(Image/Dragzine)
Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, OH is undergoing a $1.6 million track reconstruction project that will make the racing surface entirely concrete from the starting line through the finish line, to improve drainage, aesthetics, and speed.
Track reconstruction will begin in February 2018 and SMP officials say the project will be finished in time for the 37th Annual Spring Warm-Up scheduled for April 28-29.
In addition to the all-concrete racing surface, new asphalt will be poured for the staging lanes, as well as between 100 feet past the finish line (where the concrete will end) and the sandtrap at the end of the track.
“Our track surface has worked well, but since we became part of the NHRA in 2007, I’ve been thinking about ripping out the track and starting over so that we have an all-concrete surface rather than a concrete and asphalt surface,” said Bill Bader Jr., president of Summit Motorsports Park, in a news release. “We really got aggressive about it three years ago, and we’ve been researching it and talking with Jim Head, who races a high-horsepower car and is a concrete paver, so he has an understanding of what’s needed to ensure a high-quality track.”
SMP has long been considered one of the premier drag-racing facilities in the United States with one of the best racing surfaces. Bader Jr. and his team are always looking for more.
Bader Jr. said he’s looking for fast drainage, great looks, and above all—speed.
“I want one track surface with no transition from concrete to asphalt,” he said. “I want it to have the crown that had been lost in the current track from being profiled, which will allow it to shed water and dry more quickly. I want it to be aesthetically pleasing and absolute perfection, and I want it to be fast.”
For more information, visit Summit Motorsports Park.
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