The checkered flag—it’s what professional race car drivers live for. And the winner’s circle is the epicenter of celebration.

One of the most storied race tracks in the nation was in need of a new, checkerboard-style, winner’s circle. Seal-Krete HP was the product of choice for this high-profile project.

Sebring International Raceway is the oldest road racing track in the country, according to their website. The world’s leading drivers compete at the 12 Hours of Sebring each year on the third Saturday in March.

This new winner’s circle would be a major upgrade from the original. With thousands of fans and dozens of cameras aimed at the space, the paint job had to be perfect.

“This is one of the biggest events of the season and ESPN is all over it,” said David Brown, business development manager at Rust-Oleum. “To say it has high visibility is an understatement. It was our moment to shine.”

The paint job had to be visually stunning and durable, too.

“These cars are coming off the track with super-hot tires,” Brown said. “At nearly 200 degrees, we had to make sure they didn’t pull away with our coatings stuck to their tires.”

Painting contractor Chris Shannon chose Seal-Krete HP Epoxy Shell WB250 for the base coat and Poly Shell 7000 for the top coat. Shannon owns Serious Concrete Design, based in Avon Park, FL.

“These are some of the most durable coatings on the market,” Shannon said. “In this hot Florida sun, it also needed to be UV stable. It did not disappoint.”

Since Sebring is all about speed, not surprisingly, the job had to be done quickly. Including the areas around the winner’s circle, nearly 2,000 square feet of concrete needed to be coated in a hurry.

“This would normally be a 4-5 day job but they wanted it done in just three days,” Brown said. “Crews battled the heat and rain but hit their deadline. The ease of application for Seal-Krete HP coatings made that possible.”

With all the celebrating, it’s likely some champagne will get spilled on the surface. Brown said he’s not concerned about stains.

“That’s the least of our worries. “Let them pop the cork. That’s an easy clean up.”