Texas Motor Speedway is an enigma amongst intermediate tracks. Video of the races from a decade in the past seems like a totally completely different race monitor. Many of the monitor floor cannot even be utilized in present races for varied causes, however how did we get right here?
Flashback to 2016: Drivers and groups have been dissatisfied with the weepers at TMS, making it inconceivable to dry the monitor in an affordable period of time. Because of the drainage points and the growing old floor, a repave was scheduled for the low season that adopted. However this was no easy repave — it was a full reconfiguration.
The primary two corners have been flattened out a bit with the banking lowered from 24 levels to twenty levels, whereas the monitor floor in that space was widened from 60 to 80 ft. There was additionally a nasty bump that appeared above the tunnel in Turns 3 and 4.
The traction compound conundrum
With the brand new reconfiguration, passing had turn out to be extraordinarily tough, even with the added room. In consequence, varied traction compounds have been dumped onto the higher grooves in an try to enhance the on-track product. As an alternative, it ended up staining the monitor and making it much more treacherous for drivers.
Vehicles stepping into the higher grooves have been fortunate to not fully spin out on the noticeably blacker floor. PJ1 traction compound could be very temperamental and it could actually really feel like velcro in a single spot, however slime or ice in one other. With a purpose to be correctly activated, it wants automobiles to undergo it and warmth it up, however there have been few volunteers as drivers scrambled for the protection of the underside groove.
Jimmie Johnson, Legacy Motor Membership Toyota
Picture by: Jonathan Bachman – Getty Photos
As for the very best a part of the monitor — above the PJ1 — that grew to become simply fully unusable. Whereas the traction compound has little grip, that space has none. Some have described going up there like ‘falling off a cliff’ and nobody races past the primary couple of grooves in the event that they may help it. Even venturing up close to the wall to keep away from a crash is a sketchy transfer.
The state of affairs has gotten barely higher because the years go by, nevertheless it’s nonetheless a far cry from the multi-groove Texas of previous, and the harm has already been executed. Texas misplaced one among its Cup dates, over 40,000 seats have been eliminated and IndyCar additionally deserted the power. There are all the time discussions round fully tearing the monitor up and attempting once more, or turning it into one other drafting monitor like Atlanta. At one level, a metal mesh grate was dragged alongside the stained portion of the monitor to attempt to alleviate the sensation of ‘black ice’ some drivers have been experiencing.
A very difficult race monitor
And keep in mind that bump we talked about in Turns 3 and 4? Its affect on the automobiles has solely gotten worse within the Subsequent Gen period. As we noticed a number of occasions in final yr’s race, a automobile attempting to race side-by-side usually results in the automobile on the surface bottoming out and instantly spinning into the surface wall. Even with an try to grind down that bump, it did not appear to assist very a lot.
Kyle Busch, who has 4 Cup wins at Texas (most amongst lively drivers), lately described it as follows: “Texas — it is a difficult race monitor. Turns one and two being as flat as they’re and as extensive as they’re. There’s loads of room for the place you possibly can go. However there’s in all probability about six inches of that racetrack that feels actually good. And that is the groove that you simply need to be in, and keep in, with a purpose to get that grip.”
Kyle Larson, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Picture by: Getty Photos
Oddly sufficient, the strangeness of contemporary races at TMS have truly made it a little bit of a wildcard that has managed to placed on a present sometimes. Passing is tough and the monitor is treacherous, resulting in extra aggressive strikes and several other heart-stopping moments. Final yr’s race featured 16 cautions and the earlier 4 Cup races there have had 11 or extra yellow flags.
The ever-evolving monitor appears to be somewhat completely different yearly, and even adjustments over the course of a race weekend because the floor reacts to any temperature change and any exercise in a manner way more pronounced than most circuits.
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