Mark Dreyer

One of my patients is an EMT at Sebring and Daytona. I just saw him in my office. He mentioned he hadn't seen me there much. I explained I have two daughters with college educations I'm paying for but plan to make up for lost time in a couple years. :-)

He told me that NASCAR is definitely planning to repave the track, but he thinks they will leave the section from 17 to 1 untouched as well as the section around 16. He said the asphalt is coming apart in so many places that they have no choice. He also said they plan to "pump a ton of $" into the track. He thought they would improve the drainage also.

Who knows if his info is good, but I thought I'd pass it along FWIW.

techno99

How will I find my way around the track if they remove all the potholes/markers?

mmuller

A repave will ruin the experience of Sebring in my mind. Then it becomes another flat track. I expect a lot less people will be willing to drive 2000 miles in the winter to run just another flat track (me being one of them)

Boo to NASCAR if they do.

flatsics

I call BS on everyone that says they will not race Sebring if it gets repaved.

The whole place is a dump that needs some serious attention.
It's not just 17 and one that are bumpy, the whole track is.
(I still love it)

The infield,bathrooms,just about everything at Sebring could use some major TLC.

Maybr it's a flat track, but it's one of the best tracks to race on there is. The layout and flow to the track make for some very fun racing.

Just look at all of the changes that have happened to other tracks in the last 10-15 for safety and other reasons. Watkins Glen and Road America being the two best examples to me.

I would be very happy to see some major improvements be made and have some other series types of racing/series involved there.

Ritter v4.0

LIke Cher's nose, they could make capital improvements and still leave the character intact.
Same with Road Atlanta. Embarrassments really.

sparks259

Matt, I for one will NOT be back to Sebring unless it is replaced. The place is a dump. Nothing more. Worse surface than the Pocono infield at its worst.

ProCoach

It's awesome... No matter what they do.

Pocono, however? Not so much!

You know Pocono has an all new (last two years, IIRC) infield paved surface?

Professor Helmüt Tester

LOL.

Where will they make the water go ??? Hell...Brunswick goes there to calibrate their pool tables.

The place is perfect as it is. Low tire wear, due to spending so little time with the tires actually ON the ground. Big launching bumps that slow down terminal velocities, and tests your cremasteric reflex, as you hurtle (airborne and somewhat sideways) toward some big hard wall.

They neutered LeCircuit (removed Le Diable and the hump on the back straight). Same for Road Atlanta (the straight-ish shot from Gravity Cavity to the bridge). And Watkins Glen (Bus Stop). And they screwed up Sebring 25 years ago when they added the hoop-dee-do at 15-16, and narrowed the Ullman Straight (used to be 50+yds wide) and switched from the Hairpin to the Safety Pin.

Jeezuz...leave Sebring alone.

And get off my lawn.

golfnutintib

i have only been to sebring once and it was earlier this year for 3 days of winterfest, so i am looking at it from a newcomers' eyes

i would agree with the above sentiments

it will still be a brilliant track even if they repave it, smooth out bumps, and give the whole complex some TLC

some may argue it will lose some of its 'character' with the bumpy turn ins on high speed turns, but i would think it would be awesome if smoothing these gave even better grip... the flow of the track is its inner beauty and specialness imho

ProCoach

+1,000!

Gary R.

It's concrete, it doesn't need to be covered with that "let's redo it every 5 years" black crap that the unions and special interests have shoved down everyone's throats for the last 50 years. Simply send a laser milling crew in there and use high strength concrete for the little patching that needs to be done and its the SAME Sebring it has always been without the stupid bumps that were created by years of upheavel. Any other track in the world would have been repaired, the thought that Sebring should be left alone to age is beyond belief. The concrete that makes Sebring "Sebring" is most likely 24" thick. Mill the damn track and have at it!
And yes, I am an expert regarding concrete and its properties...

sbelles

The new combined infield course is a wonderful DE course especially for new students. Lots of run off and the speeds never get that high. Doesn't use the super speedway at all. I think a race at Pocono using the full infield with 2/3 of the speedway would be fun. It's no more boring then Daytona.

Gary R.

Scott, I ran Pocono (North?) a few years ago and while it was fun for a DE the infield was too narrow and the transition from Infield to Oval was crazy.. more of a jump than a transition. Has that changed?

sbelles

The infield is better. I don't know about the jump and yes, it's horrible but it could be fixed pretty easily.

uscarrera

Not really concerned about new pavement but the bringing of the walls in closer and closer each year is unsettling turn 1 wall, turn 16 walls in, and now turn 17 there was always something unique and interesting about a track with SO much width I remember back in the 90s seeing 4 wide through 17!
Rich