At Dover Motor Speedway, racing never truly stops. While NASCAR fans know “The Monster Mile” as one of the most intense and demanding tracks in the country, another racing tradition keeps the property buzzing long after the roar of stock cars fades.
This week, crews raised the massive temporary bridge that connects the NASCAR oval to the Bally’s harness racing track. The bridge is a vital piece of engineering, allowing horses, drivers, and equipment to safely cross the one-mile concrete Monster Mile and reach the 5/8-mile limestone harness oval located in the infield. When the bridge goes up, it signals that another racing chapter at Dover is ready to begin.
From Horsepower to Horse Power
As autumn settles in, the thunder of 670-horsepower engines gives way to a different sound: the rhythmic gallop of Standardbred racehorses. From late October through mid-April, Bally’s Dover hosts one of the nation’s top harness racing meets, carrying on a tradition that has now spanned more than four decades.
Every fall, crews move hundreds of tons of dirt and gravel to construct the bridge across the high-banked concrete turns. The transformation is striking—the same facility that just months earlier hosted the fastest stockcars in the world seamlessly shifts to welcome world-class equine athletes and their drivers.
The horse paddock sits near the Speedway’s grandstands, placing both forms of racing just steps apart. On one side, fans experience the high banks and tight corners of the Monster Mile. On the other, they witness the speed and strategy of harness racing, where split-second decisions and horsepower of a different kind determine the winners.
Harness Racing Tradition
Bally’s Dover has long been one of the most respected venues in North American harness racing. Each season, the track hosts multiple nights of racing per week, featuring some of the sport’s finest drivers and stables. The simulcasting facility inside the adjacent Bally’s Dover Casino remains open year-round, giving fans the chance to wager and watch races from around the country—but the live meet brings the excitement directly to the First State.
The marquee event of the meet is the annual Progress Pace, which consistently attracts the best three-year-old pacers in the world. With lucrative purses and a reputation for elite competition, the Progress Pace stands as a crown jewel in harness racing and a source of pride for the entire Dover community.
The Monster Mile Awakens
While harness racing thrives through the winter, “The Monster Mile” never stays quiet for long. Dover Motor Speedway’s NASCAR season roars back to life each spring, when the temporary bridge is dismantled and the oval returns to its original form. The same surface that horses crossed during the winter once again becomes the battleground for the world’s top stock car drivers as they try to tame the Monster.
This dual identity—stock car racing in the spring and harness racing through the winter—makes Dover one of the most unique motorsports venues in the world. It’s a place where racing isn’t just an event; it’s a year-round way of life.
A Place Where Racing Never Stops
For more than 50 years, Dover has been a destination where horsepower in all its forms takes center stage. The concrete oval has hosted legends from Richard Petty to Jimmie Johnson to Kyle Larson, while the harness track has seen world-class trotters and pacers storm to victory. Few venues in sports can claim such a rich and diverse racing calendar.
This week, as the bridge rises once again inside the oval, it’s a reminder that at Dover Motor Speedway, racing never really ends. One season blends into the next, one tradition fuels another, and the roar of engines gives way to the rhythm of hooves—until the Monster is ready to roar again.
Get in on the racing action this May for the NASCAR All-Star race! Tickets are on-sale NOW!
