OSS SPEEDWAY DIRECTOR, GARY STOCKMAN, FINDS THINGS GO BETTER WITH COCA COLA AND IT MAKES YOUR RACE CAR RUN BETTER TOO

Source: Dave Grayson
Date: 08/04/2008

The Coca Cola corporate structure would probably be amazed to discover that one of the things that also goes better with Coke is the tire grip on an asphalt race track. It seems that Coca Cola syrup, which is used in fountain dispensers, mixed with some other key ingredients improves the surface of a racing groove. The point has certainly been proven this year at the Orange Show Speedway, OSS, a quarter mile asphalt oval located in San Bernardino-California. OSS Speedway Director Gary Stockman and his track maintenance crew began experimenting with the Coca Cola syrup treatments at the beginning of the season as a ways and means to establishing the high side of the speedway as a legitimate racing line. The results has been very encouraging so far.

Throughout the speedway illustrious 60 year plus history the track has always been tightly wound and passing was difficult. Over the years many drivers referred to the OSS as a "tea cup track" meaning its one line racing groove was similar to driving around the rim of a tea cup. Track renovations in recent years was a major step towards eliminating the one line situation. The turns became wider with a slightly higher banking and an outside line was now possible.But the concern among drivers was how much grip could you get on the high line during the course of a 50 lap main event. At the time the high line was basically used as a last ditch effort to steal a race during the final laps.

Gary Stockman and company went to work with their Coca Cola experiment to improve the racing quality of the track's high line. "The Coca Cola Company has made, at least in my mind, the Orange Show Speedway a premiere race track because of their product," Stockman said adding "we have a two groove race track now. What's really bad about it is the fact that we sell Pepsi here. Despite that Coca Cola still gives me their syrup. Pepsi syrup simply will not work on the race track."

According to Stockman there are three key ingredients to the process. One is Coca Cola syrup and the second one is bleach. The third element seems to be a secret that Stockman didn't want to divulge. It almost seems like it's some sort of secret family recipe not unlike the 11 secret herbs and spices used by Colonel Sanders on his chicken. Laughing, Stockman said "the bottom line is it works. Our outside groove is about a tenth of a second slower, when the sun's not on it, than the lower groove."

Stockman said that he and his crew spend an average of three days per week treating the track adding "the process calls for the syrup to be applied very thin so it fills in the cracks of the track's surface. The bleach helps the process because it opens the pores and then I take the sweeper truck to the track which helps the roughen the surface and create some more pores. After that we spray the track again. I'm spraying about ten gallons of Coke syrup on this track each week and I'll tell you it's flat making a difference."

Stockman also noted that this process would also work well at other speedways that have a similar size and shape to the OSS. "Let me tell you I could take Blythe, (the Lucas Oil I 10 Speedway), I could take Havasu, ( the Havasu 95 Speedway), I could take any of those race race tracks and create the same results on them. In fact, I'd really love to treat Havasu because I think Havasu would be one hell of a race track with an outside groove on it," he said.

There is one thing that is clearly evident when watching the racing at the OSS: the syrup treatment is indeed working and the result has been a potentially huge increase in the excitement of the racing there. It's also apparent that "things really do go better with Coca Cola."

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