Goodyear excelled in Phoenix. NASCAR’s tire manufacturer was a soaring success at the short track as its special option tires wore out faster than ever. However, as Cup Series drivers headed to the 1.5-mile oval track in Sin City, wheel problems plagued their race cars. Ranging from pit road speeding to loose wheels rolling off into the racetrack, drivers faced several issues. However, a crucial Formula One innovation may be the perfect solution to this dilemma.

Over the past weekend, Formula One unveiled its 2025 season at the Australian Grand Prix. McLaren driver Lando Norris maneuvered his car expertly on a sodden track to beat reigning champion Max Verstappen. But along with Norris’s success, F1 also saw something else that was dazzling.

NASCAR needs something to light up its path

Formula One race cars are obviously nothing like NASCAR’s. The former showcases single-seat, open-cockpit, and open-wheel race cars with substantial front and rear wings and also large wheels. NASCAR on the other hand, hosts heavy stock cars with V8 engines that zoom around oval circuits close to 200 MPH. Despite these vast differences, it looks like NASCAR could emulate something from its European motorsports counterpart. F1 already has an intricately detailed steering wheel. For instance, a Sauber F1 wheel boasts more than 35 buttons, dials, switches, levers, and lights, all with a specific purpose.

Yet what the Sauber team released for its tires for the 2025 season may be a stroke of genius. The team has placed LED lights on wheel guns and wheels to give a heads-up to the pit crew if the tire is securely bolted in.

Is this not a perfect solution for NASCAR’s Las Vegas wheelgate? We all saw what happened in Sin City over the weekend. While Josh Berry could dodge all the mishaps and wheeled his No. 21 Ford to the front, big Cup Series stars fell prey to rickety tires. On top of that list was two-time Cup Series champ Kyle Busch, who incurred a pit road speeding penalty early in the race. Then on lap 113, the No. 8 driver lost his right rear wheel on the backstretch during the restart.

In the end, it cost him a brake failure as well. These loose tires aren’t just a safety issue when they roll down the track. Busch’s incident proves there’s a safety issue at play as well. Fortunately, Rowdy was able to bring his car back into the pits safely.

Like Rowdy, even Chase Briscoe lost a loose wheel, bringing out the race’s first caution on lap 34. His No. 19 Toyota’s left rear wheel came off on the apron of turns one and two. But what if NASCAR implements Sauber’s new strategy in Formula One? Then Kyle Busch, Chase Briscoe, or anybody else could always be safe from a suspicious wheel. Crew members would know exactly how tight the tires are just by checking the LED lights.

Or else crew chiefs like Adam Stevens would need to resort to makeshift solutions. When Christopher Bell realized his left front wheel was loose, Stevens asked him to pit at Briscoe’s No. 19 stall to get it tightened. It incurred a penalty, but Bell at least avoided a bigger penalty from a loose wheel rolling off. Speaking about it, Stevens sent a clear message. “It’s something we’ve talked about before. It’s a situation that’s come up in the past and it’s been discussed with NASCAR. It could prevent a wheel from going across the race track or a dangerous situation. As soon as he [Christopher Bell] jumped up with his head shaking, we jumped on it.”

So NASCAR’s problems may find solutions in F1. Yet this is hardly the first time that the European racing series came up with an innovative tire strategy.

Illuminated covers too?

Sauber’s LED lights on the tires may work wonders for the F1 team’s pit road success. However, the sport has experimented with lights before. As part of Formula 1’s switch to 18-inch tyres from 2022, wheel covers also returned. In an initial test, Lando Norris displayed LED lights gracing the wheel covers on his McLaren mule car. Pirelli F1 boss Mario Isola said they could be put into use to display messages, making them a marketing platform.

Mario Isola explained the variegated uses for these illuminated wheel covers. “When you fit this [LED light] device and the device is working, you can do whatever you want. You can display the position, you can display logos, you can display the lap time in qualifying or something like that. There are many possibilities. You have the technology, so it’s easy to programme what you want to display.”

However, Isola also mentioned the intricate usage of these covers. “But clearly you have to test them, because the wheel covers are also an element that could unbalance the tyre. It’s really important that the tyre is properly balanced, otherwise, they start to have vibrations.”

Perhaps NASCAR could bring it on board for themselves. It could be the perfect spot for a sponsor placement, and while fans might not be able to see for most of the race, it can still bring that additional sponsorship money for teams.

Evidently, Formula One’s innovative strategies for wheels chart beyond our imagination. Let us see if NASCAR and Goodyear take a leaf out of their book of ideas.