Dover International Speedway to install new catch fence for 2015 season

Dover International Speedway to install new catch fence for 2015 season

DOVER, Del. – Dover International Speedway officials announced today that the track will install a new catch fence that will be in place for the May 29-31, 2015 NASCAR race weekend. The process of removing the current fence began on Monday, Sept. 29, one day after the “AAA 400” NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at the Monster Mile, is scheduled for completion by Jan. 1, 2015.

The new fence will be installed by Smith Fence, a Florida-based contractor that has performed similar installations at other facilities on the NASCAR circuit. The project will incorporate the most up-to-date technologies and stand at 21-feet tall, up from its current 15-feet.

“Because the track is known as a self-clearing racetrack, with steep banking, we are fortunate to have never had a NASCAR vehicle become airborne and hit the catch fence,” said Michael Tatoian, executive vice president and COO of Dover Motorsports, Inc. “With that in mind, our current fence served us well.

“But as with anything at our facility, we’ve been looking for some time to update and improve it. With all of the new technologies and safety advances made in safety fencing, we wanted to do this right.”

Other improvements at the Speedway in recent years include the installation of SAFER barriers, the widening and lengthening of pit road, new fan care medical facilities and many fan experience improvements.

Throughout the summer months, work was completed on drilling for the support structures that will hold the fence. Beginning this week after the completion of the track’s 2014 season, demolition of the old fence began, with construction of the new fence occurring simultaneously.

NASCAR returns to Dover International Speedway May 29-31, 2015 for the May 31 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race, the May 30 “Buckle Up 200” presented by Click It or Ticket NASCAR Xfinity Series race and the May 29 “Lucas Oil 200” NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race; and again on Oct. 2-4, 2015 for the Oct. 4 “AAA 400” NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race, Oct. 3 NASCAR Xfinity Series race and Oct. 2 “Drive Sober 150” presented by the Delaware Office of Highway Safety NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race.

For tickets or more information, call 800-441-RACE or visit DoverSpeedway.com. You can also keep up with the Monster Mile at Facebook.com/DoverInternationalSpeedway, or on Twitter at @MonsterMile and Instagram at @MonsterMile.

