Want to feel the rumble of an 850-Horsepower engine? Want to meet your favorite NASCAR driver?
Local fans will have the chance to do both this weekend, when NASCAR rolls into Dover International Speedway.
The highlight of the weekend will be Sunday?s Nextel Cup race, but Gary Camp, the public relations director for Dover, said fans can find an entire weekend of activities in and around the track. “There?s so much more going on this weekend than in any other event we?ve had,” Camp said. “There are lots of things for the fans to do.”
And that includes several opportunities to meet the drivers. After the StoneBridgeRacing.com 200 Busch series race on Saturday, fans can take to the track in the NASCAR Foundation?s On Track for Charity track walk. For a $25 charitable donation, participants will get to walk around the “Monster Mile” side-by-side with many Nextel Cup stars, including Kasey Kahne, Greg Biffle and Elliott Sadler, as well as broadcast personalities. “We?re expecting a big crowd, and it is always a good time,” Camp said.
There is also an opportunity for fans to meet the starts of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series at an autograph session Friday afternoon before the AAA Insurance 200 Truck race. The session is free with admission to the race, and includes current Truck Series points leader Todd Bodine, who loves the excitement of racing at Dover. “It?s a real get-on-the-wheel track, where you can be aggressive,” Bodine said. “I look forward to it. I?ve always run well at Dover.”
Savvy fans can beat the crowds and take advantage of the extra opportunities by making the drive over for the Truck or Busch Series races Friday and Saturday, but there won?t be an empty seat on Sunday when NASCAR?s best – the Nextel Cup Series – take the green flag for the Neighborhood Excellence 400 presented by Bank of America.
The 1-mile racetrack at Dover is nicknamed the “Monster Mile” because one mistake on its high-banked turns can end a driver?s day. Scott Riggs, driver of the No. 10 car and pole-sitter for last week?s Cup race in Charlotte, says that the track?s reputation is well-deserved. “If you have a car that?s not really working well, it can be a scary place,” Riggs said. “You carry so much speed through the corners. The walls come up so fast, and if something happens, you?re going to hit more than just once.”
While the track can be treacherous, Jamie McMurray, driver of the No. 26 car, says that fans can expect great racing. “You can race two-wide around it. There are places to pass,” McMurray said. “Dover is a good race track.”
Veteran race fans in the area already know the excitement of hearing 43 Nextel Cup cars screaming around the concrete track at Dover. For the uninitiated, this is the perfect opportunity to experience NASCAR firsthand. It is an experience you will never forget.
Get up to speed on the latest in NASCAR ? listen to Wilson?s Race Report every Monday and Friday at 5:39pm on 93.1 WPOC.
