Legacy MC’s Erik Jones Backs Goodyear’s Phoenix Showing With Massive “Career” Verdict

NASCAR has started checking things off of its checklist in preparation for 2024. In light of the same, the Phoenix Raceway is hosting a two-day NASCAR Cup Series testing session aimed specifically at improving short-track racing. Six Cup Series drivers, including Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell, Chris Buescher, Erik Jones, Corey LaJoie, and newly crowned champion Ryan Blaney, have contributed to the cause and have provided their valuable feedback.

Goodyear has been preparing to test its new tires on short tracks, and the results have been favorable. Legacy Motor Club driver Erik Jones spoke about the takeaways from the test after the session and said that the tire changes this time have been very significant and noticeable compared to his previous tire testing experiences. The previous test was conducted in Richmond and received positive feedback from the drivers, which led to Goodyear rolling out new tires in the last two races of the 2023 season.

Erik Jones commends Goodyear’s efforts to optimize the short-track experience for drivers

The first day of the testing session at Phoenix was divided into two halves. The focus for the first half of the day was on tires, while gearbox adjustments and reducing decibel levels through the addition of mufflers took center stage later on. The last change in tires was implemented based on the observations from the Richmond test.

Speaking about the results from the first half of the day,  the #43 driver Erik Jones claimed, “The tire stuff was really good, it helped to learn a lot with that. At the beginning of the day, Goodyear made some good notes from that. Probably, it is going to apply in a lot of places, and we’ll see how durability does with the tire we tried today that everybody liked tomorrow, kind of a longer run with it. We tried some package stuff on the other side, too. That was good.”

NASCAR has been on the lookout to optimize the short-track package for Next-Gen cars. Apart from the tire wear, the car’s instability in dirty air and congested lanes has also been a concern for drivers. The latest testing session has shown some encouraging signs, and as per Jones, this might be the biggest change he has experienced.

“Of all the tire tests that I have done in my career, I thought today was probably the biggest change I’ve noticed ever,” stated the Legacy Motor Club driver.

Apart from tire changes, NASCAR wanted to bring in gearbox adjustments that could remove or limit the need for drivers to shift gears on short tracks.

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Ryan Blaney was hoping for some major improvements in the short-track package

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Ryan Blaney is the driver who probably profited the most from the tires that rolled out at Martinsville and Phoenix. While he cruised to a win in the penultimate race, a P2 finish was enough for him to secure the championship in the season finale. Blaney used the reduced tire wear to his advantage and continued to push for the lead with Kyle Larson hot on his heels.

Speaking about his expectations before the tests at Phoenix, he said, “We had a pretty good run though of what they’re gonna do procedure-wise when we had our meeting with NASCAR before the season ended, so I have a pretty good idea,”

“I don’t know if it’s changed or not, but I am ready to get back behind the wheel. I think that will be nice. It’ll give me a pretty good break. It will actually let me focus on doing productive things for a little bit, so I am excited. Hopefully, we find some good stuff at that test. I know we’ve got a lot of things to try, and hopefully, we can improve that package a little bit.”

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Feedback from the drivers has been of paramount importance since the introduction of Next-Gen cars. While drivers have continuously pointed out the flaws, they have also cooperated in suggesting the changes that would make their races better and more competitive. It is good that NASCAR is working together with drivers to make steady progress in this aspect.