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Sprint Cup
CUP: Daytona Getting New ‘Tennis Shoes’
Daytona International Speedway will host its final races on the current track surface this weekend...
Daytona International Speedway was last repaved in 1978. (Photo: LAT Photographic)
Daytona International Speedway’s normal business is racing. But, at the moment, it has a huge asphalt production facility outside the second turn.
Workers will begin repaving the 2.5-mile racing surface at DIS this summer, a massive and expensive ($20 million) project that will change the face of racing at one of NASCAR’s marquee facilities. The track, which will host its final races on the old surface this weekend, has been repaved only once – in 1978 – since it opened in 1959.
Almost universally, drivers oppose the repaving, which will require about 50,000 tons of asphalt. They understand the need for it – among other reasons, an embarrassing hole opened up in the track during this year’s Daytona 500, delaying the race – but they like the track as it is. That is to say bumpy, slick and challenging for drivers.
When the surface is repaved, the new asphalt will be very smooth and the tire grip level will be excellent. Racing will be faster, but the refurbished track will be much less challenging for the drivers.
Kyle Busch described himself as “not a fan” of the repaving.
“I think it’s cool the way that the track is old and it’s slick,” he said. “You’ve really got to have a good handling race car to get around here. [But] we don’t need to have the same situation we had here in the spring, which is the track coming apart (on) us causing issues for the biggest race in motorsports and our year – the Daytona 500.”
Kevin Harvick said the driver will be less important when the track reopens with fresh pavement because “handling is totally out the window. There will be no handling aspect to it. It will be just like Talladega. Getting your car as fast as you can make it is going to make packs just like Talladega with half the width of the race track [Daytona is not as wide as Talladega].
“You still have to put yourself in position. You still have to survive the wrecks. You still have to do all the things to get you to the end of the race.”
Although he doesn’t want to go the repaving route, Harvick said he understands.
“It is no different than a pair of tennis shoes,” he said. “If you wear them out and you have holes in the bottom of them, you have to go get some new ones, or you are going to be walking barefoot.
“Time has taken its toll on the race track, and you just have to start over with a fresh coat of asphalt. You can talk about the bumps and things of Daytona, but the identity of Daytona is Daytona itself, and the history of the race and all the things that have happened, no matter what the asphalt is on the race track.”
Mike Hembree is NASCAR Editor for SPEEDtv.com and has been covering motorsports for 28 years. He has written several books on NASCAR, including "NASCAR: The Definitive History of America's Sport" and "Then Tony Said To Junior: The Best NASCAR Stories Ever Told". He is a six-time winner of the National Motorsports Press Association Writer of the Year Award.
Workers will begin repaving the 2.5-mile racing surface at DIS this summer, a massive and expensive ($20 million) project that will change the face of racing at one of NASCAR’s marquee facilities. The track, which will host its final races on the old surface this weekend, has been repaved only once – in 1978 – since it opened in 1959.
Almost universally, drivers oppose the repaving, which will require about 50,000 tons of asphalt. They understand the need for it – among other reasons, an embarrassing hole opened up in the track during this year’s Daytona 500, delaying the race – but they like the track as it is. That is to say bumpy, slick and challenging for drivers.
When the surface is repaved, the new asphalt will be very smooth and the tire grip level will be excellent. Racing will be faster, but the refurbished track will be much less challenging for the drivers.
Kyle Busch described himself as “not a fan” of the repaving.
“I think it’s cool the way that the track is old and it’s slick,” he said. “You’ve really got to have a good handling race car to get around here. [But] we don’t need to have the same situation we had here in the spring, which is the track coming apart (on) us causing issues for the biggest race in motorsports and our year – the Daytona 500.”
TONIGHT! NASCAR Race Hub 6 p.m. ET Monday through Thursday. (Image: SPEED)
Kevin Harvick said the driver will be less important when the track reopens with fresh pavement because “handling is totally out the window. There will be no handling aspect to it. It will be just like Talladega. Getting your car as fast as you can make it is going to make packs just like Talladega with half the width of the race track [Daytona is not as wide as Talladega].
“You still have to put yourself in position. You still have to survive the wrecks. You still have to do all the things to get you to the end of the race.”
Although he doesn’t want to go the repaving route, Harvick said he understands.
“It is no different than a pair of tennis shoes,” he said. “If you wear them out and you have holes in the bottom of them, you have to go get some new ones, or you are going to be walking barefoot.
“Time has taken its toll on the race track, and you just have to start over with a fresh coat of asphalt. You can talk about the bumps and things of Daytona, but the identity of Daytona is Daytona itself, and the history of the race and all the things that have happened, no matter what the asphalt is on the race track.”
Mike Hembree is NASCAR Editor for SPEEDtv.com and has been covering motorsports for 28 years. He has written several books on NASCAR, including "NASCAR: The Definitive History of America's Sport" and "Then Tony Said To Junior: The Best NASCAR Stories Ever Told". He is a six-time winner of the National Motorsports Press Association Writer of the Year Award.
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