As the Olympic break draws to a close, tensions are on the rise. NASCAR is waking up from a three-week slumber with a resounding bang. Drivers would return to Richmond Raceway, the 0.75-mile short track in Virginia, for the second time this year. And the second run is laced with surprises and unknowns: NASCAR is implementing tire options for the race, throwing new challenges at drivers.

However, the number of options afforded seems shockingly low for some people. A part of the NASCAR community believes that a tire management race like the Bristol race would require more effort. Even Dale Earnhardt Jr could not help but concur with this thought.

The upcoming tire experiment fails to impress Dale Earnhardt Jr

Before March of this year, NASCAR fans were fixated on some demands. That included raising the horsepower of the Next Gen to do something about excessive parity racing. However, the Food City 500 race in Bristol completely took the racing world by storm. The short track ate into tires, and drivers had to pivot their pit strategy enormously.

The crowd reception prompted NASCAR to get to work. Before long, officials introduced abrasive option tires at the All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway. However, that experiment did not pay off; people could hardly pass each other. Dale Earnhardt Jr cited this problem in NASCAR’s efforts.

Then, as the sanctioning body prepares for another tire experiment at Richmond Raceway, fans are not excited. The number of options is the reason – while there are six prime tires, only two high-wear option tires are afforded. A NASCAR fan pointed out this weakness on Reddit: “Does anyone else think it’s a little dumb what they are doing? Essentially every team will most likely be all on the same tires or same strategy at the same time. It’s kinda gimmicky to me… Nascar is not F1… If they want different tire compounds they need to have unlimited sets to choose from and at least 3 different ones.”

And veteran driver Dale Earnhardt Jr concurred with the fan’s concerns. “I could see myself agreeing with you.” However, the NASCAR icon chose to be diplomatic, as Dale Jr toned down his opposition. “But Richmond and to a certain extent short track racing is in a vulnerable state at the top Cup level. I’m for throwing everything at it to try to make short track racing must see for Cup fans.”

Some other drivers are also feeling jittery about the upcoming Federated Auto Parts 400 race. Denny Hamlin said somebody could steal his March Richmond glory on option tires. “I could have the dominant car, and then someone’s got that extra set of softs, and they come by and blow our doors off at the end.” 

Then Chase Briscoe reasoned that Late Model racers have an advantage, considering that is how Hamlin could win the Bristol race. “I think it plays into the pavement late model guys’ hands a lot more just because they’re really good at saving tires, and they know how to do that, where sprint car guys typically struggle with that.” 

However, another stellar Cup driver is confident about NASCAR’s experiment. He reigned in one crucial factor that the others missed.

Richmond’s old habits may pay off

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Several tracks underwent repaving projects recently. Sonoma Raceway revamped its look this season since its last repave in the 2000s. Similarly, Dale Earnhardt Jr. breathed life into North Wilkesboro Speedway in 2023. Speedway Motorsports revived that track, making it as good as new. However, the freshly repaved surface did not align with the tire experiment. The patchwork ultimately made for a lackluster race performance.

On the other hand, Richmond Raceway’s last full repave was in 2004, before which the track was known for its shiny black sealer. Now people associate it with heavy tire wear. Reigning Cup Series champion Ryan Blaney reasoned that this should make NASCAR’s option tires a success. He said, “I don’t think we really got the full option tire experience at Wilkesboro, just because of the new pavement, but I think Richmond will be a little bit more. It has to be two sides of the scale. It has to be half a second faster, like the option tire, which has to be a half-second faster for like 10 laps and then fall off a second after that. So it has to be two ways, and hopefully Richmond helps that out.”

Evidently, the response to the upcoming tire strategy race is mixed. We can only wait until Sunday to see how the first points-paying race with option tires plays out.