Denny Hamlin’s Brilliance at Bristol Paves the Way for Goodyear Shaping the Future of Short Track Racing

Only a few days ago, Denny Hamlin shared his wishful thinking about NASCAR’s tire package. Taking inspiration from Formula 1, the 23XI racing co-owner believes the solution to the sport’s lackluster racing does not lie in changing up the Next-Gen car but in introducing a wide range of tire options. Fortunately, as the Cup Series gears up for the All-Star Weekend, Hamlin’s wishful thinking could turn into a sweet reality owing to his dominance at Bristol Motor Speedway.

How did Hamlin’s tire-wear management masterclass lead to Goodyear’s Wilkesboro plan?

As Denny Hamlin crossed the line to secure victory for Joe Gibbs Racing at Bristol Motor Speedway, one thing was clear: The JGR driver’s vast experience had played a major role in his win. A weekend filled with curveballs owing to the wet weather, NASCAR executives were expecting the Bristol race to have bad press coverage. But the tire-management battle that ensued gave fans an extremely thrilling day of racing, unlike any other in recent memory.

So now that we’re heading to the All-Star weekend at Earnhardt Jr’s beloved North Wilkesboro, NASCAR, and Goodyear aim to recreate that tire-wear entertainment with the option tire. Inspired by those used at Bristol, the ‘option tires’ are a touch softer than the regular compound tires and could produce half-a-second faster lap times than their regular counterparts. The only downside?

The ‘option tires’ are supposed to wear out significantly after 30 laps of running. This would, in theory, solve the issue of North Wilkesboro’s freshly repaved tarmac lacking some grip. Evidently, it seems like Goodyear executives have heard and understood what Denny Hamlin, Jeff Gluck, and others had to say about the state of short-track racing. Greg Stucker, the Director of Racing at Goodyear, reflected on how drivers had influenced their decisions and shared his views.

He was quoted by Sportsnaut, “We’ve heard drivers talk about wanting tire falloff because it adds to the quality of racing and creates comers and goers. I agree with that but the tire falloff has to be something drivers can influence. That’s exactly what we saw at Bristol with tires wearing as fast as they did. The race became the ultimate in tire management.”

For the Goodyear executive, “some guys did a better job than others”, as Denny Hamlin and other veterans dominated the race owing to their tire-management experience. The executive also pointed out Richmond Raceway’s wet weather and how it led to some great racing. Still, it remains to be seen if the option tire could truly make short-track racing great again.

Though it’s safe to say Goodyear’s tire decisions for the All-Star Weekend have many reasons behind their implementation, Denny Hamlin might just get exactly what he wished for!

Denny Hamlin’s Formula 1 ‘dreams’ could turn into a reality

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Ever since the introduction of the Next Gen car, many of the races around superspeedways and short tracks have relied on strategies other than all-out racing for a team to bring home victories. That being said, Denny Hamlin shared his thoughts on how NASCAR could take a page out of Formula 1’s tire-compound partnership with Pirelli. As the sport consists of soft, medium, and hard compounds for dry tires, races are action-packed with pit stops, helping the teams maximize their speed on the track.

The 23XI Racing co-owner believed this was exactly what NASCAR needed. On Actions Detrimental, he shared, “I know that Formula 1 each weekend has an option right soft, medium, or hard tires. And they decide what’s the best tire for them. Tell me why we can’t do the same. It certainly maybe would create passing because if you gave us some soft options, maybe two sets of soft options for the race this weekend, clearly I know that it’s not going to last.”

Currently, superspeedway racing largely consists of fuel-saving strategies, and the short-track tire package just does not wear out fast enough for any intense strategic battles. Now that NASCAR is one step closer to having multiple dry weather compounds with the ‘option tire, is it safe to say it wasn’t just Denny Hamlin’s Bristol dominance but also his influence as a media entity that influenced Goodyear’s All-Star Weekend plans?