Jerry Smith

The News Journal

Dover International Speedway will have a cozier feel when the Monster Mile hosts the first of its 2017 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series events June 2-4, as “right-sizing” continues at the historic raceway.

Construction crews have been working all week to remove seating in the top grandstand, though raceway officials say the work being seen by anyone driving by the track is merely the conclusion of a seat removal process that was started a couple of years ago.

“This is a decision we made 2 to 3 years ago to downsize our facility,” said Dover International Speedway President Michael Tatoian. “Our capacity will remain at 85,000. This is the right size for our current attendance.”

Capacity at Dover has dwindled since 2009, when it held 135,000. That year, a seat-widening project decreased capacity to 113,000, and the numbers have continued to drop since.

Dover Speedway went from 113,000 to 95,500 after a major renovation that began in 2014 was completed in April 2015.

During the 2015 offseason, the raceway’s capacity was reduced to 85,000 seats, continuing the trend of racetracks removing seats because of declining attendance.

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In addition to removing seats, the track also spent $2.9 million for a new catch fence, which reaches 21 feet high. The former catch fence was 15 feet high.

“The landscape of not just our industry has changed as fans like a more intimate feel in all major sports facilities,” Tatoian said. “New stadiums are being built with this in mind.”

Tatoian brought up recent changes at Daytona International Speedway as a sign that even the crown jewel of NASCAR racing saw a need to change with the times.

Full removal of backstretch seating was completed this year, while a 101,000-seat stadium-style complex on the frontstretch was unveiled before the Daytona 500.

At least 12 tracks have decreased seating in the last three years, with track owners citing the need to create urgency for fans to buy tickets.

Tatoian said talks were ongoing to revamp the area of the grandstand that is being taken down, but in the end, there was no good way to repurpose the area of the raceway.

But going forward, he said the seating removal creates a better atmosphere for the fans and leaves open the possibility to create another unique space.

“This really isn’t discouraging to us,” Tatoian said. “Aesthetically, it will look and feel different to fans. Hopefully, in a year or two, it will look normal to those who have a long history at the track.”

Dover International Speedway, operated by publicly traded Dover Motorsports Inc., is one of three tracks on the Sprint Cup circuit not owned by International Speedway Corp. or Speedway Motorsports Inc.

Dover International Speedway officials recently announced NASCAR will return to the Monster Mile in 2017 for two tripleheader weekends on June 2-4 and Sept. 29-Oct. 1.

The June 2-4, 2017 weekend will feature a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race on Friday, June 2; a NASCAR XFINITY Series race on Saturday, June 3; and the “AAA 400 Drive for Autism” NASCAR Cup Series race on Sunday, June 4.

The Sept. 29-Oct. 1, 2017, weekend will feature a NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race on Friday, Sept. 30; a NASCAR XFINITY Series race on Saturday, Sept. 30; and a NASCAR Cup Series race on Sunday, Oct. 1.

The NASCAR Cup Series race on Sunday, Oct. 1, 2017, will again be the third race of the 10-race Chase for the NASCAR Cup Championship and feature the first four eliminations in the 16-driver field. It will be the fourth straight season that the Monster Mile will host the first elimination race of the Chase for the NASCAR Cup Championship playoffs.

For more information about the 2017 race season at Dover International Speedway, visit http://www.doverspeedway.com/.

Reach Jerry Smith at jsmith17@delawareonline.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JerrySmithTNJ.