The strong times during qualifying at the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals can be attributed to a leveling process undertaken in the month leading up to the national event.

“We had just had some problem with the grinding of the track and it was certainly through no fault of those doing the grinding,” Byrd explained. “The process would only cure one problem and create another. The track would be all smooth but there would be surface problems.”

Byrd said that rather than chance a repeat last year’s postponement, they decided to follow a similar technique successfully completed by Las Vegas Motor Speedway [LVMS]. The strong times during qualifying at the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals can be attributed to a leveling process undertaken in the month leading up to the national event.

“We had just had some problem with the grinding of the track and it was certainly through no fault of those doing the grinding,” Byrd explained. “The process would only cure one problem and create another. The track would be all smooth but there would be surface problems.”

Byrd said that rather than chance a repeat last year’s postponement, they decided to follow a similar technique successfully completed by Las Vegas Motor Speedway [LVMS].

LVMS had similar problems with the racing surface related to the portion of the track that runs over an underground spectator tunnel. The process begins with a profilogram.

“When you do this, you find out where your highs and lows are,” Byrd explained. “You build a grid on the track and the company comes in drills 5/8-inch holes in the race track and shoot the same kind of expanding foam that you can get at Lowe’s, under the race track. They shot gallons and gallons and it set up and solidified.”

Byrd explained the foam would never deteriorate because the only thing which causes that is sunlight.

“I’m not mechanical, or an engineer, but I felt if you shot foam in there, it would raise up the bad surface an inch or so,” Byrd admitted. “They are so precise with the process that they can take a high in one place and take a low two inches away and level them up. Is it perfect? No, there will never be a completely level drag strip ever.”

Byrd felt confident headed into the event because of the feedback provided by Pro Stock teams testing in the weeks leading up to the event.

“The cool temperatures we got on Friday cured a lot of the ills,” Byrd said. “If we were in July, we wouldn’t be setting the same track records. I’m confident this is going to be a good race track for a long time to come.”

BETTER WATCH OUT FOR CHARLOTTE – Byrd has worked with Bruton Smith for many years and he’s seen the man roll out the red carpet on more than one occasion. He’s pulling out all the stops for the new drag strip located on the property of Lowe’s Motor Speedway this September.

“They had an unlimited budget and they are already over that,” Byrd said.

Byrd said he’s already conveyed to Smith the crew chiefs are requesting a concrete quarter-mile.

“The track is being built with four lanes and that’s double the cost,” Byrd said. “I don’t know if he’s going to do all concrete, but I do know he’s talked to the engineers about it. If he tries to save money on that, it will be the only thing.

“I’d like to think we have a pretty fair race track in Bristol but this one in Charlotte is going to be the Taj Mahal. All of Bruton’s tracks are nice, but Charlotte is going to make us look like we are all in the ghetto. Bruton is a visionary and he loves this sport.

“If race fans miss that first event in Charlotte then they are going to miss the first race at what I feel is the best race track ever built.”