Daytona will get a makeover

The Florida circuit, whose asphalt has not been resurfaced since 1978, will benefit from a new coating. Work will begin in July, five months after a hole appeared in the roadway during the Daytona 500.

Published on 25/04/2010 à 11:29

⁰ View comments)

Daytona, February 14, 2010. For the first race of the season Nascar Sprint Cup Series, the legendary Daytona 500, the asphalt of the Florida track does not hold up. On two occasions, the race had to be stopped for several tens of minutes in order to repair a hole that appeared in the asphalt between turns 1 and 2. A few weeks later, the owners of the Daytona International Speedway decided to refurbish the coating, which has been in place for over 31 years!

It is after the second Nascar Sprint Cup Series race of the year on the Daytona oval, starting in July, that the resurfacing work will take place. “ We couldn't take any more risks », Says Robin Braig, president of the track, who made this decision after studying the report from an engineering firm. “ It's a historic moment for Nascar's most iconic circuit ", he added.

The work will therefore begin in July and should be completed by the end of the year, for the GoodYear tire tests. Additionally, Robin Braig said fans who return for next year's Daytona 500 could inherit a piece of the old asphalt. Hoping that the unfolding of the opening race of the next Nascar Sprint Cup Series season does not lead fans to look at this old asphalt with nostalgia.