I have to redo an area, but I can't core aerate and verticut like I did when I overseeded the front lawn last month, as I can't get the equipment in time for Saturday.

The area has tire tracks with bare soil, each about 2 feet wide, and it's very compacted from the repeated truck traffic (60,000 lb. trucks, mind you), and there is also a 2-foot strip of intact grass in the middle.

So here is what I was thinking...

-We've been getting a lot of rain this past week, and it's softening the soil.

-I'm going to spray shampoo over the area, and rinse it off in a few hours.

-I'm going to buy a dethatching rake for the strip of intact grass, and then rake the heck out of it.

-Then I'm going to cover the whole area with a light coating of topsoil (compost).

-Spread my seed (TTTF/KBG) and starter fertilizer.

I'm thinking I'll then be good to go. Will it work this way, without core aerating and verticutting? And will the shapmoo damage the grass seed and/or prevent it from germinating?

Thanks.