How did Dover International Speedway reach the iconic mark of 100 NASCAR Cup Series races? Read on to find your first race, your favorite race and maybe one that brings back some great memories. The following list includes the race date, race name, winner’s name, his number of Dover wins to that point and a short recap of the event. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26.
July 6, 1969, “Mason-Dixon 300” – Richard Petty (1): Dover’s debut race. Petty wins by six laps. Sept. 20, 1970, “Mason-Dixon 300” – Richard Petty (2): Petty leads 186 laps, takes lead for good on Lap 269 from Charlie Glotzbach. June 6, 1971, “Mason-Dixon 500” – Bobby Allison (1): Dover’s first 500-mile race is also only event with no caution flags/laps. Oct. 17, 1971, “Delaware 500” – Richard Petty (3): The latest race by date in track history also featured the fewest lead changes (3). June 4, 1972, “Mason-Dixon 500” – Bobby Allison (2): Allison gives Chevrolet its first Dover win. Chevy leads all manufacturers with 40 Monster Mile victories. Sept. 17, 1972, “Delaware 500” – David Pearson (1): Pearson was only driver on the lead lap. June 3, 1973, “Mason-Dixon 500” – David Pearson (2): Pearson is first driver to win Dover race from pole position. Sept. 16, 1973, “Delaware 500” – David Pearson (3): Pearson completes first yearly Dover sweep, leads 344 laps. May 19, 1974, “Mason-Dixon 500” – Cale Yarborough (1): Race was shortened to 450 miles/laps due to fuel crisis. Sept. 15, 1974, “Delaware 500” – Richard Petty (4): Petty cruises, leads final 461 laps and record 489 overall. Petty was only driver on the lead lap. May 19, 1975, “Mason-Dixon 500” – David Pearson (4): 103 caution laps is tied for most in track history (Fall 1993). Pearson was only driver on the lead lap. Sept. 14, 1975, “Delaware 500” – Richard Petty (5): Petty recovers from part mishap and takes advantage of timely caution flag in record fifth win. May 16, 1976, “Mason-Dixon 500” – Benny Parsons (1): Parsons wins by 25.5 seconds over Pearson. Sept. 19, 1976, “Delaware 500” – Cale Yarborough (1): Yarborough comes from two laps down multiple times before earning win. May 15, 1977, “Mason-Dixon 500” – Cale Yarborough (2): Yarborough leads final 97 laps, topps Pearson by 6.2 seconds. Sept. 18, 1977, “Delaware 500” – Benny Parsons (2): Parsons leads the final 250 laps, and 267 overall. May 21, 1978, “Mason-Dixon 500” – David Pearson (5): NASCAR’s “Silver Fox” leads the final 72 laps. Among drivers with three or more Dover wins, Pearson has the highest average finish at 8.0 through 16 races. Sept. 17, 1978, “Delaware 500” – Bobby Allison (3): Allison leads 257 of final 258 laps, topping Yarborough by almost 20 seconds. May 20, 1979, “Mason-Dixon 500” – Neil Bonnett (1): Bonnett and Yarborough trade the lead from Lap 220 on. Bonnett takes lead for good on Lap 498 and official margin of victory is “two car lengths.” Sept. 16, 1979, “CRC Chemicals 500” – Richard Petty (6): Petty edges Donnie Allison by half a car length and becomes first driver with six Dover wins. It is Petty’s only Dover victory in a Chevrolet. May 18, 1980, “Mason-Dixon 500” – Bobby Allison (4): Allison leads final 121 laps. Petty is only other car on lead lap. Sept. 14, 1980, “CRC Chemicals 500” – Darrell Waltrip (1): Most lead changes in track history (29). May 17, 1981, “Mason-Dixon 500” – Jody Ridley (1): Ridley’s only NASCAR Cup Series win. Took lead for good on Lap 481. Sept. 20, 1981 “CRC Chemicals 500” – Neil Bonnett (2): Bonnett, who led 185 laps, finished as only driver on lead lap. May 16, 1982, “Mason-Dixon 500” – Bobby Allison (5): Allison led a commanding 486 laps and finished three laps ahead of runner-up Dave Marcis. Sept. 19, 1982, “CRC Chemicals 500” – Darrell Waltrip (2): Waltrip dominates, leading 287 laps before edging Kyle Petty at finish.
