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NASCAR Championship practice filled with tire issues at Phoenix Raceway

JHby: Jonathan Howard10/31/25Jondean25
Phoenix Raceway
Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Whoever wins the NASCAR Cup Series Championship this weekend is going to earn it with the way these tires are acting. We saw not one, not two, not three, but multiple tire failures throughout the field during practice at Phoenix.

Goodyear has brought a softer tire to the track this week for the NASCAR Championship than in previous years. Teams are clearly trying to figure it out and are getting very aggressive with the air pressures. It seemed to be a Toyota and Chevy problem for the most part.

Chase Briscoe, Christopher Bell, Riley Herbst, Kyle Busch, Chase Elliott, AJ Allmendinger (twice), and Daniel Suárez (twice) all had issues with tires that led to minor moments or full-on wrecks in the case of Dinger and Herbst. Kyle Larson hit the wall late in practice.

While the main issue was the left rear tires, there were other problems on the track. Kyle Larson got into the wall a little bit. Denny Hamlin also had an issue with his clutch. He reported that it was “long” and that is something the team will have to figure out.

So, what’s up with the tires? With the new tire here at Phoenix and a lot on the line, teams were getting bold with their air pressures. At least, that is what the Championship 4 crew chiefs chalked it up to after practice.

Rudy Fugle, Chris Gayle, and James Small didn’t think it was a major issue. They believe that crew chiefs and teams will adjust and be fine for Sunday. In fact, Gayle said he started conservatively with his pressures because he was worried about left rear failures. Turns out, he was right.

NASCAR Championship coming up…

Just two days until the NASCAR Cup Series Championship at Phoenix. We have seen the field practice, and now we are going to wait until qualifying tomorrow to see where everybody lines up for Sunday.

Chase Briscoe had the biggest issue out of the Championship 4. His left rear failure kept him from being able to make a long run in the 50-minute session. His peers on the other hand, each made dozens more laps than the 19.

The NASCAR Championship is going to come down to who gets the most out of these tires. Being able to toe the line where your pressures are as low as they can be to create more speed, but without blowing the tires out. That’s the big challenge going into Sunday.