Thoughts & Notes ~ PHOENIX

PIR President Bryan R. Sperber announces details related to the facility’s first major track paving project since 1993. The $10 million improvement plan will feature several components:

• Installation of a new, four-layer asphalt and aggregate surface
• Widening the front stretch from 52 to 62 feet
• Reconfiguring pit road with the installation of concrete pit stalls
• Pushing out the dog-leg curve between Turn 2 and Turn 3 by 95 feet
• Lowering the infield in Turns 3 and 4 to provide better Grandstand sightlines
• Tightening the turn radius of the dog-leg from 800 to 500 feet to make it a more defined turn
• Implementing variable banking to ensure immediate side-by-side racing and the use of two racing grooves, including 10-11 degree banking through Turn 1 and Turn 2; 10-11 degree banking in the apex of the dog-leg; and 8-9 degree banking in Turn 3 and Turn 4. The project involved the removal of 684,000 square feet of asphalt from the old surface, followed by the installation of a new surface that included 7,000 cubic yards of concrete, 600,000 pounds of metal reinforcement,70,000 cubic yards of import fill and 23,000 tons of new asphalt.

Jeff Gordon was the last one to win on the old configuration;