NASCAR to offer Goodyear option tire for Phoenix spring race
NASCAR announced Wednesday that the Goodyear option tire will return to the NASCAR Cup Series for the spring weekend at Phoenix Raceway.
It will be the same process that was utilized for the summer race at Richmond Raceway last year where each Cup Series team was given six primary sets of tires for the race and two sets of option tires.
The goal of the option tire is to increase grip, which can provide more pace to the car. The trade-off, however, is that it is designed to wear significantly faster than the primary tire, so while a driver may gain track position in a short amount of time, they could lose it on a long run and have to pit sooner for fresh tires.
The option tire made its debut at North Wilkesboro Speedway in last year’s edition of the All-Star Race before NASCAR competition officials used the allotment for a points-paying event.
The use of the option tire shook up pit strategy in that race at the Virginia short track, with drivers like Daniel Suárez reaping the benefits to lead 93 laps and turn in a top-10 result.
A NASCAR spokesperson said that if the option tire works well during the spring Phoenix race, it would become the primary tire for the championship race at Phoenix in November. There would be no option tire for the championship race.
Drivers will also have one primary set and one option set for practice at Phoenix ahead of the Shriners Children’s 500 on Sunday, March 9 (3:30 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
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