Darlington Raceway

Technical Description:

• Span: 32 ft
• Rise: 11 ft
• Length: 186 ft

Each year, the Darlington Raceway hosts NASCAR’s Southern 500 race. Nicknamed the “Lady in Black” and “The Track Too Tough to Tame”, by NASCAR fans and drivers, this “NASCAR Tradition” has earned a reputation as one of the most challenging tracks in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

In the summer of 2007, the “Lady” underwent a major renovation to repave the unique 1.366 mile, egg-shaped track. The goal of the renovation was to improve driver safety and infield accessibility for race teams and fans while maintaining the track’s character. Part of the $10M upgrades included new asphalt over the entire racing surface and new vehicular and pedestrian infield access tunnels.

A CON/SPAN precast arch was selected as the solution for the infield vehicular access tunnel. It was designed to accommodate racecar haulers, motor coaches and emergency vehicles. The new tunnel provided race teams with unrestricted access to the garage areas during the race.

The pre-cast arch units for the new vehicular tunnel were installed as milling began on the racing surface. All precast pieces were delivered and set over a three day period. Backfilling of the CON/SPAN structure was completed within eight weeks allowing the re-paving operation to continue.

Technical Description:

• Span: 32 ft
• Rise: 11 ft
• Length: 186 ft