When NHIS was bought and became NHMS, one of the first things the new ownership did was to totally revamp Turn 1 of the Roadcourse (that would be WITHOUT running the oval). I have heard various speculation as to why the changes were done, and various amounts of lamentation about the impact the changes have on the line through there. None of these matter at the end of the day, as you still need to get through Turn 1 to make your way around the track. So, here is how I approach it in its new form:

The change is simply the addition of curbing on the inside/apex of Turn 1, roughly 1/3 to 1/2 of the way in on the pavement. This basically makes the track available through Turn 1 MUCH narrower than before. As such, it pushes you to the OUTSIDE of the corner, so you find yourself along the grass at the right side of the track as you setup for Turn 2a. For those that have driven at NHMS before this modification, you’ll note that this is a MAJOR change. Previously, you would bomb through Turn 1 and end up along the LEFT side of the track, which gives you a nice, wide line through 2a.

There are 2 ways to go through Turn 1 with the new curbing. Most people (at least last year) would try and take the same, wide line through 2a that they were accustomed too. I tried this line, but ended up instead compromising 2a completely, and staying all the way to the right through Turn 1.

Problems with a wide approach to 2a
The problem with trying to go wide through 2a is that there just isn’t enough room to do so in a way that keeps your speed up and your time spent in the corner down. The curbing in 1 pushes you far enough into the corner that to take any sort of wide line through 2a requires you to literally double back and over to the left - to wear you would have been in the old setup (or close to it). Doubling back, in turn, tightens the radius required through Turn 1, as your line becomes much sharper in order to come back around. A tighter radius = slower speeds, and this situation is no exception. The key is whether or not the wider, longer radius you can take through 2a is enough of a benefit to justify making this hard angle. I do not see any such benefit because that line forces you through Turn 1 slowly and there isn’t enough room between Turn 1 and 2a to gain back any speed, regardless of your power level. This is now a very tight chicane. It is true that your line through 2a will be faster (at least speed-wise) than my 2a line as outlined below. But, any speed difference is marginal at best, and no where near the excess speed that can be carried through Turn 1 with my line below.

Hard through Turn 1 and totally compromising 2a
My approach is to bomb through Turn 1 - in much the same way we all used to before the new curbing was installed - then brake hard and compromise 2a HARD. And by hard I mean take the absolute, shortest possible line, right along the grass (more or less). Essentially, this approach is the exact same as people previously did in Turn 1, only everything gets pushed back to the right side of the track, and 2a takes the hit in terms of speed. So, you brake for Turn 1, carry quite a bit of speed through Turn 1, brake HARD in between 1 and 2a, then hug the grass on the right and get yourself over to the turn in point for 2b as quickly and cleanly as you can.

The benefit of this technique is that because you are taking a far more modest angle through Turn 1, you can carry A LOT more speed. This is further bolstered by giving yourself a mini straight for breaking between 1 and 2a. You need to break for 2a at some point, and later lets you carry more speed through the first part of the corner. With the line above, much of this braking zone I use between 1 and 2a must be done before 1 in order to be able to make the sharper angle. This extra speed through 1 is why I find this approach superior (and more fun, if nothing else). As for 2a, you are going very slow through 2a anyway you cut it with the new curbing, so it seems best to just take the short line along the grass on the right and get it over with quickly. I just don’t see any benefit in carrying a hair more speed by going MUCH slower through MOST of Turn 1, then using up more track (and thus time) going out left to widen 2a.

And insofar as a racing line is concerned, I see a much greater opening for someone to pass on the inside if they take my line when the person in front takes a wide line through 2a.