Can Goodyear’s Watkins Glen Tire Test Give NASCAR Regulars an Edge During Upcoming Playoffs Visit?

NASCAR Cup Series drivers were spotted testing earlier this week as Goodyear aims to improve tire performance during the upcoming Playoffs road course race at Watkins Glen International. Three drivers from different teams namely Tyler Reddick, Austin Cindric, and Daniel Suarez took part in the two-day-long session.

The test on Wednesday at the 2.45-mile-long course saw drivers get a feel of six different tire compounds from the official tire supplier. With Watkins Glen appearing in the first round of the postseason as the second event in the Round of 16, it is to be noted that 23XI Racing, Team Penske, and Trackhouse Racing might gain an advantage from the same.

All three drivers testing at ‘The Glen’ sit comfortably inside the playoff bubble and hope to challenge for this year’s ultimate prize. The said tire test could help their cause as extra running on any track in an era of limited to no practice for the drivers always tends to work in the team’s favor.

Team Penske’s Joey Logano proved the same right after he won this year’s All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway, a track where he had partaken in a tire test earlier this season. During post-race interviews, Logano accepted the same and elaborated on it earlier in the year.

“We capitalized on it and made it worth it, right? We went to a test and we learned what we needed to. Those tests are more valuable than ever because of the lack of practice. We ran 880-something laps in a couple days [During the test] and 30 sets of tires or something. It was crazy. So, we learned a lot.” – Joey Logano.

It remains to be seen if 23XI Racing or Trackhouse Racing can capitalize on the session as much as Team Penske’s #22 crew did earlier in the year. If Penske’s history is anything to go by, Cindric‘s #2 crew will certainly have taken notes ahead of this year’s postseason.

Tyler Reddick sums up Wednesday’s running of NASCAR’s recent tire test

The 23XI Racing driver summed up his session as the #45 Toyota Camry driver tried out different Goodyear tire compounds at Watkins Glen International.

The 28-year-old elaborated on his feelings from inside the car and how he might have gotten in his way and said, “Track time is important, which is what I think made today frustrating for us. We’ve had several issues that have kept us off track, and when we’ve been on track, we’ve spun and not gotten full tire runs in.”

It remains to be seen which driver out of the three NASCAR Cup Series contenders capitalized on the opportunity the most as the 2024 postseason is only eight races away.