$1 Million Richer Joey Logano Fails to Appease NASCAR Fans Amidst Damning All-Star Verdict

The 2024 NASCAR All-Star Race was one of Joey Logano’s most dominant performances in the history of the sport. Leading 199 laps out of the 200 and never being overtaken under the green flag, Logano slotted his #22 Penske Mustang into victory lane and brought home the $1 million cash prize.

With that being said, the lackluster real-world performance of Goodyear’s option tire could have contributed more to this dominance than Logano would like to believe.

Joey Logano seals a stellar weekend at North Wilkesboro

As the Cup Series entered North Wilkesboro, all eyes were on Goodyear’s softer option tire. With short-track racing proving to be the Achilles’ heel of the Next-Gen era, fans were unfortunately expecting a repeat of last year. Fast-forward to the All-Star Race, and we didn’t get to witness any overtakes at all. While fans were rather disappointed, Joey Logano was certainly having a delightful weekend.

Kicking things off with pole position, the Penske driver made good on the start and held on to the lead for 199 laps of green flag running. The only time Logano fell out of the lead was when Kyle Busch wrecked Ricky Stenhouse Jr, as Brad Keselowski led one lap under caution. That being said, no driver was able to challenge Logano for the lead for long.

Despite Kyle Larson’s best efforts, his strategy on the option tire put him at a disadvantage to Logano, who had made the most of the tire test. The $1 million winner shared with Jamie Little from FOX, “We came here and texted and ran 800 laps of the tire test, all really put me to work and we really figured out what it would take to win the race. The boys executed a fantastic stop, I wish this one counted for points but a million bucks will work as well.”

Reflecting on the #22 Penske garage’s greatest strength this weekend, Logano shared how even he wasn’t sure if the tires would last. He added, “I wasn’t so certain, right? We ran over sixty laps in practice and the tires looked okay. You don’t know exactly what the strategy is going to be but it is a total team win. It takes a lot of strategy like we talked about, obviously, it takes a fast car, and it takes the execution.” 

The only driver who posed a serious threat to Logano’s cash prize was Denny Hamlin. However, despite the #11 JGR driver’s consistency, Hamlin wasn’t able to overtake Logano owing to the Next-Gen car’s tire woes. The car just didn’t seem to grip in dirty air; something Logano used to his advantage. The #22 driver concluded, “His short run was so fast but my long run was so great so I just had to battle him off…(..)… I was trying to maintain clean air. If I lost the clean air, we wouldn’t have won the race.”

Whilst it’s safe to say Joey Logano and the #22 Penske garage had truly outdone the competition this weekend, fans couldn’t help but feel that Goodyear’s tire woes overshadowed the win.

NASCAR fans pull no punches against Goodyear’s option tire

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When officials introduced three new tire choices (prime, option, and wet), the notion was to figure out if adding a risk and reward element would improve racing and strategy. According to Goodyear’s director, Greg Stucker, if the tires were successful, it would be something they would continue to pursue. But after looking at the community’s feedback from the All-Star Race, that prospect may have been shot down.

Reflecting on a rather uneventful race other than the Busch vs. Stenhouse Jr fight, users on X highlighted how the ‘Short Track Package is horrific.’ For many, there was no “sugarcoating” that the race “sucked”. With one driver leading 199 of 200 laps, fans felt it just didn’t make for exciting racing.

A user who had witnessed the Truck Series action shortly prior to the All-Star Race shared a comparison. They stated, “Absolutely horrible. We watched a truck race on the same track today where they are racing 3 and 4 wide. Getting penalties and coming back through the field. Butterbean passing 66 trucks. And then this crap even with tire combos, cars stuck side by side. Seriously, the leader and 2nd are unable to get by lap cars.” 

Similarly, other users also felt that Goodyear’s option of tires just didn’t suffice. With how the Next-Gen car was set up on short tracks, overtaking had become close to impossible in dirty air.

One disappointed fan shared, “Oh, that was a race? I thought it was just guys going around in a circle in a line” whilst another added, “Snooze fest. 3 exciting things that happened. I don’t know if it’s the car or the track. Or both.” This comment prompted one user to blame Goodyear; “It’s the car and the tire. But mostly the tire. Goodyear just does not have whatever this car needs to race.” 

After taking a look at the NASCAR community’s animosity over the short-track package once again, do you think that Goodyear is running out of time to deliver?