NASCAR teams conclude test at Watkins Glen

Work is all done at Watkins Glen

A few hours after NASCAR driver Joey Logano won the Sprint Cup race at Watkins Glen International last August, he dug up a symbolic first chunk of the pavement to signal the start of the nearly $12 million repaving project of the Schuyler County racetrack.

The Penske Racing driver in the #22 Ford returned Tuesday, along with four other drivers from different teams, to rechristen the new asphalt surface in a two-day tire-testing session for Goodyear on the 2.45-mile portion of the track. The entire 3.4-mile layout, which includes the "Boot" section, was repaved for the first time since 1998.

"I thought they did an awesome job with the repave," Logano said during the second day of the test on Wednesday. "This place used to be kind of bumpy when you went into certain sections … now, it's pretty smooth."

Also attending the test were Carl Edwards, in the #19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota; Kasey Kahne, in the #5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet; Trevor Bayne, in the #6 Roush Fenway Racing Ford; and current Sprint Cup points leader and 2006 Watkins Glen race winner Kevin Harvick, in the #4 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet.

The cars weren't sporting their race livery but were in either a gray or black primer with their regular car number.

"This afternoon, we are going to run some different tires and try to pick the best tire to come here and race with," said Edwards. "This racetrack puts on some of the best racing in NASCAR. We definitely don't want to screw that up. We want to make sure we help pick the right tire."

With the fresh asphalt providing the drivers with better grip in the corners, record speeds are expected when they return in August. The drivers interviewed Wednesday, however, said the difference from last year's lap times weren't much faster so far. "I'm surprised at how well the cars move around on the new surface, and I'm really excited about that," Edwards said.

"I was nervous it was going to be really knife edge and hard to drive, and it's surprised me so far. "The track is very smooth, and the asphalt is actually a little more forgiving than a lot of the new repaves, which is nice. A couple of times, I've gotten pretty sideways and I've been able to just correct it pretty easily, and sometimes, on a new surface, that's tough." Elmira Star-Gazette