The first repaving of Richmond International Raceway since its 1988 reconfiguration passed its initial test with flying colors and falling lap times as four cars christened the fresh asphalt on Wednesday. Ryan Newman’s #12-Dodge, Matt Kenseth’s #17-Ford and the Chevrolets of #5-Terry Labonte and #29-Kevin Harvick posted record-breaking speeds while barely breaking a sweat. The trio registered several hundred laps as Goodyear conducted a two-day test that wrapped up yesterday on the brand-new blacktop. Aided by cool, cloudy weather Tuesday, Newman was toured the track in 21 seconds flat [128.871mph] even though his car employed a rudimentary race setup that wasn’t designed for an optimum qualifying lap. The pole record at RIR is a 21.195-second, 125.792-mph lap posted by Ward Burton on May 3, 2002. Hotter, slicker conditions less conducive to speed for RIR’s NASCAR weekend on May 13-15 are expected, but Burton’s mark seems certain to be shattered. The final layer of the multimillion-dollar project, which also installed a subsurface underdrain system to correct a chronic water seepage problem, was completed only a few weeks ago after beginning in October. The makeover removed a bumpy patch in Turn 2, a previous trouble spot.(in part from the Richmond Times Dispatch)(4-29-2004)
