With its mascot, Miles the Monster, Dover International Speedway is a unique stop on the NASCAR circuit.

The 1-mile, banked, concrete oval is technically neither a short-track nor a Superspeedway but it reaps the benefits of both and over the years it has become affectionately, or notoriously, known as the Monster Mile for that very reason.

When the track opened in 1969, it was created for two purposes, motorsports and harness racing. The facility was called Dover Downs and it was not until 2002 that the track was renamed Dover International Speedway when the company split into two separate divisions.

Richard Petty won the first Cup race at the track on July 6, 1969, the Mason-Dixon 300.  Between that inaugural race in 1969 and 1980, all but one of the winners of the Cup Series races at Dover were NASCAR champions or would go on to win a Cup championship, proving that only the best of the best can tame Miles.

Then, in 1982, the NASCAR Nationwide Series made its debut in Delaware with the Sportsman 200 and Joe Ruttman took the checkered flag.

Continuous improvements have been made to the facility since 1986 including grandstand additions and in 1995 the track was resurfaced with concrete which makes it only the third concrete track on the NASCAR circuit, in addition to Bristol and Nashville.

In 2000, the Camping World Truck Series went to Dover for the first time with Kurt Busch winning from the pole position.

The largest series of improvements to the facility began in 2006 and included the creation of a new skybox, remodeled media center, an expanded FanZone, the installation of SAFER barrier walls and the creation of the Miles the Monster sculpture in Victory Plaza.

Dover is also equipped with The Monster Bridge, which was created in 2004, that crosses over the track at turn 3 and houses 56 seats to give occupants the best view in the house.

All in all, Dover International Speedway is in a class of its own and if you don’t believe it, Miles will help convince you. 

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