NASCAR is venturing into uncharted territory. The sanctioning body recently conducted a wet-weather tire test at Homestead Miami, and early reports indicate a positive outcome. It was the first time testing was held in damp conditions on a 1.5-mile speedway, as the wet weather package has been restricted to road courses and short tracks in the past. However, this could be the start of a new beginning for the sport. But how?

Stewart-Haas Racing’s Ryan Preece was one of three drivers who participated in the tire test. The 34-year-old shared his views about the experience and complimented the tire manufacturer for how well the car responded under damp conditions.

Ryan Preece reflects on the pros and cons of tire testing.

Ryan Preece was not alone at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Three drivers representing three manufacturers were present on the racetrack, including Alex Bowman of Chevrolet and John Hunter Nemechek of Toyota. A total of five different sets of tires were used during testing, which included four wet-weather compounds, and they were tested on an artificially damp surface to recreate the optimal conditions to test their performance. In many ways, the test was a significant one as it could change the way racing is conducted on ovals larger than one mile without the need for long disruptions.

Sharing his views about the wet-weather package at Homestead-Miami, Ryan Preece told Sirius XM NASCAR Radio, “It was honestly incredible how well they handled, to be honest with you. It gets really really difficult to be able to do that with really any cars around you. It’s the spray. The spray that was coming out behind the cars, it just made it difficult to either see the car in front of you, if you were within, I would say half a straightaway in front of everybody, their car would completely disappear. I would say the visibility side is probably the biggest challenge of it all.”

NASCAR has always had a bit of a cautious approach when racing in wet weather. While road courses have been immune to the condition of the track, with necessary tires and windshield wipers being used, the same can’t be said about oval tracks.

Only in the last two years has the sanctioning body normalized using wet weather tires in the Cup Series, with tracks such as North Wilkesboro, Richmond, and New Hampshire using them to great effect. However, Homestead-Miami represents a turning point, as the track is over a mile long and expects drivers to race at faster speeds and show more skill in challenging conditions.

It seems like Ryan Preece wasn’t the only one who complimented how well the tires performed at the intermediate speedway. Cup Series managing director Brad Moran praised the tire manufacturer by saying, “Goodyear has done a fabulous job with the tires.”

With NASCAR looking to use its wet weather package more frequently during the 2025 season, will we see it implemented on longer ovals in the foreseeable future? Time will tell, but given the reports from the test at Homestead-Miami, one can’t help but feel that it’s only a matter of time.

NASCAR executive happy with tire test outcome

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Even though FOX Sports journalist Bob Pockrass has previously said that the Homestead-Miami tire test was “exploratory,” the results gained from it could bring intermediate racing under damp conditions one step closer. While there remains plenty of work to do to improve its wet-weather package, Jim France’s goal of shortening the amount of time it takes to resume racing after a passing storm is getting closer. While plenty of work still needs to be done to improve the wet weather package, it’s not beyond the realm of possibility that significant strides will be made next season.

Sharing his takeaways from the test, managing director Brad Moran told Sirius XM NASCAR Radio, “From my reports—and we’ll go through this thoroughly later today in our competition meeting—the tires held up really well. They did a great job.” He went on to say, “The speeds are obviously much higher when we go to mile-and-a-halfs, so we’ve probably got a little work to do there. But overall, it was a really good test. All three drivers agreed on the tire they all liked; they were all in agreement that it was the best tire. We gained a lot.”

Moran also accidentally let slip Ryan Preece’s next Cup Series destination while sharing his views about the test. The executive said, “Preece was in the 60 car, which is his drive for next year,” revealing that the Connecticut native will be driving for RFK Racing next year.

Whether Brad Keselowski’s team will buy a third charter or lease from Rick Ware Racing remains to be seen, but the development may have something to do with the team’s deal with new sponsor Kroger during the 2025 season.