It’s no secret that the competition level and overall product in NASCAR’s developmental series have superseded the premier level for arguably the last decade. Sure, one can make the case that the younger drivers have more to prove, but there’s potentially something being overlooked involving strategy that makes for a better display — tire allotment.
Fans and those integrated into its workplace like to campaign NASCAR as a team sport, and it definitely is. Still, the ability to showcase could be magnified by implementing a more strategic element to its highest level of racing.
Frequently throughout the NASCAR Xfinity and Camping World Truck Series, teams are given anywhere from four to five sets of Goodyear Eagles. Yes, the distance of these races may not require an abundance of rubbers for the event, but with two stage breaks and competition cautions, there is absolutely an exemption of luxury in having fresh tires throughout the race.
When you throw in the factor of there typically being many cautions in these developmental series’ events, the tolerance for team-wide execution is finite. From the drivers knowing when to push and reserve to the crew chiefs having to strategize much more, there’s no denying limited tires present a welcomed challenge for teams throughout the garage.
Xfinity Series team owner and driver Brandon Brown echoed these sentiments when questioned about limited tire allotment for up-and-coming products of NASCAR’s developmental series.
“Limited tires are the double-edged sword,” Brown told The Circuit Journal. “It’s great when you have that last fresh set, and everybody’s already taken them, but they’re terrible when you’re stuck on your last set, and somebody else gets to take them.
“The crew chiefs have to think a little harder. The drivers have to know how to give a little bit mid-run and save something for the end. You can drive extremely hard, or you can lay back and do a little strategy with it.”
For someone like Brown and other teams using personal funding to seek a career in NASCAR, limited tires go beyond showcasing skillsets. Perhaps the biggest benefit for smaller budget organizations is the ability to save money.
While teams are limited to a certain amount of tire sets each weekend, they must pay out of pocket. A single set of Goodyear Eagles can cost up to $2,000, meaning there’s a weekly minimum of $18,000 per weekend for the Cup Series, as they’re always allowed at least nine sets.
Sure this may not affect powerhouse teams like Hendrick Motorsports or Joe Gibbs Racing, who have an allowance for parts, penalties, etc. For smaller organizations like StarCom Racing, though, it quickly increases along with car damages sustained throughout races.
Not only would limiting tire sets be beneficial in saving money for smaller teams, but it would also allow those funds to be allocated to other performance areas, thus potentially increasing the competitive level of these non-factor teams. All of this in addition to adding another element of strategy at the premier level.
You’ll often see teams in the lower series crunching numbers and conserving tires to have a faster car in the latter stages of the race. Still, with a minimum of nine tire sets (11 for high-wear tracks like Darlington Raceway), it takes an element of strategy away and makes it more about the drivers and less about team-wide execution.
It’s a different story if there are many cautions and cars are being serviced frequently. Still, fans know what they’re getting for the most part at intermediate tracks, specifically — lots of green-flag racing and little intrigue with solely driver dependency. If NASCAR and Goodyear experimented with limiting tire sets at these tracks, there could be a better overall product in the Cup Series.
