Michigan International Speedway to be completely repaved after upcoming race weekend – NASCAR news
The Michigan International Speedway will be completely repaved after the upcoming NASCAR race weekend at the venue.
The circuit will be repaved for the fourth time since its completion. On Sunday, MIS will host the 15th event of the 2011 Sprint Cup Series, Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips 400.
In the past, the track has been repaved in 1977, 1986 and 1995. In a recent survey and laser inspection, the track surface was found to be varying in banking angles which became the major cause to take the decision of re-pavement.
International Speedway Corporation, Senior Director of construction, Bill Braniff said, “We'll have a much smoother track than we have right now. We'll give the track a facelift and create a new competitive surface for the drivers which is smoother than
the current surface but maintains all the same rate of rotation through the transitions, banking, bank angle changes, those kind of things.”
Braniff further commented on the track’s condition to give a clear idea about the present condition of the tarmac as he said, “The very bottom lane, which is the first one up from the white line, is anywhere from a 1 degree to 3 degree angle break from the
next one up. Those are the kind of details we want to replicate.”
President of the MIS, Roger Curtis announced that the re-paving project will cost seven million US Dollars. He said the paving process will start immediately after the Sunday race and the first place which will be started is the pit road. The paving procedure
is scheduled to finish before August 2011 when NASCAR race weekend will return. The venue will host another race, Michigan 400 at the venue, which is expected to be held on the freshly laid tarmac.
Curtis and Braniff said that the new asphalt surface will be ready for the 2012 NASCAR season after facing weather erosions.
A paving company in Michigan will handle the project, which has already paved the Phoenix International Raceway. According to the paving plan, track surface will be removed about two inches deep in order to clear any ditch or bump in the present surface.
After removing the older surface, two new layers will be laid- one for levelling the track and the second one for wearing out the surface.
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