NASCAR is making a huge change in the way the teams will approach strategies in the future. At the upcoming race in Richmond, NASCAR has decided to try the F1 route, giving teams a choice when it comes to picking a tire. This is coming about in collaboration with Goodyear as the $3.37 billion tire company decides to give NASCAR a new spin. So far, NASCAR has only operated with a single style of tire, but Goodyear is coming in to change that up.

Elton Sawyer, NASCAR’s senior vice president of competition, came forward to speak about this decision, where teams will get to choose between the regular tires or the option ones. The new tires are softer tires that give drivers more short-term grip compared to the regular ‘prime’ tires that the sport is used to. This is a huge step for NASCAR, as it will intensify the teams’ strategy options as the sport takes a turn towards resembling Formula 1.

After saying that other aspects of the car are constantly being upgraded and changed, the tires have remained the same. The test race at Richmond will prove whether giving the teams different tire options will help increase the competitiveness of the sport. Sawyer said, “As far as our short track package, we tried some aero parts and pieces that didn’t quite move the needle like we were hoping for. Tires have proven to do that.”

With this, we can expect an interesting outcome at Richmond, hopefully bringing in another driver into the playoffs.

NASCAR has utilized the All-Star Race over time to innovate and test various racing components, and that’s where the option tires have been tested in the past. Initially, it mentions that developments like stage breaks in modern NASCAR races originated from practices implemented during past All-Star races. Regarding recent developments, the focus shifts to the introduction of an option tire at the All-Star Race, which aimed to create significant tire wear or “falloff” during the race.

Despite promising test results indicating potential falloff, the actual race did not meet expectations due to cooler temperatures and specific track conditions. Subsequently, Goodyear conducted further testing at Iowa with the option tire, revealing that the tire wore out rapidly after approximately 15 laps.

Looking forward to Richmond, NASCAR plans to implement the lessons learned from these tests. Now that NASCAR will be bringing the tires to Richmond, fans are left in two minds about this significant change.

The NASCAR community, divided over the changes, calls for more hp

Even though for now it’s just the tires, one fan noticed that NASCAR is becoming more like Formula 1. Stating that NASCAR is “Slowly morphing into open-wheel racing,” they shared that the sport is no longer the way they remember it to be.

Another fan chimed in as they witnessed the All-Star Race and were not impressed with the results. The comment read, “God, after the all-star race, I hope this works, “ knowing that this is the tire, which sets an overall faster lap but also has a high rate of wear, is experimental.

“Why not just have the race with only the softer tire?” asked one fan. Knowing that softer tires mean more grip, they suggested having soft tires as the only option for the race. This will skip the idea of teams running different setups in a stock racing competition.

Not everyone is happy with the change, as some old-fashioned NASCAR-loving fans said, “This is called we give up or don’t know what to do to make the car better.” According to them, NASCAR has reached a level of innovation when it comes to providing faster cars for drivers. As all teams will be given two sets of the option tire for the race alongside the six prime tires. Two sets will be provided for the practice sessions, one of each prime and the option tire. Such changes could possible hamper the races.

However, the comment that stole the show was the one that said, “We Want Horsepower.” Although NASCAR is trying to implement one big chance at a time, this fan expects more power from the cars in the future. Unbothered by the tire change, this driver makes it clear that all they want is more speed.

Where do you stand on the fact that NASCAR is bringing in tire options for teams? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.