Elton Sawyer, NASCAR’s Senior Vice President of Competition, recently addressed the ongoing efforts to enhance short-track racing. In the aftermath of the Cook Out 400 at Martinsville Speedway, Sawyer emphasized the commitment to refining the short-track package and creating a better racing experience for fans.
🛞 "We are working as hard as we can with Goodyear, and we need to work harder."
🔧 #NASCAR's Elton Sawyer says the sanctioning body is working daily to improve the short track product.
Full Interview → https://t.co/WGRTG5gVtL pic.twitter.com/orczjio1IL
— SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Ch. 90) (@SiriusXMNASCAR) April 9, 2024
During his appearance on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio’s “Morning Drive” program, Sawyer discussed the importance of tire wear and management. He compared the Martinsville race to the intriguing event at Bristol Motor Speedway earlier in the season, where accelerated tire wear added an element of strategy and skill. The goal is to achieve similar dynamics on short tracks, akin to what we witness on superspeedways and intermediate tracks.
While aero improvements have been made over the years, Sawyer acknowledged that the real focus now lies in finding the ideal tire combination. The challenge is to create tires that encourage drivers to manage wear and fall-off, preserving the skillset required for competitive racing. As he put it, “We need to figure out how to bottle up what we learned at Bristol and also what we learned the first 30 laps at Richmond last week.”
Goodyear and NASCAR’s efforts on tire wear and competitive racing
Last season, Goodyear conducted a tire test at Bristol to create more tire wear. The aim was to enhance racing dynamics by introducing tire management as a critical factor.
The new tire was successfully used in the fall of last year, resulting in intriguing racing with significant tire wear.
However, during the recent race, a mysterious issue arose. After approximately 50 laps, many drivers found themselves racing on tire cords with little rubber left. The track wasn’t taking rubber as expected.
The primary difference was that resin was applied to the lower groove instead of the usual PJ1 traction compound. This change was due to NASCAR’s use of a new rain tire on short tracks.
Despite the tire challenges, the race featured an impressive 54 lead changes, making it one of the most exciting NASCAR races on any short track.
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