Kentucky Speedway has made no decision on when to repave (Update)
"Modifying Turns 1 and 2 will present an exciting challenge to the drivers while addressing issues of the track surface, SAFER barrier and drainage will improve safety, which is always our paramount concern," said General Manager of Kentucky Speedway, Mark Simendinger. The project will be coordinated by Vice President of Operations and Development for Speedway Motorsports Inc., Steve Swift.
"We have assembled an excellent team, all of whom are familiar with the demands of speedway construction. I am excited about the finished product as we wanted to present a unique challenge to the drivers. This design, with Turns 1 and 2 completely different than 3 and 4 accomplishes that goal. The big winner will be the race fan," said Swift. Kentucky Speedway
07/13/15
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| Jeff Gordon at Kentucky |
It's still too soon for Kentucky Speedway general manager Mark Simendinger to answer one of the biggest questions moving forward about the 1.5-mile oval in Sparta, Ky. When's the time to finally re-pave? "We've got a track that certainly produced great races," Simendinger said Sunday, after Kyle Busch won the previous night's Quaker State 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event.
"Normally you'd say, 'Don't touch those.' But we also have a track that took us almost four hours to dry, so that's not good." Paired with a new NASCAR rules package that drew rave reviews from drivers, Kentucky Speedway's 15-year-old surface produced its best Cup Series product yet on Saturday night.
Competitors were able to pass both on the yellow line and near the wall, with Busch and eventual runner-up Joey Logano changing the lead more than once inside the final 20 laps. While all three races during the triple-header weekend went off without a hitch, qualifying for each — plus extra Cup Series testing time for the low-downforce rules package — was washed out. Rain didn't necessarily prevent a dry track, but rather "weepers" — ground water spewing up through cracks in the track surface.
"It was a very, very unusual situation as far as us being in the middle of July and having such saturated ground," Simendinger said.
"We don't want to overreact — let everything settle in and get feedback from our drivers and maintenance guys." Either way, Simendinger said, a potential re-pave wouldn't happen before the NASCAR Xfinity Series' return to Sparta, Ky., this September. Then track officials have until the following summer to make a decision about the surface for next summer's Quaker State 400 weekend. Louisville Courier-Journal