NASCAR: Dover loses 2021 race to make room for Nashville
By Asher Fair
One of Dover International Speedway’s NASCAR Cup Series races has been replaced by a race at Nashville Superspeedway for the 2021 season.
NASCAR is set to return to Nashville Superspeedway for the first time since the 2011 season next year with what is slated to be the first ever Cup Series race at the track.
NASCAR and Dover Motorsports Inc., which owns the track, announced Wednesday that the four-turn, 1.333-mile (2.145-kilometer) oval in Lebanon, Tennessee is set to re-open next year after sitting idle for a decade, aside from occasional rentals for stock car driving experiences or for car storage by Nissan.
“Thanks to the collaboration of Dover Motorsports and our broadcast partners, we are excited to bring NASCAR racing back to Nashville, a place where the passion for our sport runs deep,” NASCAR President Steve Phelps said in a release.
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“The Nashville market is a vital one for our sport, and bringing NASCAR Cup Series racing to Nashville Superspeedway will be an integral building block in helping us further deliver on our promise in creating a dynamic schedule for 2021.”
This race is set to come at the expense of one of Dover International Speedway’s two races next year. The four-turn, 1-mile (1.609-kilometer) high-banked oval in Dover, Delaware has hosted two races per season every year dating back to 1971 after hosting just one race per year in its first two years of operation in 1969 and 1970. This track is also owned by Dover Motorsports.
Nashville Superspeedway hosted 21 Xfinity Series races from 2001 to 2011 and 13 Truck Series races during the same 11-year span. It hosted 15 ARCA Menards Series races from 2001 to 2008 as well as eight IndyCar races during this eight-year span. It also hosted six NASCAR Southeast Series races from 2001 to 2005.
But it has never hosted a Cup Series race.
Dover Motorsports President and COO Denis McGlynn stated that the track is in great shape and that the company plans to spend between $8 million and $10 million over the next two years to get it back up and running. Refurbishing the track’s buildings, updating the infrastructure and replacing some SAFER barrier that was taken for use at Dover International Speedway are among the projects planned for that endeavor.
Race dates for next year’s races at Dover International Speedway and Nashville Superspeedway have not yet been announced.
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Dover International Speedway is on the 2020 schedule to host a race on Sunday, August 23, and it is one of the tracks still seeking a replacement date for its spring race, which was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Rumors suggest that this race will be held on Saturday, August 22 to create a doubleheader weekend.