Dover International Speedway

Dover International Speedway:


History
· The official opening of Dover International Speedway, then called Dover Downs International Speedway, was in 1969.
· The first NASCAR Sprint Cup race was held on July 6, 1969.
· The first two races at Dover were 300 miles. The race length was changed to 500 miles in 1971.
· The track surface was changed to concrete in 1995.
· The race length was changed to 400 miles beginning with the second race in 1997.
· The track name was changed to Dover International Speedway in 2002.

Notebook
· There have been 82 NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Dover International Speedway since the track opened in 1969.
· There was one race in 1969 and 1970. There have been two-a-year since 1971.
· Richard Petty won the track’s first NASCAR Sprint Cup race.
· There have been 35 different pole winners, led by David Pearson (six).
· David Pearson won the first pole in July 1969.
· Mark Martin, Jeff Gordon and Ryan Newman lead all active drivers, each with four poles.
· 32 different drivers have posted victories led by Bobby Allison and Richard Petty, each with seven.
· Jimmie Johnson leads all active drivers, with six victories.
· Hendrick Motorsports has a series-high 12 wins.
· 50 races at Dover have been won from a top-five starting position; 17 races have been won from a starting position outside the top 10.
· 13 drivers have won from the pole. The last to do so was Jimmie Johnson, in last season’s September race.
· The furthest back in the field a race winner started was 37th, by Kyle Petty in 1995.
· Several active drivers had their first start at Dover, including three past champions: David Ragan (finished 42nd in 2006), Kurt Busch (18th in 2000), Matt Kenseth (sixth in 1998) and Bobby Labonte (34th in 1991).
· In addition, Matt Kenseth (2002) and Michael Waltrip (1991) earned their first pole at Dover. Martin Truex Jr. won his first race there (2007).