NASCAR for long has remained hesitant towards racing on wet tracks, for the obvious risks involved. The racing organization was comfortable using wet tires on road courses for the slower speeds and high braking. However, it wasn’t until 2023 that they first featured on ovals, which form a majority of NASCAR’s track lineup. NASCAR used it at the North Wilkesboro All-Star race last year in a non-points event.

Owing to its success, they were also brought out when Richmond’s spring race saw some showers. This was the first point-playing event when the wet tires were in action. This was also followed by their use at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway in June. However, NASCAR has limited the use of wet tires to short tracks, shying away from intermediate tracks, which form a larger part of NASCAR’s track compared to short tracks. But, recently, Goodyear did a wet tire test at Homestead, and the results point towards a big change coming in the future of intermediates.

NASCAR takes a crucial first step in wet-tire racing at intermediates

The reason for staying away from intermediates is possibly the higher speeds than short tracks, making it more dangerous. However, after the recent Homestead Miami playoff races, NASCAR created artificial damp conditions on the 1.56-mile track to test Goodyear’s new tire compound. Three drivers from three manufacturers were picked – Alex Bowman (Chevrolet), John Hunter Nemechek (Toyota), and Ryan Preece (Ford). They were given five sets of tires, with four of them being different wet weather options, and the results have been promising.

Recently, NASCAR Cup Series managing director Brad Moran was on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. Where he spoke about how the test went down. He said, “They were running up against the wall and kind of all over the racetrack in the wet. There was some spray, which we anticipated. 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.”

This is significant since NASCAR can reduce rain delays or postponement of races on intermediate tracks. There is a long list of rain-delayed races with intermediates. In 2023, the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway was postponed a day, and Ryan Blaney won after it resumed. Or how the Kansas spring race faced a 3-hour delay this year because of the rain. The Las Vegas race has also seen some delays. Even the Texas Motor Speedway in 2020 saw postponement due to rain delay.

Recently NASCAR analyst Eric Estepp revealed the significance behind Goodyear’s recent development. Estepp said, “This is wild it took years for NASCAR to run wet weather tires at road courses. Recently, we’ve seen them used at short tracks, but a mile and a half? Science said it couldn’t be done credit to NASCAR credit to Goodyear for giving us another tool that could potentially be used to fight back against mother nature.”

However, the tires are still a work in progress and would probably take a long time before they make it to points races. “Obviously, we won’t see these tires used this season, probably not next season, but it’s cool that this is a real work in progress,” Estepp added. However, the progress in bettering wet racing is promising!

Bran Moran opens up on the progress of wet tires in NASCAR

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Wet tires were the first feature in NASCAR in the late 1990s. The first time they were seen was in the 1997 qualifying event for the NASCAR Cup Series exhibition event in Suzuka, Japan. But Road courses are only a fraction of the NASCAR tracks. However, NASCAR’s efforts to make oval races more rain-resistant are crucial. Moran said, “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.” The reports would enable NASCAR to incorporate the changes and get them ready.

Even Fox News’ Bob Pockrass agreed it is too early to conclude anything. He took to X to write, “More of an exploratory test. Nothing planned for use in the short term (like at least early next year) but mainly to develop a plan, if there can be one, of what they need to research/develop for intermediates.”

However, according to Moran, the efforts to improve wet racing have been going on for many years. “This is a directive from Jim France a couple of years back; we’ve been working hard at it. We started doing some testing a few years ago. Obviously, we got to see more of it this year, and it worked out very well in New Hampshire as well as North Wilkesboro. It certainly helped us get back to racing and helped the fans have the opportunity to enjoy the race when they come.”

Although NASCAR is still cautious of racing in the rain as the tires are only used when the rain has stopped. Maybe in the near future, with Goodyear’s constant efforts, we could also see racing happening in a downpour. Won’t that be interesting to watch? What are your thoughts on how NASCAR racing has evolved over the years when it comes to tackling the rain? Share your thoughts with us in the comments down below.