the frontstretch, while providing more space
in the drive lane of pit road. A large plot
of grass was also removed in Turn 4 to make
way for the new entrance to pit road.
The first and second races with this
format saw Jimmie Johnson lead 569 out of
the 800 total laps that year. The second
race also saw Joey Logano flip 7 times in
turns three and four.
Miles
the Monster
The speedway's signature icon is
called "Miles the Monster" which is a
concrete monster spawned from the track's
nickname, "The Monster Mile." The monster is
featured on the winner's trophy, the track's
tickets, memorabilia, website, and of
course, the 46-foot (14 m) Monster Monument.
A previous nickname that the track had was
the "White Lightning."
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