DRAG STRIP CONCRETE REPLACEMENT BEGINS AT HPT

TOPEKA, Kan. (Nov. 8, 2006) - Since 2003 Heartland Park Topeka has invested in track infrastructure in order to provide spectators and participants the very best that motorsports has to offer.  That investment continues this fall as the track has already started work on the world-famous Heartland Park Topeka quarter-mile drag strip.

On Monday, Nov. 6 workers from Schmidtlein Excavating of Topeka began removing concrete on the drag strip to prepare the track for brand-new concrete, with work scheduled to be complete by the end of November.

“The heart and soul of Heartland Park Topeka since the facility opened almost 20 years ago has been the drag strip,” Heartland Park Topeka owner Raymond Irwin said.  “We replaced every inch of asphalt in 2005, and now with the concrete replacement project we feel that our facility will be capable of hosting world-class sportsman and professional drag racing for the next 20 years.”

When the facility was originally constructed in the late 1980s concrete extended from the burnout box at the starting line to 330 feet down track.  This area, commonly referred to as the “launch pad”, was extended to half track (660 feet) in 2000.  The drag strip transitions from concrete to asphalt at 660 feet.

The project will be under the watchful eye of Professional Engineering Consultants of Topeka.  Heartland Park Topeka will also rely upon the expertise of one of the National Hot Rod Association’s authorized drag strip builders, Lithko Contracting of Kansas City, Kan. to handle the pouring and finishing of the new concrete.

The project, at a cost exceeding $500,000, will also include a fiber optic timing system upgrade.  The project plans also include upgrading the scoreboards, which have been in place since the track hosted its first drag race event in 1989.  The plan calls for LED display scoreboards, which can withstand the vibrations of a 7,000 horsepower Top Fuel Dragster without damage.

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