The Sick Sticky - Behind The Scenes, a Traction Miracle Was Taking Place

At Sick Week 2023 Presented By Gear Vendors Overdrive, most of the attention was focused on the cars on-track at any given time. The cameras are trained and the announcer is hyped, but outside of this spotlight there are many things going on in the background to ensure the event meets the standards we (and you) expect.

While racers were competing at Bradenton and South Georgia Motorsports Park, a Herculean effort was going on behind the scenes to ensure competition at Gainesville Raceway would be at the same levels as the first three days. With a racing surface that had been under pressure from many NHRA nitro teams doing pre-season testing and significant rainfall, Total Venue Concepts’ Kurt Johnson had a challenge ahead to make sure Sick Week entrants would be able to put the power down to the ground.

“The track had a moisture and rubber adhesion issue,” Kurt explained. “When a track gets wet, it loses the rubber. We had Top Fuel there last week and then an inch of rain. What that meant was we had to take all the rubber off and put new rubber down.”

Inch by inch, Kurt used the tools at his disposal to scrape and preen the famed Gainesville concrete into top condition.

“We stripped it clear to the quarter mile in the left lane and to about 1000 feet in the right lane. From there we had to put spray down and build a new surface on both lanes.”

How much spray? About $15,000 worth! That’s a hefty investment for one day of racing, but such high levels of track preparation benefit everybody at Sick Week, from the record-setters to the daily drivers seeking a personal best. The amount of ‘one-and-done’ passes led to all class sessions being completed before midday, allowing half of the day’s racing to be all-run and giving many drivers the chance to make as many passes as they wished. Even in the heat of the day, Kurt’s track held up for both slick and radial users.

Combined with the effort put into the surfaces at other tracks, it was clear that if you want to run your quickest times, Florida in February is the place to be. Mineshaft air, excellent prep, it’s just part of what made Sick Week 2023 Presented By Gear Vendors Overdrive an amazing event.