Camping World RV 400

NASCAR heads to Dover International Speedway this weekend for the second race of the Chase.

Here is a quick run down of trivial facts and statistics for this weekend’s Camping World RV 400 at Dover International Speedway in Dover, DE.

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.
• The first two races at Dover were 300 miles. The race length was changed to 500 miles in 1971.
• The first NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Dover was May 15, 1982.
• 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 first NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race was held in September 2000.
• The track name was changed to Dover International Speedway in 2002.

Track Numbers

• NASCAR Cup Series Races: 77
• Pole Winners: 33
• Race Winners: 32
• There was one race in 1969 and 1970. There has been two-a-year since 1971.
• David Pearson leads all drivers for the most poles at Dover with six. Qualifying has been canceled three times.
• David Pearson won the first NASCAR Sprint Cup pole in July 1969.
• Mark Martin and Ryan Newman lead all active drivers, each with four poles.
• Bobby Allison and Richard Petty are the drivers with the most victories at Dover with seven each.
• Richard Petty won the first NASCAR Sprint Cup race.
• Bill Elliott, Jeff Gordon and Mark Martin lead all active drivers, each with four victories.
• Hendrick Motorsports has 10 wins, more than any other car owner.
• 46 races at Dover have been won from a top-five starting position, while only 17 races – including three of the past four – have been won from a starting position outside the top 10.
• The furthest back in the field a race winner started was 37th by Kyle Petty in 1995.
• There has been one green-white-checkered finish at Dover: September 2005 (404 laps).

Hot Facts

• Carl Edwards has an average finish of 8.3 in five races at Dover, the best among active drivers. Only David Pearson (8.0 in 16 races) has a better average finish among the drivers with more than two starts there.
• Ryan Newman won at Dover in June 2003 – the first victory for Dodge there since 1975. Newman repeated as the race winner in the fall race, the first time Dodge posted consecutive victories at Dover. Newman then won again in the fall of 2004, giving Dodge three of their five Dover victories in the four-race span.

Track Records

• Track qualifying record: Jeremy Mayfield (161.522 mph, 22.288 secs., 6-4-04)
• Track race record: Mark Martin (132.719 mph, 9-21-97)

Qualifying/Race Data

• 2007 pole winner: Jimmie Johnson (154.765 mph, 23.261 seconds)
• 2007 race winner: Carl Edwards (101.846 mph, 6-4-07)

Dover Race Day Data

• Estimated Pit Window: 72-78 laps, based on fuel mileage
• # 28 of 36 (9-21-08)
• Track Size: 1 mile
• Banking/Corners: 24 degrees
• Banking/Straights: 9 degrees
• Frontstretch: 1,076 feet
• Backstretch: 1,076 feet