Texas Motor Speedway is taking steps to eradicate the drainage issues that have recently plagued several races at the 1.5-mile track, announcing Friday it will undergo a repave and other capital improvements that will begin Monday.
Texas Motor Speedway to repave, fix drainage issues
The track is seeking to prevent long delays caused by water seeping through cracks of the asphalt.
Photo by Matthew Pearce/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
In addition to entirely new surface being laid on the track, TMS president Eddie Gossage said the banking in Turns 1 and 2 will be reduced from 24 to 20 degrees and the racing surface will be expanded from 60 to 80 feet. The degree of banking and width of surface will be the same in Turns 3 and 4. TMS also will install an “extensive drainage system” on the frontstretch and backstretch that will see trenches cut into the surface for water to drain away more efficiently, enabling the track to dry quicker.
The improvements are expected to be completed by mid-March. TMS’s first race of 2017 is April 8 when it hosts the NASCAR Xfinity Series with the Cup Series competing the following day. The cost of the refurbishment was not disclosed.
Unlike most other tracks, TMS’s repave was not brought about by an aged surface marked with potholes, more so repeated problems drying the track in a quick manner resulting in considerable delays. TMS’s surface last underwent a repave in 2001.
Last year, both Cup Series races were delayed when an insufficient drainage system caused water to seep up through the cracks in the track despite rain having stopped earlier. In June, an IndyCar race had to be postponed until August due to a similar issue.
Lane Construction Corp. will handle the repave project. The company has previously undertaken similar repaves at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Darlington Raceway, Daytona International Speedway, and Talladega Superspeedway since 2003, and will utilize a method that will help TMS’s new surface have the feel of a worn track. Drivers prefer aged tracks as they provide less grip, thereby presenting better opportunities to pass and race side-by-side.
“The fans are why we are doing this,” Gossage said. “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.”
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