NASCAR is heading to its second race in the 2024 Cup Series playoffs. The next challenge for the 16 drivers is Watkins Glen International. In its first time hosting the playoffs, ‘The Glen’ will be more challenging this year. As NASCAR is introducing a new tire compound in the race. These new tires have a 3-second wear-off rate and are bound to make tire management a challenge for the drivers.

However, the tire wear will also make passing the cars easier on track. Hence, the race results won’t be heavily dependent on the qualifying position. This has Chase Elliott take a sigh of relief as he’s trying to forget his 2023 run on the track. According to the Hendrick Motorsports driver, the new tire compound will play a crucial role in the upcoming Watkins Glen race.

Chase Elliott is banking on the new tire compound at Watkins Glen

At the 2023 Watkins race, Elliot qualified 15th and only managed to climb up to 13th before his first pit stop. The early pit stop initially played a decent role in upping his track position as he progressed to 7th. However, the team tried to stretch their run by staying out. Eventually, Elliott was out of fuel and he finished in the 32nd position. And because it was tough to pass, he ended his run a lap down. This was Elliott’s worst career finish on the track. This is surprising because Elliott has been a dominant force in Watkins Glen. In the past five races, he’s won twice (2018,2019) and finished in the top 5 in the other two (2021, 2022).

Elliott, in the current qualifying, will be starting from 14th position, but that according to him won’t be a problem thanks to the new Goodyear tires. In the pre-race interview, he said, “I mean it was like you know if you didn’t qualify well you were just totally setting yourself up to fail and I think that has really been the case all the way up until all the way through last year. You know truthfully, and I think the only thing that could potentially change that would just be whether or not the tire falls off. You know if a tire actually has some fall of to it, then you know potentially you could. You can not have to qualify on the front row to have a shot to win.” 

Well, Elliott’s hopes of passing everyone to victory are based on ifs and buts. However, Goodyear is certain of its claims. Greg Stucker, Goodyear’s director of racing, had previously said, “Based on our test and a subsequent WFT (wheelforce test) with the manufacturers, we should see around three seconds of fall-off per lap over a run. That, of course, can mean more passing throughout the race. It’s always tricky on road courses as drivers take advantage of a limited number of ‘passing zones’, so the increased fall-off should lead to more comers and goers as some drivers manage their tires and gain on the field as the runs go on.”

To test the new tire compound, teams were given two practice sessions this time, rather than a single one. After the two 20-minute sessions, the tire wear-off data came in. Most cars experienced at least two seconds of fall-off during a 10-lap run. This means that the race is going to get interesting. A high wear rate also means the car would be tricky to handle. Adding to the uncertainties, NASCAR has also made several changes to the track. Recently, NASCAR drivers voiced their concerns about the changes made.

NASCAR drivers on the changes made to ‘The Glen’

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NASCAR has added rumble strips to turn one. What this does is that it stops the cars from falling outside of the curb. Joey Logano, talking about the changes, said, “Watkins Glen isn’t the typical Watkins Glen that we’ve seen in the past. They’ve changed the curbing to the bus stop itself to where you won’t be launching them into the corner as much, and then they also added rumble strips on the exit of the carousel to keep us from dropping way out there, so the track will race differently.”

Logano will be pleased to not be affected by these uncertainties. He’s already made the top 12 after winning the Atlanta race. However, Ryan Blaney, who finished in P3 after pushing Logano to victory in Atlanta, will be hoping to get a win and join his teammate in the top 12. The Penske driver is not too worried about the changes. “The changes to the track are not crazy. The bus stop entry curb is gone, so that’s gonna be different. Some of the rumbles they’ve got on the exit of the carousel in turn one will change a little bit, which I think is positive for the racing. You won’t be able to just blow turn one and bail out to the apron and still have speed, so it will take a little more precision.”

Blaney is currently leading the playoff standings with a comfortable cushion of +45 points above the cutoff line. However, as opposed to Blaney, a good run at Watkins Glen is a must for Martin Truex Jr. Who is currently in the elimination zone in his last Cup Series season. The veteran is in the 15th position with -19 points below the cutoff line. MTJ is delighted with the track changes. Ahead of the race, he said, “I think the bus stops pretty straightforward. It’ll be a lot nicer through there last year. It just beat the living crap out of you hitting those curbs. It was really bad, so um, you couldn’t even see where you’re going, but anyways that that should be more straightforward. And then I think it’s just a matter of you know how much of that runoff area do you use off of turn one and off the carousel.”

Now, the race will tell if the changes in the tire component and the track make it a thrilling race or not. Who do you think will emerge victorious? Tell us in the comments below.