Dover International Speedway: History

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 – won by Richard Petty.
• 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 89 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Dover International Speedway, one race in 1969 and 1970, two races per year since 1971.
• 381 drivers have competed in at least one NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Dover International Speedway; 274 in more than one.
• Ricky Rudd leads the series in starts at Dover with 56. Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers with 43 starts; followed by Joe Nemechek with 39.
• David Pearson won the inaugural Coors Light pole at Dover in 1969 with a speed of 130.430 mph. 
• 38 drivers have Coors Light poles at Dover, led by David Pearson with six. Jeff Gordon and Ryan Newman lead all active drivers in poles with four each.
• Nine drivers have won consecutive Coors Light poles at Dover. David Pearson holds the record for most consecutive poles at Dover with three; from 1973 to the spring race of 1974.
• Two active drivers have posted consecutive Coors Light poles at Dover: Ryan Newman (fall 2005 and spring 2006), and Denny Hamlin (fall 2012 and spring 2013).
• Youngest Dover pole winner: Jeff Gordon (06/04/1995 – 23 years, 10 months, 0 days).
• Oldest Dover pole winner: Mark Martin (06/01/2012 – 53 years, 4 months, 23 days).
• 34 different drivers have won at Dover International Speedway, led by Jimmie Johnson with nine wins (2002 sweep, fall 2005, 2009 sweep, 2010 fall, spring 2012, fall 2013 and spring 2014). 
• 12 drivers have posted consecutive wins at Dover International Speedway, including three consecutive by David Pearson (fall 1972 and 1973 sweep), Rusty Wallace (fall 1993 and 1994 sweep) and Jeff Gordon (fall 1995 and 1996 sweep).
• Youngest Dover winner: Kyle Busch (06/01/2008 – 23 years, 0 months, 30 days).
• Oldest Dover winner: Harry Gant (05/31/1992 – 52 years, 4 months, 21 days).
• Hendrick Motorsports has the most wins at Dover in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with 16: Jimmie Johnson (nine), Jeff Gordon (four), Geoff Bodine (one), Ken Schrader (one) and Ricky Rudd (one). 
• Nine different manufacturers have won in the NSCS at Dover; led by Chevrolet with 35 victories; followed by Ford with 25.
• 13 of the 89 (14.6%) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Dover have been won from the Coors Light pole; the two most recent were Jimmie Johnson in 2009 and 2010.
• The second-place starting position is the most proficient starting position in the field, producing more winners (15) than any other starting position at Dover International Speedway.   
• 28 of the 89 (31.4%) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Dover have been won from the front row: 13 from the pole and 15 from second-place.
• 70 of the 89 (78.6%) NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Dover have been won from a top-10 starting position.
• Five of the 89 (5.6%) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Dover have been won from a starting position outside the top 20 – most recently: Tony Stewart, spring 2013 (22nd-place starting position)
• The deepest in the field that a race winner has started at Dover was 37th, by Kyle Petty in the spring of 1995.
• Mark Martin leads the series in runner-up finishes at Dover with eight; followed by Dale Earnhardt with five. Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers with four.
• Mark Martin leads the series in top-five finishes at Dover with 24; followed by Dale Earnhardt with 19.  Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers with 17. 
• Mark Martin leads the series in top-10 finishes at Dover with 33; followed by Richard Petty and Ricky Rudd with 26 each. Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers with 24.
• Ryan Newman leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in average starting position at Dover with a 9.240.
• Jimmie Johnson leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in average finishing position at Dover with an 8.360.
• 11 of the 12 active NASCAR Sprint Cup Series winners at Dover International Speedway participated in at least one or more races before visiting Victory Lane. Jimmie Johnson won at Dover in his first two appearances.     
• Among the 12 active NSCS Dover winners Kurt Busch (22) and Matt Kenseth (14) made 10 or more attempts before their first win.
• Joe Nemechek leads the series among active drivers with the most NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Dover without visiting Victory Lane at 39; followed by Kevin Harvick with 27.
• Since the advent of electronic scoring the closest margin of victory (MOV) in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Dover International Speedway was the September 25, 2005 race won by Jimmie Johnson over Kyle Busch with a MOV of 0.08 second.
• There has been one NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race resulting with a green-white-checkered finish at Dover International Speedway (Scheduled No. of Laps/Actual No. of Laps): fall of 2005 (400/404).
• Not one of the 89 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Dover International Speedway have been shortened due to weather conditions.   
• Qualifying has been cancelled due to weather conditions in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Dover International Speedway five times: fall of 1984, spring of 2001, fall of 2003, spring of 2005 and spring of 2011.  
• Three NASCAR Sprint Cup Series active drivers have made their first career start at Dover International Speedway: Matt Kenseth (9/20/98), Kurt Busch (9/24/00) and David Ragan (9/24/06).
• Two active drivers have posted their first career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coors Light pole at Dover International Speedway: Matt Kenseth (06/02/02) and Michael Waltrip (06/03/1991).     
• One active NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver has posted his first career win at Dover International Speedway: Martin Truex Jr. (06/04/07).
• Jimmie Johnson leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in laps led at Dover with 2,976 laps led in 25 starts.
• If Jimmie Johnson leads 24 laps or more this weekend he will surpass the 3,000 laps led mark at Dover International Speedway, becoming the seventh driver in series history to lead 3,000 or more laps at a single track. Jeff Gordon is the only other active driver to accomplish the feat (Martinsville – 3,593 laps led). 
• Two female drivers have competed at Dover International Speedway in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: Janet Guthrie and Danica Patrick.

New Hampshire Motor Speedway: History

New Hampshire Motor Speedway:

History

·         Groundbreaking for New Hampshire International Speedway, as New Hampshire Motor Speedway was originally named, was Aug. 13, 1989.

·         The 1.058-mile oval is located on approximately 1,200 acres; the multi-use complex is the largest sports facility in New England.

·         The first NASCAR Sprint Cup race was on July 11, 1993 – won by NASCAR Hall of Famer Rusty Wallace.

·         Speedway Motorsports, Inc. agreed to purchase New Hampshire International Speedway from Bob and Gary Bahre on January 11, 2008 and then renamed the track New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

Notebook

·         There have been 39 NASCAR Sprint Cup races at New Hampshire Motor Speedway; one per year from 1993 through 1996 and two per year since.

·         158 drivers have competed in at least one NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway; 123 in more than one.

·         Two drivers have competed in all 39 races at New Hampshire: Jeff Burton and Jeff Gordon.

·         Mark Martin won the inaugural Coors Light pole at New Hampshire in 1993 with a speed of 126.871 mph. 

·         18 drivers have Coors Light poles at New Hampshire, led by Ryan Newman with seven.

