In a surprising turn of events, NASCAR’s Bristol Motor Speedway race brought back the intensity of 1990s short track racing due to a mysterious tire issue that caused chaos for all teams.
Last season, Goodyear conducted a tire test at Bristol Motor Speedway with the goal of developing tires that would wear out more quickly, adding excitement to the races.
The new tire was initially successful during the Fall race last year. However, during the recent race on Sunday, the tire behaved differently, causing many drivers to experience tire wear after only about 50 laps. This resulted in significant tire fall-off, leaving many racing on tire cords with no rubber left.
One notable change was the use of resin on the bottom groove instead of the usual PJ1 traction compound. This change was made because PJ1 doesn’t work well with NASCAR’s new rain tires for short tracks.
NASCAR issued 9 sets of tires at the start of the race, but due to the unexpected tire wear, an emergency 10th set was issued midway through the race.
Goodyear held a press conference during the race to address the situation, acknowledging the challenges they were facing. They emphasized that their goal was to create tires that would provide exciting racing with tire wear, but the extreme tire wear seen during the race was unexpected.
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Despite the challenges, the race saw a record-breaking 54 lead changes, making it one of the most thrilling NASCAR races on any short track. Fans were delighted with the excitement and unpredictability of the race.
Goodyear expressed their commitment to understanding the reasons behind the unexpected tire wear and making adjustments accordingly. They will evaluate the situation and determine if another tire test is needed before NASCAR returns to Bristol in the Fall.
