Joey Logano is a two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion. His voice matters. He shares it every week on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. During his April 23 appearance on “The Morning Drive,” the Team Penske driver discussed the sport’s recent focus on Talladega and how superspeedways have turned into fuel-mileage races.
After exploring various potential solutions, including push-to-pass similar to what is used in IndyCar, the idea of using different tire compounds like F1 and IndyCar was brought into the conversation.
“The different tire compound thing can make a difference throughout a race if it’s longer than what the All-Star Race is, right?” Logano said, referring to the race in 2017 where that specific tire format was implemented. “Like if you have a bunch of stages throughout it and you say, ‘Man, you know what, this is our chance to go out there and win a stage. Let’s put those tires on now. Let’s take it now. Yeah, we’re going to pay the price later, but we’re going to go for the stage points now and try to pass some cars and get some stage points.’
“There’s some strategy options there. I think that would be a really cool thing to add to our races. But I don’t know on a short race, does it really make a difference? And it’s gotta be a big difference, right? Like, two-tenths of a second is not enough to do that. It’s gotta be a half-second or four-tenths — a lot to where you can drive through the field on your soft tires. And it’s got to fall off too. That would be the other part that’s cool, right?
“Like, if you have a tire that fires off four-tenths quicker, half a second quicker than the other tire, but 20 laps into the run, it’s a half-second slower than the other tire, and you have that. Oh man, that’d be so cool.
“Think about that. That would be the coolest. And you’d see cars with the hard tire on versus the soft tire. That would be sweet. To me, it feels a little La-La Land. I don’t know if that’s really going to happen. My little dream world, but boy, it’s fun to dream sometimes.”
Joey Logano’s ‘Dream’ Already in Process of Being Addressed Based on Remarks by Goodyear
Joey Logano discussed NASCAR potentially using different tire compounds as a far-fetched idea, or a “dream.” Interestingly, according to Goodyear Director of Racing Greg Stucker, it’s not as far-fetched as Logano or anyone else might think.
“We tried an option tire several years back for the All-Star in 2017,” Stucker told Beating and Banging. “And, you know what happened was, for us, I think it was successful.
“The split that we wanted to create, in agreement, was about three-tenths. Okay, we want the option tire to be about three-tenths faster than the prime. And it was, in the daytime. Then we got to nighttime and the race, and that gap narrowed. So then, it didn’t become as big of an advantage, right? But we have discussed that. So it is an option. It is something that’s been placed on the table.”
NASCAR Announces Joey Logano and Teams Will Use Multiple Compounds in 2024 All-Star Race
An option is being considered.
During the April 23 edition of the “NASCAR Race Hub,” it was disclosed that the plan is no longer just an option, but it has become a reality. NASCAR announced that it will be introducing the use of multiple tire compounds in the upcoming All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro.
Teams will have two sets of “prime” tires, which are the standard slicks used during a tire test at North Wilkesboro last month, and two sets of “option” tires, which are slicks using the rubber from the wet-weather tires NASCAR has used on short tracks and road courses. The wet tires will also be available in case of wet conditions, as was the case in last year’s event.
The 200-lap race will involve a caution at Lap 100, during which teams are required to make a four-tire pit stop. There will be another caution at Lap 150 that is optional. The teams have the discretion to choose which tires to use during their stops, but they will be required to start the race with the option tire.
Logano’s aspiration has now become a reality, but it’s being tested on a short track. If it proves successful, will it have the same effect on the superspeedways? That’s yet to be determined. However, the fact that NASCAR and Goodyear have taken this bold approach with the tires for the All-Star Race is a positive indication and hopefully will lead to some form of progress in addressing the issues with problematic tracks in the future.
