Texas Motor Speedway renovation

Looks llike when Dale Earnhardt Jr. talks, Eddie Gossage listens.
Earnhardt Jr. voiced his concerns about a dip between turns 1 and 2 at Texas Motor Speedway and Gossage, the president of the race track, has spent the past few months researching and evaluating the complaints.
“Texas is a fun race track,� Earnhardt Jr. said in November. “We’ve had a lot of success here and it is a fun track so I’m glad it is in it (the Chase for the NEXTEL Cup). (The track surface) is starting to age a little bit and it is starting to move the grooves up a little bit so you can race side by side through the corners a bit. It’s really starting to come into its own. The asphalt or the dirt underneath the asphalt has settled over the tunnel, which it does at every race track they build, but it seems to be a little more pronounced here. And that will hold this place back for a few years to come until they repair that. As far as being able to run two and three wide through that corner, it will hold it back a little bit.�
The track concluded a renovation on Friday to correct the flaw in the turn. The process, known as “concrete lifting by structure urethane,� will in essence pump up the surface below the track and ultimately raise targeted areas in the affected 200-foot stretch over the South Tunnel that is situated in the middle of the two turns. The depth of the dip varies throughout, but it is at a maximum of two inches at any given point.
“While Junior’s comments at the time surprised me since he never mentioned it before, it was a concern and we thought it would only be appropriate to investigate the issue further and determine if it warranted any action,� Gossage said. “We spoke with several drivers, team owners and NASCAR officials in carrying out our due diligence. After further consultation, we decided it would be beneficial to alleviate the dip as much as possible through this process. We’ve been pro-active since Day 1 to the suggestions of the drivers and fans of this facility and we will continue to do so in the future.