A month before one of the biggest sporting events in Pennsylvania, officials at the Pocono Raceway got an unusual call for help from the state's transportation department.
"We had our hands full with what we do every day and the preparations for the Pocono 400," Ricky Durst, a raceway spokesman, told CNN. "They were close to wrapping up this I-95 project and had some weather forecast, and they wanted to be prepared."
On June 11, a section of northbound I-95 was damaged in a tanker truck accident in Philadelphia, about 100 miles south of the raceway.
Now six lanes are set to reopen to traffic Friday at noon, Gov. Josh Shapiro has announced.
Employees at the raceway were in a staff meeting Wednesday about the Pocono 400, which is scheduled for July 23, when the call came in.
The state wanted the raceway's truck-mounted jet dryer at the I-95 construction site in case of rain, which would have spoiled the project's timeline, Durst said.
If the asphalt wasn't dry, Durst said, officials couldn't apply paint for the lines.
Gov. Shapiro confirmed the novel request on Twitter.
"To rebuild I-95 on time, we need 12 hours of dry weather to complete the paving and striping process. With rain in the forecast, we reached out to Pocono Raceway for help," Shapiro tweeted.
Officials at the raceway, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary hosting NASCAR events, drove the jet dryer to the construction site and spent about six hours standing by Thursday.
"Ultimately, they didn't need the technology. Mother Nature cooperated and the construction schedule stayed right on pace," Durst said.
Durst said race workers prepare to use the jet dryer at every event at the Pocono Raceway.
"Every weekend we prepare for bad weather, it makes a great weekend when those jet dryers don't have to come out on the track," he said.
The section of interstate crumbled after a tanker truck carrying 8,500 gallons of gasoline crashed and exploded in flames under the highway, officials said. The driver, Nathan Moody, 53, was killed.
The collapse caused major traffic disruptions. The affected part of the highway typically carries about 160,000 vehicles through Philadelphia daily.
