Tire management has always been an integral part of the NASCAR Cup Series races at Sonoma but as per Joey Logano, that might not be the case anymore. The track’s repave has seen cars go faster over time and that’s in keeping with how freshly paved tracks have behaved over the years. The Team Penske star said that the speed only got better during his qualifying run in which he won the pole position.
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“We kept going faster. I mean, all but the last run was faster. We ran two runs the first round. We got faster in the second round, and then we went out for the third time and went faster again. It wasn’t until the last run that we slowed up a little bit. I don’t think anyone knows exactly what the tire wear is gonna look like yet in the race,” he said.
The No. 22 loves new asphalt!@joeylogano wins the #BuschLightPole for tomorrow's race at @RaceSonoma. pic.twitter.com/sz8epkZwIl
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) June 8, 2024
The lack of tire fall-off has given rise to some boring races in the past. That’s what a lot of fans and insiders might be worried about for Sunday’s event. Cars will be able to stay out for long periods and the new asphalt also means that passing others is going to be exceedingly difficult.
However, several factors indicate the racing might be more exciting than before. Logano touched on those elements as well as he spoke of the track.
Joey Logano explains how Sonoma can be great without tire wear
Higher speeds will make the cars difficult to control and on a narrow and twisty road course, the chances of drivers making mistakes increases exponentially. The new inside wall at the turn 11 corner instead of the tire barrier will also be something drivers need to be wary of. Higher speeds also require more fuel so managing that will be crucial.
“When everyone is running 10-10s all day long, more mistakes are likely to happen. There might be some interesting moments in the race because of that. The strategy will be different than what it’s been in the past because there’s not tire fall off to speak of, so fuel mileage is probably the name of the game,” he added.
There are a lot of uncertainties heading into Sunday’s race which makes it all the more intriguing. It will be interesting to see which driver adapts to the new conditions best and if Logano can snatch his first win of the regular season.
