NASCAR Cup Series’ visit to Richmond Raceway this weekend will give teams and drivers multiple tire options as racing resumes after the Olympic break. Along with the usual dry and wet weather tires available to the teams, drivers will also have the choice of running on red-marked option tires during the event.
Advertisement
The red-marked tires are made of a softer compound that offers an increase in grip but not longevity. The other racing compound is referred to as the Prime tire this weekend. It will offer lower grip levels but last longer. This is bound to make racing interesting and Trackhouse Racing driver Daniel Suarez is quite happy about it.
NASCAR had about a 30-minute meeting with drivers (it does one every few weeks) at Nashville. Among the topic discussed were tires — the wet-weather tire procedures as well as possibly using the North Wilkesboro "option" (softer) tire at Richmond. Denny Hamlin's thoughts: pic.twitter.com/aKhh2SkJAy
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) June 30, 2024
“I’m a big fan of this. Because you’re going to see different options,” the #99 driver said during a media interaction. “Right now, it’s not a secret that it’s not easy to pass, like in the old five years ago. […] It takes more work to be able to do something like that. So, I feel like having option tires is one more thing into the equation of the stride and I am a big fan of that.”
It’s no secret that the Next-Gen car has underperformed on short tracks in terms of the racing action it puts out. Passing has been difficult due to the car’s aerodynamic tendencies. So NASCAR had to come up with something new. A high tire-wear race at Bristol earlier this year saw one of the sport’s best short-track events in recent history. This gave the organizers and Goodyear something to work with. They tested this dual-tire compound strategy in the All-Star race earlier this year. Now, it’s time to introduce it into a points race.
Steve Letarte breaks down the key differences between the slick and wet-weather tires. 👀
📺 : #NASCAR | NBC and Peacock pic.twitter.com/cmOzBIXtb3
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) July 7, 2024
As per reports, teams will be allotted six sets of the prime tire and two sets of the option tires for the weekend. They will also be given one additional set of each tire for the 45-minute practice session. Qualifying has to be done on the prime tire but the drivers can choose which tire to start the race on.
What does NASCAR expect from the Richmond race?
According to NASCAR’s senior vice president of competition Elton Sawyer, three tracks played a big role in helping them come up with this compound – North Wilkesboro, Bristol, and Iowa. Sawyer believes that tire management could solve the Next-Gen car’s short-track woes. Fans got a taste of the same earlier this year at Bristol. However, it is yet to be seen if the same strategy works on other short tracks as well.
“We didn’t get the results at Wilkesboro that we were hoping for, with a very similar opportunity that we had at Bristol where we did see results, and even at Iowa where we did as well. Any time we can put our teams in a position where they have to manage tires, we really see some great racing and we see an entertaining race,” Sawyer said.
The governing body’s decision adds another aspect of strategy and tire preservation to the race. It remains to be seen how the Next-Gen car responds to the same.
