IndyCar: 2020 Genesys 300

[Mispeedway15]

There’s no more than two car widths consistently usable at Texas post-repave regardless of which series runs there. They widened the track and subsequently there’s never been less room to use at the place. The PJ1 application and scrub just exacerbated an already big problem.

It's because they lowered the downforce of the cars? This is literally the same reason people wanted to burn down 1.5 tracks in 2017-18 for stock cars, less drag and low downforce means high corner entry speeds and only one line due to this.

 

[donthaveanickname]

It's because they lowered the downforce of the cars? This is literally the same reason people wanted to burn down 1.5 tracks in 2017-18 for stock cars, less drag and low downforce means high corner entry speeds and only one line due to this.

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IndyCar has had this aero package since 2018. Last year's Texas race was pretty well received on here.
In 2017 it was nothing but mayhem.

 

[FLRacingFan]

It's because they lowered the downforce of the cars? This is literally the same reason people wanted to burn down 1.5 tracks in 2017-18 for stock cars, less drag and low downforce means high corner entry speeds and only one line due to this.

View attachment 47240

If anything the cars are less aero efficient overall and have more drag. It’s harder to run behind someone than it was before the UAK18 because the rear wheel pods that were taken away cleaned up a lot of the dirty air coming off of the rear tires. They lack both inherent grip and drag efficiency.

That dashed line and seam about one lane down from the top wall is about where they used to be able to run. You could run comfortably two-wide and three-wide if needed. Even in 2017 when the OEM aero kits ran their one race on the repave track they couldn’t generate more than two lanes, about to where those tire tracks start. And the second lane wasn’t wide enough to be able to give much room for error, you had to lean on the guy pretty tight unlike the second groove of the old track.

 

[LewTheShoe]

Texas had no choice but to repave the track. After a rain shower, it was taking about five hours to dry the track, even with Air Titan technology, and that is assuming the shower was brief enough that they didn't have weepers.

Y'all are blaming the track for the bad racing, but what ovals are better other than Indy and Pocono? Everywhere they go the leader can't even pass the lappers. I blame the combination of soft horsepower, too much downforce, and too much dirty air. It is the same as the current Nascar "racertainment" package, IMO. Racers used to slow down for the corners, and then accelerate off the apex. We need to manage aero rules and engine rules to do that again.

 

[FLRacingFan]

Texas had no choice but to repave the track. After a rain shower, it was taking about five hours to dry the track, even with Air Titan technology, and that is assuming the shower was brief enough that they didn't have weepers.

Y'all are blaming the track for the bad racing, but what ovals are better other than Indy and Pocono? Everywhere they go the leader can't even pass the lappers. I blame the combination of soft horsepower, too much downforce, and too much dirty air. It is the same as the current Nascar "racertainment" package, IMO. Racers used to slow down for the corners, and then accelerate off the apex. We need to manage aero rules and engine rules to do that again.

They certainly had to; the weepers in 2016 were horrible. That doesn’t mean the new track and their treatment of the surface is any better though.

They pass way more at Iowa, and that is the type of surface the series typically needs to excel on. Abrasive and multi-grooved. Gateway was recently repaved and has been better than whatever Texas was, even though it’s still generally difficult to pass. It’s a shame they couldn’t get the financials at Auto Club to work. I still think Chicagoland would be maybe the best option overall. Ultimately, there aren’t many tracks anywhere that are worse than Texas. As I mentioned earlier, probably any other 1.5 intermediate would’ve been at least marginally better than that, although I’m not sure they’d be physically capable of handling the backstretch bumps at Atlanta.

 

[StandOnIt]

I guess if 2 more passes for the lead at Iowa is WAY more than Texas. Newgarden led 245 out of 300 laps at Iowa in 2019. In 2018, Iowa had a whole 4 passes for the lead. Don't see it as any track. What I continue to see are a whole bunch of inexperienced lessor talent drivers going against veterans. Reminds me of a field full of truck drivers with a couple of cuppers racing in it. Doesn't matter what the car or the track, or the flippin package is.

 

[Mispeedway15]

I guess if 2 more passes for the lead at Iowa is WAY more than Texas. Newgarden led 245 out of 300 laps at Iowa in 2019. In 2018, Iowa had a whole 4 passes for the lead. Don't see it as any track. What I continue to see are a whole bunch of inexperienced lessor talent drivers going against veterans. Reminds me of a field full of truck drivers with a couple of cuppers racing in it. Doesn't matter what the car or the track, or the flippin package is.

I’d agree with this. Honestly it’s my hope that a true push to convert sprint car drivers happens again. They need to reel in the open wheel talent because 6 guys are taking it to everyone

 

[StandOnIt]

They have a pretty large wad of Rick Wareish car entries, and it was their first race, most of em were just trying to save the car and finish without wrecking

 

[FLRacingFan]

I guess if 2 more passes for the lead at Iowa is WAY more than Texas. Newgarden led 245 out of 300 laps at Iowa in 2019. In 2018, Iowa had a whole 4 passes for the lead. Don't see it as any track. What I continue to see are a whole bunch of inexperienced lessor talent drivers going against veterans. Reminds me of a field full of truck drivers with a couple of cuppers racing in it. Doesn't matter what the car or the track, or the flippin package is.

I’m not talking about a number in a box score. The eye test speaks for itself. There are comfortably two grooves to run at Iowa, and more action beyond what the leader does. Newgarden at Iowa is about as dominant as someone can be at one track; he won there with a broken clavicle and fractured hand once.

Not going to get off topic entirely but yes, there’s a youth movement of sorts with this series now too, but overall it’s probably about as talented and as deep since the late CART years, before the big teams had all left for the IRL. Guys like Conor Daly and Jack Harvey have beaten people like Carlos Sainz Jr. over in Europe before. Asphalt oval racing is a huge adjustment for them; Power is a great example of someone who was terrible early on and crashed all the time and now he’s one of the best oval racers in the series.

 

[FLRacingFan]

They have a pretty large wad of Rick Wareish car entries, and it was their first race, most of em were just trying to save the car and finish without wrecking

There’s no one even close to that bad, and considering how far removed we are from when Dale Coyne was entering Francesco Dracone, it seems odd that anyone would say that now of all times. The closest anyone could get to that is whenever Dalton Kellett runs for Foyt this year and whenever DragonSpeed run, and they’re at least a respectable sports car team.

 

[kkfan91]

I'll fix it very in a very unpopular way, bring back IRL style pack racing that was the best.