May 30, 2015
Dover International Speedway has eliminated thousands of seats at the venue because of declining attendance, the Associated Press reports.
The Delaware racetrack, which hosts two Nascar Sprint Cup Series events each year, has went from 113,000 seats to 95,500 after a major renovation that began in 2014 and was completed in April.
The track, also known as "The Monster Mile," will cut down its capacity down even more to 85,000 seats after the 2015 season ends.
Dan Gelston of AP tweeted a picture of the renovated venue earlier this month:
Big chunk of grandstands are gone at @MonsterMile. pic.twitter.com/ILKoetM6or
— Dan Gelston (@APgelston) May 13, 2015
Dover hosts its first of two annual NASCAR events this weekend, headlined by the Sprint Cup Series' FedEx 400 Benefiting Autism Speaks on Sunday, May 31.
NASCAR attendance has suffered at many of the sport's venues over recent years. Forbes noted earlier this year that NASCAR stopped releasing attendance figures in 2012 after a sharp decline from the previous year's numbers, and television ratings have been dropping as well.
Part of the Dover renovation included a safety improvement, raising the fence around the track by 6 feet. Several NASCAR drivers and teams have bumped up safety measures for this season following a scary crash that left Kyle Busch with a broken right leg and left foot, according to Motorsport.com.
