Since the PJ1 TrackBite was added to parts of the track surface in November 2019 to boost traction for the Goodyear tires of the NASCAR stock cars, IndyCar drivers have found it thoroughly incompatible with their Firestone rubber, some comparing it to black ice.
In effect, IndyCar drivers at full racing speed – as opposed to Lap 1 speeds as shown above – have been reduced to one lane through Turns 1 and 2, so the chances of passing on the outside are non-existent, and anyone passing on the outside along the main straight has to chop down in front of the car he has just passed in order to avoid the PJ1 patch in the turn.
