Drivers with a soft spot for oval racing, like Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano, will welcome the return to left-turn-only territory. But Dover Motor Speedway is no ordinary bullring. As one of only ten tracks in the U.S. to host over 100 NASCAR Cup Series events, the ‘Monster Mile’ commands respect.
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Its unforgiving layout leaves little room for error, forcing drivers accustomed to Texas’s sweeping turns and long straights to quickly recalibrate for Dover’s corners and rhythm. Michael McDowell knows the drill all too well. The Spire Motorsports driver didn’t sugarcoat the difficulty of the track during media availability.
“Dover has been one of those tracks that is just so tough for me. I think Dover is fun because of the commitment, the speed, and the way that you drop into the hole. It is just a cool experience. The track will still take your breath away,” he admitted.
McDowell added, “It’s nerve-wracking when you unload and qualify. I enjoy the challenge, I just haven’t run well there. Last year was the first year where we were putting together a really solid race, and we finished top-10 in the First Stage, but I had a penalty on pit road, and then the right-front hub broke. It felt like that was the first time we could contend for a top-10 or a top-five finish there.”
Instead of dwelling too much on over a decade of challenging knocks at Dover, McDowell is focusing on that breakthrough run. He sees it as the springboard to finally turning the tide at one of NASCAR’s most daunting tracks. In fact, he also acknowledged the personal fulfillment in tackling venues where his team has historically come up short. That adversity only fuels his determination to rewrite the script.
According to McDowell, the team is already 60 percent of the way there, and this season he’d be aiming to close that final gap and put together a complete run on Sunday.
With two top-five finishes and another top-10 so far this season, McDowell sits 19th in the standings. Crucially, he is still within striking distance of the playoffs as the regular season winds down.
