New track dryers to be unveiled at Daytona: NASCAR will unveil next month at Daytona International Speedway a new piece of equipment that could revolutionize track drying. Twenty-four machines will be ready for Speedweeks events leading up to the Feb. 24 Daytona 500, executive Steve O’Donnell said. The equipment will rely on compressed air moving water off the track in a squeegee effect as opposed to traditional jet dryers that blow hot air onto the track. It also will include vacuums that will work in conjunction with the compressed air that would help dry a 2.5-mile track such as DIS in about 30 minutes – 20% of the current time. DIS typically takes about 2.5 hours to dry. Last year’s Daytona 500 was delayed until Monday night because of rain. "There’s a few faces out here that will remember when we used to dry tracks off with just a fleet of vehicles going around the racetrack, or dragging tires behind pickup trucks,’’ NASCAR president Mike Helton said. "And then someone came along with the jet dryer that expedited it quite a bit and served its purpose for a long period of time. "But in today’s world with the expectations of getting the show done and getting it on, there was a high priority placed by [chairman] Brian [France] and the rest of us to come up with a way that we could expedite that. The R & D Center responded to that and come up with ideas, and this one seems to have quite a bit of validity to it.’’
O’Donnell said the new device does not have a name yet. Unlike jet dryers, which were owned by individual tracks, he said the governing body has a patent on the new machine that gives it proprietary rights. O’Donnell said the equipment isn’t quite to the level of efficiency that France asked for. Because of that, jet dryers also will be used at Daytona and perhaps ensuing races to help with the drying process. O’Donnell said the equipment could revolutionize the drying procedure for other venues in sports.
They will work for awhile.
Until Juan Pablo smashes into it . 
Too funny.
Juan has almost managed to run into everything, except the Good-Year Blimp, high above.
Las Vegas has odds on that one, too.
.
[QUOTE=AB195;119709]Too funny.
Juan has almost managed to run into everything, except the Good-Year Blimp, high above.
Las Vegas has odds on that one, too.
.[/QUOTE]
This is too funny!!! I don’t honestly see that happening again ever!! What unbelievable odds. I heard about these new dryers. WOW! It is amazing what they are coming up with today.
Well, Mr. Montoya drove a heck of a final few minutes to win the Rolex 24 for Ganassi… There are is just one current driver who has a chance to join A. J. Foyt and Mario Andretti as winners of the Rolex 24, Daytona 500 and Indy 500 and that’s Montoya…
Don’t forget he’s also won Monaco, possibly the most difficult course to drive on the entire modern planet.
At this point of time…
His chances of winning the Daytona 500 and Indy 500 are less than taking out another jet dryer at Daytona, and as I understand it the days of the jet dryer at Daytona are history.
Doesnt he have like 1:43 chance at winning the 500? Cmon, even in the bug business those aren’t astronomical odds.
Uh you do realize he’s already won Indy, in his very first try at it?