It’s NASCAR race weekend in Dover, and while the full weekend will have a familiar feel, Sunday’s main event is different.
The weekend still features a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Race on Friday, and a NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Race on Saturday.
But Sunday is not the usual Cup Series points race. Dover Motor Speedway is hosting the NASCAR All-Star Race for the first time.
It is split into three different segments, culminating with the final 200-lap segment consisting of 26 drivers. The first two segments 75-lap sprints leading to the final segment.
Even though this change was made by NASCAR this year, Dover Motor Speedway president Mike Tatoian says this doesn’t mean Dover is getting phased out of the schedule.
"The good news is, we're going to have racing here in 2027, and we will find out soon exactly what that is,” said Tatoian. “But either way, we will have a full weekend of racing in 2027 just like we're going to have this weekend."
Tatoian notes he doesn’t know if next year’s race will be another All-Star race or a regular points series race, but there will be action in Dover.
Racing this weekend begins Friday at 5 pm with the Craftsman Truck series race, followed by Saturday’s O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Race at 4pm.
Sunday’s All-Star Race gets the green flag at 1pm.
Off the track, race fans will still find the Fan Zone outside of Dover Motor Speedway all three days.
"There's more entertainment, there's more things to do for families and fans than we've ever had before, and the way we kind of curate that is we really take a look at whether you're old or young, whether this is going to be your first race, or maybe your 45th race, there's something for you to do outside the action on the track," said Tatoian.
The Fan Zone will be headlined by the all-new All-Star Village which will bring together live entertainment, interactive attractions and NASCAR-themed displays as well as the return of Miles Beach.
The Fan Zone opens at noon on Friday, 9 am on Saturday and 8 am on Sunday.
