Goodyear’s drastic tire changes caused panic among NASCAR drivers.
As the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs enter the second round of the three-race opener at Watkins Glen International, excitement is building among drivers about Goodyear’s introduction of a radically different tire compound. This weekend’s race comes after Joey Logano won Round 12 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The Watkins Glen International, a 2.45-mile road course in New York, has historically favored Hendrick Motorsports, which has dominated the last five of this seven-lap event. However, this year’s race will change significantly with these new tire compounds.
The problems plaguing NASCAR on tracks and short circuits have led to aerodynamic changes to the next-generation cars for 2022, but unfortunately, the ongoing issues have not been resolved. To solve these problems, NASCAR asked Goodyear to develop a softer tire compound that would result in more tire wear during races. The new tires were tested for the first time at Bristol Motor Speedway in the spring and the results were very good. Goodyear racing director Greg Stucker was optimistic about the changes.
“As part of our ongoing efforts to increase sales, we conducted a test at Watkins Glen in June and came up with a new tire that achieves this goal. Press for about 3 seconds per lap while jogging. “This could definitely mean more overtaking during the race.” The soft compound tested at Watkins Glen last season showed a loss of around three seconds per lap, affecting strategy and increasing overtaking opportunities during the race. This made the drivers worried about the consequences of their racing tactics.
NASCAR driver Christopher Bell asks:
“If there is a drop in tire performance that we anticipate, there is a strong incentive not to miss a session to get new tires early in the next session. At the same time, the street sequence and the yellow flags (scene breaks) really create a lot of strategic decisions.” Drivers who had previously chosen to skip pit stops at the end of the stage for better track positioning took into account the expected drop in tire performance. We need to rethink our approach. These changes are expected to make the race interesting, as Denny Hamlin explained.
“I’m sure it will be a different race than any circuit I’ve ever seen because the drivers play a big role [in tire management].”
