Repaving project a testament to technology

So how do you pave a superspeedway?

The people at Lane Construction Corp. should know. They've done several speedway projects, including the repaving of Talladega Superspeedway. And since July 5, they've been busy at Daytona International Speedway, tearing out the current asphalt, leveling the crushed rock base underneath and preparing to lay down a seven-inch layer of new surface in time for Speedweeks 2011.

The entire repaving job encompasses 1.4 million square feet, which will take approximately 50,000 tons of asphalt -- not including the new concrete pit boxes. So it's a massive undertaking, requiring a lot of preparation, specialized equipment and expertise.

The track was originally paved in 1959 (top), then repaved in 1978. It hasn't been redone since then until Lane Construction took on the job this summer.

Founded in 1890, Lane has been building and widening highways, bridges and airports across the country for more than a century. And in the past decade, the company has branched out into the specialized field of speedway paving. That includes projects at Richmond, Darlington, Atlanta, Charlotte and Texas. But it was Talladega that made the company the obvious choice to tackle Daytona, which hasn't been repaved since 1978.

So when the pothole issue during February's Daytona 500 forced International Speedway Corp. to move up repaving plans to this summer instead of 2012, they called on Lane. And Lane called on project manager John Rauer.

Taking on a challenge

Rauer lives a stone's throw from Texas Motor Speedway and has been a NASCAR fan for many years. He understands why drivers, crew chiefs and teams are resistant to change, particularly when it comes to familiarity with setups and handling at certain tracks. Still, Daytona's aging asphalt was overdue for a retrofit, and it's his responsibility to bring the superspeedway's racing surface up to current standards while keeping its patented close-quarters racing intact.

As soon as Lane landed the job, the company had to get all of its specialized equipment and workforce of 50 employees in place, because the time constraints are crucial in this instance.

"When they contacted us, we obviously had to price it really quick and get everything mobilized," Rauer said. "It wasn't a matter of whether we could do it in that timeframe. It was a matter of whether we could get ready to do it. That was the most challenging thing, getting ready to kick off July 5."

Talladega and Daytona are high-banked superspeedways, and both were designed by engineer Charles Moneypenny. But Rauer said the similarities end there. Talladega's banking is only slightly steeper than Daytona's, but it's very noticeable up close. And it made for unique issues when it came to repaving.

"You'd think two degrees is not much, but it makes a huge difference as far as the steepness," Rauer said. "Talladega is a lot harder to walk on than Daytona. They're both hard to walk on, but you can tell a big difference in the slope and the degree."

And because of the lessons learned during the repaving of Talladega, Lane's engineering staff had a pretty good idea of what it would be facing when attempting the Daytona project.

"Every job, we come up with something new that makes it a little easier," Rauer said. "We've reduced our learning curve. There are different forces, the way you pull on things, the way you hold things."

One of the biggest issues is trying to keep the paving machine in place on Daytona's 30-degree banking. Lane decided to use bulldozers as a counterweight, and cables and winches to hold the paver on line.

Daytona International Speedway

When on the less-banked part of the track, the pavers are balanced by beams and machines in the infield to keep them level.

Making it stick

First, the SAFER barriers, catch fences and lightpoles were removed. Then a dirt pathway was constructed around the outside of the track. That allows the paving machine to be connected to the bulldozers with cables to keep it in place while it does its job -- 3,000 feet at a time.

"That's what the dozers are there for, to hold it up there," Rauer said. "The biggest challenge is gravity.

"There's an arm on the dozer. It's like a winch on the front of a Jeep, only a lot bigger. It allows you to go up and down."

The track was originally paved in early 1959 and a second layer of asphalt was added in 1978. But in the years since, slight movement of the underlying layers has created a bumpy, rolling surface. So in order to smooth things out, everything down to the original lime rock is being removed. A track hoe with teeth rolls along the apron of the track in the turns and rips up the asphalt, starting near the outside wall.

Once they get to the base, it's a matter of leveling it to specifications, then adding layers of asphalt to the desired thickness. In this case, Rauer said the original lime rock base will remain.

