Have you ever noticed brown parallel lines in a yard that look like they are caused by something driving on it? The usual responses are that the machine was leaking oil or gas and it killed the grass. Or that there was a turf disease on the wheels of the machine, and that caused the turf to turn brown. However, this is not the case.
These are heat tracks. Something driving on the lawn however did cause them.
The condition of the turf is the main key to the cause of the tracks forming. When a lawn is entering drought stress, it may still be green, but the stress is already starting. The weight of the machine riding over the lawn bends the leaf blade and breaks the leaf blade. The leaf blade is no longer able to stay green and it turns brown as it dies off.
A machine riding on the lawn can cause this problem. But the machine can be as light as a push mower, or even someone walking on it.
The tracks will go away once the turf has a chance to grow. The crown of the grass plant is still intact. The crown is where the grass leaf blades originate from. The broken leaf blades will stay brown, but new leaf blades will grow around it, eventually making the tracks disappear. This may take a few weeks or more depending on the growing conditions.
The best way to avoid heat tracks in the future is to maintain a lawn that is not drought stressed. Proper watering will help to maintain a healthy turf stand and avoid having heat tracks develop in the future.