At this year’s IndyCar race from Texas, it was considerably easier for drivers to complete laps in the high line through the banked corners.
What used to be treacherous territory in years past was perfectly manageable, and that allowed for a bevy of passes throughout the 250 lap race.
Last year there were officially 461 total passes on track and 15 lead changes. This year those numbers skyrocketed to 1,272 total passes and 26 lead changes.
Although there are multiple factors that play into how easy drivers can pass on the high line, this week’s winner himself Josef Newgarden placed the biggest credit on the increased downforce package that IndyCar brought.
“I think the biggest factor is the downforce increase, which was significant,” said Newgarden. “There’s a lot more load on the cars. The entire last stint, I was flat the whole time.
“It’s a big jump from last year. That’s definitely factor number one. I think factor two is just the track seemed better this year.
“It was less dark in the area where the PJ1 [traction compound] had been applied. It didn’t seem as low-grip initially as times when we’ve been here in the past.
“Even when everyone tried the high line running, it wasn’t like you ventured up there just to start out and it’s really low grip. Pretty much immediately when we went up there, it was okay grip.
“I think that was much more inviting for people to have more downforce. We were able to more successfully apply rubber to it from our cars. I think all of that contributed and led to the type of racing that we had today.”
The additional aero pieces that were available to teams added somewhere near 400 pounds of downforce to the high speed oval package.
Only a few drivers reported having to lift the throttle at all in race trim, and that stability was evident by the ease at which passes were made in the corners.
The end result was a race that produced a large amount of side by side action, and left fans with smiles on their faces when it was all over.
“I just want to see Texas race the way it should race,” continued Newgarden. “I think most people would look at today and say that’s how Texas should race.
“You look at the past, it’s even been taken up a notch from that. Three-wide the entire time. I wouldn’t want to see that. I think you can go too far nowadays.
“I know from an entertainment standpoint this had to be significantly better than last year. It just had to be.”
