The NTT IndyCar Series visits Texas Motor Speedway this weekend, and the series is considering a few options to help its drivers put on a better show around the high speed oval.
In recent years, application of a traction compound, known as PJ-1, in the upper groove of the banking has led to uninspired races at the 1.5-mile oval.
The compound is applied to help NASCAR drivers run side-by-side, but the effect is not helpful to IndyCar, which uses Firestone tires that have a different compound than NASCAR’s Goodyear tires.
The biggest problem is that the grip levels are so sudden, that crossing from the lower to the upper lane mid-corner, while travelling nearly 220 MPH, causes instability that can often lead to a devastating crash.
It is for this reason that drivers avoid the darker-colored upper lane, and often do so by choosing not to attempt passes anywhere but on the straights.
According to RACER, IndyCar is considering multiple options for how to deal with the situation and make this weekend’s race more exciting.
The most likely option seems to be adding an extra 30-minute practice session to Saturday’s schedule, with the specific intent of having the whole field of cars run in the upper groove.
This would lay down a bunch of fresh Firestone rubber in the second lane, and the hope is that it would give a baseline of grip that the drivers could utilize for the rest of the weekend.
Without incentive to run anywhere but the bottom lane, drivers exacerbate the problem by building up more and more grip near the apron while the upper groove continues to be as slick as it was at the start of the weekend.
Other options on the table include dragging a steel mesh device over the areas of the track affected by PJ-1 to change the grip levels to better match the bottom groove.
There is also the possibility of applying a separate chemical to lessen the effect of the traction compound.
Although the simplest option seems to be creating a dedicated session allowing drivers to safely run on the affected areas to build up a layer of rubber to race on.
The decision of how best to try to deal with the track surface will have to come soon, as the first practice session for the XPEL 375 takes place this Saturday at 8:45AM Eastern Time.
