More Goo for NASCAR (& Showtime...?)

[OldSchool+]

So, today they ran their Cup race in Loudon. Typically a one groove roll-around-like-marbles-in-a-trash-can-lid track, today the racing was side by side, sometimes three wide. For a while...

Why? Because they laid down their latest "Traction Compound PJ1" (I will leave you to figure what the acronym stands for, but the track is up north).

But...like other tracks it has been used on, the stuff wears off, and the racing goes flat, at least to some extent.

The question is, should they re-apply it during their already contrived "stage" breaks?

Similarly, Showtime speedway occasionally uses a version of the stick-um.

Should Robert consider re-applying during a mandatory red-flag "stage" stop at the halfway point of races 100 laps or more?

[Renegade Racing Fuels]

So, today they ran their Cup race in Loudon. Typically a one groove roll-around-like-marbles-in-a-trash-can-lid track, today the racing was side by side, sometimes three wide. For a while...

Why? Because they laid down their latest "Traction Compound PJ1" (I will leave you to figure what the acronym stands for, but the track is up north).

But...like other tracks it has been used on, the stuff wears off, and the racing goes flat, at least to some extent.

The question is, should they re-apply it during their already contrived "stage" breaks?

Similarly, Showtime speedway occasionally uses a version of the stick-um.

Should Robert consider re-applying during a mandatory red-flag "stage" stop at the halfway point of races 100 laps or more?

The acronym is the product owner/inventor's initials. Traction compound has been used on racing surfaces since the 1960s and maybe before that. Drag strips use it of course, so have indoor midget racing on concrete. Even Coke/Pepsi syrup has been used as a traction aid on indoor tracks.
Asphalt oval tracks have been hesitant to use it for a variety of reasons, but it's being used more often by tracks looking to increase side by side racing. Track prep and application are very important to get the best results, but it isn't anything that a short track can't do.
Renegade Racing Fuels makes a traction compound for use on asphalt ovals and it works very well. And the pricing is a little easier on tracks than some brands.

[OldSchool+]

How many laps will it remain fully effective? How many until it drops off to, say 50% in effectiveness, approximately?

Probably the answers will depend on surface variables. Let's go with Showtime since it was mentioned.

As outlined, the objective is for the tracks to consider re-applying as often as necessary to provide a good show for the fans.

[Renegade Racing Fuels]

How long the compound is effective depends on a lot of variables. The biggest one is the initial track prep before the compound is applied. Very similar to painting a car, surface prep is everything if you want a good finish.
And the next biggest factor is how it's applied. To do the job correctly, the compound has to be applied in the correct mixture ( compound and reducing agent ) for the surface and anticipated racing conditions.
And different brands of traction compound require different application times. For drag racing, traction compound is everything, so the application is heavy and requires quite a while to complete. If you're curious and want to see how traction compound should be applied, go out early on race day and watch the track prep at Orlando Speedworld Dragstrip. It's as good as any you'll find, Wade does a great job.
The Renegade Trac Tac is very easy to apply correctly and doesn't require much time after application before races can be run. In general, for the best side by side racing, a track owner might want to re-apply some compound in the corners during intermission, right before the feature races if you run heats. If you ran only features, a proper application of compound would give you good results for the entire program. And the compound is expensive, though the Renegade is quite a bit less money than most. So track owners would likely try to get the most out of one application per night. There's also Renegade rosin to help the surface traction, it's been used at Citrus to help get a better racing surface.

[OldSchool+]

I have seen the rosin applied at Citrus. In fact, I incorrectly assumed that "rosin" was the term used for traction control product.

Can you briefly contrast the two products and their effects, longevity, and cost, in general terms?

For longer races, would you suggest that "Track Tac" be used initially and rosin later for the finish of a big race?

[Renegade Racing Fuels]

Renegade Gold Grip Dust is a powdered rosin. It's spread on the track surface and then " broomed " in. It gives very good results when a little better traction is needed, or to cover areas where there's been a crash or blown engine and water or oil have leaked onto the track.
Renegade Trac Tac is a very, very thick liquid product that is applied with a sprayer. Again, the product application is dependent on the racing. For instance, at the Gatornational Drag Race in Gainesville, the compound has to allow the nitro class cars with 11,000 HP to keep traction through the entire distance. If you were to walk out onto the racing surface half way down the track, you would walk right out of your shoes. And if your shoes stayed on it would require all your effort to keep walking. It's that sticky.
Oval racing doesn't require such a thick coating, but unlike drag racing, you have banked corners to consider. The straights can benefit from the compound too of course, but the corners are the main objective.
Adding rosin over problem ares or oil/water works very well, but over the entire racing surface after compound was applied won't really make enough difference to matter as long as the compound was applied correctly in the beginning.

[Renegade Racing Fuels]

Because of the extreme demands of the drag race cars, it's not unusual for the track to re-apply the traction compound several times during the evening. That's mostly because drag racing wins and losses often come down to 1000ths of a second, so both lanes have to be as good as possible for the entire event.
An oval track surface wouldn't need that kind of prep once the initial coating was applied.

[OldSchool+]

Another thought would be to put nothing on the surface until the halfway point, and then add the rosin.

This would offset tire dropoff. Of course, it would also be somewhat unpredictable for the racers, but the condition would of course be the same for everyone.

My suggestion would be to park the cars in the infield and let the teams make best-guess changes while the rosin was being laid down.

No tire changes of course.

[OldSchool+]

The objective, of course, is two wide racing at the finish.

I would suggest that regarding traction aids, the drop-off is what will be remembered.

The better the finish(es) the more product will presumably be purchased.

[Renegade Racing Fuels]

Some tracks have done exactly that. We started stocking the rosin in our Tampa warehouse just for that reason.