
NASCAR doesn't expect any issues with Iowa repaved corners
13/06/2024 08:54
One of the most noticeable variables for the weekend ahead [at Iowa Speedway] is the racing surface for the 7/8th-mile track. Elton Sawyer, NASCAR senior vice president of competition, told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio there were no plans to touch the surface before race weekend, but a closer look at the facility revealed trouble areas.
Both ends of the racetrack — through the corners — have been repaved. It was done on the bottom lane and, in some areas, extends perhaps a lane or lane and a half up the track.
"Fortunately, we were 70 to 80 percent where we needed to be from all the infrastructure, race control, SAFER barrier, things of that nature," Sawyer said Tuesday morning. "The one thing that over time that with this facility, obviously the winters are hard there in Iowa, and it took a toll on the surface. Our goal all along when we announced this race back in October of last year was to not repave.
"But as we started scheduling events, whether it was a tire test and looking at the facility, and once we got into the early part of the calendar this year, it was apparent that there were some areas we were going to have to take a look at and do some repaving. Again, our goal all along was not to do that. We wanted our fans to see that track and a race where the surface had been worn, but that just wasn‘t going to be the case."
— Racer —