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NASCAR's 2018 Dover dates released

Delaware Public Media
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Delaware Public Media

The first of NASCAR’s two 2017 race weekends in Delaware is just over a week away – but Dover International Speedway already has reason to look ahead to 2018.

NASCAR unveiled its race schedule for next year Tuesday and the Monster Mile will once again host another pair of tripleheader weekends in 2018 – one in the spring and one in the fall.

“The 2018 season marks our 49th year of hosting NASCAR’s premier series in the First State, and we’re proud to continue to play host to two race weekends that help to transform Dover, Delaware into the racing capital of the world twice a year,” said Dover International Speedway president and CEO Mike Tatoian, in a statement.

But there are some notable changes.  The 2018 spring weekend will be about month earlier than this year, May 4th through 6th.  That’s the earliest NASCAR has ever come to town – and that first weekend in May is also usually Dover Days weekend in the state capital –creating a possible conflict between the two events.

“With so many stakeholders across the industry, it’s a great challenge for NASCAR to accommodate everyone, every year,” said Tatoian, in his statement. “While the first weekend in May is not consistent with our historical spring race weekend dates, our fans know that our team will deliver a great experience for them as they arrive in Dover.”

The 2018 fall weekend will run Oct. 5th through 7th – and unlike previous years will not serve as the first “knockout race” in the 10-race Chase for the NASCAR Cup championship.  It will instead be the first race in second round of the championship chase.

Tom Byrne has been a fixture covering news in Delaware for three decades. He joined Delaware Public Media in 2010 as our first news director and has guided the news team ever since. When he's not covering the news, he can be found reading history or pursuing his love of all things athletic.
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