NASCAR debuted its oval wet-weather tires at Richmond Raceway in March and had its first true test at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in June. The NASCAR Cup Series was forced to finish the race at New Hampshire on the tires, giving the sport and its teams great insight. Now, NASCAR has made several significant rule changes following the Olympic break.
When NASCAR switches to wet-weather tires on ovals, the sport will no longer decide when the teams can change tires under caution. This means the teams and drivers can decide when to use their tire sets during an event. Also, NASCAR will allow pit road strategy, as staying out under yellow-flag conditions while other drivers pit is a possibility now.
The updated rules do not allow teams to remove wet-weather tires in favor of slick tires. NASCAR still decides when teams can use slick tires on ovals, while road courses are different. Overall, these are good rule changes stemming from the race at New Hampshire. The teams should have more flexibility with wet-weather tires and will be granted such moving forward.
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