NASCAR News: Six Cup Series teams undergo tire testing after mysterious wear issues

NASCAR has been testing new tire compounds with six Cup Series teams after excessive wear occurred at a previous race.

At a race in March, problems arose with the same Goodyear tire combination that had been used since last September. Drivers were struggling with excessive wear and were unable to complete more than 47-50 laps without experiencing tire graining and loss of pressure, mainly because the tires were not properly applying the rubber to the track. This lack of grip and increased wear prompted this evaluation to ensure improvements in future races.

The tyre test focused on how the traction compounds used on the Bristol track interacted with the tyre’s performance. Various compounds such as PJ1, known for its durability, and resin, which was said to create dusty conditions and prevent rubber from depositing efficiently, were scrutinised.

Austin Dillon, one of the drivers at the test, said according to Motorsport:

“Goodyear has realised that PJ1 is very good for the tyre and extends its life significantly. The resin they used last time apparently doesn’t allow the rubber to stick and just dusts off.

“When you put rubber on, you can do longer runs. The tire felt good and we had good lap times. The tire was wearing off quite a bit. Over 30 laps it was almost a second – a pretty good drop. That’s a fast enough drop that if your car is a little bit better than the next driver, you can kind of control the tire and overtake the drivers in front of you.”

Chase Briscoe also shared his observations:

“It would be different if this was the first Next Gen race we’ve ever had here, but we’ve done other races and never had this problem. Now it’s something to figure out. At the beginning of the day we could run 25 to 30 laps and at the end I ran 40 laps.

“If there had been more cars here, we would have had more rubber. It presents a unique challenge and demands a lot from the driver. We don’t really have that at the other places we race.”

“The only thing I find strange is that we had 30 to 32 degrees and still there was no rubber buildup or color change (on the track). I’ll leave that to the guys who are much smarter than me.”

“It’s certainly puzzling what has changed here in a year. In the night race, I think you’ll see the same typical Bristol races where we can start early at the bottom (of the track) and then go up and down at the end.”