27. May 15, 1983, “Mason-Dixon 500” – Bobby Allison (6): Ties Dover victory mark after taking lead for good over Waltrip on Lap 483. 28. Sept. 18, 1983, “Budweiser 500” – Bobby Allison (7): Allison sets track record for victories, capping Dover sweep during only NASCAR championship season. 29. May 20, 1984, “Budweiser 500” – Richard Petty (7): Petty ties track record for victories and picks up career win No. 199.
70
D O V E R I N T E R N AT I O N A L S P E E D W AY
30. 31. 32. 33. 34. 35. 36. 37. 38. 39. 40. 41. 42. 43. 44. 45.
62. 63. 64.
Sept. 16, 1984, “Delaware 500” – Harry Gant (1): “Handsome Harry’s” first Dover win is first Monster Mile race to finish under caution. May 19, 1985, “Budweiser 500” – Bill Elliott (1): “Awesome Bill from Dawsonville” was only driver on lead lap. Sept. 15, 1985, “Delaware 500” – Harry Gant (2): Gant leads final 94 laps, with Waltrip only other driver on lead lap. May 18, 1986, “Budwesier 500” – Geoff Bodine (1): Bodine took lead for good on Lap 457. Gant led most laps but had late engine failure. Sept. 14, 1986, “Delaware 500” – Ricky Rudd (1): Rudd leads a race-high 141 laps. Begins a streak of five straight wins for Ford. May 30, 1987, “Budweiser 500” – Davey Allison (1): Just second driver to win first Dover race Sept. 20, 1987, “Delaware 500” – Ricky Rudd (2): Rudd cruised, leading race-high 373 laps, topping Davey Allison by 2 seconds. June 5, 1988, “Budweiser 500” – Bill Elliott (2): Elliott edges Morgan Shepherd in closest Dover finish at that time (.210 second). Sept. 18, 1988, “Delaware 500” – Bill Elliott (3): Elliott caps Dover sweep during his only NASCAR championship season. June 4, 1989, “Budweiser 500” – Dale Earnhardt (1): “The Intimidator” leads 456 laps but edges tops Mark Martin by just half a second. Sept. 17, 1989, “Peak Performance 500” – Dale Earnhardt (2): Earnhardt passes eventual runner-up Martin for good on Lap 484. June 3, 1990, “Budweiser 500” – Derrike Cope (1): Cope backed up his shocking Daytona 500 victory earlier in the year with this win. Sept. 16, 1990, “Peak Antifreeze 500” – Bill Elliott (4): Elliott’s final Dover win is quickest 500-mile race in track history (125.945 mph). June 2, 1991, “Budweiser 500” – Ken Schrader (1): Schrader’s last NASCAR Cup Series victory. Sept. 15, 1991, “Peak Antifreeze 500” – Harry Gant (3): Gant was only driver on lead lap after multiple wrecks. May 31, 1992, “Budweiser 500” – Harry Gant (4): Gant leads the final 41 laps and becomes Dover’s oldest winner (52 years, 4 months, 12 days). It is also Oldsmobile’s last win at Dover. Sept. 20, 1992, “Peak Antifreeze 500” – Ricky Rudd (3): Rudd took lead for good on Lap 476, edging Elliott by less than half a second. June 6, 1993, “Budweiser 500” – Dale Earnhardt (3): Earnhardt leads last 63 laps in final Dover win. Sept. 19, 1993, “SplitFire Spark Plug 500” – Rusty Wallace (1): Most caution flags in Dover’s history (16), leads to track’s slowest 500-mile race (100.334 mph). June 5, 1994, “Budweiser 500” – Rusty Wallace (2): Wallace and Ernie Irvan trade lead from Lap 234 on. Wallace leads 150 