Making sure that the next Cup Series race will be a trying challenge for drivers is a concrete monster called “Miles”. The gray creature is the official mascot of the 1-mile Dover Motor Speedway, NASCAR’s upcoming destination, and stands at the track at a height of 46 feet. The monster will also feature on the trophy that those victorious at Dover get.
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With a gray stone-y exterior, bulky profile, red eyes, and a NASCAR car in hand, Miles easily stands out in a crowd. Those approaching the track from Hwy 1 can spot him from half a mile away menacingly guard the track. The Dover Motor Speedway has had him as its mascot since 2000 and uses him to symbolize the racing toughness that it presents to drivers.
Considering that the track is known as the “Monster Mile”, there couldn’t have been a more apt name for the mascot. Miles holds in his hand a NASCAR car ready to fling it through the air. The poise adds to the intimidation that the creators hope to strike. Coming to the actual trophy that is presented to drivers, it is produced in Oklahoma by an organization called MTM Recognition.
According to a report by NASCAR, MTM prepares the trophy using a mixture of cement, resin, acrylic, sunstone, acrylic mirror and aluminum plates. The ingredients are cast into a Miles mold to shape the trophy. A granite base, the red eyes, and the car are then added to breathe life into the monster. The iconic trophy balances the right amount of track heritage and tradition while being a fun artifact to display.
What do drivers who’ve won at Dover say about the Monster Trophy?
The most successful Cup Series driver in Dover is Jimmie Johnson. Having won at track a record 11 times, he has the most number of Monster trophies in his mancave. He says to NASCAR about it, “I think five of them [trophies] are up there and others are scattered through this kind of pub area that I set up. They stand out. They’re a big trophy and they certainly draw a lot of attention.”
Kyle Busch, who has won Truck Series races at Dover in addition to Cup ones, calls his collection of Monster trophies a “family”. “Unfortunately, it’s quite expensive to build trophy cases,” he said and continued, “Some of them will have to live on the floor until we get a little further along. My big daddy Monster Mile Trophy (from Cup) — he’s in the trophy case.”
The Monster trophy for the upcoming race has been prepared and ready for over a month now to be handed out to the winner. Getting their hands on Miles will require quite the effort and will from drivers. Hopefully, they’ll be able to evade his monster clutches.
