DOVER, Del. -- Dover International Speedway will reduce capacity to 85,000 by 2016, continuing a trend of racetracks removing seats.
The 1-mile facility, which in 2009 could hold 135,000 before a seat-widening project decreased capacity to 113,000, took out 17,500 seats in the offseason. Playing host to the Sprint Cup Series this weekend, Dover has a current capacity of 95,500.
The seats removed were in Turn 2 as well as the lower level in Turn 3. The upper level of Turn 3 will be removed after the races in September, cutting capacity to 85,000, according to a news release issued Friday morning.
"We are exploring all aspects of repurposing the mezzanine in Turn 3," said track president Michael Tatoian. "We are excited to see where our conversations will take us."
Other tracks have created fan decks and high-level recreation vehicle spots in areas where they have removed seats.
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.
Dover, 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.
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. For a sport whose bloodline is sponsorships, empty seats also can impact the ability for teams and tracks to land sponsorship deals.