Founded more than 50 years ago, NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing) has become one of the hottest spectator sports in the world, drawing TV audiences comparable to the Super Bowl, NBA Finals and World Series, while making American icons out of drivers such as Dale Earnhardt, Richard Petty and Jeff Gordon.
Behind the glamour of NASCAR are the teams that manage the day-to-day business of racing. MB2 Motorsports, Inc. is one of those teams, having fielded more than 385 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series races since 1996. MB2 is home to two-time Daytona 500® Champ Sterling Marlin (#14 car), as well as drivers Joe Nemechek (#01 car), and Drive For Diversity® driver Jesus Hernandez, the first ever Hispanic to win a NASCAR race at the Hickory Motor Speedway. Bobby Ginn, whose Ginn Clubs and Resorts is one of the primary sponsors of the #14 car, recently purchased majority interest of MB2 Motorsports from founding partner Nelson Bowers.
Over the past few years, MB2 has expanded rapidly - so rapidly, in fact, that last year the company had to relocate its team into larger quarters. A vacant 144,000 ft2 factory in Mooresville, NC, provided the ideal setting. Over the course of several months, MB2 transformed the once crumbling building into a spectacular showcase featuring multiple service bays, a paint booth, administration offices, a transportation room where haulers load the cars for races, and an official team merchandise store. Several days a week, NASCAR fans can visit the building to purchase racing merchandise, meet visiting drivers and watch the industry’s best mechanics “set up cars” and adjust roaring 780HP engines.
The topcoat is unaffected by chemical spills or abrasions, plus offers excellent light reflectance and UV light resistance.
A Flooring Challenge
Long-time NASCAR sponsor Valspar provided the facility’s gleaming new floor. However, prepping the floor for the coatings required more than a routine tune-up, said installer Bryan LeFever of Cross Coatings, Statesville, NC.“No question, it was a challenging job, but an exciting one,” notes LeFever, a fervent NASCAR fan himself. “This floor had to withstand an auto garage environment where it’s subjected daily to heavy traffic by cars, trucks and rolling floor jacks, and mechanics dropping tools, as well as oil, detergent, water and chemicals being spilled. Of course, it also has to look great and clean up fast when the fans come to visit.”
Years of manufacturing had left the old factory floor badly damaged with cracks, chips and holes pockmarking the concrete. A six-year-old, greenish epoxy coating was worn and delaminated in many places.
LeFever began the job by breaking down the 75,000 ft2 shop floor into three 25,000 ft2 sections, tackling each area individually over the course of a month. His crew shot blasted and ground down the damaged floor with a Prepmaster to create a level surface. Delaminated segments of the old epoxy were cut out with a concrete saw and then skillfully patched. Chipping hammers were used in other problem areas.
Once the floor was prepped, LeFever applied Valspar EC7, a two-component epoxy resurfacer with self-leveling properties, as a mid-coat. EC7 is known for its protection against abrasions or chemical spills - exactly what this hard-working garage would challenge it with.
“I’ve successfully used Valspar EC7 resurfacing everywhere from airplane hangers to car dealerships,” says LeFever. “As an installer, I like it because it can be applied easily with a roller and it has very low odor.”
For a topcoat, LeFever applied Valspar CRU-400 in oxford gray, a color chosen by 90% of his customers. Like EC7, the CRU-400 is unaffected by chemical spills or abrasions, plus offers excellent light reflectance and UV light resistance.
A Durable Finish
According to Building Superintendent Joe Phelan, the finished floors qualify for the winner’s circle. “Almost a year after they were installed, the Valspar coatings continue to look very nice, even with floor jacks and cars running over them. No marks are left behind, and the shine really highlights the car graphics. We are very happy with the results,” he says.For more information, call 800.637.7793 or visitwww.valsparflooring.com.
