One of the most intriguing aspects of this season’s NASCAR All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway is set to get some further testing later this season in a points-paying race.
NASCAR confirmed the widely expected news on Tuesday, that NASCAR Cup Series teams would be presented with an ‘option’ tire from Goodyear — in addition to the usual ‘prime’ Goodyear tire — in the August 11 event at Richmond Raceway.
As was the case in the NASCAR All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro earlier this season, the option tire will be denoted by red lettering, whereas the traditional prime tire will maintain its yellow lettering.
The option tire is made from the same compound as the wet weather tires used on ovals, most recently at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, where the final 90-plus laps ran in damp conditions.
At the start of the weekend, NASCAR Cup Series teams will be allotted three sets of the option tires, one to be used in practice on Saturday, and an additional two to be used during Sunday’s 400-lap contest.
To give teams additional on-track time, NASCAR will extend practice to include a single 45-minute session just before qualifying on Saturday. In said practice, teams will be allotted one set of the prime tire, and one set of the option tire. In the qualifying session that follows, teams will be required to post a time using the prime tire.
When it comes time to drop the green flag on Sunday’s event, NASCAR will no longer be mandating when teams utilize their option sets. However, it is a necessity that all four tires match at all times, on every racecar.
Running on the newly-repaved North Wilkesboro Speedway in May, the option tire didn’t perform exactly how many would have hoped, with the crossover point between the option and prime tires never actually showing up.
With a surface more prone to tire wear, the hope remains that there will be a true crossover point between the option and prime tires, giving an advantage to each set of tires throughout a run.
