NASCAR held its first wet weather tire test at an intermediate track on Monday, and the first reports were positive.
The test was held at Homestead-Miami Speedway a day after its Round of 8 race. Alex Bowman (Chevrolet), John Hunter Nemechek (Toyota), and Ryan Preece (Ford) were the drivers who participated. There were five sets of tires, with four of them being different wet weather options to work through.
“They wet the track down the night before, so it was damp, and they got it wet prior to the start of the test,” NASCAR Cup Series managing director Brad Moran told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. “From my reports – and we’ll go through this thoroughly later today in our competition meeting – the tires held up really well. They did a great job.
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“They were running up against the wall and kind of all over the racetrack in the wet. There was some spray, which we anticipated. The speeds are obviously much higher when we go to mile-and-a-halfs, so we’ve probably got a little work to do there. But overall, it was a really good test. All three drivers agreed on the tire they all liked; they were all in agreement that it was the best tire. We gained a lot.”
Moran anticipates seeing more wet weather tires being used next season. NASCAR used wet weather tires on an oval for the first time at North Wilkesboro last season in the non-points event All-Star Race.
The first time they were used on an oval in a points-paying event was at Richmond Raceway in April. The series then had the chance to use them to finish the June event at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
NASCAR does not use its tires when in a hard rain. However, a light rain or a track that does not need to be completely dried allows NASCAR to restart an event sooner.
“This is a directive from Jim France a couple of years back; we’ve been working hard at it,” Moran said. “We started doing some testing a few years ago. Obviously, we got to see more of it this year, and it worked out very well in New Hampshire as well as North Wilkesboro. It certainly helped us get back to racing and helped the fans have the opportunity to enjoy the race when they come.
“So, again, we have not been running in downpours, but we certainly have run on wet tracks. Goodyear has done a fabulous job with the tires.”