Texas Motor Speedway
will begin a major capital improvement project last week, consisting of a
complete repave, construction of an extensive drainage system and a
re-profiling of the 1.5-mile oval.
The renovation will add
a new layer of asphalt over the existing pavement, an expansive French drainage
system on the frontstretch and backstretch, and reduce the banking in Turns 1
and 2 by four degrees. Barring extensive weather delays, the project is
expected to be completed by early to mid-March in anticipation of the O'Reilly
Auto Parts 500 NASCAR doubleheader scheduled for April 7-9.
The repaving and
drainage system come as a result of issues the facility was incurring in
attempting to dry the racing surface, in particular this past year when both
NASCAR race weekends and the INDYCAR race were affected by weather-related
delays.
"The fans are why
we are doing this," said Texas Motor Speedway President Eddie Gossage.
"The old pavement no longer dried as quickly because through the years of
use and weather, the asphalt became porous, kind of like a sponge. Even if we
only had a brief shower it was taking us far too long to get the track dried in
order to get on to the racing. We owe it to the fans to present the best possible
race track so they will be assured of seeing NASCAR and INDYCAR races even if
we face some brief inclement weather. This will accomplish that goal."
Lane Construction Corp.,
of Justin, Texas, will handle the repaving project, after resurfacing several
other speedways since 2003 including Charlotte Motor Speedway, Daytona
International Speedway, Darlington Raceway and Talladega Superspeedway.
The repave will feature
an asphalt mix similar to the surfaces at SMI sister tracks, Kentucky Speedway
and Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The mix used in conjunction with the construction
method will aid in the track's properties of an "aged" track.
The owners at Circuit of the Americas are fighting tooth and nail to get a Nascar race weekend, but the people at TMS want no part of it. This repave and configuration has everything to do with the people in Austin trying to move in on Fort Worth. Xfinity would do great at COTA. It's not Ohio or Wisconsin in terms of destination and media and would blow those places out of the sky.
ReplyDeleteWhy should NASCAR race at Circuit of the Americas? Texas is a superspeedway, by definition superior to a place like Circuit of the Americas.
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