For the unversed and ignorant, NASCAR may seem a bit simplistic. Going around in circles, only making left turns may look odd but there is far more complexity and sophistication in stock car racing, making it one of the most technical and aggressive forms of racing in the world.

Ranging from track layouts to pit strategies, NASCAR drivers have a lot more to consider than just being the fastest. Each track has its own peculiarities. Surface conditions, banking angles, turning angles, track width, draft, clean and dirty air, etc., everything comes into play. Then there are high-speed superspeedways, traditional short tracks, road courses, and the newly introduced street course; in fact, because of the unpredictable nature of the sport coupled with the fierce competition on offer, drivers need to be on their edge to make lightning-quick decisions.

Another important factor that can make or break a driver’s day is the choice of tires. Coming to the recent happenings, it was this talking point that made Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr express his disagreement publically when a fan suggested implementing new tire and pit strategies, taking inspiration from Formula 1.

Dale Earnhardt Jr has a concise response to a fan’s tweet

Disagreement on sports-related matters is not uncommon among people, especially when you are an avid fan, and passionate about your craft. That was the case when, taking things directly to the 2x Daytona 500 winner, an ardent fan voiced his suggestion, tagging Junior in his tweet, saying, “we need a soft and hard tire in NASCAR. Would completely change the game. Strategy, team (quick pit stops), lower fuel loads, etc.”

However, the JR Motorsports co-owner disagreed, deeming such changes could make things all the more complex and too complicated. Looking at this closely, we can detect the underlying currents here, implementing a soft compound and a hard compound tire strategy is certain to alter the pit strategy and eventually create a sense of confusion.

Moreover, with the ongoing discussion of the organization planning to introduce a new aero package for the Next Gen cars including a new and improved diffuser, adding a hard tire to the mix will make it tougher for the teams to come up with adequate pit tactics. The same can be said for softer tires, strapping a softer tire onto these 700hp high-downforce machines will essentially tear the rubber into shreds within minutes, making things even more complex.

While the fan voiced his suggestion to incorporate the 2 tire setup (soft and hard), the veteran Dale Earnhardt Jr simply sent out a 7-word conclusion to educate the man, he said, “I don’t agree. Makes things too complicated.” And much like Dale Jr, Joe Gibbs Racing driver and fellow veteran of the sport, Denny Hamlin also understands the implications alterations can bring about.

Denny Hamlin too isn’t a fan of the modern hard compound tires

The tire and aero discussion also came up in the Action Detrimental podcast. Speaking to his co-host Jared Allen, Denny Hamlin voiced his concerns with NASCAR’s newfound aerodynamic package for the Next-gen cars. While the new body kit opens a whole new dimension for the organization and teams to tweak the cars accordingly, veteran Hamlin shared his issues, urging NASCAR to take a look at the current tire setup.

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Though, the Goodyear rubber provides adequate grip, the hard compound material adds to the complexity, Hamlin continued to stress the need for high-quality tires. He said, “You gotta have downforce to wear out of the tire or you have to make the tire much, much softer. The level of downforce these cars have is the lowest since it has been in the 90s. And when they put the splitter on it, it’s going to be lower than that.” 

Hamlin further explained his point, saying, “So the tires will wear less. If you add it to an open track, which you will be until you reach its traffic, you’ll have a grip, but not because the tires are wearing but because the cars are off the ground. You’ll have less overall grip from lap 1 on, so you take off the aerodynamic grip, and you need to add mechanical grip.”

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