NASCAR often faces scrutiny over its policies and rules. We just saw a glimpse of that when Kyle Larson was granted the waiver. While he may be the golden boy of NASCAR, NASCAR bending the rules for him raised eyebrows and sparked debate amongst many. 

Similarly, NASCAR’s Goodyear’s tire testing on tracks by current Cup drivers has been a topic of furious debate. Each year, Goodyear conducts tire tests at various NASCAR tracks. This is done to enhance tire performance and determine the most suitable tire for each race. Three drivers are selected, running different OEMs. However, according to some, it gives unfair advantages to the selected driver as they get to practice and know the track better. Bubba Wallace’s crew chief was extremely open about not supporting it. But Denny Hamlin bluntly shut down his comments and gave a very clear stance on why it is the right way to go!

Denny Hamlin doesn’t think the NASCAR tire test gives undue advantages to drivers

Freddie Kraft, Bubba Wallace crew chief, highlighted in his podcast “Door Bumper Clear” the topic of cup drivers testing tires. He questioned why active drivers had been used for testing. He suggested, “If we’re going to the tire test, go take Kevin Harvick and go run you know all day long and let Kevin decide what tire we run you know to your point, like even, even if there is an advantage, like we know whether you want to say it they made the difference or not, there’s a big advantage to knowing and not only just for Joey but for the team to know you know.” 

But not all agree with Bubba Wallace’s crew chief’s statement, at least not Denny Hamlin. Recently, on a segment in the Action Detrimental podcast, Hamlin was asked if non-cup drivers should test tires to avoid advantages. To which he bluntly said, “Non-cup drivers doing the testing? No, I don’t think so!”

According to Hamlin, an active driver’s input on tires and what they think races the best is crucial. And it’s best to keep it that way. As far as retired drivers testing it for them instead, Hamlin said it doesn’t work that way and that one needs to be updated. He said, “You need to be up-to-date. You need to understand how these cars drive now, what we fight when we’re racing each other, and what kind of falloff we need to be able to pass.”

For the Sonoma race, three drivers—Martin Truex Jr., Josh Berry, and Ross Chastain—did the test. And the prior practice on track got them no advantages on the ultimate day! Martin Truex Jr. finished at 27th, Berry at 32nd, and only Ross Chastain was in P5. But this doesn’t mean others have not capitalized on NASCAR’s tire test! 

Joey Logano took full advantage of the tire test at North Wilkesboro Track

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In March, Joey Logano, one of the three drivers, tested Goodyear’s new tire compounds on the newly repaved 0.625-mile North Wilkesboro track. And then, at the final Sunday’s race, he emerged as a winner! Not only that, he did end up leading more laps than any other driver in the 40-year history. So was it just sheer coincidence, or did the tire test help him secure his first win in 2024? 

Joey Logano himself gave away the answer! He said, “We were so fast. We came here before for testing and ran over 800 laps and figured out what it was going to take to win the race.” He compared his experience to the scene in the movie “Miracle” about the 1980 United States Olympic hockey team. Because his crew chief, Paul Wolfe, made him run lap after lap until he was drained. He went on to say that whatever lap time he got, he used it well and capitalized on the experience during Sunday’s race. However, he did mention that he didn’t run on the tire that Goodyear had him test with.

His crew chief, Paul Wolfe, admitted after the race that the tire test was indeed a huge part of their success. Wolfe said that they were fortunate that they got to do the tire test, and they learned a lot from it. He said, “The guys back at the shop and the guys preparing the cars took all that data and information, and we’re able to bring something back.”

This shows that it does give an advantage, even if it’s a little to the drivers testing it. What do you think? Are you against NASCAR using current drivers for these tests, or are you okay with it?