Dover International Speedway’s new NASCAR Cup Series garage is complete and ready for teams and haulers for this week’s NASCAR tripleheader weekend as the Monster Mile completes its 50th Anniversary season and hosts its 100th NASCAR Cup Series race.
The new garage is located between Turns 1 and 2 in the infield, a shift from its previous spot closer to Turn 1. The garage includes an Allied Steel Building, the official and exclusive steel buildings of Dover International Speedway. Raynor Garage Doors, the preferred garage door of Dover International Speedway, provided the garage doors for the project.
Some highlights and features of the new Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series garage include:
• Expanded square footage in building: 28 percent increase
• Includes 44 large garage bays (15-foot by 30-foot) with individual garage doors for cars and teams
• Larger garage area footprint: 22 percent increase. Existing guardrail facing Turns 1 and 2 were removed, along with grass areas on the inside of the turns. The area inside the apron is now fully paved, with SAFER barriers covering the entire length of the inside walls of Turns 1 and 2.
• Cost: $5.5 million
• Design: Becker-Morgan Architects out of Dover, Del.
• Contractor: Kent Construction out of Smyrna, Del.
Work began on the project on Tuesday, May 7, immediately after Dover’s spring NASCAR weekend. This weekend, the garage will host drivers and teams competing in Sunday’s “Drydene 400” Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series playoff race (2:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN).
“The expanded NASCAR Cup Series Garage is simply a tremendous new asset for our track,” said Mike Tatoian, Dover International Speedway’s president and CEO. “We have literally maximized the space that the area will allow. It certainly continues to show our commitment to continually make improvements both for the teams and our fans.”
Last week, track officials buried a time capsule on the east end of the garage. It includes mementos from Dover’s history, which dates to its inaugural event on July 6, 1969.
Items inside the capsule, which was signed by all full-time Dover International Speedway employees, include:
• A replica gold Monster Trophy
• Letters by NASCAR chairman and CEO Jim France and Dover Motorsports, Inc. President & CEO Denis McGlynn
• A USB drive that includes Dover’s 50th Anniversary historical video, highlights from Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s victory following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and a 2019 Dover TV commercial.
• An NBC Sports hat and T-shirt signed by some of its on-air talent, including Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Rick Allen, Dale Jarrett, Jeff Burton, Krista Voda, Parker Kligerman, Kyle Petty, Kelli Stavast and Ray Evernham.
• Two photos of NASCAR on FOX on-air crews – one from February 2002 (Darrell Waltrip, Mike Joy, Larry McReynolds, Dick Berggren, Jeff Hammond, Matt Yocum and Steve Byrnes) and one from 2019 featuring Jeff Gordon, Joy, Larry McReynolds and Waltrip.
• Three hats from the Motor Racing Network, which is also celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2019.
• Proclamations from Delaware’s Governor’s Office, House of Representatives and State Senate.
A plaque on top of the buried capsule requests future generations open the vault in 50 years, during Dover’s expected 100th Anniversary celebration in 2069.
The NASCAR tripleheader weekend also includes the “Use Your Melon Drive Sober 200” NASCAR Xfinity Series playoff race on Saturday (3 p.m. ET, NBCSN) and the “General Tire 125” NASCAR K&N Pro Series East season finale on Friday.
In addition to the iconic gold Monster trophies given to the race winners, fans can also enjoy free Harlem Globetrotters performances (Sunday), the Budweiser Clydesdales (all weekend), a free Grand Funk Railroad concert on the Xfinity Stage at Victory Plaza (Sunday), Micro Wrestling Federation matches (Saturday and Sunday), a Winston Cup Mobile Museum display (all weekend), Monster Energy “Smoke Show” (Saturday and Sunday), and much more in Dover’s 8-acre FanZone.
Dover International Speedway PR
