Engineers find, fix more track trouble at Daytona International Speedway

Another track repair at Daytona speedway

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Daytona International Speedway officials are doing everything possible to avoid another pesky pothole.

Engineers, asphalt specialists and track workers spent Friday repeatedly checking every inch of the 2½-mile superspeedway. The heightened surveillance came hours after inspectors found another damaged section of track between turns 1 and 2 — a few feet from the spot that nearly shut down the Daytona 500 in February.

Workers used epoxy to repair a 1-foot-by-4½-foot area as a “precautionary measure” late Thursday night, track president Robin Braig said.

“It’s going to get tested, but we are confident that the precautions we’re taking are going to make a great Coke Zero 400,” Braig said.

NASCAR’s most storied track hasn’t been fully repaved since 1978, creating huge bumps through the high-banked turns and a slippery surface all around. The less-than-ideal conditions make for harrowing racing at 195 mph and inches from other cars.

Some drivers love it. Others, like Dale Earnhardt Jr., have been critical.

Everyone weighed in nearly five months ago, when a small hole between turns 1 and 2 took center stage at NASCAR’s marquee event, marred an otherwise spectacular season-opening race and prompted officials to apologize for more than two hours of delays.

Days after the race, engineers decided a strip of pavement would be removed and reinforced with a concrete patch. The patch is about 6 feet wide and 18 feet long. Officials expressed confidence it would hold up through Saturday night’s 400-mile race.

The track is scheduled to undergo a $20 million repaving beginning Monday.

But more damage developed after several practice sessions Thursday. Nationwide and Sprint Cup series cars turned laps for several hours — the first real test since February’s race.

“It is the only area on the track that we’ve seen any deterioration or any added pressure, stress to the pavement,” Braig said. “We’ve used every piece of technology available to scan the entire surface since the Daytona 500, but it’s 32 years old. We did core samples and knew it was deteriorated enough that now’s the time to repave.”

Braig said inspections will take place between every on-track session, with workers focused on the repaired sections.

“That has our full attention,” he said. “That whole area has our full attention because of the dips that are there. We’ve got everything from cameras focused on it to all my staff, the safety crews, the teams (checking).

“Whenever there’s a caution, whether it’s for an incident or a delay because of weather, we’ll be out there checking it and double checking it.”

Braig insisted the repairs were precautionary.

“Nothing had come out, no chunks had come out,” he said. “It was an area along the seam that had been patched a long time ago. To remove any risk and worry … We had the time, we had the personnel, we had the materials, and it was a good opportunity to really use what we’ve learned since the Daytona 500.”

NASCAR chairman Brian France said he was hopeful the recent repairs would last.

“I’ve got a high degree of confidence that the track here at Daytona is very prepared for what might happen under virtually every scenario,” France said. “They had an issue. They were right on it. So I have a high degree of confidence. Anything can happen. But, you know, I think they’re as prepared as you can be. I have confidence in that.”