Last Sunday’s Cup Series race at New Hampshire was a benchmark in NASCAR’s evolution. The promotion decided to complete the race by using Goodyear’s wet weather tires despite the track being damp from rain. It was the first such effort made in history and it ended up being a massive success. However, the process that was followed wasn’t without its hiccups.
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One of the most needful corrections that will have to be made next time such a situation comes to pass is refueling allowances. On Sunday, Tyler Reddick had opted to stay out from the pit road post the Stage 2 caution. This propelled him to the field’s lead when the red flag was shown to stop the race due to rain. Notably, he had enough fuel only for about 10 laps or so at this point.
However, he gained an advantage when NASCAR ruled that drivers could refuel their cars during the race delay whilst they were changing to wet weather tires. So when the race restarted, Reddick not only had the lead but also a tank full of fuel.
Discussing this on NASCAR, former crew chief Steve Letarte said, “If I had my choice, it’s no fuel. Because I believe the fuel strategies are dominating these races.”
Sunday was only the beginning.
What’s next for wet-weather racing in NASCAR? pic.twitter.com/UT1LZizrGR
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) June 26, 2024
He continued, “If we are going to add fuel, I just want to see this structure written down and printed. So, as a crew chief, I know that if we switch to wet weather tires, I get a free tank of fuel. I don’t have any penalty. I don’t lose any spots because then I’ll call my strategy that way. But I prefer no fuel.” The promotion will want to revisit this before the covers are taken off the wet-weather tires again.
NASCAR simplifies things to make wet weather tires work
One of the reasons Sunday was a success is that NASCAR took many decisions into its own hands rather than giving them to the teams. With no previous experience guiding them, officials made moves to even the field as well as possible and watch out for the safety of drivers. The first such move was the mandatory requirement that teams will have to put on wet weather tires.
Second, they announced that the pit stops would be non-competitive ones. This was because the pit roads were not dried like how the race track was. They also decided when teams could pit for a tire change.
The controlling affair had to be enacted since there were multiple new variables in the mix. Things can be expected to be far more flexible the next time there is a wet weather race on an oval.
