NASCAR confirms tire options; race format for All-Star Race
24/04/2024 01:07
The NASCAR All-Star Race will again have a simplified race format, but Cup Series teams will have different tire options.
Goodyear will bring its wet weather tire should the conditions warrant its use. There will also be the ‘prime tire,’ which is a slick racing tire that was determined from the test done on the newly repaved North Wilkesboro Speedway last month. A third tire will be the ‘option tire,’ which is a racing slick that made with the same softer, faster-wearing compound as the wet weather tire.
The three tires will be differentiated by their lettering color. The lettering on the prime tires will be yellow while it will be red on the option tires, and white on the wet weather tires.
"At our North Wilkesboro test, there was significantly more lap-time fall-off with what has become the option tire than we had with the prime," said Goodyear's Greg Stucker. "We have been working very hard on our short-track tire package and we wanted to evaluate something that is more aggressive. The All-Star Race format, in a non-points setting, is the perfect opportunity to do that."
Additional tire details:
Teams will be allotted nine sets of tires for the weekend. Teams will be allotted three sets of prime tires and two sets of option tires for practice, qualifying, the heat races, and the All-Star Open. Teams will have two sets of prime and option tires for the All-Star Race. All four tires on the car must be the same type at all times. Only the prime tire will be used during qualifying. Teams will have the option to start on any type of tire for practice, the heat races, and the All-Star Open. All teams will start on the option tire for the All-Star Race."After a successful return to North Wilkesboro Speedway last season, we are thrilled to bring the action back to one of NASCAR's most iconic and storied tracks," said John Probst, NASCAR Senior Vice President and Chief Racing Development Officer. "The spotlight will certainly be on the crew chiefs and drivers as they plan their tire strategy for this special race. In testing, the softer tires were significantly faster – but wore much quicker. Goodyear has been an incredible partner in this All-Star element, and it will be fascinating to watch how crew chiefs and drivers manage this unique challenge."
There will be a combined practice session for drivers in the All-Star Open and All-Star Race. The weekend's activity will start Friday with All-Star Open qualifying and All-Star Race qualifying/Pit Crew Challenge.
During All-Star Race qualifying, drivers will take the green flag and run a lap at speed before coming to pit road on the second lap for the four-tire stop. Once the stop is complete, they will return to the track to finish their qualifying effort. A driver's qualifying time will be the total elapsed time from the green flag to the checkered flag.
Details for the heat races:
There will be two 60-lap heat races that determine the starting lineup for the All-Star Race. The heat races will feature drivers already locked into the All-Star Race. There will be a caution on lap 30 of each heat race and teams must perform a four-tire stop. The results of the first heat race will determine the inside row of the All-Star Race. the results of the second heat race will determine the outside row.Details for the All-Star Open:
It will be 100 laps with a caution at lap 50. Teams must perform a four-tire pit stop. The top two finishers will advance to the All-Star Race as will the fan vote winner.Details for the All-Star Race:
It will be 200 laps with a caution at lap 100 and 150. At lap 100, teams must perform a four-time pit stop using any tire of their choice. All laps (caution and green flag) will count. NASCAR overtime rules will be in effect."This format will challenge drivers, crew chiefs and pit crews from Friday through Sunday, and strategy will play a huge part in who takes home the $1 million prize," said Speedway Motorsports President and CEO Marcus Smith.
"The All-Star Race has always been a place for innovation, from its very creation in 1985 to racing under the lights, unique paint schemes and double-file restarts. Now we have an old-school, short track format developed by Dale (Earnhardt) Jr. plus a new twist on tires courtesy of NASCAR and Goodyear. Kevin Harvick gave great input on stepping up the impact of qualifying. Throw it all together at North Wilkesboro and we've got something special for the 40th running of the NASCAR All-Star Race."
