The Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) has begun to apply 19,000 tons of new asphalt on the 2.5-mile oval. Four weeks was necessary to remove the top 2.5 in. of the old asphalt surface and to clean and level the remaining surface. Kevin Forbes then waved the flag on the historic paving project. The only statistic that mattered Sept. 8 at IMS was 25 feet per minute--the rate that paving crews began laying a new layer of asphalt at the famed track.
"Simply, when we think the surface gets even, even close to imperfect, it's time to make it new again," Forbes told WTHR-TV Indianapolis. This is the first repaving of the historic oval since 1995. Once the work is done the track should be in good shape for about 15 years.
A "Yard of Bricks" comprising over 600 bricks from the original 1909 surface will be re-cut and set into the start-finish line. The project should be completed by early November.
