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Motorsport

Sport

NASCAR puts multiple tire compounds to the test for Phoenix Cup race

Phoenix NASCAR Cup (Organization) Joey Logano Goodyear IndyCar Daniel Suarez Nigel Kinrade Cup Series Ford

For only the second time ever, NASCAR will experiment with multiple tire compounds in a Cup series race. With tire supplier Goodyear bringing two new rubber compounds made for oval tracks, it's not dissimilar to what fans already see in IndyCar with option and primary tires. At a track where passing is notoriously tough, this change could shake up the order all weekend at the Phoenix ‘dogleg’ oval.

Teams will have six sets of the primary tire (yellow lettering), which is a more durable compound that maintains a consistent speed for a longer period of time. Drivers will also have two sets of the option tire (red lettering), which is softer and faster — but wears much more quickly. The expected crossover point between the compounds will be at around the 30-lap mark.

The hope is to encourage varying strategies and more passing at shorter, slower tracks like Phoenix, where the current era of race car has struggled more with overtaking. With cars sensitive to dirty air, past races have seen it tough for drivers to get to the bumper of the car ahead, and harder to find a way to complete a pass. These tires should help to counter that fact.

Daniel Suarez, Trackhouse Racing, Choice Privileges Chevrolet Camaro (Photo by: Nigel Kinrade / NKP / Motorsport Images)

The option-primary combination made its debut in the 2024 All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro, but there was a lot of control over when drivers could run them during the race. However, the real test came at Richmond that year when NASCAR made the option tire available during a race that counted towards the championship and allowed teams to use it at their discretion.

With only one set in the pits, most teams chose to save them for the very end of the race. Daniel Suarez did not, describing it like "Mario Kart with a star" as he rocketed through the field, winning the second stage on option tires.

This time around, teams will have an extra set at their disposal, further complicating the strategy. Most will want to save a set for the very end still, but there will now be a temptation to utilize the other set in either stage in order to secure critical points. In preparation for Sunday, NASCAR has increased practice time at Phoenix to 45 minutes so teams and drivers can get a better understanding of both tire compounds.

Ryan Blaney, Team Penske, Menards/Richmond Water Heaters Ford Mustang and Joey Logano, Team Penske, Shell Pennzoil Ford Mustang (Photo by: Nigel Kinrade / NKP / Motorsport Images)

Joey Logano, who won last November's race at Phoenix on his way to his third Cup Series title believes it's a 'cool' addition to the race weekend. "I kind of like the option thing," said Logano in a weekend preview. "I don't know, it's kind of hit or miss for competitors and maybe even fans, whether they like it or not. I think some people see it as possibly gimmicky, but I don't see it that way at all. I see that everyone has the same amount of tires and it's how you want to call the race. But I do think it's better for the sport to have, you know, if this tire, it's going to work. And they can implement it in more places and keep doing this. I think it's great. It's cool.”

Along with devising a winning strategy, Logano noted how tricky it will be to make sure the teams are able to keep the balance of the car between the two tire compounds. That will be among the answers they try to find in the extended practice session, along with the more straightforward questions, such as how long do the option Goodyears remain competitive.

He noted how they will have to quickly learn "how hard you can push that tire before it falls off or if it will fall off. How long do you got the goody in it, and what's the penalty if you use it too soon? You kind of got to know that. That's a pretty big strategy call from behind the wheel of how hard you're going to push this thing. And obviously there's a lot of strategy on when you put them on ... And you have to be ready to adjust what you need to depending on what it does to the balance of the car.”