NASCAR insider pushes back on calls for option tires in Championship race, offers alternative for Goodyear

The option tire provided by Goodyear contributed to some entertaining racing at Phoenix Raceway this past weekend. Now, many are wondering whether NASCAR will utilize the tire when they return to the desert for their championship-deciding race on Nov. 2.

Some are for the idea, while others are against it. Jeff Gluck of The Athletic was a fan of the racing in the Shriners Children’s 500, but he took some time to explain on the latest episode of The Teardown why he would leave the option tires on the sidelines for the Cup Series’ finale.

“You don’t want the championship to come down to, ‘I just saved the two sets of reds, and I got lucky with the caution, and I’m the champion now because I did that.’ The industry, I don’t think, wants the championship to be decided by another sort of, what some fans view as a gimmick, on top of the playoff system, which is already viewed as a gimmick. They don’t want to introduce that,” Gluck stated, regarding the use of the option tire for Phoenix’s fall date. “So, for the championship race, and for playoff races? I would say, probably not.

“There’s plenty of races in this long season where you could introduce this element of strategy and say, ‘This spices it up a little. It makes it a more watchable race.’ How many times have we talked about Martinsville or Phoenix, ‘Boy, if this race didn’t have elimination or the playoffs on top of it, it would be a pretty boring race.’ But you introduce this other concept, and suddenly it’s like, ‘Woah, this is super interesting.’ So yes, I think I’m not going to go with the championship race, but I would like to see the option tire used in more races. Not every race, but more races throughout the year.”

All told, the option tire has changed the game at tracks that have been struggling to put on a good show since the Next Gen car was introduced. Phoenix was certainly one of those, and this past weekend’s race in Arizona was the most exciting at the venue in the last couple of years. However, as Gluck alluded to, another gimmick deciding who the champion is would be frowned upon.

Time will tell what NASCAR decides to do, and if they bring the option tire to the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race. One thing is for sure, drivers must be ready for anything when the title-deciding event rolls around, and Team Penske will likely be fast regardless, as they’ve shown over the past couple of seasons.