Paving Complete At Darlington Raceway

[PressRoom-GFN]

DARLINGTON, S.C. (March 5, 2008) – Paving of the racing surface at Darlington Raceway has been completed, track President Chris Browning announced Wednesday.

"This begins a new chapter in the history books at Darlington Raceway," Browning said. "We are very excited to be finished with the paving so that we can now focus on preparing for the upcoming Dodge Challenger 500 race weekend, May 8-10."

Paving at Darlington Raceway began in mid-January, took nearly 15,000 tons of asphalt to complete and replaced a surface that was laid in 1994. Construction crews utilized 4 million reference points around the legendary track to ensure that the transitions in the corners and banking stayed true to the track’s original design.

The new racing surface was part of a $10 million capital improvement project that also included an infield access tunnel large enough to accommodate car haulers, motor homes and emergency vehicles, and the addition of SAFER barrier walls to interior concrete walls on the frontstretch and backstretch.

"All of the upgrades that we have completed during this capital improvement project will play a vital role in the future of Darlington Raceway," Browning said.

Next up at the 1.366-mile track is a Goodyear tire test March 10-11. The two-day test session will be the first time race cars have been on the new pavement and will involve seven-time Darlington winner Jeff Gordon, two-time Darlington winner Greg Biffle, and 2008 Daytona 500 champion Ryan Newman. The test is closed to the public.

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