It’s not been long since the 2025 Cup Series ended with Kyle Larson winning the title, but the sport is already picking itself up from its short nap a focusing on things ahead. NASCAR and Goodyear will conduct their first tire test of the offseason at Bristol this week. The primary goal? To try out different tire compounds and sort out the Next Gen car’s short track issues. Adam Stevens, for one, doesn’t understand what kind of solution would work.
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Ever since the Next Gen car was introduced in 2022, the racing product on short tracks and road courses has dropped drastically. This is because of the aero-sensitivity of the trailing cars in tracks that had only one line. Stevens, Christopher Bell‘s crew chief, pointed this out in an interview with Matt Weaver to express his cluelessness.
“I think everyone has a handle on what they want to happen, but I don’t think anybody has a handle on what it’s going to take, aerodynamically, to make that happen. I would certainly put myself in that category,” said Stevens. We all want the trailing car not to be at such a disadvantage to the leading car. How to make that happen, I have not put any time or study into that.”
“I can tell you the people who have taken the time over the years haven’t had much success anyway, so I can’t tell you what widget we need to try either. If anyone knows what that widget is, it isn’t me.”
NASCAR says it will also explore tweaks to the NextGen car in addition to the 750 spacer next month for the test at Wilkesboro.
I asked a lot of drivers and crew chiefs over the last month what swings they want to see tried in addition to the HP increase.https://t.co/2eIyyVYOPd
— Matt Weaver (@MattWeaverRA) November 11, 2025
Stevens isn’t the only one with this kind of opinion. Several drivers and crew chiefs are either without answers or with some pretty complex wavering solutions in this matter.
Who will be a part of the test?
The two-day test is mainly being conducted for Goodyear to continue working on tire compounds and combinations after the racing product swung dramatically throughout the year based on a variety of factors. The most important one of them all is believed to be the track and ambient temperature.
Cool weather discouraged tires from sticking to the track, creating a situation in which a set could last 30-50 laps when managed right. While this was encouraged for the speed differential it created, fans believe that there ought to be a middle ground that isn’t overtly dependent on the weather.
To find this middle ground, NASCAR has employed 23XI Racing’s Bubba Wallace, Hendrick Motorsports’ Alex Bowman, and RFK Racing’s Ryan Preece. Notably, this test will also be the first time the short track package is fitted with the 750 HP tapered spacer.
