With its second race weekend of the season approaching, Dover International Speedway has announced upgrades that will improve both the safety of the racing surface and the space teams have to operate in the garage area.
Scheduled to be completed in time for Dover’s Sept. 30-Oct. 2 NASCAR weekend, Dover announced plans to add upwards of 500 feet of Steel And Foam Energy Reduction (SAFER) barriers to the one-mile concrete oval’s outside wall on the exits of turns 2 and 4.
A wall separating the Sprint Cup Series garage from the existing harness racing track will also be added as a part of the construction. The wall, which will stretch 753-feet-long and sit 10-feet-high, will allow for the removal of the grass hill between the garage area and harness track, allowing more working space for teams and haulers.
“We continue to improve our facility for all parties involved in NASCAR, including drivers, race teams and fans,” Dover International Speedway President and CEO Mike Tatoian said in a release. “Safety is always our top priority and the added SAFER barriers will certainly benefit our competitors. The renovations in the garage will also allow us greater opportunities for space flexibility in the coming years too.”
Dover’s final race weekend of the year will include a triple-header NASCAR weekend highlighted by the first elimination race of the Sprint Cup Series Chase. The weekend includes races for the K&N Pro Series East, XFINITY Series and Sprint Cup Series over a three-day period.
Aaron Bearden is a Frontstretch alumnus who’s come back home as the site’s Short Track Editor. When he isn’t working with our grassroots writers, he can be found talking about racing on his Morning Warmup newsletter, pestering his wife/dog or convincing himself the Indiana Pacers can win an NBA title.