It didn’t take but one look for Matt Bowling to know the new racing surface at South Boston Speedway was going to be a game-changer.
“It’s going to make the racing better. I think you are going to see closer racing,” Bowling said Tuesday during a media event at South Boston Speedway to showcase the paving process and the nearly-completed new racing surface.
“It’s definitely going to be faster racing and that’s going to make it more exciting for the fans,” said Bowling, who recently wrapped up back-to-back South Boston Speedway championships and claimed the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series national championship.
Repaving of the .4-mile track began Monday afternoon and will be completed Wednesday morning. It is the first resurfacing of the track since 1994 and is part of a three-year, $1 million capital improvement project announced earlier this year.
“This is something that guarantees racing here at South Boston Speedway at least for another 25 years,” said Nick Igdalsky, senior vice president of South Boston Speedway. “It’s something we needed to do. It’s going to make for better racing, more exciting racing for everyone.”
The repaving, which is being done by Michael E. Day, Inc. of South Boston, is by far the most expensive item in the capital plan, amounting to more than half of the $1 million total.
Several parts of the capital improvement project have been completed including new grandstands. Igdalsky said the three-year project is ahead of schedule and should be completed before the 2017 season. Those include a new PA system, upgraded scoreboard and lighting system, a picnic area and a children’s playground.
George Ewald, vice-president and superintendent at Pocono Raceway, South Boston Speedway’s parent company, explained that pavement for a race track was much different than what is used on highways. He displayed samples of the several ingredients used in the pavement, including sand from the local area which he said was “much better” than the sand found in Pennsylvania.
Ewald, who has worked at Pocono for 47 years and has overseen several repaves at that 2.5-mile track, was lending his experience to the South Boston repave. Like Bowling, he believes the finished product at South Boston will produce fast and exciting racing.
““There is going to be grip everywhere on the race track,” said Ewald. “It’s going to be great racing. I look for track records to be broken.”
Bowling also said the new pavement should be a great equalizer next season.
“The track is going to be totally different. The line will change from where it usually is,” said Bowling. “I think you will see people using more of the banking and be up off the apron more. It’s definitely going to be a totally different race track.”
Igdalsky also said South Boston’s 2017 race schedule should be ready to release in the next couple of weeks.
