In drag racing, where 11,000-horsepower engines launch cars from zero to over 330 mph in less than four seconds, the science of grip is every bit as important as the engineering inside the race car. Without traction compound, those runs would be impossible.
That reality has made products like PJH TrackBite among the sport’s most essential tools. For nearly two decades, Superior Industrial Solutions has manufactured the compound, ensuring consistency across NHRA national events, IHRA competition, and grassroots tracks. Company president Kurt Hettinga said its role cannot be overstated.
“You could not do what they do with the horsepower they have without something sticky being on the track,” Hettinga said. “It’s inconceivable to run a 11,000-horsepower motor down the track without some kind of adhesion. Track grip is an obsession with tuners and track specialists, and we play a very important role in making sure that the traction compound being applied is the same thing every time.”
PJH TrackBite and related traction products had been manufactured by Superior since 2007 under a toll manufacturing agreement. In July 2024, Superior and partners with backgrounds in track operations and race teams acquired the brand’s formulas, logos, and business assets, moving beyond simply producing the compound to handling all commercial functions.
Hettinga emphasized the transition changed little for customers. “The only thing that changed was we took over the commercial responsibilities for the brand in addition to the manufacturing responsibilities, which we’ve been doing since 2007,” he said. “Same great products, same uncompromising quality, now with a future that is secure.”
Previously, PJH TrackBite relied on a network of distributors. With Superior’s acquisition, distribution shifted directly through the manufacturer. The company operates multiple facilities across the country and its own fleet of trucks, allowing for more efficient delivery.
“After a year of ownership, we decided that we could serve the users of the product, primarily the track owners across the country, by setting up a direct-to-market program,” Hettinga said. “Instead of them having to buy through distribution, they could just buy direct from us. We’re able to ship the product from eight locations instead of just one.”
The roots of PJH TrackBite trace back through earlier brand names such as VHT and PJ1, each iteration tied to portfolio sales and rebranding. What endured through those changes was the formula trusted by track operators and racers. That consistency, Hettinga noted, is critical for a sport where fractions of a second define results.
“For 18 years now, as the producer of PJH TrackBite, we have built and enhanced our reputation for uncompromising quality and repeatable manufacturing processes,” he said. “By employing exacting standards in the raw materials and production of TrackBite, and verifying those specifications throughout the process with quality control testing, you’ll know that every drum has been, and will be, the same.”
Superior’s facilities carry ISO 9001:2015 certification, a global quality standard that requires rigorous adherence. Each batch undergoes adhesion testing before being labeled and shipped. “We have quality systems in place that verify quality through every step of the manufacturing,” Hettinga said. “We do adhesion testing to prove out that the finished goods are what the customer expects them to be.”
That reliability gives tuners confidence that when problems occur, the glue isn’t to blame. “When performance issues on the track come up, our customers have come to realize it’s not the glue, freeing them up to pursue other variables,” Hettinga said.
The company’s deeper role in PJH TrackBite has opened the door for additional products aimed at track preparation and safety. Beyond the flagship traction compound, Superior now offers cleaners, including those currently used by NHRA for oil-down situations. Other products are in development to assist tracks before applying rubber and glue and to reduce downtime after incidents.
“This gives us an opportunity to introduce other products to the industry,” Hettinga said. “We’re working on products that help speed up oil-down cleanups. We manufacture cleaners, so we’re bringing cleaners to the industry as well. TrackBite has always been there, but what can we add to the product line that will help get fans into the seats by making races more competitive, making tracks more consistent, and speeding up the amount of time it takes to recover a track?”
The initiative, he added, reflects Superior’s roots as a distribution company that has long emphasized customer service. By integrating manufacturing with logistics and direct support, the company hopes to reduce costs for tracks while maintaining the highest standards.
SIDEBAR – IMPROVING THE CHAIN OF DEMAND
When Superior Industrial Solutions acquired PJH TrackBite in July 2024, one of the first changes involved how traction compound was delivered to customers. After 17 years of exclusively manufacturing PJH TrackBite under a toll agreement, Superior now oversees both production and commercial operations.
READ THE FULL STORY ON DISTRIBUTION
Few fans notice the work poured into preparing a racing surface. Yet without traction compound, Top Fuel dragsters, Funny Cars, Pro Stockers, and Pro Stock Motorcycles could not generate the grip needed to complete a run. That unseen layer of chemistry is why Hettinga places it among drag racing’s most important components.
“I guess we could say traction compound is easily one of the top three to five products essential to drag racing success,” Hettinga said.
“Every single drum that shows up at an NHRA race, at an IHRA race, at a local track in Kokomo, Indiana — we know that every one of those drums is going to be exactly the same inside. They can build from that.”
As horsepower has escalated, so too has the demand for a consistent racing surface. Track specialists measure, spray, and evaluate each application with the confidence that PJH TrackBite’s formula has not wavered in nearly two decades.
The business also carries a sense of stewardship. PJH’s earlier leadership left a clear mandate for quality, one Hettinga said still drives the operation today.
“It was an obsession made clear by the previous owners of the brand that fit into the character and culture of our company,” he said.
Drag racing may be defined by speed, noise, and horsepower, but the foundation for those moments lies in preparation. Superior Industrial Solutions, through PJH TrackBite, provides that critical element, unseen by fans but essential to racers.
Hettinga views the responsibility as both technical and cultural.
“TrackBite’s always going to be there,” he said. “That’s never going to change.”
