For a driver who competes at every type of track on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule, Austin Cindric is careful about playing favorites. But when the question shifts from “favorite track” to where he would take someone for a ride if he could add a passenger seat to his car, his answer comes quickly.
Dover.
“If I was to put a passenger seat in a race car and take it to a racetrack, I'd take you to Dover,” Cindric told Newsweek.
There is a reason drivers talk about Dover Motor Speedway differently.
You drop down into the corners like a roller coaster. With 24 degrees of banking and a 58-foot-wide racing surface, The Monster Mile demands full commitment. Cars reach speeds near 170 mph, and the abrasive concrete surface steadily wears down tires throughout a run, forcing drivers to manage aggression and control at the same time.
Cindric has already had his share of big Dover moments.
In 2021, he captured a NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series victory at the track, leading the final 51 laps. Since moving into the Cup Series in 2022, his best finish at Dover is 12th in four starts. Although his results may fluctuate at The Monster Mile, his appreciation for the track has not.
“The sensation of speed at Dover is better than any other racetrack, even visually,” Cindric explained. “I'll never forget my first Xfinity qualifying session there. I walked out there and there was the 45 car. It was almost two seconds off the pace in a 22-second lap. I lapped that car like six times in practice. I walk out on pit road and qualifying just started tail end of the field is going out, and that 45 car looked like it was hauling the mail. I was like, ‘Man, I'm going way faster than that guy and that looks scary fast.”
What it looks like from pit road is one thing. What it feels like inside the car is something else entirely.
“You drop several stories into the corner. You typically are committing to partial throttle, if not full throttle, way before you can ever see the exit of the corner. It’s very stimulating. And then you pop out of the hole and go on the flat. You get tire spin towards the end of the skid. It's a very fun racetrack.”
That element of trust is part of what defines a lap at Dover. Drivers commit to the corner before they can see the exit, manage tire wear on a surface that never really gives them a break, and try to keep momentum on a track that punishes small mistakes.
Now, the Monster Mile adds a new chapter. On May 17, Dover Motor Speedway will host the NASCAR All-Star Race--the first running of the event in the Northeast. Cindric’s perspective on the event reflects the respect drivers have for The Monster Mile.
“It’s one of my favorites to just cut a lap,” Cindric said.
For a track that has tested NASCAR’s best since 1969, Dover Motor Speedway is the World’s Fastest One-Mile Oval and a "can't miss" on any NASCAR fan's bucket list. Don't miss Austin Cindric, and the rest of the superstars of NASCAR during the NASCAR All-Star Race weekend, May 15-17, with tickets available to purchase here.
