Ahead of Saturday night’s NASCAR Cup Series Playoff Round of 12 deciding event at Bristol Motor Speedway, NASCAR will make changes to the racing surface at the 0.533-mile short track.
After meeting with NASCAR Cup Series drivers and Goodyear following Friday’s practice session, the decision has been made to lay down approximately two feet of PJ1 traction compound to the lower groove of the race track.
Excess tire buildup was also swept from the upper groove of the track.
NASCAR just sprayed PJ1 on the track. A 2-foot-wide strip. Yesterday it was 4-foot wide and it was resin. Drivers like the PJ1 better but it doesn’t react well in rain. With no rain in forecast, NASCAR opted for PJ1 today. At tire test, they also put PJ1 on top of resin. pic.twitter.com/FIrLwv3hdd
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) September 21, 2024
Heading into the race weekend, Goodyear expected excessive tire wear as the tire manufacturer was utilizing the same tire compound that was used in the Food City 500 event in the spring, and the track was utilizing the resin that was applied ahead of that event. That race featured intense tire wear, which caused several contenders to fall by the wayside when their tires cut during the race.
While it was chaotic, the high-wear tire situation was compelling for fans, and the sanctioning body and Goodyear were attempting to replicate the scenario, on a slightly less aggressive level.
In Friday’s practice session, it became apparent that the tire wear would not be nearly as intense as anyone expected, as there was very little lap time falloff over the course of 60-plus lap runs. Perhaps the changes in traction compound on the track surface ahead of Saturday night’s race will change the level of tire wear, but if not, there is hope it will allow drivers to race side-by-side throughout the event, something that has been a hard thing to accomplish in the Next Gen era on short tracks.
Alex Bowman will lead the field to green in Saturday night’s race at Bristol after he scored his first pole position of the season on Friday afternoon. Click here for the full starting lineup.