"We're leaving that in place, regrading that and using that again," Rauer said. "There's a drainage layer of asphalt that gets put in [over the base]. So if there's any water that comes up through the track, it'll hit that drainage layer and follow the drainage layer down into a drainage pipe on the apron."

Like many things in life, it's what's underneath that matters most. In this case, Daytona is getting seven inches of new asphalt, even though fans will only see a fraction of that.

"There's two inches of drainage layer, two inches of base layer, an inch and a half of 'level up' and an inch and a half of actual surface that everybody sees," Rauer said.

Computers come into play

Since 1959, there have been huge advances in technology, in everything from surveying to the actual composition of the asphalt itself. And that's all factoring into this repaving project. Back then, surveyors used levels and measuring rods to determine the slopes and angles of the track. Now, everything's computerized, and the precision is incredible.

"There's extensive survey scanning," Rauer said. "If your survey's not right, you're not right. There's an unbelievable amount of surveys.

"The track has been scanned and saved on a digital terrain model file. So you can go out there anywhere on the track and get a grade -- and it's not like the old days where the guy's looking through [the theodolite]. That's not the case anymore. He can go out there and give it to you within minutes. We can measure to within a quarter-inch."

Even the makeup of the asphalt concrete -- the technical term for blacktop -- has changed in five decades, according to Rauer.

"Back when they built the track, asphalt was very cheap, if they weren't giving it away," Rauer said. "So they threw a lot of asphalt down and that was it. Today, we don't skimp on asphalt but we use a lot less asphalt and a lot less sand. We get a matrix together, or design, that's a lot higher tech than it was in '59. There's a tremendous amount of technology that's gone into it since 1959.

"None of that was done back then. They probably went out there and looked at the road out front and said, 'Yeah, that looks good. Let's use that in here.' Even since '79, it's changed tremendously."

Daytona International Speedway

A track hoe with teeth tears up the surface in Turn 4 at Daytona International Speedway during the repaving process.

Mixing it up

So what is asphalt? It's a mix of a binding substance and a rock and sand aggregate that is laid down in layers and compressed. It's a byproduct of gas and diesel refining, with the process leaving asphalt at the bottom of the barrel.

But through research and testing, scientists have figured out they can add chemical polymers to the asphalt to change its properties, perhaps to make it more wear-resistant, add traction or raise its softening point. When you're dealing with 3,500-pound cars traveling at speeds close to 200 mph on 30-degree banking, that's creating an impressive amount of sheer force, pushing the asphalt laterally in the turns.

Lane has its own asphalt plant behind the backstretch bleachers to mix the asphalt to the company's exact specifications.

"It's like controlling your own destiny," Rauer said. "You don't want to go out and buy it, because the guy down the street is selling to everybody else and their brother. You might be put on the backburner.

"They modify it with their polymers and stuff and make a modified asphalt. And then we mix that asphalt with granite rock and manufactured sand. So there's rock and sand and asphalt, all mixed together to give you this matrix of mix design."

And the size of the granite rock aggregate changes, depending on which layer is being paved at the time. Not surprisingly, the finer materials are closer to the surface layer.

"Your base layer will be a bigger size, maybe a half-inch minus," Rauer said, describing rocks with a diameter of a half-inch or smaller. "Your leveling and surface course will be smaller, about a three-eighths inch minus."

So why is a new track so much faster? Rauer said it has to do with the binder, and the oil contained in the asphalt.

"When you repave a track, it's all black and pretty and not faded or worn," Rauer said. "That oil that's on there the first time is what gives you all that grip. The older the track gets, weather-beaten like a road that fades, you lose some of your grip because the oil's not there, gripping your tire."

The paving equipment can lay out asphalt in 40-foot wide strips but the track is wider than that, which adds one more complication. Crews will have to deal with the seam that's created in between the two passes of the paver. That's done by creating longitudinal joints to keep the pavement from cracking or raveling in that area.

So how do you pave a superspeedway? With a lot of planning, precision, engineering and technology. And the experience of men like John Rauer and the rest of the staff at Lane. The culmination of their efforts will come when the field takes the green flag for the 2011 Daytona 500.

Daytona International Speedway

Pit boxes set after being redone during the repaving process.