Shawn you are correct in some of your post.
In the regards to Midway, they issue is more so that they don't/didn't understand the method of how to prep a track. They are just like anybody else when they start doing something new. They don't know and they have to experiment to find out. They are really using this year as a learning curve and they are learning, which is the main thing, and they are improving every time out.
The whole need cars for rubber and all that is really a wash when it comes to track prep also. It's more in the method that you prep your surface and they are starting to see and learn that. To start with they didn't have any glue, or what they did have they were cutting it so hard to make it last that it was pointless. Once they had access to glue they poured it on like it was what did all the mojo; thats not going to get it either. Once they started to learn that glue is not so much that, they started dragging, well then they had to learn the correct way to drag a track, instead of just pulling something over it. Now that they are starting to get a handle on the fact that you drag for heat and rubber, then spray a little for it to break the rubber down, then drag again, they are starting to get a decent track surface.
I don't care what kind of "cake" you build, if one of your layers is fked up the whole cake is sht. mainly if you have too much glue your surface is crap, surface prep goes a little something like this.
Drag track hard and fast for heat and rubber transfer.
spray a little glue (glue is really misnamed, it's not "glue" it's a chemical that breaks the rubber down and causes it to adhear to the surface)
drag hard and fast acouple more times, your pretty much ready.
From there you just drag with a little glue according to what the track and cars are doing, along with your starting line touch ups from the bald spots from the cars leaving.
but above everything the surface has to be clean, these guys are learning along the way, just as anybody does when they start something new. They are zeroing in on what it takes and how to do it. So keep faith, show support, and along with the help and knowledge from people they are improving greatly.
Rumor was Sat night that there was tire tootage for 100+ft of about 2-3" off the track surface.
