NASCAR changes wet-weather tire policy for Bristol to give teams more control

NASCAR series officials have altered a piece of the wet-weather tire policy ahead of a packed weekend of racing at Bristol Motor Speedway.

As it were, wet-weather tires could be utilized at all ovals at one-mile in length or smaller, which remains unchanged. However, the Sanctioning Body was the sole decider in when to take those tires off and go back to slicks, which has been changed. 

NASCAR remains in control of the tire compound for the race start, but after that, drivers, crew chiefs, and team can determine their own destiny in dynamic weather conditions. The only wrinkle to that is that NASCAR themselves must deem the track wet in order to make wet-weather tires available for use.

Tires

Photo by: Nigel Kinrade / NKP / Motorsport Images

• To start the race, all cars must have the same tire type (slicks or wet weather), as determined by NASCAR
• After the green flag to start the race, if NASCAR issues a caution flag for rain and deems the racing surface damp, it will be each team’s choice whether to race on wet weather tires or slicks.
• NASCAR may deem pit road as damp. In this case, any yellow-flag pit stops will be non-competitive (no positions can change)
• Positions will not change on pit road. Cars exiting pit road will be positioned behind cars that stayed out, if applicable.
• Green flag pit stops will remain competitive (positions can change)

This is a welcomed decision from most of the garage, and the topic became an issue at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on August 23. On the wet-weather tire, Shane van Gisbergen drove out to a 7+ second advantage over the field, but NASCAR threw a competition yellow and forced all cars back onto the slicks in a scheduled, non-competitive stop.

Changing that will make the races with dynamic weather conditions far more engaging, and give the competitors complete control over their strategies on a drying or damp track.

“We always listen to fan and industry feedback, and if there’s an opportunity to make a meaningful difference that benefits the racing, we won’t waste time acting on it,” NASCAR CEO Steve O’Donnell said. “There were a lot of strong opinions after New Hampshire, and Ben Kennedy, John Probst and the entire Competition team went to work. Giving teams the freedom to make their own calls in wet-weather situations on ovals is another example of how we’re working to improve and put on the best possible show for our fans.”

The Bristol Motor Speedway half-mile is among the oval tracks approved for wet-weather tires, as are the following: Iowa Speedway, New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Phoenix Raceway, Martinsville Speedway, North Wilkesboro Speedway, and Richmond Raceway.

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