Joey Logano’s Crew Chief Explains How NASCAR’s Tire Compound Changes Alter Teams’ Setup Directions

NASCAR will continue to work on improving its short-track package in New Hampshire this weekend. After a test in April 2023, Goodyear produced a tire with more tractive compounds for last year’s race. For the upcoming event at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway, the tires will be further upgraded with increased thread thickness.

This change is expected to retain more heat in the tire and increase tire fall-off, thereby improving passing during the race. Regardless of the advantages, making the tire work won’t be without challenges. Prime among the hurdles is that tire compound changes mess with the car’s setup in a heavy manner. Joey Logano’s crew chief, Paul Wolfe, is only too wary of this.

Wolfe led Logano to really good finishes when Goodyear used these tires in the past. He was asked about the chances of the trend continuing in New Hampshire when he detailed his thoughts. He believes that the massive setup changes that are usually required with tire compound changes won’t be needed this weekend since they’re just coming off Iowa, where the same compound was used.

What concerns him more are the setup changes between Iowa and New Hampshire. “So, you’re fine-tuning off from a base setup and settings in a race car,” he said. “But when you find something that works, until there is a big change in the tire or aero package, I’ve found over the years you can really just take it from one track to the next and do your offsets or your changes for the different loads or speeds and you can continue to have success with it.”

Can Paul Wolfe and Joey Logano succeed in New Hampshire?

The sixth-place finish his team secured in Iowa and the victory in North Wilkesboro have left Wolfe feeling optimistic about the chances of victory this Sunday. Though the upcoming short track isn’t built the same way as the Iowa Speedway, he is quite positive about figuring things out before the green flag waves. A major part of his confidence stems from his own experience as a driver on the track.

As a driver in the Busch Series around the early 2000s, Wolfe secured multiple top-10 finishes at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway. When put together with Logano’s mastery of the track, with which he has secured four top-10s in the last five races, a lethal combination is formed. Loudon can very well be where Team Penske’s #22 team gets its first points-paying victory of 2024.