It’s All Concrete to Me at Bandimere
Written by David Lamm · December 4, 2007
First there was the Texas Motorplex. Built in 1986, The Texas Motorplex was the first all-concrete, quarter-mile on the NHRA circuit. Now, Denver’s Bandimere Speedway will join the ranks of the all-concrete drag strips with a renovation project this winter that add concrete to the finish line and 60 feet beyond. Don’t expect many national record breaking performances to come out of Denver due to the high altitude but this renovation should make Bandimere Speedway a favorite stop amongst the racers for some time to come.
Bandimere Speedway already had a concrete launch pad that extended to half track, but now the remaining asphalt from that concrete pad to 60′ beyond the finish line will be removed and replaced with concrete. Other parts of the project will include more than 4,100 feet of under-track drainage. About 30,000 feet of rebar has been laid in preparation for more than 900 yards of concrete to finish the surface. The main reasons for undertaking such a big and costly renovation are the numerous benefits an all-concrete racing surface provides.
In addition to a longer life expectancy and quicker drying times in the event of rain, all-concrete tracks allow for a wider variety of chemicals to be used in track preparation and oildown cleanup. Also, utilizing the latest in 3-D laser screed technology, the surface can be poured with no heavy trucks on track and a higher level of quality control of the final surface can be maintained. Racers seem to like the Texas Motorplex’s all-concrete surface because it is fast and there is no “bump” when making the transition from concrete to asphalt.
If the rumors coming out of Charlotte, N.C. are true, the soon to be constructed drag strip at Lowe’s Motor Speedway will become the third all-concrete drag racing surface. Could going all-concrete be the wave of the future? We all know how the NHRA feels about the amount of downtime oildowns create and have a way of wreaking havoc on TV coverage. Should the all-concrete surfaces prove to be a time saver in the event of an oildown, don’t be surprised if the NHRA demands all tracks hosting a POWERade event to switch to all-concrete in the future.
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