The weekend is full of racing! The big one is the last race NASCAR Cup Series regular season at Darlington. But before that was the CARS Tour race at Florence Motor Speedway. The event included NASCAR legends Dale Earnhardt Jr and Kevin Harvick. The veterans had multiple roles to play at the event.

Firstly as drivers, competing with the best in Late Models racing, and secondly as owners of the CARS Tour making sure that the race is fair, competitive, and without any problems. However, the series has had long-standing problems with its Hoosier tires. The lapses have reached a boiling point where the teams have slammed Hoosier, demanding a solution. Although Dale Earnhardt Jr has been their knight in shining armor as he defends them.

Dale Earnhardt Jr addresses the CARS Tour’s tire problem

The race was extremely competitive, where the two-time NASCAR Xfinity Series winner coming in P10. The race was an absolute thriller. It came to an end after a close battle between Ryan Millington and Brenden Queen. However, finally, Millington took the win, his first in this season. The recent victory at Florence Motor Speedway was long overdue, as they have consistently shown the potential to win. There have been near-misses, such as the incident at Hickory last month when Millington spun Connor Hall at the last minute to take the lead, resulting in his disqualification.

There the CARS Tour authorities were quick to make the decision and solve the problem. In fact, the CARS Tour is lauded for its quick decisions and problem-solving ability. However, the solution to the tire problem is long overdue. The most recent incident was when the CARS Late Model Stock Tour practice at Wake County Speedway was delayed because of ongoing concerns about the Hoosier ST2 tire allocation. Drivers have expressed frustration with the inconsistent performance of tires with different codes, which has been a recurring issue throughout the season. The teams discovered that their assigned tires varied significantly in handling. The codes are the manufacturing date of the tire. The fresher the tire, the faster the tire is the general rule. An old tire puts a team at a significant disadvantage.

3-time CARS Tour champion Bobby McCarthy recently highlighted the gravity of the issue. He said, “We don’t get the same serial number from week to week and we’re spending two grand to get a mystery set of tires and are doing their R&D and that’s not right.” According to McCarthy, because of the lapses, there have been inconsistent finishes and sponsors constantly questioning teams. Many have asked the series authorities to find a solution or to change the tire company.

Dale Jr. broke the silence over the matter before the race as he reassured the teams and drivers that a solution was being worked upon. Reiterating this, he said, “Hoosier’s been great and they have been understanding of our concerns and we think we have a path forward. We just got to get everyone in the room, all the drivers and owners and everybody together.” According to Jr, in the CARS Tour, everyone has an equal say and the solution to the problem will be what the drivers and teams suggest.

On this note, he said, “This series wins and loses on the backs of these teams and drivers, the series belongs to them. We just Shepard it up and down the road every weekend so they gotta place to be. So whatever the solution is they’ll be the ones to choose it. That’s the way I like it to go. The teams and owners have to buy into what the direction forward is. But I have confidence that Hoosier will get it sorted.” Until a permanent solution can be found, the teams have rolled back to their old tire line, which is the F-45s, and drivers like them better.

Drivers aren’t the biggest fans of Hoosier’s new tire line

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In December last year, Hoosier launched their new ST tire line. The tire causing the problem is the ST2 is part of the same line. Before the 2024 season started, Dale Jr had greatly advocated for them. He said, “We are confident the ST2 will be a solid product for our teams. It’s very similar to the tire we’ve ran in the past years, and I expect the drivers and setups to adapt quickly.” The Florence race was run on the F-45s and Jr too likes them better. Reiterating this he said, “I like the 45s because it gives me a shot to try to be smart about how I drive the car and protect the tires so that by the end of 80 laps, I might have more life to be able to move forward.” 

Not just Earnhardt but the majority of the drivers who participated in the Florence race prefer F-45s over ST2s. Brenden Queen likes the latter too. He said, “Back on the 45s, and I’m excited about that, and I can’t think of a better time to get our first win at SoBo than next week.” The problem is not so much with the tire compound as it is with the varying codes. On this note, Mini Tyrell said, “I’ve always said I liked the ST2s as long as we’re all on the same code and everyone on pit road is on the same playing field. I’m all for it.”

Hopefully, the tire issue will be solved by the next race because it is a big one! The crown jewel, South Carolina 400, where Millington will start on the pole.