Three Cup Series drivers will return to the track this week to take part in a pivotal offseason test as NASCAR and Goodyear aim to find a temperature neutral tire setup.
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This test will take place on Wednesday and Thursday at Bristol Motor Speedway. Hendrick Motorsports driver Alex Bowman will represent Chevrolet, 23XI Racing driver Bubba Wallace will represent Toyota, and RFK Racing driver Ryan Preece will represent Ford.
The three drivers will complete countless laps as Goodyear and NASCAR try to find the best tire setup for the two races scheduled at the Tennessee short track next season. The two companies want this tire to emphasize tire management without showing extreme wear as the temperature changes.
This two-day test will also add another factor into the mix. The drivers involved will test out the new 750-horsepower package that NASCAR will implement during events at road courses and tracks under 1.5 miles in length.
The last four trips to Bristol Motor Speedway have featured different levels of tire wear as the temperature has changed. Two races unfolded with barely any wear, prompting competition officials to acknowledge that they "were baffled."
The other two races had tires that wore excessively. This season's playoff race, in particular, brought back the tire "chaos," as race-winning crew chief Adam Stevens called it. The practice session took place with barely any tire wear as drivers could complete more than 60 laps without problems.
The race then took place under cooler temperatures as tires began to wear excessively. Drivers throughout the field began complaining about issues after only 25 laps. They had to alter their driving style while NASCAR had Goodyear begin preparing an extra set of tires for each team.
"I would have bet my house that it would have been a long-run normal Bristol, run through the stages no problem, and that was not the case, and it was apparent very early on that first run that we were going to have problems," Stevens said after the playoff race.
"I'm not saying it's not fun to run a race like that, but it would be a little bit more fun if you expected it, and after practice, I did not."
This two-day offseason test featuring Bowman, Preece, and Wallace will provide NASCAR and Goodyear with a potential path forward as they try to eliminate the uncertainties surrounding tire wear.
