The NASCAR Cup Series teams have a new factor to account for during this weekend's elimination race at Martinsville Speedway. They will take on the short track with a new tire setup.
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According to Goodyear, the right-side tires will have the same tread compound as the option tires from Richmond Raceway and North Wilkesboro Speedway. This is a softer compound that provides tire wear.
The left-side tires, however, will feature a new tread compound that NASCAR says is "even softer." The goal is to provide more grip and more fall-off over the course of the run. This will emphasize tire management, something that benefits playoff driver Denny Hamlin.
Goodyear also noted that another goal is to lay down rubber in the concrete corners and create a second racing groove.
"This year has been one of great development and advances on our short track tire package," said Greg Stucker, Goodyear's director of racing, in a statement. "...We come to Martinsville with that same right-side tread compound as part of the set-up teams will run, along with a left-side tire that utilizes the 'softest' tread compound in our tire lineup.
"Martinsville is a tricky track for many reasons — not only the time of year we race there — but also the layout with the tight, concrete corners. We had a good test there in August and came out of it with this set-up, which is another step forward on our short track package."
The short track package has been a point of emphasis for NASCAR throughout the Next Gen era. Passing has been far more difficult at tracks such as Richmond Raceway, Bristol Motor Speedway, and Martinsville Speedway as the cars have all run essentially the same lap times.
Passing options have been limited while track position has been the key to success. A prominent example of this is the spring race last season. Ryan Preece won the pole and led 135 laps. However, a penalty buried him in the field. He never got back into contention and only salvaged a 15th-place finish.
NASCAR has tried to improve the short track package in a variety of ways. The aero package was the main point of emphasis early on. However, nothing provided the fix the drivers or fans sought.
The tire package then went under the spotlight as NASCAR tried multiple compounds. One accidental breakthrough occurred during this season's spring race at Bristol. The tires fell off at an extraordinary rate, something that Goodyear and NASCAR could not fully replicate for the playoff return in September.
The Option tire made its debut at North Wilkesboro Speedway, providing teams with the ability to gain improved grip over the drivers on the standard racing slicks. Although the tires would wear much faster.
The tire returned for the points race at Richmond as NASCAR continued its pursuit of improved short track racing. The teams completed the race without issue, but Austin Dillon changed the conversation by winning the race after wrecking both Joey Logano and Hamlin.
With the most important short track race of the season now on the schedule, the tires will once again become the topic of conversation as six playoff drivers battle for the remaining two Championship 4 spots.
"We sure hope (the tire setup) creates some interesting racing," Cup Series Managing Director Brad Moran said during a Tuesday appearance on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
"How it's all gonna work out, it's one of those deals we're really not gonna know until we get them all out (on track) on Sunday."
