From Jimmie Johnson’s 11 wins to Joey Logano’s crash, here are 14 historic NASCAR moments at Dover.
NASCAR is racing at Dover Motor Speedway, one of the more intriguing tracks on the schedule.
There have been some historic moments in the context of the track itself, the context of the season and just wild moments along the way.
Here are 14 of the best NASCAR Dover race moments in the track’s history.
Shop NASCAR Dover tickets
NASCAR Dover race best moments in event history
1969: July 6, 1969 marked the first NASCAR Cup Series race at what was then known as Dover Downs International Speedway. Richard Petty earned the first of his seven wins at the track and won three of the first four races at Dover.
1984: Richard Petty responded to rival Bobby Allison’s first win at Dover with a dominant victory of his own. Petty led 129 laps en route to his second-to-last victory in the sport’s premier series.
1995: Dover became the first concrete-paved speedway on the NASCAR Cup Series circuit in 1995. The track was previously asphalt. Kyle Petty dominated the first race on the new configuration by leading 271 laps in his final Cup Series victory.
2001: Sept. 23, 2001 was one of the more memorable and emotional days in NASCAR history. This was the first race after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Drivers, teams and 140,000 fans displayed American flags around the speedway. Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the race and flew an American flag during his celebration.
2004: In the first postseason race held at Dover, Ryan Newman led 325 of the 400 laps to win. It was Newman’s third and most recent win at the track.
2005: Kyle Busch made a late charge to run down Jimmie Johnson, but Johnson held off his Hendrick Motorsports teammate by 0.08 seconds, which is the closest finish at Dover since it began using electronic scoring.
2007: Martin Truex Jr. delivered his first NASCAR Cup Series win in his second season in the top division. Truex beat second-place Ryan Newman by 7.355 seconds. The race was also moved to a Monday after rain on Sunday. Truex, who retired after the 2024 season, was excellent on Monday races.
2008: Kyle Busch finally scored his first win at Dover during a season in which he won eight times in his first season with Joe Gibbs Racing. The win at Dover made Busch the youngest winner at the track at 23 years old. Busch and Mark Martin are the only two drivers to win in all three national series at Dover.
2009: Joey Logano was at the center of one of the scarier moments at Dover. A bump from Tony Stewart sent then-rookie Joey Logano down to the apron before he shot up the banking in Turn 3. Reed Sorenson went high to avoid contact but hit Logano, the beginning of a chain reaction. Robby Gordon hit Sorenson, which then sent Logano’s vehicle rolling down the 24-degree banking. Logano’s car rolled eight times, but he was able to exit the car on his own.
2015: Jimmie Johnson broke the Dover record for most wins at the track with his 10th victory, beating Kevin Harvick by 0.435 in the race.
2017 spring race: Jimmie Johnson matched Cale Yarborough’s mark of 83 NASCAR Cup Series wins with his spring victory at Dover. Johnson honored Yarborough with a special helmet and an old-school Yarborough hat in victory lane.
2017 fall race: Kyle Busch made a statement to open the playoffs, winning the first two races at New Hampshire and Dover. Busch tracked down Chase Elliott and made a pass with two to go to earn the win.
2019: Kyle Larson won Dover’s 100th NASCAR Cup Series race during the track’s 50th anniversary. Larson snapped a 75-race winless streak by leading 154 laps and advanced to the NASCAR playoffs Round of 8 for the first time.
2021: Alex Bowman won the race and led a historic finish as Hendrick Motorsports finished 1-2-3-4 with Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott and William Byron sweeping the top spots. This feat has only happened two other times, the most recent in 2005 with Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing doing so at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
When is NASCAR Dover race?
The Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400 is set for 1 p.m. CT on July 20 at Dover Motor Speedway in Dover, Delaware.
What TV channel is NASCAR Dover race on?
The Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400 NASCAR Dover race will be shown on TNT with Adam Alexander, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Steve Letarte in the broadcast booth.
Shop NASCAR Dover tickets
We occasionally recommend interesting products and services. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. USA TODAY Network newsrooms operate independently, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.
Read the full article here
