Kyle Busch has been vocal about his quarrels with the Next-Gen race car. And he’s not the only one in the Cup Series garage feeling the same about NASCAR’s newest invention. In theory, it was supposed to sharpen the rough edges of the previous iterations and deliver a competitive racing environment.

However, in reality, the new car hasn’t lived up to its billing but rather developed new issues for the drivers to deal with. The lack of passing opportunities on the short tracks is one of the major concerns. Although this issue can be eradicated simply by notching the power of the engine, NASCAR is hesitant to do that. Therefore, the only avenue that could improve the state of racing is tires.

The option tire was believed to have solved the woes on the short- track after a positive display at Richmond a few weeks ago. But, going by Rowdy’s words, those expectations need to be in check following the Goodyear tire tests at Martinsville Speedway.

Kyle Busch isn’t sold on the option tire

Track position has become the easiest way to run up the field, not only on drafting tracks but also on short ovals. The new race car is big on aerodynamics, trying to follow in the footsteps of F1 racing. But it has fueled a new trend of who can execute their race well on the racetrack, as the variables are already in front of the teams. This takes control away from drivers and their ability to control their destiny on the track and simply rely on pre-planned tactics.

Amidst the demand to improve the dire situation drivers were facing on the short track, Goodyear began developing a new tire. Option tire, as they call it, is a softer compound designed to fall off with better grip levels. This tire did turn heads at Richmond, where teams and drivers used this new compound to mix things up, and most of the drivers were pleased with this change in the dynamics.

But Kyle Busch has to be the bearer of bad news regarding the option tire after his test run at Martinsville Speedway. “I don’t think the tire is necessarily going to be all-out fit for Martinsville, and I say that because of the aero deficiencies. I was on 20 lap fresher tires than Carson Hocevar was and I ran them down, and I got stuck behind him for 10 laps, and it was a hard time trying to pass him.”

He did acknowledge there was more fall-off with the new tires: “Definitely more fall-off, more opportunity there. Some more work to do on the race car to get it better. So you may see some guys that figure that out, some guys that don’t. Get some separation with some maneuverability, some passing things like that,” Busch further added.

But does that mean the progress both NASCAR and Goodyear made at Richmond Raceway was all for nothing?

NASCAR and Goodyear deserve some credit for their efforts

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In a bid to solve the current woes with short-track racing, NASCAR went out during the fall race at the Action Track. Along with the prime hard tires, the teams were provided with two sets of option tires. Now, the experiment wasn’t all for nothing, as Daniel Suarez showed how much of an impact the new compound had on his overall performance. From running outside the top 15, he secured a top 10 finish for himself, he was the one who initiated the switch from the prime to the option tire.

Surprisingly, Rowdy himself used the reds at Richmond Raceway to stay on the lead lap during the Stage 2 run. Suarez even went so far as to say NASCAR should use the option tire at all short-track venues. “In my opinion, honestly, we should do this everywhere. I mean, why not? The tire didn’t blow up; it was fast, and it fell off…More passing, more action. Why not? There was a lot of positives from today.”

We’ve seen teams adapt and improvise their tactics with a differentiating factor like tires. Although Kyle Busch has his reservations regarding the tire, who knows, other drivers could make the most of this new Goodyear invention.