On Wednesday, NASCAR confirmed that it will have an option tire available to NASCAR Cup Series teams during the Spring event at Phoenix Raceway.
It will be the same process that was used during last Summer’s event at Richmond Raceway, where teams were provided six sets of primary tires for the event, and two sets of option tires.
The overall goal of the option tire is to increase overall grip, which would therefore provide more pace to the racecar. However, the trade-off, is that the tires are designed to wear significantly faster than the primary tire.
Last year’s NASCAR All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway marked the debut of the option tire concept, before NASCAR ended up using the allotment strategy for a points-paying event.
A NASCAR spokesperson said that if the option tire works well during the Spring NASCAR Cup Series event at Phoenix Raceway, that it would become the primary tire for the Championship Race at the one-mile track in November.
In addition to the tire allotment for the 312-lap contest, teams will have one set of primary tires and one set of option tires for practice ahead of the event, which will take place on Sunday, March 9.
Coverage of the Shriners Children’s 500 will be shown on FOX, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