laps and tops Irvan by .340 second. Sept. 18, 1994, “SplitFire Spark Plug 500” – Rusty Wallace (3): Wallace’s final Dover win comes with track’s second under caution finish. Earnhardt places second. June 4, 1995, “Miller Genuine Draft 500” – Kyle Petty (1): First race on concrete surface. Kyle Petty’s last NASCAR Cup Series victory. Sept. 17, 1995, “MBNA 500” – Jeff Gordon (1): Gordon leads 400 laps on his way to first NASCAR championship. June 2, 1996, “Miller 500” – Jeff Gordon (2): Gordon leads 307, tops eventual NASCAR champion Terry Labonte by 3.9 seconds. Sept. 15, 1996, “MBNA 500” – Jeff Gordon (3): Gordon completes Dover sweep, leading 204 laps and beating Wallace to checkered flag by less than half a second. June 1, 1997, “Miller 500” – Ricky Rudd (4): Rudd’s final victory is closest Dover finish at that time (.091 second) over Martin. Race is final 500-lap event at Dover. Sept. 21, 1997, “MBNA 400” – Mark Martin (1): Dover’s first 400-mile race goes to Martin, who led final 21 laps. May 31, 1998, “MBNA Platinum 400” – Dale Jarrett (1): Jarrett led only the final eight laps, topping Jeff Burton by more than 13 seconds. Sept. 20, 1998, “MBNA Gold 400” – Mark Martin (2): Martin leads a race-high 379 laps. Matt Kenseth made NASCAR Cup Series debut. June 6, 1999, “MBNA Platinum 400” – Bobby Labonte (1): Takes lead from Gordon on Lap 395. Race ends on an extended green-flag run and multiple drivers run out of gas before checkered flag. Sept. 26, 1999, “MBNA Gold 400” – Mark Martin (3): Martin leads final 52 laps, tops Tony Stewart by 1.145 seconds. June 4, 2000, “MBNA Platinum 400” – Tony Stewart (1): Stewart leads 242 laps, tops Kenseth by 1.215 seconds. Kurt Busch made NASCAR Cup Series debut. Sept. 24, 2000, “MBNA.Com 400” – Tony Stewart (2): Stewart was one of a record 13 lead drivers. June 3, 2001, “MBNA Platinum 400” – Jeff Gordon (4): Gordon set record for most laps led in 400-mile Dover race (381). Sept. 23, 2001, “MBNA Cal Ripken, Jr. 400” – Dale Earnhardt Jr. (1): Dover’s most famous race. First NASCAR Cup Series race after Sept.
65. 66. 67. 68. 69. 70. 71.
11 tragedies. Junior celebrates win with giant American flag flowing out of window during victory lap. June 2, 2002, “MBNA Platinum 400” – Jimmie Johnson (1): Rookie wins race during first visit to Monster Mile. Sept. 22, 2002, “MBNA All-American Heroes 400” – Jimmie Johnson (2): Johnson leads final 80 laps. June 1, 2003, “MBNA Armed Forces Family 400” – Ryan Newman (1): Newman wins pole, leads race-high 162 laps. Sept. 21, 2003, “MBNA America 400” – Ryan Newman (2): Newman leads final 73 laps, and 106 total, on way to yearly Dover sweep. June 6, 2004, “MBNA 400: A Salute To Heroes” – Mark Martin (4): Martin’s final Dover win is track’s slowest 400-mile race (97.042 mph). Sept. 26, 2004, “MBNA America 400” – Ryan Newman (3): Monster Trophy debuts in Victory Lane at this race. June 5, 2005, “MBNA RacePoints 400” – Greg Biffle (1): Biffle leads race-high 150 laps.
46. 47. 48. 49. 50. 51. 52. 53. 54. 55. 56. 57. 58. 59. 60. 61.
D O V E R I N T E R N AT I O N A L S P E E D W AY
71
