DOVER, Del. — NASCAR All-Star Weekend is bringing engines, campers, and crowds back to Dover Motor Speedway — but alongside the racing excitement, some longtime fans say they've noticed a shift in the stands over the years.
For decades, the Monster Mile has been a staple of Delaware’s summer sports calendar. But some fans who have been coming for years say the atmosphere isn’t what it used to be.
"People are leaving," said John Barnes, who has attended race weekend for 30 years. "You just go in there when you buy a ticket, and you go 'where are all these people?' It used to be jammed up, crunched."
Barnes says even longtime traditions are changing as the crowd he once came with slowly shrinks.
"We all would meet at the same spot," he said. "Everybody’s here and stays for over 30 some years. There were 40 people now in our group, and now we're the only ones left."
This year’s NASCAR stop in Dover looks different from past seasons. Instead of a traditional points-paying race, the track is hosting an All-Star exhibition event — part of NASCAR’s effort to rotate formats and showcase different venues.
For some fans, that change is noticeable.
"The bad is we had two races and now we don't have two races," said longtime camper Sonya Brow, who travels from out of state with family and friends. "The good is all the things that they do for the fans."
Brow has been coming to Dover for 28 years and says she still values the experience, even as she wishes the traditional race format hadn’t changed.
"I would rather be a competitive points race. I like the All-Star race, but it's not the same," she said.
She also says she’s seen a shift in attendance patterns over time.
"There's been a decline in fans coming to the races. Hopefully it gets back up because we love it when it's packed. But I don't know. It depends on how Sunday goes and how many people are in the stands."
Still, Brow noted that this year’s early turnout has surprised her.
"This year we came Wednesday, and we couldn't believe how many campers were coming in. It was nonstop on Wednesday, and that's unusual."
Local businesses also feel the impact of NASCAR weekend each year, with hotels and restaurants seeing one of their busiest stretches of the season.
Sonya Brow says that ripple effect matters.
"The restaurants and everything, they make a lot of money for the week that the racing's here. They would definitely not benefit from it. It would hurt them."
Even with changes to the race format, some fans believe the All-Star event may be drawing a more diverse crowd.
"It might be the All-Star Race because of the fact there's a lot of different people from different states," Brow said. "I hope that they don't lose the race because we love everything about it."
Track leadership says the All-Star weekend is part of a broader effort to keep Dover relevant in NASCAR’s long-term schedule.
"It's our 108th race weekend. So to have the NASCAR All-Star race be here and the first time ever in the Northeast region is pretty special for us," said Mike Tatoian, president of Dover Motor Speedway.
Tatoian says early indicators show strong interest from fans.
"Based on where we are right now, our fans are very excited. We're going to exceed ticket sales that we sold last year for our points race. And so people vote by their pocketbook."
He also says Dover’s role in the sport remains steady, even as race formats evolve.
"We’ll have a race in 2027. We just don't know if it'll be an All-Star race. We're going to see how this weekend goes," Tatoian said. "Where we're located is important to the sport. Our place in the mid-Atlantic region is a pretty solid one, so we feel comfortable going forward."
While questions remain about what future NASCAR weekends at Dover will look like, officials say the goal remains the same — keeping fans coming back to the Monster Mile for years to come.
