NASCAR could have waited longer to start the Cup Series race at Richmond Raceway on Easter Night; however, the sport decided to make history instead. NASCAR instructed the race teams to remove the slick tires and put on wet weather tires to begin the race on Sunday night. It was the first time the Cup Series raced with wet weather tires in an official points event.
The drivers had to manage their wet weather tires throughout the first 30 laps, which caused rare racing lines at Richmond. Passes were made at the top of the track as the drivers needed to find moisture to keep the tires from shredding. At Lap 30, NASCAR called a competition caution, and non-competitive pit stops were made to remove the tires.
WE ARE RACING IN THE RAIN AT RICHMOND!@chaseelliott grabs the lead off the start as everyone searches for grip on the wet weather tires in the early laps.
Going to be a very interesting opening stint.#NASCAR #ToyotaOwners400 pic.twitter.com/URld6OiJbZ
— NASCAR on TSN (@NASCARonTSN) March 31, 2024
It was a historical moment as NASCAR finally introduced the wet weather tires. They can’t be run in the rain, but it helps shorten the track drying process for NASCAR. Sure, the experiment wasn’t perfect, but it was great to see the sport try something new that allows racing earlier in the process of track drying. NASCAR can now look at what happened on Sunday and learn from it moving forward.
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