Dover Motor Speedway welcomes NASCAR to Delaware for its annual race weekend, but this is the first time it comes in the month of July.
The July date creates an overlap between race weekend and the Delaware State Fair, which opens Thursday, something Dover Speedway's President and General Manager Mike Tatoian says they welcome.
“We’re really in kind of the same business, trying to bring guests in locally, regionally, or nationally. So, it behooved both of us to work together and collaborate. I think it just amplifies our whole state and gives more exposure to the state of Delaware” said Tatoian.
Tatoian says that the two events can “amplify” one another as part of a broader strategy to capitalize on summer tourism and give those already vacationing in the area another thing to do.
Tatoian says one way they're doing that is bringing a beach to the Monster Mile.
"The fan-zone is a marquee item for us during race weekend, and it’s a key part of the entertainment. So, we wanted some element of our fan-zone to really reflect the state of Delaware. In the state of Delaware are the beautiful beaches that we have here, and so we thought ‘Well, let’s just see if we can bring a beach to the race’ and this is what we have.” he said.
The hope is the synergy offers a boost to the local economy that saw the loss of a Dover NASCAR weekend 2021, then the Firefly Music Festival in 2023.
Speedway officials also hope This year’s race will enjoy more favorable weather conditions following a stint of bad weather race days.
Race weekend kicks off Friday afternoon on the Monster Mile - with the NASCAR Cup Series race capping things off Sunday at 2pm
