NASCAR has announced that the Goodyear option tire will make its return to the Cup Series for the spring weekend at Phoenix Raceway, bringing with it, at least NASCAR hopes, the same tire strategy chaos that made the summer race at Richmond Raceway last year such a spectacle.
In this setup, each team will receive six primary sets of tires for the race and two sets of option tires, designed to give drivers more grip—and, if they’re daring enough, more speed. Sounds great, right? But here’s the catch: the option tire wears down faster than your old pair of sneakers on a hot sidewalk. So, while you could rocket up the field in the short run, the longer the stint, the quicker you’ll be pitting for fresh rubber, and that could cost you the track position you fought for.
The option tire first made an appearance at North Wilkesboro Speedway during last year’s All-Star Race, where it wreaked havoc on strategies and let drivers like Daniel Suárez enjoy a brief flirtation with glory, leading 93 laps and finishing in the top 10.
If the option tire proves successful at Phoenix this spring, it might just be the go-to rubber for the championship race in November—although, in true NASCAR fashion, there won’t be an option tire for the title showdown itself.
Before the real fireworks start in the race, drivers will get a taste of both the primary and option tires during practice ahead of the Shriners Children’s 500 on Sunday, March 9. Let the tire wars begin.
Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.
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