Phoenix to be overhauled

NASCAR drivers almost certainly will find Phoenix International Raceway to be a very different place a year from now. The first repaving of the 1-mile oval since 1993 is considered very likely, with the work to begin soon after February's Subway Fresh Fit 500. But the changes could be dramatic: reconfiguration to include bottom-to-top gradual banking, widening and even opening-up the radius of the turns. Such modifications could make racing more exciting for fans. Directors of International Speedway Corp., PIR's parent company, are expected to green-light the estimated $10 million repaving project at a meeting Wednesday in Miami, The Republic has confirmed. The Avondale City Council also must OK a development agreement with PIR; that's likely to happen by early December. Computer modeling will be used to evaluate how such a reconfiguration would affect competition – no final decisions have been made. The banking currently ranges from 3 to 11 degrees, and in racing terms PIR is considered a "flat" track. The progressive banking design has been popular at other tracks, such as the 1 1/2-mile Homestead-Miami Speedway. "We have put together a request to the board of directors to approve funding to repave after the February race," PIR President Bryan Sperber said. "Track management and ISC have been working on the preliminary plans." Arizona Republic