The 2024 NASCAR All-Star Race could be the event the sport has been looking for ever since the introduction of the Next Gen Cup car and its inherent woes on short tracks surrounding the quality of racing and passing opportunities it provides. The seventh-generation racecar which debuted at the start of the 2022 season has been widely criticized for its inability to race competitively on tracks such as Martinsville Speedway, in turn making the racing product subpar for the fans.
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The governing body has tried its hands at improving this very characteristic of the new Cup Series car on several accounts with changes to the aerodynamics of the vehicle. After two years and two significantly different short-track aero packages, drivers still seemed unhappy with the car as recently as last month’s Cook Out 400 at Martinsville Speedway.
Tough for us to pass today, struggling with rear grip and drive off the corners but we collected a stage point and brought the @Lucas_Oil – @TeamChevy home 16th.
Looking forward to Texas next weekend.@RCRracing l @shadyrays pic.twitter.com/QbmhRBI5ok
— Kyle Busch (@KyleBusch) April 7, 2024
In an interesting turn of events during this year’s return of Bristol concrete to the calendar, NASCAR’s official tire supplier Goodyear might have also given fans and drivers a potential breakthrough on the sport’s frustrating issue. With the spring Bristol event seeing drivers struggle to keep their tires underneath themselves, increased tire falloff might be the way to approach short-track racing in the newest era of NASCAR.
Heading into this weekend’s race, Goodyear and the governing body have opted for two compounds of tires for drivers and teams to use during the event. In addition to the regular compound, an ‘option tire’ has been provided to the teams which offers increased grip at the cost of increased wear to the drivers. It remains to be seen how well this experiment solves the issue of passing on tracks such as North Wilkesboro Speedway.
Brad Keselowski’s thoughts on NASCAR’s two-tire approach
Brad Keselowski seemed to be appreciative of the governing body and Goodyear, along with being on board the idea of an ‘option tire’ being used during select NASCAR races during the year.
The RFK Racing co-owner and driver elaborated on his thoughts to The Athletic and said, “I’m encouraged by the willingness to try new things and specifically by Goodyear. I think years past there was a lot of trepidation when it came to ideas of that nature, so to see them, actually, kind of walk that walk is kind of fun to be a part of. Hope it pays off. I hope it’s an outstanding race. It can be, honestly. I have no idea what’s going to happen, but I’m looking forward to it.”
Green flag drops at the North Wilkesboro Speedway this Sunday at 8:00 pm ET as drivers try and duke it out on track for a chance to win $1 million in prize money. On the other hand, the promotion and Goodyear hopes to salvage what has been a terrible mark on the Net Gen car’s resume during the event.