·         Five drivers have won consecutive Coors Light poles at New Hampshire: Ken Schrader (1997 sweep); Jeff Gordon (1998-1999); Rusty Wallace (1999-2000); Ryan Newman (twice – 2003-2004 and 2011 sweep); Juan Pablo Montoya (2009-2010).

·         Youngest New Hampshire Coors Light pole winner: Brian Vickers (07/17/2005 – 21 years, 8 months, 23 days).

·         Oldest New Hampshire Coors Light pole winner: Bill Elliott (07/21/2002 – 46 years, 9 months, 13 days).

·         24 different drivers have won at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, led by Jeff Burton with four.

·         Two drivers have posted consecutive wins at New Hampshire Motor Speedway: Jimmie Johnson (2003 sweep) and Kurt Busch (2004 sweep). 

·         Youngest New Hampshire winner: Joey Logano (06/28/2009 – 19 years, 1 month, 4 days).

·         Oldest New Hampshire winner: Mark Martin (09/20/2009 – 50 years, 8 months, 11 days).

·         Hendrick Motorsports leads the series in wins at New Hampshire in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with nine; followed by Roush Fenway Racing with seven.

·         Five different manufacturers have won at New Hampshire; led by Chevrolet with 18 victories; followed by Ford with 12 and Toyota with four.

·         Jeff Burton is the only driver to win the July race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway three consecutive years in a row (1997, ’98 and ’99)

·         Five of the 39 (12.8%) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at New Hampshire have been won from the Coors Light pole; the most recent was Ryan Newman in 2011.

·         The Coors Light pole is the most proficient starting position in the field, producing more winners (five) than any other starting position at New Hampshire.   

·         Eight of the 39 (20.5%) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at New Hampshire have been won from the front row: eight from the pole and seven from second-place.

·         21 of the 39 (53.8%) NASCAR Sprint Cup races at New Hampshire have been won from a top-10 starting position.

·         Nine of the 39 (23.0%) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at New Hampshire have been won from a starting position outside the top 20.

·         The deepest in the field that a race winner has started at New Hampshire was 38th, by Jeff Burton in 1999.  

·         Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart are tied for the series lead in runner-up finishes at New Hampshire with five each. 

·         Jeff Gordon leads the series in top-five finishes at New Hampshire with 16; followed by Tony Stewart with 14.   

·         Jeff Gordon leads the series in top-10 finishes at New Hampshire with 22; followed by Tony Stewart with 18.

·         Ryan Newman leads the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in average starting position at New Hampshire with an 8.680.

·         Denny Hamlin leads NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in average finishing position at New Hampshire with an 8.941.

·         All 15 active NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race winners at New Hampshire Motor Speedway participated in at least one or more races before visiting Victory Lane. Ryan Newman and Joey Logano won at New Hampshire in their second appearance.     

·         Dale Earnhardt Jr. leads the series among active drivers with the most NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at New Hampshire without visiting Victory Lane at 30.

·         Since the advent of electronic scoring the closest margin of victory (MOV) in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at New Hampshire Motor Speedway was the July 1, 2007 race won by Denny Hamlin over Jeff Gordon with a MOV of 0.068 second.

·         17 of the 31 NSCS races scored by electronic scoring at New Hampshire Motor Speedway have had a Margin of Victory less than a second.

·         Three of the 39 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races have resulted with a green-white-checkered finish at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (Scheduled No. of Laps/Actual No. of Laps): 2006 (300/308), 2013 (301/302) and 2014 (301/302).

·         Four of the 38 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at New Hampshire Motor Speedway have been shortened due to weather conditions; the most recent was June 28, 2009 – the race was called on Lap 273, 28 circuits shy of the 301 scheduled laps.   

·         Qualifying has been cancelled due to weather conditions in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at New Hampshire Motor Speedway four times: 2001, 2004, 2008 and 2009.   

·         Two active NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers have made their first career start at New Hampshire Motor Speedway: Joe Nemechek (7/11/93), and Joey Logano (9/14/08).

·         Brad Keselowski (9/19/10) is the only active driver to post his first career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coors Light pole at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.      

·         Four active NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers have posted their first career win at New Hampshire Motor Speedway: Joe Nemechek (9/19/99), Ryan Newman (9/15/02), Clint Bowyer (9/16/07) and Joey Logano (6/28/09).

·         Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in laps led at New Hampshire with 1,371 laps led in 39 starts. 

·         Danica Patrick is the only female driver that has competed in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.