TBK-Light.com

I didn't really notice too much of a difference in turbulence causing aero push compared to last year's race at Texas. I think the biggest differences here are tires that are less than ideal, teams not doing a good job getting the setups good enough to allow for hard racing due to lack of practice, and of course the track itself. That was the most one-groove racetrack I have seen in a long time. Drivers were getting the same runs they were able to get last year to attempt passes, but then they couldn't do anything with them because you couldn't go side by side in the turns, especially turn 1 where you are most likely to have a run on someone. Everyone ended up just riding around single file instead of even attempting a pass because it wasn't worth the risk of crashing.

Pardon my ignorance, must've missed something.

I understand Firerstone's issues and why they weren't able to bring a more suitable tyre. But what is this traction compound nonsense, and why did the track look like that? What did Nascar do?

Because NASCAR's Cup cars are so terrible in traffic, NASCAR has started putting traction compound on the non-preferred lanes of some of their tracks in an effort to improve racing.

So, NASCAR sucks so bad now that they're literally ruining other series' racing as a result. That's a depressing realization.

I am very confused (when it comes to racing these days, I usually am). I thought the traction compound was supposed to increase the grip of the area of track it is applied to?

Only when it's freshly put down, even then it takes time to dial in but this traction compound hadn't been treated since the last NASCAR race at Texas.

So it has to be applied before each event? It isn't part of the track construction?

Nope, it's a coating.

Using this website as an explanation for how it works because I couldn't find anything else, my best guess of the issue is indeed one of application.

The compound doesn't completely last. And since the compound is designed to be a "stickier" resin for rubber (to increase grip on the tires), a guess is that if you don't apply a fresh coat (as happened here) or maybe do some sort of thorough cleaning beforehand, the resin parts of the track become "stickier" for "marbles" and other junk. The junk then ends up making the section slicker, not with more grip.

Maybe it's a case of how much compound is present: the compound is strong enough to hold onto marbles easier, but not strong enough to increase grip on tire rubber much.

At any rate, it was pretty easy to see the cars skidding around up in the black resin sections, especially in the sun. I don't think the other ovals (Indy, Gateway, or Iowa) on this year's schedule use the compound, so hopefully no more of that.

Indy would tell NASCAR to fuck off if they demanded it.

The whole race was probably a loss for TMS, but they probably thought if they could save money by getting Indycar to run around and remove the traction compound for them.

The fact they didn't even try running the jet dryers over them or some basic track prep for this race shows you how little a shit Texas gives for Indycar.

Year after year we bitch about the racing here, it's either terrible or it's borderline deadly, there is no in between

I have no idea why Indycar even bothers going back there, knowing Gossage, they're no doubt paying for the privilege, so maybe it's time to call it a day and head to an oval that can be racy without being suicidal.

Previously the race has been one I skipped due to the timezone and high possibility of a dud race, but I gave this one a shot because it's been so long since the last race and my sleeping patterns are screwed because of lockdown anyway.
I don't think I'll ever bother again.

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RIP Birmingham Wheels: here's some of the crash videos I recorded when it was there:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIaKIE ... 5t9d5PvoHA

Twitter:

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Milwaukee please.

Never liked TMS.

I've always thought the races there haven't been too bad over the years

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"An idea whose time has come cannot be stopped by any army or any government"


3x TBKL rFactor Hillclimb champion

Yeah, I like the speed of a fast flowing track. Small ovals look weird for me. But 1.5 or bigger are always a good treat. Even if it's boring, I just like so much to see the cars going by at such speed.

Now that we don't even have Pocono and Fontana, I hope that they can keep this race.

Also, fuck the traction compound, it only makes the track ugly. It doesn't work anywhere but Bristol.

I would freaking live to see IndyCar at Martinsville. Bot that's OT...

Milwaukee should be the week after the Indy 500

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With Dover losing its second Cup date I wonder if IndyCars will explore that option or are the IRL crashfest ghosts still too big?

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07.04.1968 - Flower of Scotland when will we see your like again?
01.05.1994 - We'll never forget...

when I was young it was my dream to see CART/Indycars on the high banking. Today I can see is not that reasonable to race in places like that

yet, I have fond memories from tracks like Nazareth and Motegi

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Motorsports trend for 2024: everything is a bad taste joke now

Eh, without the IRL style pack racing it would probably be okay... I mean, CART handled Michigan when the speeds were higher and the safety much lower.

The real issue is in general fewer people come to ovals now, so there's not much reason to bother with the extra risk. Unless, that is, an oval pulls something like Gateway, which is rare. It certainly isn't reasonable IMHO to take the extra risk in front of only a few thousand people (eg Fontana 2015).

The final word on the quality of the racing.



https://racer.com/2020/06/10/robin-mill ... acing-hpd/

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Dan Wheldon ¦ 1978-2011
Marco Simoncelli ¦ 1987-2011
Jules Bianchi ¦ 1989-2015
Justin Wilson ¦ 1978-2015

Yeah, I know he's mad and I don't care. I do not care. I did not care then. I do not care now. I'm here to race him.

The Texas Motor Speedway racing surface is an absolute debacle in every way possible. Eddie Gossage as usual is oblivious to the mess he created. That Turn 1 is one of the worst corners I have ever seen on an oval track.

Honestly I hope they never go back. Milwaukee would be much more deserving of a race.

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