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CONCORD, N.C. -- After a whopping 37 cautions during the two premiere events at Lowe's Motor Speedway, officials knew they had to act quickly to fix the troubled track surface before it became too treacherous for racing.
The result is a $3 million repaving project that track officials said Tuesday will give the 46-year-old speedway an "attitude adjustment."
"We are going to remold the track to take some of the meanness out of it," track president Humpy Wheeler said.
The track was certainly mean in 2005 after Wheeler spent $250,000 on a grinding process called "levigating" that was designed to smooth out the bumps around the 1.5-mile oval. Although the track was smoother in spots, the process led to a NASCAR-record 22 cautions during Lowe's flagship event, the Coca-Cola 600.
Trying to avoid a repeat of the May wreck-fest, Wheeler went back onto the track for more grinding before the October race.
That turned into a colossal disaster.
The track surface was way too slick and the tires Goodyear provided to the teams weren't equipped to handle the increased speeds. The rubber began to blow at inopportune times, creating an event-record 15 cautions.
Five of the 10 drivers in the championship hunt had tire problems, including eventual series champion Tony Stewart, who crashed hard into the wall after he cut a tire while leading the race.
In an effort to slow the popping tires, NASCAR took the unusual step of issuing a mid-race mandate on air pressure requirements for the right front tires. Afterward, drivers were livid about the racing conditions, with Kevin Harvick calling the event "pretty disgusting and pretty embarrassing for our sport."
So Wheeler and track owner Bruton Smith are opening their wallets to fix the problem before the next race at Lowe's. Work started Jan. 16, but the actual paving won't begin until sometime next month because temperatures have to be over 55 degrees before the asphalt can be poured.
The project is expected to be finished by March 27, plenty of time for drivers and Goodyear to test the new surface before Lowe's first race.
Wheeler knows that the repaving project won't please everyone.
"We talked to a lot of drivers about this, and of course when you talk to drivers you get mixed reactions," Wheeler said. "Some want it paved, some don't. If Dale Earnhardt Sr. were alive, he would want us not only not to pave, but he'd want us to put a couple of holes in it."
Some drivers believe there was nothing wrong with the track before Wheeler's levigating process, and they allege the grinding is what ruined the surface.
"It really doesn't matter what we think or say, but in my opinion it was perfect before they grounded it," Matt Kenseth said. "Yeah, the track was slippery and had some bumps here and there, but that's what gave it character and made it fun to race."
But now that the track is in trouble and repaving can't be avoided, drivers are hopeful it will be done correctly.
"The cool part of Charlotte was when tires used to get old, the handling chassis really came to the front," Jamie McMurray said. "The way it was last year, it was so fast and it never slowed down."
Even with the paving, Wheeler isn't sure that will change. He thinks speeds are still going to be dangerously high -- he guesses the cars will run about 195 miles per hour in qualifying -- and said track officials are working with NASCAR to find ways to slow it down.
Wheeler said the horsepower-sapping restrictor plates used to slow the cars at Daytona and Talladega aren't under consideration.
"Generally tracks get faster, temporarily, after they are resurfaced. Then they go back to normal," NASCAR president Mike Helton said. "If there is a problem, we're staying in close touch with Humpy and the people at Lowe's and we'll deal with it."
Wheeler stressed that the repaving will be beneficial when NASCAR rolls out the Car of Tomorrow. The car will be phased in beginning in 2007, and won't race at Charlotte until 2009.
The cars, designed by NASCAR, will be bigger and boxier than the current models and are expected to be slower.
The result is a $3 million repaving project that track officials said Tuesday will give the 46-year-old speedway an "attitude adjustment."
"We are going to remold the track to take some of the meanness out of it," track president Humpy Wheeler said.
The track was certainly mean in 2005 after Wheeler spent $250,000 on a grinding process called "levigating" that was designed to smooth out the bumps around the 1.5-mile oval. Although the track was smoother in spots, the process led to a NASCAR-record 22 cautions during Lowe's flagship event, the Coca-Cola 600.
Trying to avoid a repeat of the May wreck-fest, Wheeler went back onto the track for more grinding before the October race.
That turned into a colossal disaster.
The track surface was way too slick and the tires Goodyear provided to the teams weren't equipped to handle the increased speeds. The rubber began to blow at inopportune times, creating an event-record 15 cautions.
Five of the 10 drivers in the championship hunt had tire problems, including eventual series champion Tony Stewart, who crashed hard into the wall after he cut a tire while leading the race.
In an effort to slow the popping tires, NASCAR took the unusual step of issuing a mid-race mandate on air pressure requirements for the right front tires. Afterward, drivers were livid about the racing conditions, with Kevin Harvick calling the event "pretty disgusting and pretty embarrassing for our sport."
So Wheeler and track owner Bruton Smith are opening their wallets to fix the problem before the next race at Lowe's. Work started Jan. 16, but the actual paving won't begin until sometime next month because temperatures have to be over 55 degrees before the asphalt can be poured.
The project is expected to be finished by March 27, plenty of time for drivers and Goodyear to test the new surface before Lowe's first race.
Wheeler knows that the repaving project won't please everyone.
"We talked to a lot of drivers about this, and of course when you talk to drivers you get mixed reactions," Wheeler said. "Some want it paved, some don't. If Dale Earnhardt Sr. were alive, he would want us not only not to pave, but he'd want us to put a couple of holes in it."
Some drivers believe there was nothing wrong with the track before Wheeler's levigating process, and they allege the grinding is what ruined the surface.
"It really doesn't matter what we think or say, but in my opinion it was perfect before they grounded it," Matt Kenseth said. "Yeah, the track was slippery and had some bumps here and there, but that's what gave it character and made it fun to race."
But now that the track is in trouble and repaving can't be avoided, drivers are hopeful it will be done correctly.
"The cool part of Charlotte was when tires used to get old, the handling chassis really came to the front," Jamie McMurray said. "The way it was last year, it was so fast and it never slowed down."
Even with the paving, Wheeler isn't sure that will change. He thinks speeds are still going to be dangerously high -- he guesses the cars will run about 195 miles per hour in qualifying -- and said track officials are working with NASCAR to find ways to slow it down.
Wheeler said the horsepower-sapping restrictor plates used to slow the cars at Daytona and Talladega aren't under consideration.
"Generally tracks get faster, temporarily, after they are resurfaced. Then they go back to normal," NASCAR president Mike Helton said. "If there is a problem, we're staying in close touch with Humpy and the people at Lowe's and we'll deal with it."
Wheeler stressed that the repaving will be beneficial when NASCAR rolls out the Car of Tomorrow. The car will be phased in beginning in 2007, and won't race at Charlotte until 2009.
The cars, designed by NASCAR, will be bigger and boxier than the current models and are expected to be slower.