Dover extends SAFER barriers, lengthens pit stalls

Photo courtesy of Dover International Speedway

Dover International Speedway announced Monday that it has completed track enhancement projects ahead of this weekend's NASCAR tripleheader, including expanded use of energy-absorbing barriers.

The 1-mile Delaware track said that it has added 479 feet of the SAFER (Steel and Foam Energy Reduction) barrier system along the inside retaining wall on the backstretch and into Turn 3. Of that distance, 78 feet was placed along the existing concrete wall with the remaining 401 feet extending a new steel-post wall into the third-turn entrance.

The Monster Mile also lengthened pit boxes, removing three stalls to adjust to the new 40-car maximum field size in NASCAR's top two divisions. The alterations expand each pit stall by 2 feet to a length of 34 feet. The stalls remain 16-feet wide.

Dover also added 550 feet of new asphalt in the area behind pit road, leading from the start-finish line to the entrance of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series garage.

The track hosts all three NASCAR national series this weekend — the Camping World Truck Series on Friday, the XFINITY Series on Saturday and the Sprint Cup Series on Sunday.