Dover International Speedway is a race track in Dover, Delaware, United States. Since opening in 1969, it has held at least two NASCAR races. In addition to NASCAR, the track also hosted USAC and the Verizon IndyCar Series. The track features one layout, a 1mi concrete oval, with 24° banking in the turns and 9° banking on the straights. The speedway is owned and operated by Dover Motorsports.The track, nicknamed "The Monster Mile", was built in 1969 by Melvin Joseph of Melvin L. Joseph Construction Company, Inc., with an asphalt surface, but was replaced with concrete in 1995. Six years later in 2001, the track's capacity moved to 135,000 seats, making the track have the largest capacity of sports venue in the mid-Atlantic. In 2002, the name changed to Dover International Speedway from Dover Downs International Speedway after Dover Downs Gaming and Entertainment split, making Dover Motorsports. From 2007 to 2009, the speedway worked on an improvement project called "The Monster Makeover", which expanded facilities at the track and beautified the track. After the 2014 season, the track's capacity was reduced to 95,500 seats.Track historyIn 1966, Melvin L. Joseph Construction Company, Inc. began construction on Dover Downs International Speedway, which was specialized for horse racing and auto racing. The race track was completed three years later, and would have its first race on July 6, 1969. The inaugural race, known as the Mason-Dixon 300, was won by Richard Petty.
Dover Downs Gaming & Entertainment owns Dover Downs Hotel & Casino, a hotel and casino that has a racing facility that holds harness horse racing on a .625 miles track and NASCAR events on a 1 mile concrete surface. The Sprint Cup track is now known as Dover International Speedway, and the Dover Downs name is used for horse racing events. The owner of the facility, Dover Downs, is headquartered within the facility housing both tracks. Dover Downs Hotel & Casino features dining, accommodations and conference space. Primary features of Dover Downs Hotel & Casino include a hotel, dining options, over 2,700 slot machines, 40 table games, and the Rollins Center, an 18,000-square-foot multipurpose ballroom which features entertainment as well as hosting business conferences, conventions and banquets. Steelman Partners was the original architects and interior designers in 1995. Opened in autumn 2007, the expanded hotel added 268 additional rooms, including 52 suites, and 11 spa suites for a total of 500 hotel rooms. This makes Dover Downs Hotel & Casino the largest hotel in Delaware. The hotel features a 6,000-square-foot spa, Toppers Spa/Salon, which opened December 29, 2007.