Tire choice has been playing a big role in the NextGen Cup results this year. Goodyear rolled out a softer \u201coption\u201d tire for short-track races at places like Richmond, North Wilkesboro, and Phoenix to give drivers extra grip at the start, but wear out faster than the regular ones. While they\u2019ve improved car control, sliding, and close racing, some drivers feel that frequent tire changes are shifting the way short-track racing plays out. And, Austin Cindric has been part of that conversation.<\/p>\n
During the Phoenix Cup race, the Team Penske driver opted to run the red option tires, the softer compound. This move helped him ascend the field. Even in COTA, which is not a short track, NASCAR featured a new tire compound with more falloff, and Cindri opted for those. So, now, after using both red tires and option tires, Cindric is laying out some similarities between them.<\/p>\n
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Softer tire package talks are back<\/p>\n
\u201cTire management is the biggest variable going into the race weekend\u2026 This tire\u2026 hasn\u2019t been on the racetrack before, so it\u2019s new to everyone,\u201d the Penske driver added. And, adding to his previous observations, Austin Cindric<\/a> has yet again voiced how it has produced surprisingly competitive racing at every location. <\/p>\n \u201cYeah, we\u2019ve run that short track tire throughout this year; it\u2019s been a big change on paper, and it\u2019s been pretty racy. So I don\u2019t expect it to be. You know. I don\u2019t have any big question marks heading into the weekend than just kind of adjusting for it. It\u2019s very similar to the red tire that we ran in the Option Tire race last year, so I expect a lot of similarities and fall off and in balance characteristics to that. And that\u2019s kind of what we\u2019ve been working on as a team to kind of look at,\u201d he said while talking to Steven Taranto.<\/p>\n NASCAR launched a points-paying race using a two-compound tire strategy in the 2024 Cook Out 400 at Richmond Raceway: the softer \u201coption\u201d tire (red lettering) and the conventional \u201cprime\u201d tire (yellow lettering). The alternative tire worked well. It was especially noticeable on Richmond\u2019s small track, where drivers said it \u201cfired off immediately and was more than a half-second faster than the Prime.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n However, in reality, the tire package resulted in an exciting finish and a variety of team tactics. And, Cindric links the past with the present by interpreting the new 2025 short-track tire through the perspective of Richmond\u2019s alternative tire experiment from the previous year.<\/p>\n